The World Below Me: Chapter7

Chapter 7

Elise led once again. It was easy enough at first. They were only descending the long staircase. Minutes passed with little change in the carved stone walls. After about an hour, gaps began to appear between the rocks, along with the glowing lamps. Several turns later, the staircase clung to the side of the cavern as they finally completed their long descent.

Elise remembered the gravel path she had walked before. The glow of the lava pit burned far off to the left. Though the light it cast near her was faint, it caused the distant rock walls to glow with a hot orange haze.

She refocused on the path ahead. There were still no people around, and Zerdi used that time to speak to her from behind.

“Just follow this path. It will lead to the lane where we met the first time. If you keep going straight after that, it will take us to town. I will let you know what to do then.”

He fell silent as the first person came into view. It was a man in dirty clothes carrying a lantern. He ignored the two of them until he caught sight of Elise. His hardened features creased. Then he saw Zerdi following a few steps behind her and continued on his way.

This happened several times, with Elise becoming the strange focus of attention. Each time, the suspicion seemed to ease once they noticed Zerdi pacing behind her.

“What’s going on? Why are people staring at me?” Elise whispered.

“Your eyes. And your clothes.”

“Eyes?”

“They’re small. Beautiful.”

She was glad he was behind her, or he would have seen another blush rise in her cheeks. Still, beauty standards were definitely different here. It was something she would bring up again when they were alone.

They arrived at the cages lining the path. This time the slave master was nowhere in sight. Elise tried not to, but she couldn’t help glancing at the men and women inside.

“Keep walking.”

She quickened her pace.

Minutes later, the pathway broadened and turned to cobblestone. Buildings rose on either side of the road, some built of pale cement, others cut straight into the stone. People moved around her in steady currents, carrying baskets, leading animals, speaking to one another without slowing. Fewer faces turned her way now. Zerdi directed her from behind, and they stepped out of the passage into a vast cavern.

Elise lifted her eyes. Small lights drifted across the ceiling like a living constellation. To the left, a blue-green lake lay still beneath them. Ahead, paved roads wound between stone houses, shallow pools, and low-walled courtyards, all of it alive with voices, footsteps, and the movement of animals.

They passed through the marketplace. The colors and commotion kept Elise’s eyes busy, and she nearly forgot to watch where she was going. Zerdi did his best to keep her focused. She smelled something mouthwatering and turned her head again. It took several minutes to reach a cluster of sellers at the far end of the market. This area was less crowded, and the shoppers were all dressed well. Some of them had several bakdan in tow.

At that point Zerdi stepped forward and spoke with the man at the stall. Elise listened intently. They were speaking the same way her guide had spoken with the slave master. She had started to learn the language, but she still didn’t know enough to understand what was being said. Zerdi gestured once toward Elise, then held out one portion of the cinnamon they carried.

The two men went back and forth, the shopkeeper giving Elise several exacting looks. She tried not to fidget or appear nervous. At one point Zerdi opened the jar for inspection. The shopkeeper sniffed it, and Zerdi even poured out a small sample for him to taste. After what she guessed was an intense negotiation, Zerdi handed over the cinnamon and the man counted out several coins. Zerdi picked them up and showed them to Elise.

“Nod your head in approval,” he whispered.

Elise nodded. Not understanding what was going on gave her an air of aloofness. Zerdi sighed inwardly. That was good. It made her look more like a noble.

They left the shop, and Zerdi led her to another one. This one held a variety of clothing. Elise ran her fingers over the fine skirts and robes. They moved like water through her fingers.

“How about that one?” she asked Zerdi.

The shopkeeper looked up. Zerdi immediately lowered his head and turned away from her.

“Ah, you like it?”

Elise didn’t understand the shopkeeper’s words, but she followed her body language and realized she was trying to make a sale. Elise smiled politely. She tried to ask Zerdi for help, but he wouldn’t speak to her. Instead, he spoke quietly with the shopkeeper, pointing out several other items as well.

He found a shawl a few shades darker than her blouse and a head covering like a cap with several thick strands of shimmery thread that settled into the locks of her hair. Once he had finished, he paid the shopkeeper, but he never looked at Elise or spoke to her again until they were out of earshot.

“Please do not speak to me unless giving orders, Yaamaresh.”

Elise felt a tremble in her knees. Zerdi would still not look at her.

“Now, food.”

He brought her attention back, and they made their way to the food stalls. Though several people were eating publicly at various stands and counters, Zerdi bought prepared meals and had them wrapped, carrying them under one arm as they continued deeper into the heart of town.

“Turn right here.”

Elise turned, trying to keep up with the steady stream of directions from behind her. After passing through a modest stone gateway, they entered a pleasant courtyard enclosed by walls and doorways. In the center of the polished stone yard was a small pond glowing faintly green. A few people sat on woven mats, eating and talking quietly.

At that point Zerdi took the lead again. It didn’t seem to draw any attention, so Elise let him. Yellow lights glowed along each wall at regular intervals, bright enough to illuminate every corner. She followed him to the far side of the courtyard, where a woman sat at a table with a book and pen. Behind her was an alcove carved directly into the wall with two shelves cut into it. Zerdi spoke to her in the same language again. Again, Elise listened with the intensity of an eavesdropper.

The woman gave him a key and led them both to a door. He unlocked it, tested it, then locked and opened it a few more times before handing the key to Elise with a nudge to go inside. She did, and watched in surprise as the woman led Zerdi away.

Elise had not expected him to leave. The room suddenly felt much smaller.

A soft knock sounded at the door. She opened it immediately.

Zerdi frowned.

“Use the hole to check who is on the other side.”

It was instruction, and the closest he ever came to scolding her.

“Sorry.” She let him in. “Where did you go?”

“The clerical woman was just showing me to the slave quarters.”

“You mean you’re not staying here with me?”

He stifled a chuckle. “I can if you order me to, but generally noble women want their tools stored in the shed.”

She puffed out her cheeks and snorted.

Zerdi laughed so softly she almost missed it as she began to examine the room. It was small, but cozy, like a nest hollowed out in solid stone. There was a window in the back wall. It didn’t offer much of a view; it was there to create depth instead. It framed an alcove carved into the stone and filled with mosses and a glowing lantern. It gave the effect of a tiny luminous garden tucked just beyond the room. Two larger lanterns cast ample light.

Zerdi set the meal on the table while Elise roamed around the room. She could smell the food now, and it tugged at her stomach. She joined him.

“This is root hog grilled with deep mushrooms.”

He pulled back the wrapping, and the warm, spicy scent of grilled meat filled the air. Elise realized how hungry she was. He added two small cakes of bread, and they ate.

Elise wondered if this was the food he missed.

Zerdi ate, then closed his eyes for a moment.

“I only knew my mother until I was five. That’s when we are first sold. Then we leave our mothers. We almost never know who our fathers are. Our people are bred in a way that reduces family ties.”

Elise let him continue.

He paused, then offered something else. “I have a sister. She was three when I was sold. She had white fluffy ears and a cute little nose. That is all I remember, except her name. My mother called her Cera.”

“That’s lovely.”

“She would be about twenty now.”

Elise wished she could find Cera. She wished she could free her or buy her. Would that really be any better? She kept those thoughts to herself.

They finished their meal, and Zerdi cleaned up before Elise could lift a finger. She tried—she set down the last of her little bread loaf—but he instructed her to pick it up again. When she did, he swept away her bowl.