So what does Magnus want with Rachel? 0-o Let's find out...

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Rachel

Rachel felt anxiety overtake her from the moment she got up the next morning. She would have to face Magnus. She would have to work for him. Of course she knew she was already under his employ. But though she'd occasionally seen him in passing, she hadn't had to speak with him since the day he had brought her to the estate. Now it seemed she could not avoid the frightening man who owned her life.

As Rachel dressed, she could not help but remember how he'd poked and prodded the boys by her side before callously ordering their deaths. How he'd bargained for her. How he'd talked about slaughtering her as well...

"Stop your daydreaming," Alice admonished when she took note of Rachel's slow pace. "Magnus asked that you meet him by the main steps promptly at 6:30 and you must eat something first."

"Yes Ma'am," Rachel answered, though she knew she had no appetite.

What could Magnus possibly want with her? From what she could tell he rarely interacted directly with any of his human stock with the exception of Alice. Why should he suddenly ask for her specifically? After a few halfhearted bites of porridge the old woman had made for them to share, Rachel helped clear the dishes and set off, trailing behind Alice.

He was already there when they arrived. Rachel could see him just at the bottom of the main house steps even from a distance. The lone sibla man in wait.

"Ah, Rachel," he said as they walked to meet him. "Thank you for coming."

Rachel didn't answer, hanging back with Alice. She'd had no choice after all and wished greatly she could run back to the kitchen to avoid whatever task he might have for her.

"I will see you later, Rachel," Alice said, leaning in close and giving her arm a slight squeeze of reassurance. "Think of this as an opportunity to become better acquainted with the man who cares for you every day."

"You will send her to the kitchens when you are done?" Alice asked, directing the question at their Master.

"Of course," Magnus answered with a broad smile.

Rachel tried not to panic as Alice loosed her grasp and headed towards the slave's entrance, leaving her alone with Magnus.

"Did Alice tell you why I asked for you?" the man asked, walking to her.

Rachel stared at him uncertainly. It seemed she had no choice but to answer him.

"Yes, Master," she said quietly. "She said you needed help with farm work." In fact, she now noticed that the clothing Magnus wore was far more casual than his usual attire. He did indeed look ready to work.

"Yes," he said, "exactly so."

Rachel wondered if he would elaborate, but it apparently he had no intention of doing so.

"Come with me," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her forward. Rachel resisted the urge to shrink from his touch.

"Alice tells me you have been feeling better," he commented as they walked. "Indeed you appear far less pale. I am glad for it."

Again Rachel felt the urge to move away from him. She knew the reason he wanted her well.

Magnus removed his hand from her shoulder, clearly sensing her discomfort.

"I still frighten you," he said, a slight frown on his face. "It is not my intention to do so. I want you to feel safe here, Rachel. To trust that I have your best interest at heart."

She looked away. How could he think she would trust him? That she had forgotten his words as he bartered for her flesh? He planned to kill her!

Rachel wondered if he expected her to respond, but Magnus seemed to have decided to let the matter go walking straight ahead without even looking to see if she still followed. Of course Rachel was careful not to fall behind. She was trying to make a good impression after all. Still, as they continued, the questions raced in her head.

She wanted to ask where they were going, what he needed her help with. Somehow the silence between them felt even more uneasy than his words of false comfort had. Lost in though she was startled when he spoke again.

"Here we are," Magnus said.

Rachel looked around trying to make sense of her surroundings. He'd lead them behind a barn she'd never noticed before, to a small paddock where three sheep were grazing.

"What are we doing here?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She shrunk from him instinctively expecting to feel his wrath for speaking without being addressed directly, but Magnus did not seem to notice or care. He merely stared calmly back.

"Alice has asked me for lamb to restock your kitchen," he answered.

Rachel stared at him in confusion.

"These are the lambs I have chosen," he said, gesturing to the sheep in the paddock. "They are all healthy and fat. I withhold nothing from my human stock. One I will take for myself, the others will serve as food for you and your friends."

Rachel looked at lambs, a sick feeling welling in the pit of her stomach.

"I need your help to control the animals," Magnus said.

Rachel turned back to him horrified. No! She thought to herself. No! But her mouth was too dry to speak. Magnus eyed her intently.

"The idea upsets you?" he asked.

