"Bastard nephew," Goro spat. "My sister died and left him to me."
The lieutenant grunted and motioned toward the three on the ground. The other guards moved into action and yanked them from the ground. Goro affected a fake smile as the guards shoved the three drunk men out. Once they left, he turned to Celty with a murderous gaze.
"Even when you're have dead and tied up, you still get me into trouble! Hateful girl."
Celty tracked him from her half-slit eyes, but didn't bother responding. Goro never wanted a response – just someone to blame.
"Jin, go back to your shack. Get to sleep. No more heroics for the night."
Celty relished the silence once Goro shuffled away without another glance her direction. She used the chance to pull her mind back together.
The water, which had welled up in her eyes from being knocked in the face two times, trickled down her face as tears. The stinging pain in her nose suddenly felt overwhelming.
She shifted, attempting to find a comfortable position, but there was none. With eyes closed, Celty pressed her forehead back to the ground and listened.
After a few moments, the soft patter of feet moved across the stable.
She lifted her head, instantly alert. A pair of dark eyes peered around the corner "Celty?"
"Jin," she whispered. "Have they come back for their revenge? Where are there?"
Jin advanced a few steps, shaking his head.
Her fears fell away. There was nothing sinister here anymore. Nothing around her felt the way it had when the three men were near.
Jin glanced behind him, then crouched on the floor next to her. He dropped a crust of bread onto the ground, and a small, leather pouch of water.
Celty nearly whimpered. Water.
"Please," she gasped, "help me drink."
He nodded once, holding the leather pouch to her lips. The cool water dribbled into her mouth. She gulped it greedily, draining the entire thing until it lay deflated and empty. Once she finished, she tilted her head back.
"Thank you."
He sank to his haunches, peering over his shoulder again. When he spoke, his voice was so low that Celty had to strain to hear. "My uncle will not approve of me feeding you, so you must eat before I go and get rid of every morsel."
She eyed the bread next to her mouth, so hungry she almost couldn't stand the sight of it. She leaned forward, nibbling off a bite. He watched, nodding in approval. The taste and texture of the food restored some of her strength, and with her thirst slated, Celty almost felt human again.
When she moved closer to take another bite, Jin flinched.
"You don't need to fear me."
He stared at her.
"I . . . I am not evil, like the rest of them." Her brow furrowed. "There is no evil here right now. I can . . . I can sense when there is. I can tell when a bad soul is present. Something inside of me just knows. You? You're a good one."
A toothy smile stretched across his face.
"How do you know?"
"I can feel it."
"Like magic?"
"Different."
Jin tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed. "How did my uncle find you? You're not like the rest of the slaves. I meet all of them."
"Are you a slave?"
He shrugged. "Not really, but not that different from you either. Uncle gives me food and a shelter to sleep in, but that's mostly it."
"And you shared with me?"
He smiled. She managed a tremulous one back.
"Thank you. For the food and water, and for saving my life."
"And you?" He reached out, touching a strand of her hair. She sucked in a sharp breath and he pulled away. "Where did you come from? You must be special if trouble follows you, and if you have the guts to bite the nose off a drunk man about to rape you."
Celty thought back, wondering how to explain to Jin that she didn't actually know how she came to be with Goro as a slave. The great black maw in her mind seemed to encompass everything in her early years.
"There's not much to tell."
"Don't be modest. You must have a wonderful story."
"Maybe. If I do, I don't remember it."
His eyes widened. "At all?"
She shrugged. "Nothing."
"How strange."
"Maybe it was nothing special enough to remember."
With these words she could suddenly see Jin's mind run away with itself; no doubt the lad was picturing all kinds of dramatic, beautiful possibilities.
But those couldn't be true.
Celty forced her thoughts away; she had bigger things to worry about tonight. Her stomach ached, unused to the refreshment. She'd finished the last of the bread and every crumb that went with it.
"Jin," she murmured, leaning toward him. "Have you ever wanted to escape?"
His brow lifted. "Escape?"
"To be free of your uncle's foul moods and heavy hand? Release me. Let me go free. I'll take you to freedom with me. I feel that…something is coming soon. Something bad. Something . . . big.”
Celty's mind flashed back to the slave auction and those in the cages. Especially the two men in the cage with her. They had been big; strong, with sinewy arms and broad shoulders. Their sullen, careless arrogance had set them apart. They'd even met her gaze – something no slave did, not even to each other.
Something about those men had been different, and without knowing how, she felt the two had something to do with the coming darkness.
“I don't want to be here for it, and I don't want you to be either," she continued.
Jin opened his mouth, but closed it again. Creases formed on his brow. "Escape?" he questioned.
"Yes! Run away. To freedom."
"To do what?"
"Whatever you want. Survive. Find ways to be happy. Get away from your uncle's oppressive hand."
Jim fell into thought, and Celty waited, giving him space to think. Finally he glanced at her, blinked, blushed, and looked down.
"It's risky."
"All good things are," she said.
"Uncle would track us. Kill us. Especially me. It's bad enough that I exist, but if I were to embarrass him?" Jin shuddered. "He's a proud, ruthless man. He won't allow a slave and his bastard nephew to make a fool of him. I'm sorry, but I can't do it. It wouldn't be right – for either of us. Besides," Jin motioned to her with a wave of his hand, "you're in no condition to go anywhere."
"Jin, it's better out there. I promise."
He turned away, swallowing. "Maybe. But maybe not. The life of a runaway slave can't be any better than a tenured slave. At least here I have a shelter. Some food. Right?"
A pleading tone lingered in Jin’s voice, and she realized that he really meant it. He was sorry. But his fear ran deeper than hers.
Perhaps he feared all the things that freedom would bring. Or perhaps Goro really was someone to fear if she should make a fool out of him by escaping.
"It's all right, Jin,” she answered softly. “I understand."
His gaze lifted back to hers, and met it. "Really?"
"Yes. Thank you. You've already done so much for me. How can I ever repay you?"
His blush returned in an instant. "No need. Just one slave helping out another, I guess."
"Goro was right – you should get some sleep while you can. Something will be happening tomorrow. You need to be as ready as possible.
Jin nodded once, his lips pressed together, and made to go. He hesitated, locked his gaze with hers again, and then slowly stood up and shuffled out of the stall where she was chained.
Celty lay back in the straw, staring at the moon through the warped boards in the ceiling. In her throat, and deep in her chest, she quietly chanted a prayer to Canandra – the Lady of the Moon. The words seemed to thrum in the air as Celty prayed.
For strength. For power. For retribution. For the freedom for which she ached.
Light from the moon spilled through the boards, illuminating her face in thin bands of light. When she neared the end of the chant and uttered the final plea of help, the moon flashed a brilliant crimson red.
Celty caught her breath. The scarlet rays bled through the boards like lines of dripping blood, setting her violet eyes aglow in a celestial promise.
Yuna