Rachel

Rachel woke the next day to see the sun shining through the window by her bed in spite of the still drawn curtains. Remarkably it seemed she'd slept through the night. Her head felt a bit foggy and her body ached, but the bed was soft beneath her, the blankets warm and inviting. One night of true rest had definitely helped her feel better, the embrace of comfort almost wiping away memories of the metal cage she had been confined to not one day ago. Blinking against the light leaking into the room she sat up, trying to gain her bearings in the still unfamiliar space.

In the light of day Alice's bedroom seemed even more plain than it had the night before. It was clean, that was certainly evident. The dark chestnut walls gave the room a certain warmth but the overall feel of the space was stark. Rachel's own home had not had much ornamentation, but at least there had been a few of her mother's embroideries hanging on the walls. Alice seemed to have no need of such embellishments. 

The walls here were entirely bare. The lovely vanity and dresser decorating the space were simple and immaculately free of clutter. On a desk by the window, she could make out a neat stack of papers and silver cup, filled with a variety of pens. Beside the desk stood a sizable bookshelf, filling with more books than Rachel had ever seen. Mama and Papa had only owned a few. 

How could a slave own so much? she wondered. Rachel propped herself up to try and get a better view of the bookshelf, but she was startled by the sound of the door opening as Alice walked into the room.

"You're awake I see," the older woman said, setting down a small bundle she was holding. "I was just coming to check in on you. You were fast asleep by the time I returned last night."

Walking briskly  to the bed, Alice looked Rachel over, checking the wounds on her arms and back, as well as  the bruising around her eye. Rachel was too afraid to stop her, but though her manner was brisk, she could tell Alice was doing her best to be gentle.

"I'll apply more salve this evening," Alice said, "but for now, none of your injuries appear particularly worrisome. You'll be sore a bit longer perhaps, but I see no sign of infection." She put the back of her hand to Rachel's forehead.

"Good," she said, "no fever either. I was a bit worried last night. Rebellious hunger strike aside, you were so pale. But sleep seems to have served you well. Are you hungry?"

Rachel looked down at her hands. She was hungry. It had been more than a day now since the slavers had forced the gray goo down her throat, and she had eaten little since, only nibbling at the crackers her new sibla master had offered on their ride to his estate. Fear had kept her appetite at bay, but now her stomach growled.

Alice pressed her lips together in thought as she eyed her intently. "Perhaps I should ask, will you eat?" When Rachel hesitated to answer, Alice came and sat beside her on the bed.

"I am sorry if I was gruff when you arrived," she said. "You were and unexpected surprise and I did not handle it well. I hope you can forgive me."

Rachel was shocked to hear the woman's tone so softened. She nodded slowly accepting Alice's apology and the old woman gave her a small sad smile.

"And I am sorry for what happened to you child," she said. "I should not have belittled your suffering. I know it must still be difficult to accept the fate that has befallen you, but know that all of us have been through pain. Under Magnus's roof, we are safe. In exchange for your servitude, you will be well fed, clothed, and cared for. Protected from a world where human beings are subjected to so much cruelty under other masters. You can be happy here," she said, putting a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel nodded again, trying to keep tears from her eyes. She knew the woman really was trying to be kind.

"Come," Alice said, patting Rachel's leg as she stood. "Get up. It's time to start the day. No use wasting it lying in bed. Besides," she added. "I have a surprise for you."

Rachel, slowly pulled herself from beneath the covers as Alice opened the curtains fully, flooding the room with light.

"We are in luck," Alice said with a smile. "Our Master was able to speak with his brother last night and has already acquired some clothes for you."

The woman went to retrieve the bundle she'd been carrying and unfolded the cloth to reveal a small, simple, light blue dress, patterned with white flowers. Alice held the garment up to Rachel's form and nodded contentedly. 

"Yes," she said. "This should work nicely. A generous gift is it not? Let's try it on."

Rachel nodded removing her nightgown and allowing Alice to slip the cloth over her head, helping straighten it on her shoulders. The dress fit remarkable well and Rachel had to admit that the cotton fabric was very soft and warm. 

