91

“Toreh? What on earth are you doing here?”
She wipes her face clean. “I should ask you the same Crinka. What are you doing here?”
“I asked you first.”
“And I asked you second.”
“Still the same, I see. Look…look at how big you are. You do grow up fast.”
She snorted. “You’ve got to leave before someone realizes you’re here. The lycans don’t take well to having wolves on their lands.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” I mumbled, sitting down in the dirt beside her.
“I broke the prince’s heart.”
My eyes widen. “What? Which prince?”
“The Crown Prince’s son, Eloive.”
“Wait, hold on, how do you know Eloive?”
“I snuck into his room some time ago. We’ve been friends ever since. There were times we kissed.”
Kissed what? “You… you kissed Eloive?”
“He kissed me.”
This is shocking. “He kissed you? Aren’t you too young to be swapping spit with the prince?”
“I’m fifteen, so no.”
She’s what? “You’re fifteen? You looked ten when I last saw you.”
“That’s because I was a late bloomer.”
“Right. So, the prince?”
“Well, we were friends.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Friends don’t know the taste of each other’s lips Toreh.”
“That’s why I said were, and ended it. He’s getting married and we shouldn’t even have been friends in the first place. Now he’s upset about everything and I feel awful for making him cry.”
“Wait a minute. He cried? You made the prince cry?”
“It wasn’t intentional. I told him that we couldn’t and shouldn’t see each other anymore and he just flipped.”
“The way I see it, I think he loves you.”
She scoffed. “We barely know each other and I think it’s stupid for him to develop feelings for me especially now he’s getting married.”
“Marriage aside, if Eloive was to confess his feelings for you, would you accept him?”
“Honestly? No. I think it’s just fantasy. This is not the movies Crinka. It’s real life. The prince can’t just fall in love with a slave simply because she tasted like his favourite dessert.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah wow. I’ve told you about me and the prince. Tell me something too.”
“I didn’t know we were into foreign exchange.”
“Please. Oh wait, you could tell me how you ended up with that bruise on your face.”
Gingerly I touched my cheek. I didn’t know a bruise was forming. It should have healed by now.
“That’s a long story.”
“We’ve got plenty of time, so spill.”
I told Toreh everything, not leaving a single detail out. It feels refreshing to tell someone all the shit that’s going on. Moreso, someone who can relate.
“Wow. You should have slapped him back. He has no right to hit a woman. And I don’t care if he’s the Crown Prince. He had no fucking right to treat you that way.”
If only she knows how Sia treats me.
“What’s with the choker?”
She touched it. “Oh, it’s just a slave tag.”
“A slave tag? You’re a slave?”
“You seem surprised.”
“I am. I never expected it. I once thought slavery had been abolished.”
She snorted. “Abolished? Impossible. It was never abolished Crinka. I doubt anyone would want to put an end to selfless service.”
“Back home, only humans captured in war could be slaves. Does the same happen here?”
“The ways of your kind are very different from the ways of the Icelanders. If you’re rich, you can acquire slaves at the slave market. If you’re indebted to someone, you can offer up yourself or your offspring to pay your debt. Majority of the slaves here are humans who are aware that supernaturals exist. The princes go out once in a while to find those humans and bring them back here as slaves. Many of them like it here and don’t want to leave.”
“That’s… that is a lot to take in. And you, do you like it here?”
“My family is here so I don’t have a choice.”
“Does your owner treat you well?”
“I’m not dead, so yes.”
“How did you become a slave?”
“That, Crinka is a story for another day. Now, I have to clean out the stables and get the horses ready for the hunt.”
“What hunt? Should I be worried?”
“If you want to worry about the royal family and council members killing off long time prisoners, then go ahead.”
“They kill the prisoners, why?”
“It’s an annual tradition. The Icelanders have this belief that the land needs to be cleansed of those who wronged it, so they release a bunch of criminals, chase after them from their royal horses, putting an end to their miserable lives.”
I feel sick. “When… when does this take place?”
“In the evenings. The snows would be cleared and people are advised to stay home during the event. You certainly don’t want a stray bullet or arrow hitting you. Slaves and servants try to finish up their work so that they can be home on time. I hear that there’s some kind of tower with a spiral staircase where people can stand and watch the hunt. It all depends on who gets there first. The hunt’s also a chance for the Icelanders to unleash the beasts in them. Alongside the deaths, people get raped. It’s the only time they get to see Orion and Sirius.”
I frown. “Orion and Sirius?”
“Prince Nasia’s pets. Ferocious dogs those ones, I hear that they are hybrids but one can never be too sure. They’re fine beauties I hear.”
“Wow. He didn’t tell me he had pets.”
“He probably had his reasons. If I was a guy, I won’t tell my woman I’ve got pets.”
“Then you’d be lying.”
“No, it’s keeping a secret. Two different things. I better clean the stables now before supper,” she says, rising.
I get up as well. “I didn’t know slaves were entitled to supper.”
“I’m no ordinary slave Crinka. The faster you understand, the better. Now grab a pitchfork. These beddings need to be replaced.”
…..
Morning came quickly but Sia’s orders didn’t come with them.
The entire kingdom woke up early to prepare for the hunt. Male servants were out clearing the snow, female servants preparing food. Slaves were up doing the day’s work, but not Toreh.
She was sprawled out on the ground, making a snow angel. We’ve been asked to clear out the snow surrounding the stables we worked so hard to clean, but so far, I’m the only one who’s been working. Fed up, I drop the pitch fork, plant my hands down on my hips and glare at the young girl.
“You know, I could use a little bit of help here.”
She sat up in the snow, looking around. “You’re doing great. You sure you need my help?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Toreh…”
“Fine! Fine, I’m coming.”
She gets up, dusting the snow off her clothes. I hand over a pitchfork before picking mine.
“The snow’s so much, and it keeps falling,” she grumbled.
“Stop complaining and get to work.”
“You know we could just shove the snow into a corner or we could replace it with manure. These Icelanders deserve shit after all they’ve done.”
“It’s very appealing, but no. I can’t get into more trouble. You know I’m not even meant here.”
“Ooh boring. What happened to breaking the law? Rules were made to be broken Crinka. That’s what my ma told me.”
“Toreh, can you stop being suggestive and just work? I’m freezing my ass off and I would like to go in for hot tea.”
“Fine! But I’m only doing this because you asked me too.”
“That’s the spirit. How are we to clear it again?”
“Madame Negro says that we would clear the path leading to the stables, so that should be from the stables’ entrance, its surroundings and the path leading to the palace from the entrance, so we’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Ugh! I wish we could just use magic to clear it up.”
Then an idea strikes me in the head. Massa!
But how am I going to reach him now that I’m not allowed in the palace?
“Toreh, can you do me a favour?”
“Does it require me leaving you here?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m in. What do you want me to do for you?”
“Er, it requires you going into the place.”
“Really? Well, I’ll still do it. What do you want me to do? Trash the prince?”
“That will get you killed, so no. Toreh, I need you to call one of the princes for me.”
“That may be difficult. They’d be in the D-hall and the guards won’t let me through. I’ll give it a try though. Which prince do you want me to call? The panel beater or the ignoring dude?”
I smile. “No not them. I want you to call the twelfth prince for me. You know him, right? Massa?”
“Of course, I do. He’s quite popular on the streets. So, you want me to call him?”
“Yeah.”
She dropped the pitchfork, skipping away happily toward the palace. I just hope she doesn’t get caught.