Page 75 of Joy Guardian

“No. I was held in Kalmena. I used to belong to the queen.”

“You still do. There is no such thing as afreehuman in this world.”

“I ran away,” I argued.

“And where did that bring you?” She gestured at the cage with a sad smile.

I dropped my gaze, faced with the bitter truth. My impulsive escape resulted in nothing but a perilous journey through the desert that ended right back where it started—in a cage. Actually, the finish was even worse than the start. I traded a comfortable room in thesaraifor a cramped cage in the desert.

The woman sighed, her voice softening with compassion. “We tried to run too.”

“From Prince Rha?”

She nodded. “Teneris is a nice place, but a golden cage is still a cage. When they said that Joy Guardians were opening another portal to our world, the last one to ever open, we escaped Teneris and tried to make it through the portal.” She sighed. “Many did.”

“Was a girl named Dawn in yoursaraitoo?” I asked, thinking about what Elaine had told me.

“Yes,” the woman said, and my heart leaped to my throat. “She was the prince’s sweetheart.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She shrugged. “She was his favorite. Lived in his rooms. Ate with him. I don’t get into anyone’s business much. I spent most of my time in thesaraidoing gardening with the Joy Vessel Keepers instead of listening to gossip. But they said Dawn and Prince Rha were lovers.”

“Lovers?” Blood rushed from my limbs. “But Dawn is only twelve!”

The woman shook her head. “She looked much older than twelve, honey. Definitely an adult. Must be a different Dawn then.”

Only how did Elaine recognize me then? How did she know my name?

Maybe I said my name out loud at some point while being delirious.

Or maybe, all of this had something to do with that time warp thing that happened when one crossed the River of Mists? I tried to recall what exactly Kurai had said about that but couldn’tremember the details. The very idea of time travel seemed incredible even for such a magical world as Nerifir.

Also, why would Elaine tell me to go to Teneris if they all ran away from it? Even if I managed to escape here, there’d be just anothersaraiwaiting for me in Prince Rha’s city.

“I’m Shyanne, by the way,” the woman introduced herself.

“I’m Ciana,” I replied mechanically.

“I know. I heard Elaine call you that.”

“Why do you think Elaine wanted me to go to Teneris?” I asked.

She shrugged again, then said with a deep sigh. “I guess she figured that if one had to be someone’s property, it was best to belong to a man like Prince Rha. We were safe, well fed, and not bothered by anyone in hissarai. Things likethat…”she tipped her head at the cage of Peter and Maria, “certainly never happened there.”

I glanced at the pair. Peter sat hunched over, staring at the ground. Maria curled into herself, crying quietly in a corner.

After discovering the intoxicating effect that alcohol had on humans, the Joy Vessel Keepers in Kalmena strongly encouraged us to drink it. Wine was readily available and offered persistently. However, it was never physically forced down our throats. I’d never seen anyone using this cursed tea before, either. What Peter and Maria had gone through was brutal. I sensed it would happen again—to all of us.

“We need to get out of here,” I determined. “And we’d better do it before the camels return and they take us wherever the hell they’re planning to sell us.”

Digging under the blanket, I found the knife I’d stolen.

“What are you planning to do?” Shyanne asked with worry.

“These guys make better thieves than handymen, see?” I pointed at the place where a wooden bar connected with the metal floor.

The cages had been clearly hammered together in haste to accommodate the sudden bounty of captured humans.Mismatched nails and screws held the bars together at the top. To connect the bars to the metal floor, they used a thick, braided rope tied around each bar then threaded through narrow slits in the metal.

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