Mirrored Realms: Amethyst & Tennessee

The voice grew closer. "Sven? Ebba?" The voice was soft, with long hesitant pauses between each inquiry. "Are you down here?"

Amethyst listened to the woman's voice reverberate through her prison. She heard a splash come from down the hall towards the staircase, followed by a flurry of hushed curses. Each careful step that followed was exaggerated as the woman navigated the flooded corridor. Another quiet plea came, this time much closer to Amethyst.

"You are looking for Sven?" Amethyst's voice was an alarm that rang into the void. The silence accompanied by the drone of mosquitos reclaimed The Sewers, the water became still, and for a long moment it seemed the prisoners were alone again. "He isn't here." Amethyst's voice echoed softly.

Aggressive sloshing sounded as the water opposed the woman's approach; ripples dashed into Amethyst as the outline of the woman appeared in front of the decaying bars.

In the dim starlight, Amethyst could see the faint glow of the woman's skin. A pale iridescent light that looked like a ghost. From Amethyst's place at the rear of the room, she could only see black holes where her eyes should be, and what appeared to be a wide cloak over the shade before her.

Amethyst had thought perhaps she had passed and a reaper of death had come to take her. Soon the dark omen would float through the bars and collect her spirit. Though it did seem unlikely to Amethyst-- if the specter could indeed pass through the bars, then why was it splashing around in the water. Her anxiety subsided as she came to the conclusion that death's embrace had yet to come.

Amethyst started slowly. "He was here, but I am sorry to say-- he passed before the new year." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "He caught a fever and went into The Night." She waited for a response, she felt each second stretch as though hours were passing.

"Describe him." The woman's voice was flat, yet strained.

"He must have been twelve," Amethyst started, "Blonde, with fair skin." She didn't want to continue as her mind flashed back to Sven's tear streaked face. In the six years she had spent in The Sewers, and in all the years since she had become a slave, she had never had to describe someone she watched die. In an instant, she recalled the fits he would throw; the crying and begging for a mother who wasn't there. "He had... these pale green eyes and a giggle that would, for just a moment, make you forget where you were."

Amethyst could feel her throat closing up, and tears welling. But before she started to cry, a pained gasp came from the woman at her cell door. The water clashed as the woman dropped to the ground. Her devastation came flooding out.

Amethyst watched on for a moment before crossing the cell to the woman's shaking body. She kneeled down and gently placed her hand on the woman's back. There was a deep jerk as the woman fell forward and looked up towards Amethyst.

"Sorry, I was just--" Amethyst's apology was cut short by the woman's snap.

"Its fine." She sniffled, "I just wasn't ready for you to touch me is all." The woman's voice was soft and her inflections were odd to Amethyst. She recognized her language, but the accent was strange-- not quite like Sven's. The woman sat up and rested her head against the bars. She started to wring out her clothes but gave up shortly after.

"Sorry you had to find out like this." Amethyst's voice was shaking as she thought back to Sven who had sworn his mother would come. "You must be Sven's mother then?" The woman remained silent. "Sven was a good boy, and Wa Chini--"

The woman shrank back and cleared her throat. She took in a deep breath and steadily pulled herself up. She looked into the cell for a while, then looked behind her. Wa Chini stood there, his head pressed into the bars of his own cell. After watching him, she looked back to Amethyst and backed away a few steps before turning towards the door.

Amethyst looked to where Nuru had been sitting to find that she was making her way to join Amethyst. The three looked on towards the stairs, straining their necks to watch the stranger go. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, on a small hook rested a set of keys. The woman grabbed the keys and started trudging back towards the caged group.

"What are you doing?" Amethyst asked. She watched the woman juggle the keys, testing each one in the lock of the door before a satisfying click signaled the door unlocked.

"Anyone else want to be free?" The woman's voice was monotone as she jingled the keys in her raised hand. She started towards Wa Chini's cell.

"Free?" Amethyst asked.

"Yes, I'll open your cells and you can go." The woman said, exasperated.

