by Lisa Daniels
Suddenly, Damaris appeared at the gate. His eyes took in the scene in front of him. “Are you two messing around on my time?”
Taja shook her head and opened her mouth to talk, but Semaj was quicker. “No, sir. We just finished cleaning the stalls and thought it was time for a quick reward.”
Taja began to shake her head violently, but Damaris took that as a sign that she was too shy. “Well, make it quick. There are plenty of other things that need doing.” His eyes looked around the stable, back at them, then he left.
“Sir! Dama-” Taja tried to call out, but a grimy hand went over her mouth. Semaj’s other hand pulled her against him.
“There, there, now. You heard the man. Let’s make this fast.”
Taja’s hands went out to the only thing within reach. Taking hold of the shovel she had been using to muck out the stall, she brought it up and hit the man in the face. He immediately released her and yelped in pain.
Dropping the shovel, Taja darted out of the stall and ran out of the barn as Semaj began to yell. Damaris appeared in front of her as she ran. His massive hand reached out and grabbed her. “And just what do you think you are doing? The work isn’t done, but you think you can turn your quickie into something more?” His face leered at her. “And what is all of this howling about?”
The large man pulled the young woman behind him as he went to see what had happened.
Blood was pouring from Semaj’s nose as he yowled in the stall.
“What is going on here?” he demanded, looking between them. “I will not have lovers’ tiffs on my time.”
Semaj pointed a finger at Taja. “She hit me with a shovel! That bitch just reached up and smacked me with it. Then she tried to run off with my money. But I held onto it!” He picked up money that had fallen out of her pocket – the money that she had left over after her chores the day before. She had planned to use that this evening to buy dinner for her and her mother.
“I told you not to, but you wouldn’t listen! And that is my money! It was left over after-”
“It was not! You were trying to make me pay for it, and then when I refused, you grabbed it and hit me!”
Damaris grabbed her by the back of her shirt, not even caring that Semaj wasn’t giving a consistent story. “Oh, ho ho! So you finally show your true colors, eh? Trying to get it where you can? Well, the law is going to hear about this.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” She tried to get out of his grasp as men came running into the barn.
“You hit me in the face with a shovel!” Semaj cried. “That’s something very wrong!”
It didn’t take long before the police arrived. By then Damaris had clearly sided with Semaj, saying he saw the whole thing and that she had tried to steal from the poor boy. Given her history, the cops did not even wait to listen as she pleaded with them. They asked the stable hand and the acting master to come with them to get statements while they put the dangerous woman someplace where she could not harm anyone.
“I can’t go with you!” Damaris responded. “Someone has to take care of the stable, and there ain’t no one I can leave to do it.”
“Sir,” one of the officers said, “we need you to come with us to make sure she is properly charged. I understand you are concerned, but we will keep it as short as possible.”
Damaris stepped toward Taja and struck her hard across the face. “Look at what you are doing to me! First you distract my boy from his cleaning. Then you get the law in here. I should have fired you as soon as I took over.”
The officers took Taja, each holding onto one of her arms.
As he followed behind them, Semaj spoke up, “You had better hold her good. That girl is slippery and will hurt you as soon as look at you.”
There was no response from the officers or Taja. She wanted to run away, to go to the mansion and ask for one of the men. They knew about what she had been through. One had even offered to help if she had trouble with Semaj.
“We need to talk to the staff. They can tell you,” her face turned toward one of the officers. “Semaj has been after me for a while. One of them said to come to him if the boy didn’t stop. He can tell you.” Her eyes were pleading.
The officer looking at her seemed inclined to do as she asked, but the other tightened his hold on her. “I’ve no doubt you’ve found a way to charm him into doing what you want. Get the men on the inside to take care of you so that you can do whatever you like.” He looked down at her as she turned her eyes on him. “No, I think we have everything we need right here. Not only is it obvious you hit the poor kid, we have someone who saw you do it. No one inside saw what happened, as the two gentlemen who were here a bit ago said. We don’t need any of your protectors to muddle this with fake alibis. No, we don’t.” He pulled her along. “Now let’s get you where you belong.”
Chapter 4
In Despair, Hope
Taja looked through the bars of the cells. She had placed her body in the only place where the water dripping from the ceiling and walls wouldn’t reach her. The puddle on the other side of the cell took up nearly half of the space, making it difficult to get on the bed. Not that she would have slept, even if the bed had been dry.
Her eyes stared out of the window into the cloudy sky. It was night now, two days before her birthday, and she had no idea what was in her future. A tear ran down her cheek as she remembered what had happened just the day before. How the stranger had taken care of her and asked for nothing in return. How she had hoped that things may turn out alright in the end. It had been nothing more than that. Hope.
Her eyes followed a dark figure as it moved across the courtyard and headed toward the palace. Something looked familiar about it. Standing up and focusing on the figure, Taja realized it was the stranger from yesterday. She moved to the bars leading outside and watched his movements. His steps were certain as he headed to the palace door. It was dark, but there was no doubt about who it was. She had never seen anyone with such a gait before, more like a tame animal than a noble man. The way he moved was too graceful and effortless to be that of a normal person.