How could he even question?

"We all must eat to live, Rachel," he said in response to her silence. "And for us to live, others must die. Have you enjoyed the food you have eaten here? I run a self-sustaining farm. The meat on my table all comes from the animals I raise."

Rachel felt an uncomfortable squirming sensation travel along her skin. Including human, she thought to herself.

"Come," he said. "I have other work to accomplish today and butchering will be somewhat time-consuming considering I intend to complete the task myself. But that is why your aid will be invaluable. I believe you will have quite a calming effect on the animals."

"I can't," Rachel said, finding her voice. "Please don't make me."

"I recognize this might be difficult for you," Magnus answered with a slight frown, "but in fact, you have no choice in the matter. You will help me because I command you to do so. Is that understood?"

Rachel could hear the hardening of his tone. What would he do if she refused? Beat her? Kill her?

But it seemed Magnus simply assumed she would comply. He did not bother to wait for a response nor threaten her. She watched as the sibla man opened the gate to the paddock.

The sheep were entirely unconcerned by his presence, barely bothering to look up from their contented grazing. He walked up to one and stroked its head gently for a moment before leaning down to pick up the animal. The lamb gave a small plaintive cry as its feet left the ground and struggled, but soon quieted as Magnus again stroked it gently.

"There now," he soothed. "Nothing to fear."

Liar, Rachel thought to herself. How could he hold that animal and speak to it so kindly knowing he was about to end its life?

"Come, Rachel," he said, cradling the sheep in one arm as he closed the pen with the other. She knew she had no choice but to follow him.

"I only take one at a time," he informed her as they walked towards the barn. "I believe it is cruel to force an animal to watch its brethren killed. It causes undue stress and fear. I care for my animal's wellbeing until the very end."

Rachel did not respond. She could not imagine this supposed kindness would be much consolation to the poor lamb in his arms.

As they entered the barn, Rachel felt her body stiffen with fear. The room was mostly bare, save a metal table and tub. Hooks hung from the ceiling, a drain was set in the concrete floor. She recognized the space immediately as a room of slaughter, much like the one where she'd witnessed the two boys meet their end.

She wanted to run. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. In her mind, she could almost hear the boys screams, her own screams. Panic overwhelmed her and she felt dizzy.

"Rachel."

His voice brought her back to her senses.

"Rachel, are you all right?"

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Master," she managed to squeak out. "I can't do this. Please don't make me."

"You can and you will," he said, his tone firm. "I understand you fear. The slaughter you were forced to witness no doubt entailed great cruelty. But that is not the way it must be. This lamb has no idea what is to come and never will."

Rachel watched as he walked to the metal table and placed the creature down, quickly sweeping its feet out from under it and laying the lamb on its side. Rachel winced as the poor animal struggled. But Magnus was patient, neither forcing the creature down nor letting up on his hold.

"Shush," he soothed, stroking the lamb's coat. "Shush."

Rachel was surprised to see the lamb submit quickly. Its legs no longer kicking, its body ceased squirming.

"Come here, Rachel," Magnus said. "Walk slowly, we do not want to frighten the animal."

Rachel obeyed, approaching the table with dread.

"Here," he said, "take my place. Sooth the lamb and keep her calm."

Rachel hesitated, reaching out a hand and tentatively running it along the animal's soft fleece.

"No," he said. "You must be more forceful. Only strong confident strokes will calm her."

His hand fell over hers guiding it along the lamb's body with gentle yet firm strokes until Rachel imitated him correctly.

"Good," he praised. "Continue that while I finish the preparations."

Rachel watched as Magnus picked up a length of rope from beside the table. Pulling the animal's front legs together he wrapped the rope around them. He repeated the process with the back legs and then joined them with the front with remarkable speed. The lamb made no sign of resisting.

"The ropes are necessary," Magnus explained as he worked, speaking as if he was discussing something entirely ordinary. "The animal is calm now. Relaxed. But once its throat is cut it will struggle. Tying its legs in this way will make its death throws easier to control.

Rachel felt sick again. She stroked its warm body more forcefully, terrified by Magnus's words.

"The lamb will lose consciousness completely after only a few seconds," he said, seeing her expression. "After that, she will feel nothing. But her body will continue to move involuntarily, trying to restart her heart."

