The Northern Tribes

5

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The large room we enter is magnificent. I didn't think anything like it could exist in such a crude, barbaric land. It's lined with artwork and weapons, crystal decorations hanging from the high ceilings, and torches that throw shimmering light on everything. There is a rug that stretches the length of the long room and leads to a platform on the far end. Tribespeople line the room, all looking elegant and well-dressed, with as many tattoos as the woman leading us. And at the end of the room on the platform is a huge wooden chair lined with furs and trappings.

As we walk the length of the room, I try to keep my eyes down, making no attempt to hide my intimidation. And it is all quite intimidating. The tribesmen lining the room may be the high society of these lands, but they sneer at us like everyone else.

"What a sad looking group," a large man taunts. He is speaking in our language by no mistake. A woman near him chuckles.

"What did you expect from Cencith?" she responds, jeeringly.

When I glance around, I notice they all look fairly young. There are no elderly people in the room. I had heard rumors about their life expectancy being the lowest in the world, and this seems to support that theory. But even knowing that couldn't prepare me for what I see when we approach the platform at the end of the room.

In the huge chair sits a boy a few seasons younger than myself. He looks as if he's only recently reached sexual maturity. And I'm instantly floored. The person ruling this entire savage nation... is a boy?

He has the most tattoos I've seen. He's covered in them. And like the other tribespeople, they are simple tattoos. But unlike the others, he has some running up his neck and across his forehead, like a permanent crown. Both sides of his head are shaved, and the remainder of his black hair is swept into a messy bun. In what seems to be common fashion, he has dreadlocks littering his hair and pieces wrapped in colorful fabric. A black glove covers his right hand, which he is using as a chin rest, leaning on the right armrest of the huge chair.

Next to him stands a girl who appears to be even younger than he, with very pale skin, platinum blond hair and eyes so dark they look black. And on the other side of him is a carved wooden perch, with a huge, white and cream colored bird sitting on it, staring at us with golden eyes. The entire scene is surreal and somehow beautiful, with each component being quite attractive in itself. Attractive, but extremely intimidating. They all watch us silently.

The girl is completely devoid of any expression, along with the bird, both watching us keenly. But their leader merely glances at us without interest.

"On your knees," the woman leading us snaps, at which point we immediately drop to our knees, as does everyone else who entered with us. The woman greets the boy in their language, calling him Reth Valar and bowing her head. He responds, and she looks up at him. They have a few more exchanges, in which he calls her Karia. His voice is low and soothing, sounding far too mature for his appearance. I try to keep myself from staring by focusing on the woven threads of the rug in front of me.

But when I hear movement, I look up. Their Reth has now dropped his hand, watching us more closely. He pushes himself from the chair and walks down the few stone steps separating the platform from the floor of the rest of the room, approaching us. I notice he is limping slightly. The tension in the room has increased dramatically as well. Everyone is watching him very closely, even the bird. The only person who doesn't seem to be affected by his movement towards us is the girl standing next to the throne. She continues her calm, unnerving blank stare.

Karia bows her head again and the Reth says something to her. She looks at him silently, then glances at us with a stern look in her eye. It's as if she's telling us to remember her instructions. The Reth looks at us now, calmly. His gaze falls on a girl next to me. And although he isn't looking at me, I feel pressure around us intensify. We all get even more nervous.

"What village are you from?" he asks her.

"L-Lenouth," she says quietly.

"Address the Reth properly," Karia snaps at her.

"R-Reth sir," she adds nervously.

My village. I think of my village and my family and all the people who died on the way here. The man who lost his sister and Savilla. And here I am, grovelling in front of the leader responsible for it. He's responsible for all the agony and death. I feel my rage begin to bubble up uncontrollably and I clench my fist and bite my lip to keep myself from doing something dumb. And as if he can feel my rage magnify, he turns his shockingly light blue eyes towards me next.

"And you?" his soothing voice does nothing to abate my rage. And before I can stop myself, I answer.

"You destroyed my village, you monster, so what does it matter? Reth." The words dripping with rage tumble from my mouth before I can stop them and Karia lunges towards me immediately but I don't flinch. Right now I am too angry and defiant to be frightened of any repercussions. However, the Reth puts his hand out to stop her and everyone waits. We continue to make eye contact, his eyes swallowing me whole. They're so light colored, they're only a shade or two away from being white. They remind me of the eyes I saw on a volkudo once as I watched it devour its prey next to a river near my village.

He looks from me to the other girls, looking at them each for a long moment. Then his eyes find mine again.

"What is your name? Surely I haven't destroyed that," he responds calmly. While the rest of the room is absolutely seething with animosity towards me, I notice the air around him has changed. He now seems almost intrigued. His question and new demeanor takes me by surprise.

"E-Esme," I stutter. After a few more moments of eye contact, he looks back at Karia.

"Esme," he says. "I want Esme. Sell the rest at auction." He turns and heads back to his chair.

"But sir, how is it that-" another girl in our group begins to speak but is silenced with a hard slap across the face.

"Don't you dare question the Reth!" Karia spits at her, enraged. I know her rage is actually directed at me, as she smacks the girl again. The Reth does nothing to stop it, ignoring us and climbing the few stairs to sit in his chair again as we are pulled upright by the others and led from the room.