Daughter of Shattered Skies: Book One in the Shattered Trilogy by Sara DeLaVergne

Author:Sara DeLaVergne [DeLaVergne, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-12T05:00:00+00:00

20

ISSARIA

At the very edge of the slave camp, a tent much larger than the rest had been built. From where she stood at the central yurt handing out cooking rations with Kidalma, Kai could tell the massive tent was three-times as tall and at least ten times as wide as all the colorful little yurts that had popped up across the crystal bay Jallah had hidden them all away in. Kidalma caught her eyeing the men bringing loads of firewood into the large yurt, while others climbed ladders on the outsides and laid pelts or ornately woven blankets across the reed skeleton and frame. Other teams of men followed behind with a second set of ladders, adorning finished panels with large animal skulls. Issaria could identify a stag, an elephant, and a ram before she turned her gaze away and found the old woman’s pale eyes on her.

“The ship will dock tonight. Jallah always has a feast when the whole crew comes together,” she explained.

“And everyone can fit in there?”

The old woman snorted. “Everyone who matters.” When Kai didn’t reply she added, “The women will stay out here and tend the fires while the crew gets a feast and a show.”

“You’d think they’d get tired of the same show,” she mused aloud as one of the girls from her own transport wagon approached their yurt.

The raven-haired girl wore a long braid down her back, and as she came out from beneath a yellow linen cloth strung up like a sunshade between two nearby yurts, her copper skin glistened in the sunlight. As she neared, Kai could see that red welts had formed under the collar on the tops of her shoulders and on her collarbone where it bumped.

“I know you, don’t I?” Kai asked, trying a smile. Some of the other girls had been wary of her smiles.

“So this is where they’ve got you?” she asked as she adjusted her collar, keeping the chain in front of her so she could hold it as she walked.

Kai shrugged and jerked a thumb toward Kidalma, who was packing a wicker basket with the same ingredients she was giving every slavegirl that approached. One onion, maybe moldy, three carrots, no matter what size. Proportions may vary. Two potatoes—same rules apply as to the carrots. One leek, a head of cabbage, and a little paper package wrapped with twine that Kai thought smelled an awful lot like roasted pig.

“She’s got me helping until I can get some strength back,” she said.

The girl nodded, dark eyes flicking toward the back of the hut where silver-haired Kidalma was emerging with her rations and very nearly threw the basket at Kai. She was getting used to the old woman’s approach though, and she knew now to bend her knees and her elbows, both to brace for the weight of the basket but also the gravity of Kidalma’s throw, which seemed to vary on how annoyed she was with the particular slavegirl who was picking up the baskets. Kai took the basket from the old lady and handed it, much more gently, to the girl.

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