"Perfect," Alice said with a smile. "Magnus has a better eye than I'd expected. He was quite concerned you might not have proper clothing for some time if I had to make everything from scratch, so he rose early this morning to retrieve a few garments from his brother's estate. You see Torvald Kendrick breeds young humans and thus is far more prepared to take on one like yourself." She chuckled and shook her head. "Though I must say you are a sight luckier to have found yourself under Magnus's care as opposed that of the younger of the Kendrick brothers."

Rachel gave her a questioning look.

"Let's just say Torvald Kendrick is a bit more conservative in his human rearing methods. Though not as bad as some mind you," she added quickly.

Still Rachel was confused and Alice stared at her in amazement.

"You don't know do you?" she asked, somewhat in awe. "Then again even if you had heard stories how could you possibly understand? Your family no doubt wanted to believe you would never have need to learn of slavery to a sibla master. How wonderful that your first years of life were so spent so blissfully ignorant."

Rachel didn't answer.

"And perhaps you ignorance better explains your lack of gratitude for Magnus's kindness," Alice commented, a hint of her sharp tone returning. "Then again, you spent at least a few days with your captors did you not? Surely that was a quick education in how most sibla treat their human chattel." She gave Rachel a pointed stare.

Rachel nodded. The lessons of Gifre and his men had quickly educated her. And Alice was right, so far Magnus was far kinder than the slavers had been. But did it matter? He had still bought her life. He hadn't denied his intent to murder her.

"For wild humans like yourself, the end frequently comes very quickly you know," Alice said. "There are few who would even bother with you at all given your size and age. Had Magnus not decided to take you in you would like have remained caged for the rest of your days, force fed until there was enough profit to be made off of your flesh."

Rachel shuddered, but Alice seemed not to notice.

"Perhaps that is the true downside of Magnus's stance on human young," the old woman speculated. "He never purchases any under the age of sixteen, a practice I heartily endorse. But there are poor children like you who suffer in the trade and I regret there is nothing I can do to help."

"I don't understand," Rachel said, trying to process her words. She thought of the man who came to the slaver's stalls, of the way he'd looked at her, assessing as if she were an animal. She remembered  the sound of his deep voice ordering those boys' deaths without hesitation. Clearly Magnus did purchase child slaves. And meat...

"He took you in out of charity," Alice answered.  But Magnus Kendrick does not deal in human young. That is why I was so surprised to see you by his side when he returned."

"Of course he does," Rachel protested. Could this woman not know what kind of monster her master was? "He had the boys I was with killed. He bartered for their flesh!" For my  flesh as well she thought to herself. Suddenly she didn't feel so hungry.

Alice sighed. "Magnus is a business man. Though he will not raise veal on his own farm, occasionally one of his customers will ask him to source wild meat for them and request a younger animal. Our Master had traveled to town for the purpose of filling an order. Unfortunately for your companions, the order was indeed for their flesh. 

"He had no need of you at all, but it seems he felt guilt leaving you behind to suffer. Magnus paid a ridiculous price to bring you here and it would have been far more intelligent to have saved his money. I will admit this was part of my frustration yesterday. Magnus must maintain his estate if we are all  to remain fed and clothed. Frivolous, costly purchases are something he should avoid. But what's done is done, and I certainly don't begrudge you the luck you had in finding such good fortune."

Good fortune? Rachel thought to herself incredulously. She had been stolen from her home, beaten and sold into slavery as livestock. What good fortune could she claim to have found?

"But will he kill me?" Rachel asked, voicing the question to which she feared she didn't truly wish to know the answer. The question Magnus himself had dodged.

Alice frowned slightly. "Each and every one of the slaves here knows that her life may be forfeit at any time," she answered carefully. "Our Master is kind. He does not take life from his animals nearly as frequently as many. Instead, he keeps our numbers low, allowing his flock to live as long as possible and still be profitable. He even gives warning to whomever he will take next, granting them time to make their peace with death before it comes. Another great rarity."

