The Northern Tribes

7

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Morning light shines through my window when the door flies open and Karia strides into the room. I sit up in a brief panic, forgetting where I am momentarily. Her beautiful but cruel smile reminds me immediately. I sigh a little.

"Not happy to see me?" she asks with half a smile, her accent frustratingly pleasing. I answer with silence, as the two slave girls enter again, giving me a slight bow.

"I presume you slept well. Time to get up." She pulls the warm blanket off me and I climb from bed, the girls dressing me accordingly.

And after another horribly delicious meal, Karia leads me down the hall. However, before we reach our destination, a man approaches and speaks briefly to Karia, who glances at me. She turns back to him and they exchange a few more words before he hurries off.

"You have to come with me for a quick errand," she tells me, and we start off in another direction, walking briskly. When we reach what seems to be a terrace, she stops me right inside the doorway.

"Stay here. I will be right back," she demands. Then she looks at one of the slave girls and says something to her in their language. The girl nods and stays with me while the other accompanies Karia out onto the terrace. I wait for a moment, looking around aimlessly, before peeking outside timidly. The girl with me picks at a fingernail and doesn't seem to notice.

It's bright outside, but when my eyes adjust, I see about ten people on the terrace as Karia approaches. One of them is the young blond girl, and one of them is their Reth.

He is sparring with a very young boy, one that seems about half his age. And although the young boy seems to be holding his own against the Reth, at one point, the Reth steps on the boy's weapon and dispatches it. He then gives the boy a hearty kick to the chest and the boy goes sprawling. The Reth says one word.

"Dorna," he says while gazing down coldly at the boy.

It's one of the only words in their language I actually know because I heard it many times on the horrid march here. It means weak.

The boy on the ground pants tiredly, but the Reth isn't winded at all. I realize now that he was pulling his punches, not that the young boy was actually able to spar with him. He looks over at Karia, who kneels to him and speaks quietly. I forgot how pleasant she can sound when being respectful. And then without warning, his eyes move from her to meet my gaze and I feel myself get flushed as I quickly hide inside the doorway again.

I try to act normal when the slave girl looks at me inquiringly. But my heart is beating fast and I can feel my cheeks are warm. She pulls me inside more and we stand there in silent discomfort before Karia walks through the doorway again. I am worried she will punish me, but she only glances my way once before speaking.

"Come," she demands, continuing her stride down the hallway. I scramble after her, thinking about how young these savage warriors begin training. Their way of life seems awfully ferocious to me. Even the young boy had tattoos, and I fleetingly wonder why the Reth was sparring with him in the first place. It appeared he was training him, and I wonder if I will ever come to understand anything about these fierce tribesmen.

I get the answer sooner than I anticipate when Karia brings me to a room with two others already there. A young woman and man, who look quite similar. They both have brown hair, although the woman's hair is a few shades lighter than the man's. And they both have the same dark violet colored eyes. As with all the others I have seen here, they are dressed nicely and when they see me, a smile spreads over the woman's face. Karia greets them and speaks to them in their native language before turning towards me.

"This is Nox, and Lux," she says, gesturing towards the woman and man consecutively. "They will be in charge of your history and fighting lessons."

History and fighting? I try to swallow my nerves. I never was taught how to fight in Cencith. My father was a merchant and my mother looked after me and my cousins while growing most of our food and running the house while father was away. Due to the strength of Cencith's monarchy and military power, our village was peaceful. I had no need to learn to fight.

I nod at them, trying to seem less nervous than I am. But Nox's smile widens.

"No need to be scared," she tells me, her accent thick. "We won't bite. Yet," she says tauntingly. I look up at Karia, who has already turned to leave.

"I will come get you when the lessons are done," Karia says to me, glancing back. And then she is gone and the large wooden door swings closed. I feel trapped and my first instinct is to try to run. But I know I have to stand my ground and be brave if I am ever going to get an opportunity for revenge. So I turn to the terrifying duo. When I glance at them, Nox beckons to me. I approach the large wooden table where they currently sit. They look so similar, I can't help myself.

"Are you siblings?" I ask them.

"Yes, we're twins," Nox says, confirming my suspicions. She glances at Lux. "My brother, he doesn't speak. He will be in charge of your fighting lessons, and I, your history." She gestures to the table and I sit, trying to hide my intimidation.

"Much more timid that I thought you'd be," Nox muses, staring at me closely. I look away in discomfort. She stands and walks around to my side of the table. Lux and I lock eyes while his sister circles behind me. I feel her touch my hair.

"We've all heard the story of the brave little captured slave. How she disrespected our Reth during the sorting."

"The sorting?" I ask, glancing back at her, unable to keep Lux's steady eye contact. She drops my hair and circles back around again, sitting at the table.

"The sorting is exactly what it sounds like, it's a sorting of the slaves we bring in. You really don't know much, do you?" she asks, and then glances at Lux. "They never do," she says to him. He watches her and it seems like he agrees. Although he doesn't have the unnerving stare the young blond girl had, he isn't very expressive. However, he seems to have a more transparent demeanor than the Reth or the blond.

"Can't blame you, though, our history is shrouded in mystery to outsiders. We don't tell everyone about our origins or traditions. Though you probably have heard that we were originally 8 different tribes inhabiting these lands."

Her violet eyes have a wild quality to them as she speaks. I nod.

"Only 85 years ago we were still separated into the 8 tribes, warring over resources and land," she says, getting up and pulling out a large, rolled up parchment. When she spreads it onto the table, it appears to be a map.

"This is the distribution of the tribes and their relative ranges, although they were always changing. I will teach you about each tribe and their customs. And if you are able to learn it all with ease and pass the inquisition, you will be eligible to become a Personal. And after initiation you will be taught the history behind the unity of the tribes and the significance of our Reth."

"The inquisition?" I ask nervously.

"A panel of high-ranking tribesmen will question you on your knowledge of the material I will teach you here. Same with fighting. You will need to pass these assessments in order to be initiated."

Although it makes me nervous to think about having to pass the tests, I think back to my vow, knowing I can't back out. I won't back down. I have to do whatever it takes to try to get vengeance. So I nod complacently. And Nox gives me a chilling smile.

"Okay. Let's begin."