Charcoal Drawings (Chapter 1) by Fathiah Zarafi


"Time to rise, girl!" a gruff voice growled, kicking at a curled up body by his feet. A small whimper is heard before the body quickly rights itself and pressed back against the cold stone wall.

The guard, who was responsible for her chamber, smirked in response at her passive attitude. "Holding your tongue is much better now, is it not? About time you learn how to act in front of a man."

His spiteful remark was answered by a cold glare. With a snort, the guard pulled on the chain surrounding the girl's wrists. She stumbled to her feet from the force of it. Immediately, pain shot up her legs. Her feet were still healing after being forced to work barefoot on a road under the scorching sun.

The metal chains binding her wrists together were once again tugged forward. She trailed behind the guard, walking along the long corridor. Her chamber was placed at the very end of the old mansion, away from the other slaves. The girl was careful to avoid the gazes of other guards loitering about. Their cold eyes followed her every move, some even spitting out harsh names.

Whore


Scoundrel


Demon

She finally raised her sapphire eyes when she caught sight of the old door leading to the wash room. The guard released her chains before roughly pushing her towards the door. "Wash up quickly, wench. You will suffer dire consequences if you anger the master again." he warned. With a huff, the girl marched pass the man and proceeded to slam the door against his face, delighting in the colorful curses spurting out of his mouth.

"Alys, must you fight with the guards every morning?"

Alys swiftly turned around to spot an aged woman sitting on a wooden stool, casually rinsing her body. A rare smile grazed her pink lips.

"Berta," she almost whined. "That repulsing man deserved it."

The older woman could only shake her head and smile at the teenager's antics. That girl was simply too spirited for her own good. Berta knew this behavior would certainly cause chaos in the slavery so she took it as her responsibility to protect her. The woman quickly dried off her body and got up to her feet.

"There is still some hot water left. Be quick, Alys. The master has important news for us all today," Berta informed as Alys shook out of the ragged and dirty dress. She nodded and scrambled to the spot that was once occupied by Berta.

Alys scrubbed at the dirt around her body as much as it was possible. At the sound of the door closing, she grabbed the wooden pail and hoisted it above her head to rinse off the suds. She reveled in the sensation of water cascading down her body, trailing over each bruise and scar on her body. Pushing black hair away from her face, Alys was reaching for a cloth to dry herself when the back of her eyes began tingling. Just a second later, her eyes glazed over.


"Please have mercy, my lord!" a familiar female voice begged. Screams then pierced the silence, echoing against the stone walls. Leather whip tore at the skin of the bruised and mangled body, leaving trails of blood at its wake.

A man with one ruined eye laughed. "Mercy? But my dear lady, I thought you asked for this cruel punishment when you protected that demon."

"We have done nothing wrong to you," the woman spoke with quivering voice. "That girl is merely an innocent child that has suffered because of greedy bastards such as you."

"Innocent?" the man repeated incredulously. His huge laugh rumbled the room. "Oh you humor me so, dear Berta. Thus, it is such a disappointment to continue with my plans."

He shot the guards a wicked smile. "Kill her."


Alys inhaled sharply as she was brought back to the present. The bucket in her hands tumbled to the floor with a sharp crash.

"No, no it can't be," she whispered into the air. "The vision must be lying!"

She knew she was fooling no one. Whatever she foresees as the future, will be the future. With trembling fingers, Alys dried off her body as quickly as her shaking fingers would allow. As she pulled back the dress over her body, she stared at the wall with a hard glare.

'I have to try to change it. No matter what, I shall not let Berta die!'

Loud poundings on the door startled Alys out of her thoughts. "You have been in there long enough, wench!" the insufferable guard yelled through the wood. "Get out of there!" Inhaling deeply, Alys wrenched the door open and shot the man a cold glare. She turned to her left sharply and marched down the corridor despite the angry shouts of the guard.

"Where do you think you are going, demon? You are to precede with your morning duties as per usual!"

Grubby hand clamped down on her bicep and forced Alys to a halt. She swiveled around to give him a shove. "I am returning to my room so release me—"

Alys suddenly found herself sprawled across the cold ground. Cradling her stinging cheek, she forced back the involuntary tears. She would rather die than show any weakness in front of him. The guard massaged his knuckles as he hovered above her, anger clearly evident across his features.

"You are a lowly slave; act like one," he sneered. Crouching down, he reached out to haul her to her feet. Alys calculated his actions. Before his hands could touch her, she kicked against his knees with all her might. The man crashed to the ground beside her, strings of curses leaving his mouth.

Seeing her chance, Alys leapt to her feet and broke into a run down the hall. She needed to reach her chamber soon, before the remnants of her vision fade. Her footsteps echoed loudly as bare skin slapped against stone. Alys could see the black door of her chamber when she was painfully yanked backwards by her hair.

Screaming, she tried to claw at the hands clutching her midnight strands. It only resulted with the grip tightening, almost tearing away her hair right off of her scalp. Alys turned her torso as much as she could and began scratching at the guard's unprotected face. Her screams mingled with his angry yells as he tried to back away from her sharp nails. Deciding that enough was enough, the guard threw Alys away with a roar. She stumbled and gripped the wall to keep balanced. Her lips turned upwards in a smirk at the sight of deep, red lines adorning his face. The guard's nostrils flared.