Rachel could not help but notice  that, like Magnus, Alice hadn't really answered the question. And it was hard to imagine that  her description  of their Master might define him as kind. He still slaughtered his slaves!

Alice looked at her in thought for a moment, clearly seeing that Rachel was not convinced of their Master's goodness.

"Do you know what happens to humans on other farms?" she asked. "I cannot imagine you do. After all, how could any born to freedom possibly imagine."

Rachel didn't answer.

"When a slave is born on an estate there is no joy," Alice said. If the baby is male his mother knows he is already condemned. Most sibla farmers fear keeping too many males believing them more prone to rebel violently. If the male child is very lucky, he might be selected as one the master wishes to breed. He will be taken from his mother as soon as possible then beaten and abused until he becomes the kind of man that will abuse every woman he lays with. If he is not  considered aggressive enough, he will be culled. Thus the best a mother can hope for, if she wishes her child to live, is to have birthed a vicious creature who will abuse his mates for the rest of his life. Of course for most other male children the end comes far quicker.

"When they are two or three, they are taken from their mothers, castrated, put in cages and fed until they are deemed fat enough for slaughter. Depending on the size their master is hoping for, some might live for years this way, confined in cages and shut in dark rooms until their deaths."

Rachel stared at her horrified.

"At least they do not suffer as long as the girls," Alice said her face still grim. "Assuming a female child comes out well formed and strong, her Master will likely raise her to the age of five or six at which point he will evaluate her value. Those judged too weak, or simply not worthy of reproduction, face the same fate as the young boys and either be slaughtered on the premises, or sold to feeder farms for further fattening. The others are marked as breeders.

"These girls will learn to cook and clean and serve in the Master's house. When they come of age they will be forced to mate with one of the males kept for such purposes. Each is rotated with the others, alternatively working to the bone, and bearing children for their master's stock. Some may live for quite some time like this, but when they are too old to breed they still find themselves at death's door. They are either slaughtered or given increasingly back breaking work and less rations until they are literally worked to death."

Rachel was speechless but Alice only gave her a rueful smile. "Now perhaps you understand better how fortunate you are to have come here?" She said. "Our Master is truly kind. All of his stock is well cared for, for the entirety of their lives. The work we are given is minimal and any who become ill are not destroyed, as is common practice on other estates, but nursed back to health and allowed rest until they have truly recovered. Once a slave is in Magnus's care he takes a personal interest in their well-being and will not sell them live to another Master. I don't believe there are any as dedicated to the care of his or her slaves. This is why you will find the women on this estate are quite loyal to Magnus Kendrick."

Still Rachel remained quiet. Maybe Alice was right to view Magnus as kinder than other sibla, but it still seemed he was a horrible, terrifying creature.

"Come," Alice said with a genuine  smile, "enough grim talk. Let's get you something to eat."

Rachel hesitated to move forward, but Alice put a hand on her shoulder, guiding her towards the door.

"It is a beautiful day Rachel," she said. "You should enjoy it. I will not force you to do anything you do not want to do, but I can hear your stomach growl. Put your fears aside for the moment. You are entirely skin and bones. I promise it will take far more than one meal to make you look even remotely appetizing."  Rachel shrank back from her touch slightly at the comment, but the woman stopped her with a gentle squeeze of her arm.

"That was a joke," she said with a small laugh. "Magnus made it clear you are to rest until you are feeling ready to work, I suggest you take advantage of that. Relax. Our master's estate is truly lovely and for now, your only job is to adjust. After that, we will find you a suitable job here. You see? You do have a future Rachel. Put out of your mind what may happen beyond that."

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So now you know a bit more about Magnus's business...Thoughts? Thoughts on Alice now? Next week Rachel leaves the house and continues her first full day on Magnus's farm. There are more characters coming. Let's see how the other women react to the new girl in their midsts. 

I recognize that there was a bit of info dumping in this chapter. I kinda just wanted to get some basics  of the world and sibla farming out of the way and Rachel does need to be educated by Alice. Did it FEEL info dumpy? Too contrived to have Alice explain life as a human under sibla ownership? Or did this work for you? I'd love to know :-) Until next week!