As he reached the door, the guards addressed him. She could not hear what they said, but it was obvious that this was not his first time visiting the palace. She watched as he disappeared through the doors, and she began to wonder who he was. He roamed the streets, was able to silence a noble, could command a rowdy tavern with a few gestures, and was able to enter the palace late in the evening.
He’s a strange man. Taja’s mind forgot about her situation as she stared at the palace gate. Over her short life, the woman had grown accustomed to distancing her mind from her surroundings, although this was the first time she found herself in a prison cell.
She had no idea how long she stood near the window waiting to see him emerge, not because she planned to call out to him, but because she found solace in watching him. The town crier woke her from her reverie, and Taja moved back to the opposite wall. It was unlikely that he would emerge tonight, not at this hour.
Huddled in the corner, Taja spent the night looking out the window at the stars.
Her eyes were fully on the window and her mind elsewhere when someone spoke from the cell door. “Looks like you have a letter, miss.”
Slowly, Taja turned her head to look at the man. His eyes were kind as he watched her. Repeating what he had said, Taja nodded.
“I’m sorry, miss, but you will have to come here to get it. I’m not allowed to open the door unless I am to give you food.”
Taja stood up and walked over to the door. The sound of her tiny feet splashing in the puddle caused the guard to look at her.
“It’s alright, miss, I’ll just-” She could hear the keys jingle.
Taja continued to walk toward the man. “It’s okay. I will take it through the bars.” She stretched out her hand as her feet continued to move forward.
“I’m sorry, miss.” The guard’s eyes reflected sadness as he held the letter through the bars.
She took it, turned, and walked back through the puddle to her place by the wall. The guard watched her for a moment as Taja unfolded the letter, wanting to say something to comfort her. He hoped that the letter was from someone who would help her, someone who would make her feel better in the dank cell. The captain had stuck her in here, insisting it was the best place for unholy worms like her. As the woman covered her mouth, the guard stepped back. Clearly the letter was not giving her encouragement.
“I’m sorry, miss.” It was all he could think to say before turning around and walking away.
A tear ran down her cheek as Taja reread the letter. She didn’t hear the guard or notice that he had left as her eyes went over the shaking writing of her mother. It was every horrible thing people had told her over the years all rolled into the cruelest letter from her mother. At the end, her mother had disowned her, and Taja could imagine the look on her mother’s face as she wrote the last words. The paper fell out of her hands and blew across the ground and into the puddle. Taja didn’t even turn to look at it as it absorbed the water.
There was no way to know how much time passed as she sat there feeling empty.
The sun was more than halfway past its zenith when someone spoke from the door. She didn’t even turn to look as she recognized the captain’s voice. “They made their decision about you, and they made the right one. You will be put to death in two days for the crimes committed. We cannot have creatures like you degrading our society.”
Taja’s face turned to look at him. Her eyes were expressionless as she saw the way he was gloating at her. Without a word, she turned her face to look out of the window.
“Did you hear me?” He grabbed the bars and shook them. “They are going to put you to death, and our world will get a little bit brighter.” To his disappointment, the woman did not move again. He kicked the door. “If you aren’t going to respond, there’s no point in sending anyone to take care of you. You’ll be dead soon anyway. No point in wasting money or food on you.” With that he left.
Taja heard every word the man said. Listening for his footsteps to die away, she stood. Death.
The thought echoed around in her head.
Then a familiar figure emerged at the other end of the courtyard. Just like the evening before, the stranger strode across the courtyard. Taja stepped toward the bars and watched, her mind full of him as she watched him again approach the guards and gain entrance into the palace. A couple of nobles waited just on the other side of the door and they greeted him cordially as he entered. She couldn’t see his face, but closing her eyes, Taja thought she caught the sound of his voice as he responded. Once the doors were closed, she opened her eyes again and realized that she had put her hands on the bars of the window.
“There’s no point in sending anyone to take care of you.” The captain’s words echoed in her mind, and for the first time since she and the stranger had talked, a smile spread across her face. Braylon wouldn’t return in time to save her, but she didn’t want to rely on him. He could not continue to rescue her from her own mistakes. As the stranger had said, she shouldn’t need a savior.
Disowned by her mother and condemned by the system, Taja finally felt she was in control of her own future. Braylon would be sad that she was gone, but precious few others would care. The image of Ione passed through her mind, along with a few other people that she encountered on a regular basis. Taja wanted to feel bad for her mother, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to think of the woman anymore. Her mother safely in a house that Taja had afforded them. Her mother who spent her days drinking while Taja worked. Her mother who never had a kind word no matter what Taja did. Taja didn’t hate the woman or blame her, but she found she no longer cared what became of her.
