Ylsriss sipped at her tea, wondering where to begin.
“That’s a good thing to remember, Tia. They are monsters. They’ll tell you that you can have a good life here if you give in to it, accept that you’re a slave. There are wonders here like you’ve never imagined. Magic, true magic. It’s easy to let the past go and just accept your place here. You have to remember that they are monsters, though. They don’t feel things like we do. They don’t even look at us as people. We’re playthings, toys at best.”
Tia blanched and swallowed her tea down, barely noticing that it was too hot and burning her tongue. “Magic?” she asked, trying to take it in.
“Things like this.” Ylsriss waved to the runeplate. The glyphs glowed, the gentle orange light showing it was still warm.
Tia gave it a curious look, but then her eyes dropped and her face fell. “What will happen to me?”
“I won’t lie to you, Tia. You won’t be harmed so long as you work hard but, as a young woman, you must know what’s coming?”
Tia looked at her blankly.
“We’re breeding stock, Tia,” she said flatly. The girl's vacant expression slowly turned to one of horror.
“They don’t...?” she gasped, moving one hand to the thong around her neck and grasping at something beneath her simple dress.
“They do,” Ylsriss said. The truth was hard and brutal, but she would be better off knowing it from the outset rather than fostering false hopes. “They’ll probably give you some time to adjust but, yes, you will be taken and given to one of them. Over and over, until you are pregnant. They normally put women like you straight in the breeding pens. They stay there until they’ve given birth and their milk gives out. I don’t know why you’ve been put here. This is more of a holding area for women until they’re fertile again.”
“And you’ve been here…”
“Six months,” Ylsriss whispered. Then the tears came and, this time, there was no stopping them.
Tia looked on helplessly and then tried a tentative hug. Ylsriss hugged her back and gave a bitter laugh. “I’m supposed to be helping you,” she protested weakly. “A fine job I’m doing!”
“We must trust in the Lord,” Tia said, her soft voice full of calm conviction. “He will bring us through this.”
“The Lord?” Ylsriss wiped her eyes with one sleeve. “The Lord of New Days, you mean?”
Tia nodded.
“I wish I had your faith, Tia. It's not something I share. I hope this place doesn’t take it from you.”
Tia smiled and toyed with the necklace inside her dress. “I’m sure it won’t.”
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll walk you around the camp and show you how things work,” Ylsriss suggested.
Tia nodded and followed the older woman towards the door. One glance out of the window at the light was enough to prompt Ylsriss to turn back and test the temperature of the runeplate with a licked fingertip.
“Give me a hand with this?” She lifted it from its mounting with a grunt and staggered out of the doorway onto the porch. Once she was through the door, Tia grabbed an end and together they carried the chunk of stone down the three steps to the ground.
“What are we doing?” Tia asked, as they set the stone down.
“It stores heat. We can't use fire here,” Ylsriss explained. She dug into the soft earth with her hands and dumped soil over the glyphs, covering them and hiding them from the light.
“The glyphs will absorb the heat that the sun brings to the stone and then we can release it when we want to cook.”
“Why did you cover that bit in dirt?” Tia asked, pointing.
“The sunlight stops it working for some reason,” Ylsriss explained. “I’m not sure why or how, but we were told to make sure the glyphs never get exposed to it. You could cover them with anything, I suppose. I just find this easiest.”
Ylsriss watched the horizon as it grew steadily lighter. At last, the sun crested the trees and she gave a quiet sigh of pleasure, as she felt its warmth fall upon her. As if in response to the light, a flock of birds burst from the forest canopy, their red and green feathers bright against the blue sky.
The camp became a flurry of activity as the others rushed out to leave their runeplates in the sunlight. Tia's gaze fell on the moonorbs that were being swiftly deactivated. She turned to Ylsriss. “What about those? Why aren’t they being put out to capture the light?”
“You’re a quick one, aren’t you?” Ylsriss said, impressed despite herself. “I didn’t think to ask that for at least six weeks. We put those out at night to capture the moonlight.”
