The Uncrucified [ALPHA] - Ch.2 - Her Sharp Tongue

RATING: PG-13
- Slavery
- Violence
- Physical & Verbal Abuse

After the caravan's brief stop at the Rock, their monotonous vigil of the dunes resumed. The sudden shift to the shade of the buildings of Chiaroscuro was a welcome sight after so many days of sand!

Kalara arrived at the estate of Cynis Varia sun-worn and sand-beaten, the small lot of slaves hurried out by the attendant she had met before.  He bid them to stand in a line with other souls such as herself, the new slaves mixed in with prior servants of the household's original owners, all awaiting instruction.  A stream of workers carried furniture in and out of the home, removing Southern furniture and tossing it in a pile and bringing in brand new furniture marked by the stylistic flair of the Blessed Isle.

“Yes please. Get that filth out of this house!  It’s not becoming for us to have this Southern trash decorating our home!”  Kalara heard the snap of a woman’s voice lashing at the workers as they cleared the residence.  She watched the angry woman pace with curiosity and growing trepidation, just as the other slaves did. 

“We finally arrive to this gods-forsaken place and my husband leaves me to these dreadful duties!”  The woman, who was no doubt the lady of the house, thrashed her hand in frustration, her attendant following behind, head down, and trying to keep up with her erratic movements.  The woman’s scarlet robes flowed behind her as she paced.  They weren’t too scarlet, however, for that was a color reserved only for her beloved Empress in the Blessed Isle across the sea from which she hailed.  Her porcelain skin glowed in the sunlight, too pale for Southern climes.  A silken swath of black hair tied by gold trinkets and split with braids flowed down her back.  In her hand, she held a finely carved bone swatter topped by fine aestrich feathers.  She fanned herself as she walked, beads of sweat marring her perfectly painted face.  Kalara thought she might have been beautiful,…if not for what happened next.

The young servant girl trying to follow behind the woman tripped, dropping the hand-painted pitcher she’d been keeping near to provide refreshment for her lady.  The pitcher shattered on the ground spilling the ice water within.  The cool water had probably been more expensive to procure than the pitcher itself.  The red woman whirled on her with a hiss, capturing her arm in a vice grip before the servant could recover her footing.  “Foolish girl!  That was worth more than you are!”

Kalara and the other slaves watched in silent horror as their new mistress lashed the girl several times with her swatter, the soft feathers belying the sharpness of the carved edges hidden in its design.  By the time her fury was sated, the girl’s face and forearm were bloodied with stripes.  The porters, who had been dealing with this longer than they had, only stopped for a brief moment before returning to their business.

Cynis Sana straightened herself with a sigh as any prim and proper lady would, using a spare silk scarf to wipe the blood from her fan before returning it to its place draped at her elbow by a leather thong.  Kalara, too distracted by the poor girl crying on the floor holding her face, didn’t notice as Sana made her way to their assembled line of servants.  Everyone who knew better returned their eyes to a straight and neutral forwards, all except Kalara.  She couldn’t suppress an inhale of surprise as the cold bottom of the bone pressed her chin, averting her gaze to Sana’s.   

“So this is the new house girl then? Tch.”  Sana studied the contours of Kalara’s face, moving it back and forth with a commanding touch of the bone fan.  “Filthy thing.  I suppose you’ll do.  I needed a new girl, anyways!”  With that, the lady of the house whipped around, marching past the crying girl without a care. 

“Clean up this mess and settle yourselves!  Show them their quarters, Rij!  There’s no time to dawdle.  The house must be made ready for my husband’s return!”  She disappeared into the shadows of the doorway, leaving behind the stunned assembly of her new servants and the servant girl, who was still sobbing quietly on the floor.  The attendant finally knelt beside her to tend to her wounds, murmuring quiet comforts as he did so.

That would be Kalara’s first encounter with ‘her sharp tongue’, as she would learn the servants had nicknamed Sana’s fan.  It would not be the last.

Life as Sana’s personal handmaiden was a trial in patience.  She demanded perfection and promptness in everything she did.  Kalara was to be well groomed, not a bit of dirt under her nails or a hair out of place.  Kalara was to report promptly at dawn to make the morning tea and serve it to her by hand, despite the fact she was trained in no such thing.  The attendant, Rig, for his part, helped her learn the Isle procedure as closely as she could, Kalara only familiar with the strong coffee of her less posh masters in Gem.  Thankfully, she was a quick study and picked up the general idea in an evening.  This still did not satisfy Sana.  When the tea was too sweet or she spilled a drop, such mistakes usually earned Kalara a slap to the face or a thorough bout of insults until Sana’s porcelain face turned red.

