Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory by Barbara Ann Wright

Author:Barbara Ann Wright
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781626394544
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2015-09-14T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ell was up with the dawn, before any of the fini. She searched for Niall, ducking into the shaptis’ barracks and pretending she had a right to be there. She hurried through the sleepers, scanning faces and trying to hide the growing fear that he might have been sent elsewhere for good, that she might have to leave town to find him.

Leave town. The thought made her pause. If she left town, she wouldn’t have to fear that her emotions would be discovered, wouldn’t have to fear being dragged to the pools or killed. She’d traveled from town to town before. The gray fini had carried food. Aesa had also carried a bag with food and water. Some of the shaptis had them, too. If Ell could find one, she could travel.

But who would protect her now that she knew there were people like Aesa’s in the world? And she’d heard of shaptis who killed any white-robed fini roaming alone without a clan, with no way to trace their bloodline. Then there were predators. Ell had once cared for a group of fini who’d been attacked by a wild beast. Many were so scarred, they’d had to put on the gray.

No, no, that was too many steps ahead. She left the barracks and searched the streets. Before she could travel, she’d have to escape the town. The guards at the pool might not have been paying attention, but those who watched the town would be more observant, especially because of Aesa’s people. The only fini who could come and go were the grays.

Ah! If she wore gray, she could slip away unnoticed. Gray fini didn’t have children. No one cared where they roamed. All she had to do was make herself ugly.

She shuddered. All she had to do was take everything a fini was supposed to be and unmake it, turn herself into a creature of pity, one beneath notice. The elders had taught her that one could feel sorry for the grays while rejoicing that she didn’t share their fate.

No, again. She should exhaust her first plan before her mind wandered further. Niall had hinted that he might understand her plight. He would know what to do. She continued to search, putting off any fini with the excuse that a shapti was looking for her. Whenever a shapti glanced her way, she ducked down another street, winding away from their gaze.

Late in the morning, she spotted Niall at the weapon house, and the sight of him almost made her cry out in triumph. He checked blades before loading them into a cart pulled by krissi.

When he saw her, he beamed. “Ell, what are you doing here?”

She glanced at the other shaptis who carried weapons to and fro. “You sent for me, Niall.” When he stared at her blankly, she added, “You wished to continue our earlier conversation.”

“Ah.” He glanced at the others. “I’ll return shortly, Kirin.”

Kirin glanced at Ell and snorted. “Make it quick.”

Niall led her to the edge of town, not stopping until they were among the huts of the grays.

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