“Moonlight?” Tia asked, her face creasing in a frown. “Wouldn’t the sunlight be brighter?”
“It might be but remember what I said? It has to do with the way the magic works. We covered the glyphs in dirt to stop the sunlight from touching them. If we captured sunlight in the orbs and then released it...well...I don’t know what would happen. The orbs would probably just wink out straight away. Even if they didn’t, the light would affect everything else around them. The runeplates...the wellpumps...everything.”
Tia nodded, taking in the scene. “It looks so different here in the sunlight,” she marvelled.
“It really does,” Ylsriss smiled. “It’s my favourite time of day and it always passes too soon.”
They wandered around the camp and Ylsriss pointed things out as they passed them: the wellpumps that drew water into the buckets that were lined up and waiting beside the odd-looking contraption; the small but well-tended vegetable plot that extended from behind the small ring of huts; and, in the distance, the barely visible fence line.
“The fae hate most of the things that we take for granted. They allow us to farm these vegetables out of necessity, but they won’t touch them themselves. I suspect they also know what we keep in this pen but choose to ignore it.”
Tia followed her through the long wild grass. She caught flashes of russet through the trees and peered over the fence, trying to get a proper look.
“What are they? Some kind of cow?” she asked.
“Deer, actually,” Ylsriss replied, with a shrug. “As far as I know, there are no cows here and the only pigs I’ve heard of are wild boar. The fae keep us as their servants...well, slaves, if I am honest about it. They make use of the people that aren’t breeding for them in other ways. The men hunt for them. The fae will only eat meat taken on the hunt.”
“If they have to be taken on the hunt, why do you keep these?” Tia asked.
“Let’s just say it’s not a good thing to come back from a hunt empty-handed,” Ylsriss said.
“So you lie?” Tia gasped. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“It’s not something we do all the time. We hunt the deer for them. We just keep these as backups, just in case. Joran thought this up a couple of years ago, apparently. It’s never been questioned.”
Tia leaned on the fence and looked out at the deer flitting through the trees. “Joran. He’s the boy you were with earlier?”
“He’s one of the ones who’s been here the longest. I expect they’ll come for him soon.”
Tia gave Ylsriss a sideways look at that. “Come for him?”
“For the same reason they come for us, Tia. Men are used just the same as women. We’re slaves...or servants, if that sits better with you...but primarily we're breeding stock.”
“But why?” Tia brushed the hair out of her face. “I mean, if they’re taking men then there must be female fae?”
“Oh, there are,” Ylsriss explained. She leaned on the fence and looked at the young woman. “This is guesswork, you understand? None of us know very much for certain, but I think that maybe the fae don’t reproduce very quickly. The man who brought you in. You remember him?”
“I’m not likely to forget,” Tia muttered, rubbing at one wrist.
“No, well, he’s what they call a fae-born. Half-human, half-fae.”
“He seemed a little...well...simple,” Tia sai
d. “Why would they want to breed a new race of half-breed idiots?”
“I don’t know,” Ylsriss admitted, “but you saw how strong he was. Maybe they want them for soldiers. Maybe they have something else planned. It’s not really important.” She reached out and took hold of Tia’s hands. “What’s important is that you understand what's going to happen. Everyone copes differently. Some, like Joran, have just accepted that this is what their lives are going to be like. He and some of the others almost seem happy. Me, well, I keep a little place locked away inside myself. A place where I can keep the hope burning, no matter how futile it may be. I know I’m lying to myself. It's not like I could escape and run away. This is a whole other world. But I have to do something to stay sane. Does that make any sense?”
Tia nodded. “Yes, I think it does.” She looked back towards the camp, an odd expression on her face, and then turned in a slow circle.
“What is it?” Ylsriss asked.
“There are no guards or anything,” Tia said, in surprise.
“No,” Ylsriss agreed. “I’m surprised you noticed. Most are too affected to.”
“Affected? What do you mean?”