Kalara wasn’t alone, however.  Any servant who didn’t move fast enough or didn’t perform to Sana’s high standards got an earful, or, at worst, a thrashing with ‘her sharp tongue’.  Sana insisted on every inch of the household being cleaned for her husband’s return from abroad.  Even after cleaning every inch till they could see their reflections in the tiled floor wasn’t enough for her.  Kalara finally had enough when she witnessed Rika, the young house girl she’d been a replacement for, left in a crying heap again, this time for ripping out a few of her mistress’ hairs whilst working through a knot with one of Sana’s fine combs.

Kalara mustered up as much courage as she could, the thought of Rika’s still-healing face fresh in her mind.  There was a way to exact vengeance the way only an invisible person could.  A grin so like Djali’s came to her as she spotted the Acia tree in the garden and the perfect plan formed in her mind.

The next day, she helped Sana dress in her morning silk robes and prepare herself for the coming day, as usual.  Her mistress’ favorite tea set was ready and waiting.  Kalara’s jaw tightened as she poured the fragrant green fluid into the cup, preparing it with just the right amount of milk, honey, and an extra special blend of cinnamon. 

Strangely, Sana seemed an equivalent of peaceful this morning as she took the tea cup and inhaled the aromatic steam from it.

“Ah, well done!  It seems you can be taught.” Sana praised her for the first time that Kalara could remember in the weeks since she’d been in the household.

“You seem happy, mistress.”  Kalara dared to inquire about Sana’s improved demeanor, though mostly it was a cover to throw off suspicion and to keep herself from staring at the tea and giving away her ploy.

“My husband returns from abroad today!”  She beamed, sipping more of the tea.  “I’ll prepare a feast to welcome him and he’ll be so pleased with how proper I’ve made this house.”

Kalara swallowed her emotions.  She almost felt bad about the tea, given Sana was in a pleasant mood, for once.  Almost. 

The bark Kalara had added to the tea would make any healthy man puke and shit themselves for the next three days.  With a time delay of a day or so till the effects would take place, there would be no obvious clues as to where the ailment might have been acquired from.  She was happy when she could excuse herself and tend to the other household duties, all the while awaiting the most gratifying revenge a slave could enjoy, the kind they couldn’t pin on anyone.

There would be a delay of at least a day, however, before the Acia bark powder kicked in, which meant they just had to stand her for a little while longer.  Thankfully, Cynis Varia’s return continued to be her main concern, rather than voicing her complaints.  Sana soon disappeared to the marketplace to buy new hair adornments and more décor for their new home, leaving the household staff free to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the peace and quiet of her absence.

Cynis Varia’s arrival came later that evening in a sea of porters carrying all manner of luggage and curiosities from Gem in the door.  Sana stood central in the parlor, dressed in her finest golden robes.  She had the staff redecorate the entire entryway with gold drapery and flowers to match her, making sure she was the center of a grand production for her husband’s arrival.  The staff assembled in lines along the front.  The slaves and servants, including Kalara, stood behind Sana with their heads bowed, eyes averted.

Finally, the man, himself, arrived at the end of the last round of luggage.  Cynis Varia strolled into the doorway, stopping immediately to look around at the unexpected sight of a completely furnished home.  He was a tall man, well-fed and well bred from the look of his dark silks and the jewels dripping from his neck and almost every finger.

Sana approached him, her manner as dainty and graceful as any court trained beauty.  “Welcome home, husband!”

“Sana…” Cynis took her hands and seemed to stumble over his words.  “…My darling, I thought we spoke of this before I left?”

“Do you…not approve?”  Sana sounded so meek, as if she were going to cry.  Kalara could barely believe it.  “I wanted to make sure our new home was comfortable.  Do you not want me to feel at home here?”  Some of her familiar fire crept back in by the end of her question.

“My darling, we shall discuss this later.”  Varia seemed exasperated and happy to change the subject as his eye passed over Kalara.  “Aah!”  He strolled past the assembly and tapped Kalara’s chin so she would look up. “I see you got the ‘gift’ I sent along from Gem!”  He leaned in, appraising Kalara with a discerning eye.

“Hmm…healthy. Has all of her teeth.”  He turned back to Sana, smiling, so proud of himself for the good deal he’d gotten winning Kalara’s contract in cards. “I know you’ve been in need of a new house girl.  Are you not pleased?”

