Nusac

Chapter 7

Faith’s POV

So here I am. I’ve been here all of three months. It’s been fun for the most part. I’ve learned some of the language. Well enough to get me a conversation and to ask what something means. Always good!

Well it’s a bit of a big day for me today. It’s the first time I’ve been out of the hut... house. When I’m not going after some demon. Namine needed some… stuff. Apparently she’s run out of that paste stuff she used to heal my wound and she needs to make some more.

I didn’t really want to stay behind on my own. That would be boring. There’s no TV there. I think I’m pushing it a bit to hope that there is a TV in the village we are now heading to.

I’m getting the riding the horse thing down as well. I’ve got the basics down. By that I mean steering, going faster and breaking. Feeling as though I’m safe up here not so much. I think I nearly feel off at least twice. Kiddies do this on the beach all the time why can’t I do it?

Namine looks back at me to see how I’m doing. “How does it feel now?” I didn’t say I had the hang of it for long.

“Like I’m being ripped in half from the crotch upwards.” Not sure where the word crotch come into conversation for me to learn it but I’ve been using it a lot ever since.

She laughs at this. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Can I hurry up and get used to it?” I swear the human body should not be stretched in this way.

It takes about another half an hour to get to the village. Namine dismounts from her horse and begins to tie the rains to a long beam held up by two large logs at either end. The other side is a trough filled with water. I do the same and find it’s very difficult to put the top of my legs together. Not the most relaxing way to walk.

I get another laugh from my companion at my walk. I give her a look, which tells her it is in no way funny. I stretch my legs out and get them to fit into a more natural position and tie my own horse up.

What sounds like a fight breaks through the noise of the village and it makes me look up. Over the other side of… well I guess you could call it a road is a large man holding a petite woman up by her arm. She looks as if she’s dead weighting as he drags her over to a group of other people who look to be chained to a log not unlike the one I just tied my horse up to.

“What’s going on over there?” I ask my companion.

She glances over then back to me “Just the mancipium traders. Ignore them.”

OK, ok so my grasp of this language isn’t perfect. “What does mancipium mean?”

“Urm.” She seams to be searching for a way to describe what the word means. “When you force someone to work and don’t pay them.”

“Slave.” I say this in English and get a glare for my trouble. She took a lot of time to tell me not to speak like that here. Apparently it can get me into trouble. “We should do something.” I haven’t taken my eyes of the group of slaves.

“Like what?” How can she be so uncaring about this? We’re talking about slavery here. She picks up on the way I look at her and begins to explain. “It’s just the way it works here. If you’re out on your own and you can’t defend yourself then you are likely to be picked up as a slave. You run that risk every time you leave the village.”
“What about when we go from here back home?” Is it strange that I call this place home? It almost feels like home. Well more so than my own home ever did back in Boston.

“Even if they did attack do you think they would be able to contain us?” She says with a smile on her face.

I decide to change tactics. “See that guy there with the whip?” She nods. “The first moment I got here he and his men attacked me.”

“They wished to take you as a slave Faith. They may be ruthless but they are not stupid. They will not pick a fight they cannot win twice.” She moves to go about her business.

I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. “Just because we would never have a problem doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on people who can’t defend themselves.” God I sound like B.

“It’s just the way things are.” She can see that this does not convince me. “It’s the way things always were. Those people are those men’s property now Faith. To take them by force would be little more than stealing.” I give her an angry look. “You need to accept our cultures and our ways. Now ignore it.” She walks off. Well that didn’t go well she looked a bit pissed off with me to be frank. To be frank? I sound almost English.

We walk through the crowded streets. It’s nice to have a little human interaction other than Namine and anyone who happens to be in a life-threatening situation.

We go past a weapons shop, which catches my eye. Oh shiny. The tender calls my companion over. And she goes always so polite. “Meldon.” I’m going to assume that is his name. “It has been to long.” She does that weird hand shaky thing that she showed me a few months ago. Going to have to get used to that.

“It has.” He seams nice. He looks pleased to see my friend anyway. He looks over at me he seams pleased to see me too. I’m with her I’m not buying anything. I don’t have any money. Well I have about 20bucks but I don’t think that will go far here. Its just paper here. He looks back to Namine. “Please tell me that you have opened your father’s old furnace. He made the finest swords I have ever had the pleasure of selling.”

“You know I don’t share that passion.” She prefers magic. The first time I called it that she laughed at me. She calls it her gifts.

“But your friend she looks strong. Why could she not make them?” He says. Is he always this happy?

“Well I know how to use them I don’t know how to make them.” I answer for her. I’m not going to be talked about as if I’m not here.

He smiles over at me. Walking past Namine and begins to speak to me. “All great warrior’s should make the weapons they donec.” I don’t’ understand the last word so I look over at Namine.

“Use.” Well that was an easy explanation. Why couldn’t he have just said that?

“All great warrior’s should make their own weapons so why are you selling them?” Ah get out of that one.

“Many people are not great warriors.” Touché. He smiles at me and turns back to my friend. “Namine you should teach her the ways. If she is half the blacksmith of your father I would be happy to sell her wears.”

She looks as if she is going to decline. “I love the idea.” So I just jump in and answer without thinking. Smooth Faith smooth.

“Then it is settled.” He gives Namine who is smiling one last hug and bids us both farewell.

“He’s been trying to get a local blacksmith in for years.” She begins to explain. “He doesn’t like the weaponry that isn’t made in the village. Says it doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t listen to him.”

”No, no I’m living with your free of charge. If I can learn to make them then I’ll earn my keep.” She smiles and sort of half nods. It’s more like a mini bow but she taught me that here it means more or less a nod.