Tears began to well in Rachel's eyes again. This poor animal had no idea what Magnus was about to do. She just lay there, entirely innocent, and unknowing, and trusting, and he was going to...

"Rachel."

Magnus's voice cut through her thoughts.

"I need you to stay calm. That will help the animal remain so. If you become upset you will only serve to frighten her. "

She nodded, blinking back her tears as best she could.

"And continue to apply pressure keeping the lamb as still as possible after I have made the cut. Sooth her into death."

Sooth her into death. He said it as if it were nothing.

"Now cover her eyes with one of your hands," Magnus said. Rachel looked at him in confusion.

"I never allow the animal to see the knife I use," he said in response to her unasked question. "There is no need for them to confront the instrument of their death." Magnus reached out and laid her free hand gently on the lamb's already closed eyes.

Rachel's heart beat fast as he took up a terrifyingly sharp looking knife, her body rigid. She wanted to run, but she knew she couldn't. The lamb rested peacefully beneath her hands, warm and soft. Its breath slow and relaxed.

After picking off a few bits of wool and dirt to clean the area and better reveal the skin beneath, Magnus ran a finger along the animal's throat. "I'm feeling for the vein," he told her. "In cutting the neck properly I can ensure there is no suffering. I make certain my knife is sharp and my cut is sure, so the animal feels no pain."

It happened before Rachel could even respond. One moment he was stroking the lamb's soft fleece and the next, the knife was sliding across the creature's neck in one swift motion. The lamb's head lolled back as a torrent of red rushed from its body. Tears dripped down Rachel's cheeks as the animal struggled for breath, twitching beneath her hands.

"Hold her still, Rachel," Magnus ordered sharply as she nearly lost control of the convulsing animal. He put his own hand on the lamb to help her. As the animal became more quieted, he pressed the flat of the knife against the gaping red gash in the lamb's neck. More blood poured from the wound, filling the bucket Magnus positioned beneath the animal's head. The body gave a few more bucks before going completely still.

Magnus took the knife and cut through the remaining tissue holding the head to the carcass and let it fall to the ground.

"Move aside now Rachel," he said.

She immediately complied backing away from the headless corpse still in shock. It was dead. The lamb was dead. He'd killed it. She'd helped him. Her whole body felt numb.

Magnus cut the ropes from the animal's limbs, pulled down one of the chains hanging from the ceiling, and attached the lamb's hind legs to a metal bar.

"Pull the lever on the wall behind you," he ordered.

Rachel turned and did so, obeying his command as if in a trance. The sheep was dead. How had she let it happen? She should have stopped him. It was her fault. He'd murdered that poor defenseless animal like it was nothing. Would he do the same to her now?

The animal's carcass lifted into the air.

"Now fetch me my knives," he said, nodding to a table where a small bundle lay wrapped in cloth. Peaking inside Rachel saw the sharp glint of metal. She didn't want to touch them.

"Come now, Rachel," he said impatiently. "There are still two more lambs we must process. I need you to move more quickly."

Rachel grabbed the knives, holding them as far from her body as possible and walked back towards him with trepidation. Was it a trick? She'd seen how heartlessly he'd killed the lamb. Somehow handing him more weapons seemed a poor idea.

"Lay them on the table."

For one fleeting moment, Rachel imagined taking one of the knives and stabbing him in the heart. She could run. Take the remaining lambs and flee. But where would she go? It was impossible that she might run to freedom. Alice and Kathryn had made that clear enough. Rachel put the knives down as he'd asked.

Magnus made quick work of skinning the lamb, pulling the animal from its wooly coat until only a red form of meat hung from the hooks, entirely unrecognizable as the sweet docile creature she had calmed just minutes ago.

Tossing the skin aside he slipped his knife into the animal's stomach. As the lamb's organs fell from its body Rachel fought an urge to be sick.

"You can wait for me outside if you'd prefer," Magnus said, seeming to sense her distress."This won't take very long and I hardly need your aid."

Rachel immediately went for the door.

"But, Rachel," Magnus said, his voice stopping her hasty retreat, his head turned towards her. "You will help me with the others. If you run from me, there will be consequences. Is that understood?"

Rachel knew she would not test him. "Yes, Master," she answered quietly. As he nodded and went back to his bloody task, Rachel fled.