Sana scoffed, crossing her arms. “I suppose…she does learn quickly…”

Kalara merely stood by as they talked about her as if she wasn’t there.  She was used to this and knew very well to hide any and all emotion one way or the other during an assessment.  Still, these kinds of discussions always made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.  One never knew how they would end.  The sooner they moved on to another topic, the better.  Thank the gods for Rij and his summons that drew everyone’s attention to the feast that waited them in the next room.

Cynis Varia’s return went off without a hitch.  He was an amenable enough fellow, even if he was like any other rich master Kalara had who seemed to have more money than sense.  It was enough that he seemed to exert a calming influence on Sana, though she caught the murmuring of a conversation outside their chambers as she stood outside with a night cap of hot towels and wine.

“My dove, we’ve spoken of this.  Until I can set up my accounts here, we must be more…thoughtful…with how we spend.  The gods smiled on my luck at Gateway, giving us this house fully furnished, but you’ve already replaced nearly everything inside?”  She heard Varia chiding her softly, but firmly.

“Do you not like it?  I did this all for you!”  Sana responded without any such gentleness. “You want me to live in this filthy place with these filthy people!”

“Please…you know it is only temporary until that unpleasant business at home is sorted out.”  Varia tried to appease her. 

“When we were married, you promised me you wouldn’t let your House’s reputation be your downfall.  Your business was doing so well!  How could this have happened?”

“Sana…”  He still spoke softly, patiently.  “…I promise things will get better.  Just give me time.”  The silence that repaid his patience boded ill. 

Kalara straightened when Varia emerged from the doors, sighing and rolling up his sleeves.  She moved closer to offer him the towels and wine, performing her own assessment of the master of the house. 

Unlike Sana, who still kept to the fashions of the Realm, Cynis Varia could almost pass as a native.  He’d adopted Southern traveling clothes of loose layers and had already tanned thoroughly from the oppressive sun of Gem. 

He kept his facial hair immaculately trimmed, his shoulder-length auburn hair well-groomed and partially pulled back from his face in a top knot in the Northern style.  He was a fine-looking middle-aged man, despite having a bit of a pot belly from his love of wine and fine foods.  The age difference between he and Sana hinted that they were most likely an arranged marriage.

Or at least Kalara could never imagine anyone marrying her out of love. 

Varia caught her staring too long and smiled, retrieving the towel from her outstretched hand.  “You survived your first three weeks.  That’s good!”  He wiped the back of his neck and forehead taking comfort in the coolness left by the water.

“Ah…yes, master.” Kalara didn’t know how to respond.  She certainly wasn’t going to confirm or deny that his wife was a demon wrapped in woman-shaped flesh sent from the third circle of Malfeas to torment the household.

Varia took the wine next, drinking a good deal of it down at once with a wince.  “She seems happy with you and for that I am thankful!  Perhaps it was meant to be your contract came to me, eh?”

Again, she only nodded, unsure if he was a particular man with particular tastes.  His smile seemed to come too easy, as did his charm. His unreadability was, in some ways, more dangerous than the masters one could trust to be slow-witted and violent.  Perhaps that’s why the man was so good at gambling?

The deepest self in her might have told him that she still felt the pain of leaving what had been home for so long, even if she had been a slave there.  Everything that was familiar was replaced by the gilded world of Cynis Varia and his devil wife.  Instead, Kalara chose appeasement. 

“Perhaps so, master.”  An empty stock response, but Varia seemed pleased by her acknowledgment and that was better than the three weeks of torment she’d been through with Sana.  Kalara bowed and bid him goodnight, leaving Varia to his first night home from travel. 

She felt the briefest twinge of guilt again that Sana’s stomach was now a ticking time bomby.  The sight of Rika rubbing soothing herbs on her wounds when she returned to their quarters made that final bit of regret evaporate.

As expected, Sana woke up the next morning feeling dreadful.  When it seemed she might have energy to shout or complain, she found herself running for the lavatory instead.  Kalara hid a secret smile, even while helping to hold Sana’s hair back while she puked.  Unfortunately, Kalara couldn’t foresee that she would fire the household cooks, but they were at least paid servants.  They would find employment elsewhere, she was sure.  Either way, it was worth it to see Rika avenged even in such a small way.  Kalara felt as if she had regained some measure of control back over her life that had so swiftly turned into a living hell in the past month.