Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

When Rejji reached the flock, Bakhai was leaning over a clova that was bleeding. Rejji saw a burly man over by the fence beating a clova with a large stick. He assumed it was Rymaka.

“What are you doing?” greeted Rejji.

Bakhai looked up and frowned, “Rejji. He beats the animals for no reason. I am trying to mend this one. He does not understand them. They are just trying to look for a better pasture. They are all very sick.”

“Do you know what is causing the sickness?” Rejji asked.

“I am not sure,” sighed Bakhai. “They do not like the grass, but that is normal for all clova. They always want better grass. That is why they try to get through the fence. I think it may have to do with their water though. They refuse to drink from the trough because they fear Rymaka and he is usually around here. So they drink from a small pond at the edge of the pasture. I suspect that might be the problem, but I am not sure.”

“Can’t you ask the clova?” quizzed Rejji.

“I have already done that,” frowned Bakhai. “They do not know anything.”

“What are you doing here?” scowled Rymaka as he headed towards Rejji. “You don’t belong here.”

Rejji rose and met Rymaka as the large man stormed towards him. “My apologies,” bowed Rejji. “I am Rejji, slave to Wicado. He asked me to stop by and make sure your new slave was doing what he is supposed to.”

“And what is he supposed to be doing?” Rymaka bellowed. “I did not request a slave. Does Wicado think I can’t handle my duties?”

“Certainly not,” smiled Rejji. “The Bursar says you work very hard at maintaining the flock. It was his hope that Bakhai could fill in for you a bit so that you would have time to pursue other things that you might not have time for. I think he meant it as a reward for your conscientious labors.”

“Really?” asked Rymaka. “I thought Wicado thought poorly of me and was trying to replace me.”

“No,” Rejji shook his head. “He thinks having clova on the estate was a smart idea. He is sure they will turn a large profit in the future. You will have added greatly to the estate.”

“Well they were my idea,” beamed Rymaka, “but I really don’t need help.”

“I can see that you don’t need help with the flock,” replied Rejji, “but perhaps you have other ideas that might make the estate prosper. Tending to the clova all day will not allow you time to think of those ideas and develop them.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Rymaka stated. “I guess I probably do have more smart ideas, I can’t just sit around all day and think of them.”

“Why not?” Rejji asked. “Is that not what the people in the mansion do? Are not their ideas more important than any labor they can do? You have a slave now to do the labor. Just one more good idea would be much more important than controlling this flock.”

“You are right,” nodded Rymaka. “It is not worth my time to keep chasing these foul beasts away from the fence. Wicado is very wise. I think I have misjudged him.”

Rejji shook his head as the oversized shepard headed towards the mansion. He turned to Bakhai and squatted next to him.

“You have to solve this problem quickly,” urged Rejji. “If he ever finds out I was toying with him, I will be in trouble. You must make it appear that the large oaf has solved the problem, Bakhai. Can you do that?”

“I do not care anything for credit,” Bakhai declared. “I just want the clova healthy. He may claim it was him for all I care. How long will he be gone?”

“I am not sure,” frowned Rejji. “He does not appear to be too smart, but if he runs into Wicado there could be trouble. I would hurry. Once people start praising him for the healthy flock, he will not cause trouble for us.”

Rejji and Mistake sat in the communal room of the slave quarters in the Pikata mansion.

“Wicado has been teaching me a lot about finances,” Rejji said. “It is amazing how all of their decisions are based on money. What crops they are going to plant next year is based on the prices for crops this year. Attitudes towards other clans are based upon whether they are competitors in the marketplace or not. These people don’t do anything unless there is a profit in it.”

“How has Bakhai made out with the clova?” Mistake asked.

“He has it solved,” smiled Rejji. “It turns out that they were sick from drinking the pond water. The birds that lived in the trees overhanging the pond were feeding on some type of berry that caused the sickness. He has blocked off access to the pond and the flock is improving rapidly. I think he is enjoying himself.”

“I don’t understand the two of you,” frowned Mistake. “We have been here for weeks and you two are just settling in. Does it not bother you that these people own you?”

“Of course it does,” Rejji replied, “but what can we do about it. It is not like we have a choice in the matter. Is it wrong to try and make the best out of our situation?”

“Yes,” scowled Mistake, “it is wrong. These people have no right to own us. You cannot just accept it and go on with your life. We need to unite and overthrow them, or at least get ourselves out of here. I managed to retrieve our old clothes from the rag pile. I have them safely hidden so when we need them we will not be walking around in these slave clothes.”

“What about your knives?” Rejji asked.

“They were still in the bin with the rags,” grinned Mistake. “Nobody has bothered to do anything with the rags yet. We have everything back now. We just need a plan to get off this estate.”

“They will kill us,” declared Rejji. “Lam says nobody has ever escaped from here.”

“Lam is an old fool who thinks he is special because he can walk around this mansion freely,” snarled Mistake. “He is still owned, just like you and me. Maybe he would see things differently if he was doing laundry and making beds for these pigs.”

Mistake was getting a little too loud and Rejji shot a glance towards the watcher to see if he had heard her talking.

“Keep your voice down,” cautioned Rejji. “These people do not need an excuse to discipline us.”

“You get to go outside,” Mistake continued softly. “I figure our escape will have to occur during the day. There is no chance of getting out of these quarters at night. So you need to find us a place on the estate where we can hide until it gets dark. Maybe a place over where Bakhai works so he will be ready.”

“Mistake,” urged Rejji, “I don’t like this idea. There are hundreds of warriors on this estate. How far do you actually think we would get? To the road maybe? Do you think they don’t have slaves who keep track of us and would report us missing?”

“Yes, like Lam,” scowled Mistake.

“There is probably someone in the women’s quarters too,” sighed Rejji. “Lam is not a bad person. He has been here many years and he has adjusted. He probably would feel very uncomfortable if they freed him. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself.”

“Rejji,” pleaded Mistake, “you are going to become just like him. Forty years from now you will be him. We have to get out of here. I will not live as somebody’s slave.”

“I want to be free too, Mistake,” asserted Rejji. “I do not want to die to be free though. Let’s not rush into this. Give me some time to figure out how it can be done. There must be some incentive for them to allow us to go free. I just need to find out what it is.”

“You are going to try to buy our way out of here,” laughed Mistake. “You can’t be serious. Everything we own belongs to them. It can’t be done.”

Rejji saw that the watcher was paying closer attention to them and figured it was time for bed.