Unfinished
599 Words
As the caravan set off, Azra and Kaia chatted lightly. They walked a bit away from the other travelers, with Ra’tee’ka striding along behind them, with his saddle laden with leather satchels and supplies. The morning air was still crisp, but was heating up quickly as the desert sand swirled lazily around them in the light breeze. Kaia kept her cowl over her nose as she had seen the Kala’ree doing and it helped to keep most of the sand from ending up in her mouth. Azra was discussing the city of Moracuu, which they were due to arrive at any day now, and seemed to be an important stop on the journey to Ula’ree.
“The Moroji people are independent, scavengers by trade. Unlike the Razaak, they do not settle in large groups but instead tend to form small families. They are an ingenious people,” Azra spoke with almost reverence, “they are capable of finding water in the most unlikely places, and can keep livestock through terrible drought.” Kaia was fascinated, she had never met a Moroji, but had heard they were nomadic and tended to shy away from foreign travelers.
“Do they like having the Razaak come through Moracuu?” She asked hoping the question wasn’t insulting. Azra shrugged, not seeing bothered by it.
“The Razaak have always had an unspoken peace with the Moroji. Technically, these lands are within our king’s reign, but the Moroji are very useful, excellent traders in both goods and information. There are so few of them that conquering their tiny settlements would be pointless, so instead we live beside each other in a symbiosis.” Kaia walked in silence pondering the answer before finally asking,
“You said some Razaak live out here?” Azra nodded,
“A few do, although it’s not common. Some slave traders prefer to stay closer to the borders for the best sales.” Kaia looked up alarmed. If she was being honest she hadn’t given much thought to the other slaves in the procession, the ones who were bound up and marched in formation behind where the Kala’ree walked. She and the other Creesan girls had been kept far from them. Although every time she had glimpsed them she had felt a wave of guilt for feeling sorry for herself, as things could clearly be much worse.
“You’re going to sell us?” Kaia asked, almost afraid for the answer. Azra looked at her, a slightly amused looked in her eye.
“You? No. Ama’ree are reserved for the palace. The slaves that were not so lucky may be sold, yes, that’s how it works. Men may be chosen for workers, women can be house servants or even picked as wives. That’s the fate that has been given to them.” She finished almost coldly, ending the conversation. Kaia shuddered to think about it, she didn’t know who was in the procession behind them. Her friends and neighbors could be back there, shackled together like mules, she assumed without warm fires or meals to keep their strength up. The same thought she had tried to crush repeatedly for days now came swirling back up to the surface, what if Miss Bucket was back there?! Kaia sighed knowing there was nothing she could do as she marched along.
A Kala’ree approached, speaking to Azra in a hushed. The Ma’kala’ree sighed dramatically, handed Ra’tee’kas reigns to Kaia and quickly said “I’ll be back in a bit.” She rushed off with her companion leaving Kaia alone. As she walked she had the unnerving sensation that she was being watched
- Writer
