Between the Light and the Darkness - Chapter 7

After a torturous and unrestful few hours, the cell door creaked open and a fresh pitcher was set inside. A bread like food was in a bowl beside it. This must be breakfast.

"Good morning," Ileeya mumbled sleepily as she sat up.

"Not really," he muttered.

"Don't worry. When you get more accustomed to your surroundings you'll start sleeping better."

He sincerely doubted that, but said nothing. They ate their breakfast in silence for several minutes. The pitcher contained a thick, steaming liquid which was surprisingly good. It coated the throat going down, and left a slightly fruity after taste.The bread wasn't bad, either. It was rich and filling, flakey and dense. It sure beat the heck out of the dried scraps of crap that served as dinner the night before.

Tim thought about asking Ileeya what they were eating, and what the liquid was. But instead, another question bubbled in his brain, and he found himself blurting it out before he had a chance to think about it. "So, who is Shirra?"

At the mention of the name, Ileeya's head snapped up and she looked at him with huge 'deer in the headlight' eyes. She choked on a piece of the bread then managed to swallow it with difficulty. "What?" she croaked.

"The person you dreamt about last night."

She looked uncomfortable and stared at the floor while she spoke. "She, um, was a -- an old friend of mine. She died a very tragic death."

"Oh. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up painful memories."

"I know. I just haven't gotten over it yet."

Just then, the door opened abruptly. Tim was glad he hadn't been standing in front of it. Aark waited patiently in the doorway. Or at least as patient as he could be, which wasn't saying much.

Ileeya walked toward the door and Tim followed. His aching muscles threatened to disobey him, but he forced himself to move. The guard grabbed Ileeya's arm harshly, but judging by the expression on her face she was either used to it or didn't even feel it. He gave her a slight shove down the corridor before turning to Tim.

If Tim thought his own sores and bruises were bad, the guard looked immensely worse. Large red and purple splotches decorated Aark's face and it was obvious by the stiff way he moved that he was struggling with sore muscles, too.

Tim tried to hide his own discomfort. Aark glared at him, a cold, piercing gaze under which Tim was tempted to shiver. But instead, he managed to return the look with a grin. Aark grabbed Tim's wrist roughly, intentionally digging his sharp claws into Tim's flesh.

The were herded down yet another narrow corridor. Tim began to wonder if all the halls were this narrow. A door at the end led into a large courtyard. The bright sunlight of the outside was startingly bright compared to the dim interior of the cells. The sun of this world was smaller then the one on his own, but the heat it gave off was intense. Combined with the muggy atmosphere and no breeze to speak of, it was quite miserable outdoors.

Tim was escorted to a large garden just outside the door. Ileeya and a few other female slaves continued on across the courtyard and through another door that led back into the building.

Several male slaves were already gardening. Aark led Tim over to an empty spot, shoved a hoe in his hand and started talking. The words were useless, as Tim couldn't understand them, but it was clear that the guard was indicating that he dig holes in the dirt. The dirt was hard and unyielding, and Tim quickly worked up a sweat.

The ache in Tim's muscles was phenomenal. Being in construction, he was used to hard work. It was his arrival here and the brawl he participated in the night before that did him in. He had to take frequent stretch breaks to keep his back from tightening up.

He noticed the others doing that, as well, and seemed to be able to do so freely. But, as Tim found out soon enough, when they seemed to take too long of a stretch, the guards were quick to reprimand them, usually in the form of a quick blow to the back of the head with a stick they carried. Not hard enough to hurt, really, but certainly hard enough to remind them where there attention should be.

It was on one of these stretch breaks, right as Tim was in the middle of wiping the dripping sweat off his face with his sleeve, that he noticed he was being stared at. From the distance Tim was at, he thought maybe the man was human. He was a decent looking guy, with long blonde hair tied behind his head. Even from where he was standing, Tim could see intense dark eyes, with thin arched eybrows atop them. Then he noticed the pointed ears. So much for being human. Tim wondered if the man was an elf, like Ileeya.

He simply stood there, calmly staring at Tim with his steely eyes. There was a hint of malice behind those eyes. Tim thought about nodding in acknowledgement, but the man had a strange expression on his face, almost like he wanted to wrap the hoe around Tim's head. The man stared another minute longer before getting back to work.

With each passing minute, Tim longed more and more for a cool shower. Followed by a long soak in a hot tub. With a couple of beers. And maybe a steak. Well, maybe the steak before the soak. Too bad he couldn't eat the steak in the hot tub, now that would be something.

