Shattered Shields - eARC by Jennifer Brozek, Bryan Thomas Schmidt Read Free Book Online Page A

totally unkind one. Such disrespectful questions could earn a beating. They were both casteless, but even amongst the lowest of the low, there was order.
    Keta bowed his head. “Forgive me. I was little the last time the demons came. They slaughtered everyone.” Realizing that he was still clutching the sharpened cleaver, Keta quickly dropped it onto a nearby table. The Law said his kind were not allowed weapons, only the tools necessary to perform their work. “Fear made me speak out of turn.”
    The overseer let go of the whip. “I’ve seen the ocean beasts myself. Only a fool would be unafraid. There have been no raids yet.” Remarkably, he took the time to answer the young man’s questions. “This morning I was told that one of the Protectors of the Law is on his way here.”
    Keta’s mouth was suddenly very dry.
    “A Protector is coming all the way from the capital.” The overseer scratched his head. “That’s a long journey, and this house isn’t so big to warrant such a visit. I bet demons have been seen along these shores again. What else could attract a Protector’s attention?”
    An uprising… But Keta didn’t speak. The Protectors kept order between houses and the castes in their place. He could only pray to the Forgotten that it was demons from the Haunted Sea and not another purge that brought such a perfect killer into their midst. What a horrible thing to wish for.
    “Regardless of the reason for the visit, the master wants his holdings in top shape for a visitor of such high status.” The overseer glanced around Keta’s storehouse. Cured meats hung from chains. Barrels of salted fish were neatly stacked in the corners. The storehouse was already extremely neat and organized, as Keta had learned a long time ago that the best way to avoid trouble was to never cause any. “I can’t imagine a warrior who can kill demons with his bare hands inventorying meat, but clean everything just in case.”
    “As you command, it will be done.”
    “And one other thing.” The overseer leaned in conspiratorially. “I heard the master giving instructions. If it is demons, and we’re raided, the warriors are to protect the master’s household first, then the town, then the livestock next, and once the cows and pigs are safe, only then see to the casteless quarter.” The overseer’s disgust was obvious. “It’s nice to know that years of loyal service has made it so that our master values the chickens more than he values the lives of my children.”
    Was this a test of his obedience? “That is how they are valued according to the Law.”
    “I don’t think demons honor the Law.” The overseer’s eyes darted toward the discarded meat cleaver. “I’d keep that handy if I were you.”
    “That is just a tool necessary to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to me,” Keta said automatically. “I would never—”
    “Of course.” The overseer nodded. “It’s just a tool. I forget myself. That’s not a wise thing to do with a Protector coming. I will spread the word. Get back to work.”
    He waited until the master’s man had left the storehouse before returning the meat cleaver to its place on his apron. The overseer was correct. The master and the Law were correct. A sharpened piece of steel was just a tool. The spears, knives, and clubs Keta had been secretly stockpiling beneath the barrels of fish were also just tools.
    His mind was the weapon.
    * * *
    “I think the overseer might join with us when the time comes,” Keta whispered to his fellow conspirators.
    “He strikes me as the master’s man,” Baldev said. “I wouldn’t trust him.”
    “I don’t know. He seemed truthful. I think he’s had enough of the Law. Same as us.”
    “The overseer’s words are worth salt water.” Govind’s teeth were visible in the dark when he grinned. “Besides, he’s given me the whip one too many times for no good reason. He’s getting his throat cut, same as the rest of the master’s