As she thought of the life she had lived, Taja’s grip tightened on the bars. She pulled and some of the mortar chipped. Taja tilted her head and looked at the bars. There were not many people in the courtyard as she began to chip away at the cracks in the stone. Most prisoners would have no hope of getting out through the bars, but she wasn’t like most prisoners. Her small frame would fit through the little space afforded by removing a couple of stones and bars. Her hands worked as her mind began to ponder what would happen if she managed to escape.
No one was coming to check on her, not until she was to die. That meant Taja had only to worry about those in the courtyard, and they showed no interest in remembering that the space was a prison.
Working well into the early morning, Taja was forced to stop when the palace got busy with morning activities. From her place on the wall, the young woman calculated how much work she had left and what she could get done in the remaining time. Having left the bars in place, Taja knew it would be difficult for anyone to see how much she had actually done. By her estimate, the work would be done by the early hours of the morning, while it was still dark. Closing her eyes, the young woman allowed herself to sleep for the first time since her arrest.
Chapter 5
A Timely Encounter
The courtyard was quiet when Taja woke. Looking around, she could tell that the rest of her work would be easy, although she would need to be quiet as long as there was light. Her fingers began working on the mortar, the scratches and cuts immediately bleeding as she dug. Taja didn’t notice the pain; her mind was focused on her work.
Occasionally, she would break and watch the little activity in the area. It was dull. However, she had to rest her fingers as they became less efficient as they cramped.
The sun passed overhead and set. The young woman barely noticed the beauty of the sky as she worked another brick out of the wall. She planned to return everything to its place once she finished, if she got out. The work had given her a purpose, so she wanted to give the next occupant the same opportunity, the same hope. It was better than sitting in silence waiting for the inevitable. She had no idea if it was common for those in the cell to be condemned to death or if it was just a place for them to rot, but Taja felt everyone should have a chance. She was not the first and knew she would not be the last to be misjudged by a broken system.
The dark of night set in, but her mind was consumed by her task. Without realizing the time or her surroundings, Taja pulled out the last bar. Her eyes flicked over to the guards, who were talking and laughing a long distance from her. Pushing the stone through the gap and to the side, Taja grabbed the bars on either side of the opening and attempted to pull herself out. It was difficult, but her work in the stables had made her strong. Her chest was already through when she heard a low voice near her.
“And what have we here?”
Her head snapped up. Leaning against the wall was the stranger. Expecting him to call to the guards, she froze.
“Are you stuck?” He leaned over and looked at her. “Here.” He offered her both hands. Taja looked at him unsure what she should do. He moved his hands a little indicating she should grab them.
When she still did not move, he asked, “Would you prefer I pull you out?” Without waiting for her response, he leaned over, placed his hands under her arms, and pulled her free. “I would pat the dust off, but…” he gave her a sheepish look.
Taja looked at him, her mind blank. The only thing that she could do was turn to the wall.
“Are you going back in?” His voice expressed the confusion he must have felt.
“I have to cover it.” Her hands worked the bars back in and replaced the bricks.
“Ah, here.” He gently pushed her to the side and finished the job much faster than she could have done with her fingers.
As soon as he was done the man turned to look at her. “I’m guessing you are going to need somewhere to go? Or will you be able to go home?”
Taja looked at him. She really hadn’t thought too much about what she would do. At some point she would need to pick up some things from the house where she had lived for the last few years, but her mother was likely up at this hour.
The stranger watched h
er as Taja thought about it. “That is enough of an answer. Come on, you can stay with me.”
Taja’s eyes darted over to the guards. Surely they noticed all of the movement – it’s not like she and the stranger had been still. She turned to look at the stranger, who had stopped walking and was looking at her. He held out a hand. Without any other plans, Taja felt the safest option was to go with him. Whatever he had planned had to be better than being executed, which was her fate if she stayed here or got caught by her mother. Stretching out her hand, the young woman took his hand. His smile was so gentle as he gave her hand a little squeeze. Before she knew it, they were walking out of the courtyard. No one stopped them or asked the man what he was doing there so late at night.
The man led her through some streets that she had not used in more than two years. Not since she had stopped being the toy of the men who lived in this area. It was strange to be back here. Taja placed her other hand on his and drew a little closer to the man. Surprised, he turned to look at her. Carefully he slipped his hand out of hers and placed it on her shoulder.
“You must be cold. Would you like for me to carry you?”
Taja looked up at him and paused, unsure what the proper response was. As she deliberated, the man smiled, “Alright.” His actions were quick as he picked her up.
As soon as she was in his arms, the man’s pace quickened. It wasn’t long before they reached a large home, one that had been vacant when she had last been in this part of town. No one knew who the owner was then, but she had heard rumors that it belonged to an important diplomat. Taja’s eyes moved up to the man. That would explain a lot. He looked down at her with a friendly smile as he opened the door and walked inside.
“There. You are safe for now. And don’t worry, I’m not going to ask about what happened. However,” he turned to look at her, “when was the last time you ate?”
Taja looked at the ceiling, “Um, I don’t remember.”