The Song of Eloh Saga by Megg Jensen Read Free Book Online

came to take her away to her party. Forced to stay behind because the great room had many windows, I called out to Ivy as the guards grabbed her elbows and led her away.
    “Be strong Ivy, but don’t be ashamed to cry.” I cupped my hands around my mouth, yelling to Ivy as the guards dragged her out of the room.
    “I’ll never give him or any of his stupid guests the satisfaction!” Ivy shook her arms free from the guards. Shoulders thrown back, arms straight, and fists at her side, Ivy marched out ahead of them.
    I imagined the scene taking place and the murmurs of the lords and ladies as they would watch Ivy get strapped into the chair. Forced to bend at the waist with her arms still tied behind her back, Ivy’s face would rest in a hole on the table. One guard would hold her head down as the other would sear the brand into the back of her neck. It was always the same story, but only from those who were brave enough to tell the tale.
    Kandek did allow each slave one person to wait for them after the branding. Ivy naturally chose me, so I waited alone in our sleeping chambers for her return. Not long after taking Ivy away, the guards returned with her propped up on their arms.
    Her head hung down; the branded fox red and swollen on the back of her neck. In the background I had heard the raucous laughter of the partygoers. My stomach flipped as I realized this would be me in a short time. I had never seen the immediate after-effects of branding before and I would never forget.
    Throwing her into my waiting arms, the guards left as quickly as they had come.
    “Are you okay?” I whispered into her ear. Her head lay on my shoulder, my arms around her back.
    “When it’s your birthday I promise to hold your hand until the moment they force me away from you.” Ivy held her head up to gaze into my eyes. A lone tear escape from a blue eye. After that, she didn’t speak to me, or anyone else, for three days.
    I helped Ivy hobble to our bunk. Once she settled into bed with a medicinal poultice made for her by the herbalist, my duties as her aide were over and I was forced back to work. The day’s party would dirty many more dishes than normal and I was needed in the kitchen. But that night we held hands as we fell asleep.
    As I pulled the last of the dishes off the shelf, tears fell as it hit me how alone I was.
    I wondered what anathema meant as I slipped the coin out of my pocket. I flipped it over and looked at the baby again. Its head turned and looked straight at me. But it didn’t wink. Oh no, this time it smacked its hand to its mouth and blew me a kiss.
     

Chapter Two
    “Reychel,” a low voice whispered from the doorway. I spun around, not at all surprised to see Grey leaning against the door. His voice, so low and smooth, occupied many of my daydreams. I’d recognize it anywhere. “I’ve got a message for you.”
    I wiped my hands on the towel hanging from my waist and attempted a smile. But as always happened in his presence, I couldn’t decide whether to smile or talk. Instead a half smile appeared followed by a tiny noise.
    I balled up my fists and pushed my toes into the tips of my shoes. Would I ever be able to control myself around him like Ivy did? It was so easy for her, but me, oh no, I thought I was doomed to a lifetime of stilted words and weird expressions around boys.
    “Happy birthday,” Grey said, rubbing the brand he received last year. “You’ll do okay. It’s not that bad.”
    “Really?” I asked, stunned. Having seen Ivy’s return, I wondered if her experience was unusual. A small bit of hope rose in my chest. Maybe it wouldn’t be as awful as I feared.
    His eyebrows, so pale in color they were almost invisible, rose up. “Well, yeah, it hurts. I was just trying to be nice.”
    “Oh,” I laughed. Why was I so eager to believe everything everyone told me? “Of course it does. I saw what it did to Ivy.”
    “Speaking of - where is Ivy?” he asked. “I haven’t seen her