CHINESE ARYA STARK meets THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
*A Wattpad Featured story*
When everyone wears a mask, who do you trust?
In the unforgiving empire of Erden where the Imperials reign supreme, Sarna is a slave. After escaping the brothel where a m...
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"He abandoned his herd; She abandoned her spindle. Their blind love caused great rage in the Jade Emperor, who punished them by separating the couple across the Silver River, never again to see each other. The Herd Boy and the Weaving Maiden's cries could be heard across the three realms. Their pain invoked pity in the King of Larks, who gathered his people and formed a bridge for the couple to meet in between. Once a year, on the Seventh Day, the world danced in the light of their joyful union."
Herd Boy and Weaving Maiden—An Erdenese folktale
CHAPTER TWELVE
Two soldiers tossed us onto the floor. We collapsed on the ground in a messy heap, and we were yanked to our feet and forced to stand in a straight line.
"Stop crying," one of them barked. "I don't want to hear a single whimper coming from you."
The other soldier cut us free and herded us into a weed-infested courtyard. Slimy greens spilled from broken vases and the pond, which I presumed was once full of darting fishes, was covered with a layer of putrid yellow moss. Flies buzzed around us, following the stench of sickness and human excrement. In front of us, was a large house with an overhanging gable roof—the residential quarters of slaves.
A bedraggled girl started crying. Judging from her stature and her face, she couldn't be older than fourteen.
The first soldier backhanded her. The force of his slap threw her to the ground where she sprawled, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. The side where the soldier had struck blistered red.
"Shut your hole," he said. "No crying allowed here."
I'd cut a hole in his face if I didn't have to impersonate as a slave. The soldiers were as cruel as I remembered them to be. Despite the promises of a beating if we stepped out of line, I squatted by the girl's side and held her hand.
"Hey," I whispered. "Are you all right?"
The same soldier kicked me in the waist, knocking me onto the ground. I glared at him, blood pounding in my ears.
"What do you think you're doing?" the soldier shouted.
All eyes were on me as I helped the girl to her feet.
"Nothing."
His face turned redder than the sunset.
"Nothing? I—"
I rushed into his mind, nearly getting scorched by the anger and humiliation of being defied by a slave. There were no barriers, his consciousness floating in delirium, as aimless as driftwood on flailing waves. He must have been drinking.
They're just slaves, aren't they? Killing them won't earn you any favors. Your masters want them.
The soldier looked confused for a second, as if trying to make up his mind. Then, he sneered. "It had better be nothing. Or you're going to end up just like that pig."