"And go where?" Amethyst asked kindly "If we leave, we will be captured again, there is no way off this island for us as slaves." She paused for a brief moment. "Being punished as a runaway and branded is not worth it to be sent back in here."

"Sneak onto a boat then, or pretend you--"

"We are grateful you are thinking of us." Amethyst said, closing the cell door. "But we would be worse off without a master."

"You would rather rot here?" The woman spat back.

"I'd rather not rot at all. But I've survived here for 6 years, I only lasted nine days the last time I ran away." Amethyst was resolute, but wished dearly she could be free.

The woman held the keys and pondered them deeply. She looked at each slave in turn, seemingly studying them with what little light the stars blessed them with. She walked back to Amethyst's cell and locked it. The click sounded harshly. The woman stood there for a moment.

"You can go, don't worry about us. Go find the one you call Ebba." Amethyst said, warmly.

The woman turned away, replacing the keys and bounding up the stairs. Amethyst's heart jumped as she wondered if her choice was really the right one.

"What happened?" Nuru asked, as she placed her hand onto Amethyst's back.

"She offered for us to escape into the night," Amethyst murmured, "off to our certain death."

"I wouldn't call this life." Nuru said. She patted Amethyst a few times before she disappeared into the deep shadow of the cell.

"I trust your choice to be best." Wa Chini said. He stood for a few moments longer before he too slunk back onto the small rock which was his island in this ocean of hell. Amethyst swatted at the nuisance that was the ever present mosquitos buzzing around before retreating back to her corner.

Amethyst woke again to the sound of the door at the top of the stairs shrieking open. The morning light was dim above and the markets still slept. Did the guards notice the late night interloper? Amethyst was intrigued, but worried about the woman.

The man who mocked Sven and Wa Chini stepped down into the flooded chamber "Ah come the fuck on!" He spat. "Bullshit waking me up for this vermin."

Amethyst looked at the man as he started to unlock Wa Chini's cell. Wa Chini pushed himself further into the corner. The man then turned around and opened Amethyst and Nuru's door. He then walked down the hallway looking into the cages that once held the living residents of The Sewers.

"Guess it's just the three of ya?" The man said, stomping through the water. "C'mon yer bein bought."

The three hesitated. Waiting for each other to take the first step.

"Let's go or I'll lock ya back up and say yer all dead!" He had a fiendish grin on his face, the idea appearing to take root in his mind.

Amethyst made the first step, she cautiously exited her cell. She and the others struggled up the stairs. Each step was another mountain to be conquered. The final obstacle of The Sewers fought to reclaim the three slaves. For every step they took, The Sewers pulled even harder.

Amethyst, Nuru, and Wa Chini crested their challenge, their legs shaking and breath heavy. They were greeted by the sight of the master of The Sewers sitting at a small ornate table wrapped in gold leaf. He sat atop a thin chair that bowed, the legs groaning under his mass. He wore brightly colored garbs and had many jeweled rings decorating his bulging fingers. Small glittering beads were woven into his facial hair, which was glossy and well kept, except for a dribble of egg yoke crusted at the corner of his mouth.

A fair skinned woman with fluffy brunette hair sat across from the master. Her right arm was wrapped from wrist to shoulder in a silken scarf. Her clothes were worn, but of a high quality. She wore no jewelry and had a simple ribbon holding back her jungle of hair.

She didn't look over to the three just arriving to the conversation. Instead her gaze lay unceasingly on the master. She watched as he shoveled food into his mouth. She had a polite smile, which twitched ever so slightly as the master gulped wine from a gourd. Her hands were clasped under the small table while the master examined a fig closely.

Everyone in the room waited for the master to finish his meal. Each large bite chewed loudly with small bits flying from his maw as he cleared his throat. Once the master had finally finished, he sat back into the chair. The wood began to bend and creak, and just as it looked like the chair was about to burst apart, he stopped. He then took many deep, agonizingly slow breaths. Abruptly the Master turned towards the group. "Looks like I have three, so let's say an even thirty."