“Have a good look at the people in the camp, Tia. They wouldn’t think of escaping, even if it were an option,” Ylsriss said.
Tia looked at her in shock. “Why?”
“I’m not sure how it works. I’ve taken to calling it the Touch. I haven’t spoken about this to anyone else. Most of the others are too far gone to even notice. I'm sure some of it comes from being a prisoner. The rest of it is something else, though. It’s to do with what the fae are. It seems to come on quite quickly with some people. They become pliant, docile. They're almost like cattle. Whenever a fae comes near them, they get this look.”
“They are pretty terrifying, Ylsriss. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared of anything,” Tia confided.
“No, that’s not it. It’s not fear, it’s…”
“It’s what?”
“It’s closer to adoration.” She sighed and stepped away from the fence.“You can’t predict it. Some just become content with their lots here. Others... well, it barely affects them at all. Then there are those who practically worship the fae. They dream of being chosen to breed with them.” She spoke with venom. “I despise them. I know it’s not their fault, that they can’t help it, but I do. It’s disgusting.”
She moved towards the path, “Come on. The sun will be gone soon and I still have a lot to show you. We ought to be getting back.”
***
Ylsriss was woken by the smell of tea and toasting nutcakes. She sat slowly, rolling her shoulders and neck to work out the kinks, then turned to see Tia stood by the runeplate in the soft glow of a moonorb.
“You’ve picked that up quickly,” she said quietly, so as not to wake the others.
Tia smiled. “It’s amazing.”
Ylsriss looked at her closely for a second, then clambered out of the tangle of blankets on the thin sleeping pallet. She arched her back and grimaced at the knotted muscles.
“Are you sore? I should have taken the floor. I’m sorry.” Tia's dark eyes were filled with concern.
“Don’t be silly. Besides, we all take turns. There aren’t enough beds for all of us. You can sleep on the floor tonight.” Ylsriss stepped in behind her, looking over her shoulder at the glyphs.
“Ease it back a touch,” she instructed. “You’ll burn through the heat too fast like that.”
“Sorry. Maybe you should show me again?” Tia moved to the side to let Ylsriss at the glyphs.
“The stone itself will hold a lot of the heat you need once you’ve got it warm.” Ylsriss traced one of the inscriptions, bringing down the intensity of the glow with deft fingers.
“If you weren’t careful, you could use an entire day’s heat in one moment. It’d probably burn right through the floor.” She stepped back, letting Tia get back to the food. “That ought to do it.”
Tia nodded and turned the nutcakes over again. She touched the glyphs as Ylsriss had taught her, deactivating the hot stone of the runeplate.
“Here.” She handed Ylsriss some nutcakes on a wooden board with a cup of hot tea.
Ylsriss thanked her and sat on the edge of the girl's bunk. Chewing on a nutcake, she reached out her foot and nudged the others gently with it to wake them. The five women ate in silence, as was their morning ritual, each with a distant look in her eyes and her thoughts in another place, another time. They were changing though. Ylsriss looked from face to face as casually as she could. With some of them, it was more pronounced than others, but the signs were there in all of them. Soon they would be just like Joran. Some would be worse.
She felt stifled all of a sudden. The cramped conditions were too much when they were awake. Standing abruptly, she brushed the crumbs from her legs and reached for the pale clothing they all wore. She nodded towards a chest in the corner. “You should find something in there that will be roughly your size, Tia. You’ll be forbidden from wearing anything else from now on. Get changed quickly and then meet me at the wellpumps. We have a busy day today.”
Ylsriss didn’t have to wait long. The girl already seemed to have changed since yesterday. She was eager to fit in, to learn how things worked. She’d seen this happen before. Two of the girls who'd been brought in just after her had both accepted their new lives readily. Despite the time they'd spent in the pens and the babies that had been taken from them, they were happy. Tia seemed set on the same path. The thought depressed her and she had to force a smile as Tia came to meet her.