After several long hours of hard work, the guard called them to a stop. The entire group was herded, like cattle, back through the door they had come out of. Another guard was waiting just inside the door, and led them around the corridors to another door. Inside was a bathing room, with several wash basins lining the walls.

So much for that cool shower, but Tim was still grateful for the opportunity to scrub the dirt and sweat off his body. Afterward, he almost felt as good as new.

Then, it was more herding down more narrow hallways. Tim was tempted to moo loudly, but the joke would be lost on these people. Surely they wouldn't know what a cow was.

They arrived at a large and beautiful dining hall. Large oak tables filled the room, and at each of the place settings sat a plate generously heaped with food. Tim's mouth watered at the sight of it.

The other slaves picked a seat and sat down; Tim did the same.

Tim had no idea what he was eating, and at that very moment he didn't care. There was some sort of meat, a vegetable, and a bread like object, and it all tasted spectacular. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

About three quarters of the way through his meal, after his appetite had been somewhat satisfied, he was able to finally lift his head and take a look around.

Several slaves sat at the various tables. The females were seated and eating now, and Tim noticed Ileeya a few tables away.

She seemed to be trying to eat. But the man sitting next to her was preventing her from doing that. Tim noticed it was the same man that had been staring at him in the field. His mouth moved incessantly, and Ileeya's head would occasionally nod yes or shake no. Once in awhile she would turn toward the man and say something.

As Tim watched, the man picked up Ileeya's hand and pressed it to his mouth, kissing it. Ileeya turned toward the guy, gave him a disarming smile, and gracefully removed her hand from his so she could continue eating.

He turned toward Tim, then, as if he knew he was being observed. A smirk crept across his thin lips, and his eyes were cold and penetrating.

Immediately, Tim decided he didn't like the man, even though he didn't know him. He didn't like his smug personality, the way he seemed at ease. He seemed overconfident, like he belonged here and was comfortable. Tim got the feeling that no matter where this guy was or how bad the situation, he would always have that expression on his face and act like he was in his element.

The man turned back to Ileeya. Very gracefully, he moved her hair back from her face and blew in her ear. Ileeya's head jerked away from him and she scowled at him, saying something to him. The man just sat there and smiled. Once again he turned back toward Tim, shrugging and smiling innocently. What an ass.

Their staring contest was interrupted by one of the guards yelling at the group. All the slaves stood up, and Tim followed suit. They all formed a line and were led back to their cells.

Ileeya was already in the cell by the time he got back.

"So how did it go?"

"Oh, not so bad, considering. I've never been a big fan of gardening."

She chuckled a little but said nothing.

"Who was that guy you were talking to in the dining hall," he blurted out.

She blinked innocent doe eyes at him and said, "What guy?"

"The one with blonde hair who blew in your ear." Realizing he sounded like a jealous boyfriend when he had no right to, he quickly added, "I'm only asking because I saw him in the field today and he just gave me the weirdest look."

"Oh," she rolled her eyes. "That's Jondak. He's an Irnaxxian. A race that lives on the same plane as I do. Irnaxxians are an arrogant race, headstrong and selfish. They possess some minor telepathic abilities which they always try to use to their advantage. They rarely take anything seriously. Most obstacles present a challenge for them. And they love a challenge."

"Are you two, um...,"

She visibly cringed. "Absolutely not."

"He certainly likes you well enough," Tim teased.

"You're awfully forward, Timothy Mitchell. We need to change the subject. I dislike talking about arrogant fools."

At the mention of his full name, Tim stood in stunned silence. After several minutes, he finally managed to whisper, "How did you know my name?"

"Why, you told me, of course."

"No. I didn't. I told you my name was Tim. I never said Timothy. Or Mitchell."

"Forward and nosey. The girls must love you back home," she replied acidly.

"Have I offended you in some way?"

She stood silently for a moment. "I'm sorry, Tim. I was being rude. Jondak brings out the worst in me, and when you implied he and I might have more going on than a few words, it must have hit a nerve. Jondak wants anything he can't have. Since I resist his advances, he feels encouraged to try harder. I've learned the best way to deal with him is to gently resist."

"Why don't you just tell him to leave you alone?"

"Ha! Apparently you've never tangled with an Irnaxxian before. Don't ruffle his feathers, Tim, or you'll regret it."

This piqued Tim's curiosity, and he wanted to know more, but decided a change in conversation would be best. He completely forgot that she never answered his question about how she knew his name.