"Fine." The woman said as she tossed a few coins onto the table. Her eyes were dark and cold, her face was sharp with frustration. The woman and the master sat at that table, signing papers and pressing wax seals for some time.

The Master clapped his hands. "Good, you three will be this woman's pack mules, You are to work until you die. Congratulations!" A large smile pressed his face up in an awkward way.

The woman turned and quickly walked out. Amethyst followed immediately while Nuru and Wa Chini stood shocked.

"Go on." The master said, his annoyance slipping into his tone.

Nuru and Wa Chini didn't wait for a second invitation as they trotted off after Amethyst and their strange new master.

The three slaves followed the woman. They stepped out onto the streets of Stonetown and made their way out of The Markets, away from The Sewers. As they walked, Amethyst glanced down at the passing grates. She imagined all the people who stepped over her. She remembered all she had lost, who she had lost.

She looked forward to her new master. She Imagined Sven crying out "Mommy, Mommy!" while running into his mother's arms. Later he would be looking up at her, hands entangled tightly, never to let go again. He would have had such a large smile. In Amethyst's mind, Sven and his mother would be able to live happily ever after.

Amethyst's thoughts soon turned towards her own mother. She imagined that it was actually her mother here. After two decades, her mom would have finally found her. She imagined all the stories they would share, the tearful reunion while holding each other tightly and they would be able to live happily ever after. As her mind wandered through the tangled web of impossible scenarios, the world moved on around her.

The aroma of bread and coffee permeated the morning air. A warm breeze flowed through the streets as shutters began flying open. Roosters were crowing as people filed together, slowly forming groups and then crowds. The drone of conversations mixed together with the crashing of waves nearby.

Amethyst was still lost when she was startled by a hand on her shoulder. She looked upwards to see her new master and was met with a pair of woody eyes that had hints of honey. She could feel her face flushed in embarrassment and quickly broke eye contact.

"Tell the man." She paused and spoke clearly and softly. "I want new garments for you three."

Amethyst nodded her head. She could tell that this was not the first time the request had been made. She made a quick bow and muttered an apology and complied with the order. She was sure to make the request as it was spoken. For a previous master, her failure to follow their exact wording had resulted in a bloody back and three days in a black room.

Once the deal was made, Amethyst looked towards the beautiful woman who now owned her. There was a soft smile, not like the one she had this morning. This one was tender and reassuring. She stood confidently, the light illuminating the curves of her face. The tear streaks were now fully apparent. So too were the bloodshot eyes.

The smile dropped and her shoulders tensed. She looked away from Amethyst. A shadow passed over her and the expression she wore soured. She looked down for a moment before wiping her eyes. She handed out the clothes to Nuru and Wa Chini. The gesture was sharp and the warm woman that Amethyst saw only a moment ago had gone.

Amethyst stood still for a moment and looked west towards the ocean and the rising sun. Colors like fire danced under the massive clouds. Flocks of sea birds shrieked as they swarmed towards the beach. She could see great merchant ships in the port. Men scurried all about like ants, lines of them hauling this here and that there.

Amethyst, like the birds, or the men, was a slave. But each was enslaved to something else. The birds were a slave to their instinct. while the men were slaves to the coin. She saw as each went about their days at the whim of another's will. So, she thought, everyone is a slave in some way.

Amethyst gathered her courage and looked back towards her new master. She nearly jumped out of her skin to find that her master was right behind her, an arm outstretched. They looked at each other for a moment.

"I am Tennessee. Your new master." She said firmly. "And I hereby set you free." Her words hung in the air. She then turned to walk away, her arms folded tightly.

"My lady?" Amethyst asked hesitantly, "Where are we to go?"

Tennessee turned back and shrugged. "I'm sure you can figure something out."

"What is she saying?" Nuru asked.

"She is setting us free?" Amethyst said, unsure.

"Where are we to go?" Nuru's face was wracked with concern.

