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Part 4
As Jar sat on the floor, she asked the question. She already knew the likely answer but that has never stopped her before, “Are the girls in the veil?”
“Yes, same as here I’m afraid.” Suz signed. “Their exact words were, ‘As the dorms you will be living in are considered public areas, you must don the veil at all times while in the custody of the Keep.’”
“So the girls are also in their veil full-time?”
“Yes”
“They must hate it.”
“They are old enough to know that it is not their choice.” Suz intoned. “They are women. They obey. Like us, they must not complain”
“You sound like you disapproved?” Jar said.
“They should have kept the girls with us. The family should be together.”
“The girls are too young to do our job Suz. You know that.”
“But they are our girls! We should be together.” Suz also shouted the words. “By the way, where is Foz?”
“She is taking a walk.” Jar smiled beneath her veil. “Trying to walk off the spanking I just gave her.”
“A spanking? Why?” Suz’s eyes widen in surprise.
“She asked me to. Something about she being more rebellious without the master around.”
“Oh…she’s still unhappy about the master going on the quest?”
Jar’s sadness came though in her voice, “Her sons didn’t die on the raid.”
“I’m sorry. Riven and…”
“They are dead.” Jar said with finality. “I just want master to kill the bitches who killed my sons.”
Suz kept quiet. What could she say? Riven and Leven sacrificed themselves to save them; and her own son, Tord. What could she possibly say? Luckily, the man who walked into the dorm saved her from doing anything.
All eyes went to the man who walked in. Jar knew him immediately. Overseer Tyrell was a human in charge of all the women under the Keep’s care, which means he was their stand-in master.
“Women,” Tyrell’s booming voice sounded like thunder. “All eyes and lips to the ground”
All the women kneeled and kissed the ground before them. Jar wondered what this was about. In the twenty odd days she has being under the Keep’s care, the overseer has only stepped into the dorm about 4-5 times.
The overseer walked into the dorm, and Jar was surprised that there was another pair of footsteps behind him. Curiosity kills the cat, and Jar kept her eyes on the ground. She may not see what happened, but she can hear the exchange.
“Stand up Jud.” The overseer’s voice was unmistakable.
There was a moment’s silence before the other person spoke. “This is the one?” A man’s voice! Jar was thankful she was fully covered; it would not do to tempt the man with their female bodies.
“Yes Sir Talon” the overseer said. “She is just 18 summers old. Young and healthy enough for any work, but old enough for breeding, if you so chooses.”
So this was a marriage contact! The overseer had called the other male Sir; so this means he was either an elf or a half-elf. Jar knew that the girl Jud was an orphan whose parents were both dead. With no relatives to go to, the Keep had taken care of her since her childhood. Now, there was finally a master for her. Jar felt happy for the girl, at least until Sir Talon said his next words.
“Pull down your veil woman.”
An uncomfortable moment began. A woman’s value was in her work, not her face. This could be bad. Luckily, Overseer Tyrell did not miss a beat. “Do it girl.”
“Not bad,” Sir Talon said after a moment. “Not ugly enough to disgust me, or beautiful enough to disarm me. She will do.”
Overseer Tyrell pounced. “Excellent. Jud would be yours for the lowly dowry of 90 gold pieces.”
“You are jesting, Goodman Tyrell. 20 gold pieces”
“The gold is to the Keep, not to me.” The overseer pretended to consider. “75 gold pieces then”
“You are trying to beggar me Goodman. 40 gold”
“I’m afraid the dowry can’t be lower than 60 gold pieces, Sir Talon.”
“I can buy a cow for that price. 50 gold pieces is my final offer.”
“Done”
Jar heard the clasp of hands between the two men. The marriage has been agreed on. Then Jar heard the unmistaken sound of a slap to the face.
“Put back your veil woman,” Sir Talon said. “Are you trying to tempt me with your face?”
Jar heard Jud falling to the ground in subjection. Sir Talon would be a hard master. As the two men walked out of the dorm, Jar felt envy for Jud. A marriage to a hard master is the dream of every woman. Envy is a woman’s greatest sin, she remained herself. She will need to ask Suz to give her a spanking.
The quest was finally looking up for Qroish. After too many days of fruitless tracking, his scouts had finally located the female raiders. Ten human women all armed with one witch among them. That witch was some ‘air mage’ with control of the wind. She was using the wind to cover their tracks in the snow, explaining why there were so few tracks for the elves to go on. The women set up camp for the day, not knowing that this was the last free day they will ever have. The day was looking up for Qroish and it was about to get…better.
Orven approached the elf quietly (or as quietly as a human could) and stood at attention. Qroish nodded for him to approach.
“What can I do for you, Goodman Orven?”
“It is regarding the raiders, sire.”
“Oh,” Qroish said. “I know of your desire for vengeance Orven, but I’m afraid we have standing orders. No deaths unless it could not be helped. All females captured turned over for retraining and re-education by the Keep, after which they will be turned over to the men who captured them.” Qroish paused for a moment for effect. “I cannot just…”
“I understand sir.”
“Oh…?”
“There is a redhead among the raiders. I want her.”
Qroish remembered the reports from the scouts and the divination from the mages. There was a redhead among the raiders. That’s what you get when woman don’t veil. Getting unwanted, even dangerous attention from men. “Why?”
“She has my son’s sword.” Orven’s words said everything.
“You cannot just kill her Orven. I will not turn her over just…”
“I want her alive and in my…care.” Orven spitted out the last word like poison.
“Oh…”
“The Keeper offered me my choice among the raiders, did he not? I want that redhead.”
Qroish quietly think of a reason to reject the Goodman, but no reasons were fore coming. The Keeper did offered Orven his pick and Orven has made his choice. He will treat the woman badly, but she is a woman; so that’s not a good reason for rejection. Sighing, Qroish said the only thing he could. “Done”
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