Pushing open the barn door she was assaulted by the glaring sun. She breathed in gulps of fresh air, trying to banish the smell of blood from her nose.

The two remaining sheep were still grazing happily in their paddock. She wanted to open the gate. To tell them to run. But she knew they wouldn't listen. Besides, there was nowhere they might go. Like her, they were trapped.

Rachel opened the pen and closed it behind her. One of the lambs looked up at the sound and Rachel ran to him, falling on her knees and wrapping her arms around his soft fleecy neck.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I don't want to do this." The lamb bleated contentedly and pressed in close to her, no doubt glad for the attention. Rachel stroked his soft body, laying her head against his side, savoring his warmth, his lanolin smell, his life.

"It will be quick," she soothed through her sobs. "I promise. Over before you know what happened."

The lamb gave a soft bleat before nuzzling her hand and nibbling at the collar of her dress. Rachel smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes as she pulled him close to her again.

She wasn't sure how long she'd lain there, stroking the soft fleecy coat before the sound of a cough interrupted her trance.

"Rachel."

She turned to see Magnus watching her intently.

"Master," she said, quickly rising and brushing off her skirts.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.

Rachel nodded. She was feeling better. Even with the vision of the slaughtered lamb still haunting her, she'd seen how gentle he'd been to his victim. The animal she stroked now would die, but he would not suffer.

"I'm sorry if I was cross with you," Magnus said gruffly. "I will understand if you wish to go back to the house now. You have done well. You obeyed my commands and did not run from the task you were given. As a reward for that obedience, I won't force you to help with the others."

The lamb she had been petting nudged her with his nose, bleating for attention now that she was no longer patting him. Rachel leaned down and stroked his head.

She knew she couldn't leave him there to face death alone. What if Magnus couldn't keep the knife hidden from him without help? If there was no one there to sooth him, he might panic. She didn't want him to die, but she knew there was nothing she could do to spare his life. The best she could do was be there by his side.

"I want to help," Rachel said. "He will be scared if I don't." She fought to keep the tremor from her voice as she volunteered to help kill the innocent lamb. "I don't want him to be scared."

Magnus eyed her for a moment before nodding his head in understanding. "I will be glad for your aide," he said.

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The other two lambs lost their lives as easily as the first. It was strange, but as she watched Magnus at his bloody work, Rachel was struck by both his skill and the compassion he seemed to have for each of the animals he slaughtered.

Though he slit their throats without hesitation, he was also gentle, nothing like the slavers had been when they'd murdered her companions. Magnus treated his victims with respect. In his calm presence, Rachel found she was somehow becoming more relaxed herself, no longer quite so horrified by the carnage.

When they had finished, Magnus had thanked her for her help.

"Truly you have a gift with animals," he told her. "I have never seen a lamb trust any as quickly as they seem to trust you. I have raised and handled these animals since they were born. They know me as their caretaker. But you, they simply accept that you will do them no harm."

The latter half of his comment had sent a ting of guilt through her again. The sheep had trusted her and she had betrayed them to death.

"If you'd like, I can see to it that you are assigned more chores taking care of my flock," he said. "I should think you might enjoy the time outside with the improved weather and you do like animals do you not? I can only imagine they take to you so because they feel your compassion and love for them."

Rachel nodded.

"It's settled then," he said. "I told Alice I would send you to help in the kitchen this evening, but perhaps tomorrow you can start helping with farm work."

"Thank you, Master," she said.

Magnus smiled. "No Rachel, thank you. I know today was difficult, but you did so well. Truly you are stronger than I'd hoped. I am so glad you have begun to feel safe here. With me."

Rachel felt the hint of a smile appearing on her own face in response in spite of herself. He really is kind, she thought to herself. But she knew it didn't change anything. He'd been kind to the lambs as well.

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So now you have a better sense of how Magnus ends the life of his animals. Thoughts? And how will Rachel handle what she has just witnessed? She seems to adapt pretty quickly here, but she didn't have much of a choice. Will this change her feelings towards Magnus? or only make her position here all the more clear and more frightening?...Would love to hear what you thought of the chapter! Its def intended to bring the reader back to some real world context of what raising animals for food is like and how farmers might handle the more gorey part of what that means.