Amethyst pondered for a moment, her hands stroking her gaunt chin. "My lady, I'm sorry to say but we can't go on our own" She stopped to consider her words. "Branded slaves won't be able to get work in a place like this, the ships also won't give us passage. Without a master, we are to die."

Tennessee uncrossed her arms, placing one hand firmly on her hip and the other held up her head. She took a deep breath in before running both hands over her face and pulling her hair back. She let out an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, so I'm stuck with you then?"

Amethyst looked back to Nuru. She was sitting up against a small wall drinking up what little shade the cover offered.

Wa Chini was staring up at a tree, where a bird seemed to be taunting him.

"We can find a way to be of use to you, whatever your need we can fulfill." Amethyst's voice was deliberate, but hints of fear still poked through.

Tennessee's expression dropped to resignation. "Alright, fine." She turned away from Amethyst, her hands wiping at her face.

Amethyst raised her hand to comfort Tennessee. Abruptly, there was a loud sniffle and Tennessee turned back around. "I need to find Ebba, my daughter."

Amethyst thought for a moment. "There are a few places we can check." Amethyst explained to Wa Chini and Nuru their purpose in helping Tennessee. The two quickly agreed, nodding their heads enthusiastically.

The group strode from market to market searching out each slaver they could find. Each request for Ebba met with shaking heads and gestures to leave. Each denial was a defeat that cracked Tennessee's heart apart. Amethyst too was struggling as her choices narrowed. She knew there would be only one place to go.

The sun had long passed its midpoint, nearing its time to rest. Amethyst was backed into a corner, knowing that the last place she hoped to find Ebba was now all that was left. "My lady?"

Tennessee looked towards Amethyst. Her eyes were red with deep bags under them and her hair had become a tangled mane in the wind.

"There is one more place. But it is dangerous..." Amethyst couldn't maintain eye contact, her eyes instead shifted back to Wa Chini and Nuru. She put a hand on their shoulders as reassurance and returned to look at Tennessee. "This man is a cruel man. Nothing happens in Stonetown unless he allows it." Amethyst was fiddling with her hands, struggling to continue.

Tennessee waited, not breaking her gaze from Amethyst. Her eyes were glued to Amethyst and she firmly crossed her arms.

Amethyst knew she had to say it. In a hushed whisper, as if to say his name too loudly would somehow call him here. "Katili, Master of Stonetown."

Wa Chini was preoccupied, his mind had drifted from the conversation some time before. Now he was watching the birds that fluttered around.

Nuru on the other side of Wa Chini instead spit at the sound of his name. "If the girl is there, we would have an easier time snatching her from the clutches of a hungry lion."

Amethyst nodded, then turned her gaze back to Tennessee, whose eyes had somehow hardened more. Her grip tightened, and her head sat more forward. Amethyst gulped, she feared that her new master might pounce *like* a lion. "He is a businessman, but he controls everything here. If she is there, you will be hard pressed to convince him to sell her to you without an outrageous price." Amethyst again could not keep eye contact as she continued. "He may not be willing to deal at all. He could, if he wanted, choose to not let us leave." She struggled to think about what to say next.

Tennessee interrupted Amethyst's thoughts. "I don't care, if he has her, I will get her back."

Amethyst began a half hearted protest as Tennessee closed the short gap, leaving them only a breath away from each other. Tennessee's hand latched onto Amethyst's chin, lifting her head to meet eyes. Amethyst looked at the blaze in her new master's soul. She could see the fire of determination like a raging inferno. She knew that to protest would be the same as jumping to the moon.

"I will take you to Katili, my lady." Amethyst waited as Tennessee's eyes searched her own.

"Good." Tennessee said as she let Amethyst go and gestured for her to lead the way. Amethyst gathered Wa Chini's attention and placed a hand onto Nuru and informed them of the choice their master had made.

The last rays of the blazing sun illuminated the path to Katili's palace. Amethyst could hear a whisper from Tennessee saying "Mommy is on her way!"