“Here.” She handed the girl a roughly woven wicker basket and a bulging waterskin. “You’ll need this today. Stick with me and try to keep up.”
Tia took the basket and studied the straps. The basket was well-made, but worn and heavily stained with dark red, almost purplish, smears.
“Berries for their wine,” Ylsriss explained, as she hoisted her own basket onto her back. “We juice them in the shed over there and then set them to ferment.” She led Tia out of the camp, following the other women and children who were making their way along the well-worn path through the forest.
Ylsriss looked back now and then to make sure Tia was keeping up, but the girl was right behind her. Her eyes were wide with wonder, as she took in the sights and sounds of the world around her. She gasped in delight as a flight of carrow moths fluttered out of the bushes, their black and white wings flashing in the dim light as they flew up above the trees.
“Come on, Tia!” she growled. The girl’s joy was irritating her. This was not a holiday. It was not a pleasant stroll through the woods. It was slavery.
The trail led up into the hills and Ylsriss was soon sweating from the heat and exertion. It was never truly cold in this place. There seemed to be no seasons to speak of, but the weather was muggy. The undergrowth grew thicker the further they travelled and it seemed to generate a humidity all of its own.
Finally, they broke free of the trees and emerged on a hillside that was densely carpeted with low bushes, which the women made their way into without hesitation. Tia watched them, her forehead creasing into a frown.
“The fae are a bit inconsistent, really,” said Ylsriss. “We pick these terel berries so we can make wine from them. They insist that their meat must be taken in the hunt, but they have no problems with us planting more of these bushes.” She motioned to Tia to follow her as she worked her way into the fields.
“Watch closely. There’s a knack to it, but it’s not all that hard to pick up.” Ylsriss lifted a leafy stem carefully. “Watch out for the thorns,” she muttered, twisting it to show Tia the vicious-looking spikes concealed beneath each leaf. “The berries come away with a twist.” She plucked one from the stem and reached over her shoulder to drop it into her basket. “Now you try.”
Tia reached for another low-hanging stem and lifted it, trying to match Ylsriss’s smooth motion. She jumped and uttered a small cry of pain as she dropped it. Several ch
ildren looked at her and giggled, as she sucked her finger.
“I told you to watch out for the thorns,” Ylsriss said, irritation creeping into her voice. “They are poisonous. Not enough to kill you,” she added quickly, as Tia’s eyes grew wide and she pulled her finger from her lips. “It’ll just give you a mild fever if you get stuck enough times and then you’re no good to us.” She gestured towards the bush. “Try again.”
This time, Tia managed to pull the berry off without incident and pop it into her own basket.
“Good,” Ylsriss grunted. “Now, stay close to me and try to do it a bit faster. You’ll speed up in time, but we’re supposed to fill these baskets at least twice today.” Tia nodded and smiled again. Ylsriss pressed her lips together, trying to hide her frustration, and turned to the closest bush.
There was a rhythm to the work. Grab the vine with one hand, stroke back the leaves with the other, twist off the berry and then drop it over one shoulder into the basket. Grab, stroke, twist, drop. Ylsriss settled into a pattern, and her hands were soon flickering here and there over the bush as her basket grew heavier.
“Be sure to drink,” she called back over her shoulder to Tia, as she stopped to pull the waterskin up to her lips. “You won’t notice yourself getting dry until it’s already too late.”
Tia nodded gratefully and drank deeply from her own skin. Her fingers were already stained a deep purple from the juice of the berries and covered in small cuts from the thorns.
“It’ll come,” Ylsriss said. “Just try to keep at a steady pace. We don’t expect you to meet quota today.”
“Quota?” Tia began but the sound of a horn in the distance cut her off . She glanced at Ylsriss, who looked up in alarm as it sounded again and then again.
The other women and children on the hill stood and set their baskets carefully down on the ground. “Leave your basket here, Tia,” Ylsriss said. “We have to go.”
“What’s going on?” the dark-haired woman replied, catching Ylsriss’s worried tone and eyes.
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