"You want to be in your chamber so much? Here!" he jerked the door open and shoved her inside. "You will not receive lunch or dinner as punishment of your atrocious behavior!"

Alys couldn't hold back her tongue. "It is not as if I could ever satisfy my hunger from the bread crumbles you feed me," she hissed. The guard raised his right hand and once again delivered a blow across her face.

"Fool!" he sneered before slamming the door shut.

She didn't waste a second. Hurrying to an old chest at the foot of her bed, she pulled out a piece of old parchment and a piece of charcoal. Grasping the black charcoal in her right hand, Alys closed her eyes and summoned forth the image from her previous vision. Her hand moved as if possessed a life of its own. The charcoal was rubbed across the parchment, leaving behind dusty powder. She continued the process until the drawing was complete.

Alys opened her eyes and stared at the drawing clutched tightly in her grasp. The face of a man was etched with black powder. He had a thick moustache covering his top lip, one long scar going down his left eye and frown wrinkles on his forehead.

"Who are you and why would you kill such a kind woman?" she breathed to the air. Her stained fingers nearly crushed the paper as they tightened into fists.

Noises from outside the room brought Alys out of her stupor. Quickly, she hid the drawing underneath piles of plain cloth inside her chest, along with dozens of other drawings. As she snapped the lid of the chest shut, the door to her chamber slammed open. The same guard rushed in with a frown.

"Get up! The master wants all slaves to gather at the main foyer," he barked out, grabbing her arm roughly.

"I understand! There is no need to touch me!" Alys growled and twisted her arm free of his bruising grip. The guard glared at her furiously but decided to tame his anger and led her down the hall.

When they reached the main foyer, the guard opened the door and pushed her in. Alys stumbled inside. Nearly cursing from his rough nature, she walked to the back of the room and stood alone in the corner. All of the slaves had gathered. The room was buzzing from their whispers and gossips. Alys' eyes scanned the crowd to search for Berta. She sagged in relief when she caught sight of the older woman chatting peacefully to another woman next to her.

The main door burst open. The room grew silent in an instant as the master strode in. The short, chubby man climbed onto a few strategically-placed steps that would make him taller than the crowd and cleared his throat loudly.

"Slaves, I came forward on this dreary morning to inform of you news," his squeaky voice echoed in the foyer. "When the sun rises, you will acquire a new master. I have sold this slavery to a rich Duke."

Immediately the foyer grew lively again by shocked gasps and murmurs among the slaves. Alys however wasn't bothered by it. She could not really care less of another man who will mistreat them.

"I know without a doubt that you all will miss my presence," the man continued. "but fret not, slaves! I shall leave you in good hands. The man is from a noble family and he will greet you as your new master after sun rise. Now skedaddle back to your morning duties!"

The slaves continued to talk among themselves even as they were ushered back to their positions. Alys slowly followed the crowd out of the foyer when the squeaky voice spoke again.

"You, demon girl! Stay!"

With a suppressed groan, Alys stopped in her tracks and faced her old master. The man stepped down from the makeshift podium to walk towards her. He was barely her height when they were up close. The man clicked his tongue.

"I expect nothing but obedience from you towards your new master. I have been very tolerable of your outrageous behavior. Lord Kingston, however, is a very stern man and will not take for anything that does not please him."

Kingston. So that's his name. Alys glared down at him. "Fear not, Master. This demon shall never scare such a powerful lord," she said sarcastically through gritted teeth. The man's cheeks turned red, either from anger or humiliation, Alys did not know. With a huff, he strutted out of the door, muttering about ungrateful chits and demonic behavior.

Alys rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk back to her chamber. It was located at the very end of the old mansion, away from the rest of the slaves. So that her demon disease does not affect the others, the short man had once said. She had reached the familiar halls when she saw Berta anxiously pacing the front of her chamber.

"Berta?" Alys called out. "What ever are you doing here?"

The old woman gripped Alys' shoulders gently and peered into her blue orbs. "You are not injured, are you?" she questioned worryingly. "I was afraid that the master might do something to you when he ordered you to stay."

The younger girl smiled at her concern. She patted the woman's hand as a reassurance. "Nothing happened, Berta. I am fine and dandy as you can see."

Berta smiled back, her eyes wrinkling from old age. "Get some rest, deary. Those beautiful eyes of yours are swallowed up by dark circles underneath them."

Alys nodded and bid her farewell before retreating into her own chamber. With a heavy sigh, she studied the dark room. It was almost bare except for an old bed in the middle and a small chest resting at the feet of the bed. She sat down on the hard mattress and rubbed her face in frustration. The image of Berta's gentle smile danced across her vision. That woman will die soon, according to her vision.

Alys shook her head roughly to clear away the thought. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mattress. She will do anything in her power to prevent the woman from dying. With the new resolve burned into her mind, Alys stretched across the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

Labels: Charcoal Drawings