Part 4

Greza stayed awake and listened for the news of her father’s death.  She couldn’t go up and be with him for his last moments.  She wouldn’t be able to mourn him or cry.  No, he would die knowing that she would gain her freedom from it.  

Sometime around midnight she heard commotion in the halls.  People began running around and speaking in hurried voices.  Greza got up and looked out into the hall.  She saw two of the women servants still wearing their nightgowns. 

They noticed her. 

“Greza, I’m sorry to say that Lord Erinad has died.  Oh, there’s so much to do.”

Then the servants rushed off in different directions.

This was the time.  Her father had given her this opportunity and she had to take it. 

She grabbed her cestus and a knife she had smuggled in months ago walked with calm, deliberate strides to the cellar.  No one noticed her.  The few people she saw were running around in agitation. 

Behind the rack of wine was a dark backpack and inside were all the things Erinad had said plus one more.  It was a note. 

Greza, do not feel sad for me.  Go live your life.  Find freedom, love and happiness.  Remember that you are watched over by the gods of Light. They know you and protect you.  I will be with you as well. 

Love, Erinad. 

A single sob escaped her mouth and she covered it with her hand.  She didn’t have time for that.  She had twenty miles to go. 

She took off her slave dress and began putting on the tight, black pants, shirt, jacket with a hood, scarf and boots.  She had never worn pants before and they felt restrictive. 

Simply by taking off the slave dress and putting on these black clothes she was breaking the law.  It was illegal for a slave to dress in the clothing of a citizen. 

She tried to do all of this as quietly as she could so she could listen.  Nobody came but she did hear much commotion above her. 

The cellar had a door that led outside and she went to it and opened it a crack.  Lanterns were coming on everywhere and she checked to make sure no one was looking. 

Once she was sure the way was clear, she shouldered the backpack and ran for the woods.  She had to cover a lot of distance.  She ran passed the slave quarters, the well, the cow pen, the chicken pen and over a field of wheat. 

She didn’t look back until she entered the woods.  No one was coming after her. 

This was far more dangerous than any match she had ever fought.  If they found her they’d torture her in front of the other slaves as an example.  When they got bored then they’d get around to killing her. 

Erinad.

He was gone. It hadn’t sunk in that she’d never see him again.  Even if she stayed he wouldn’t be there. 

But she couldn’t stay.  Without him there she’d be exposed for any noble that wanted her.  She had seen it happen to other gladiators.  After their match the winner or whoever bid the most would get to take the gladiator to their bed.

Greza was still a virgin and that was thanks to Erinad.  He had saved her from horrible things. 

She felt the tears well up in her eyes and this time she let them.  She ran as she cried and didn’t look back again. 

Her eyes could see in the dark fairly well.  As she understood it, Humans, Pale Elves and some other races had difficulty seeing in the dark.

She had no trouble at all and she ran through the woods, jumping over logs, dodging branches and avoiding holes. 

When she came to a stream she would run down a ways to lose any scent or footprints.  She had read about how they used dogs to track people and game. 

Greza continued to run until she grew tired and then ran some more.  Her muscles ached and her lungs cried for a break but she knew she couldn’t give them the rest they demanded. 

Eventually woods ended and she found herself running through grass covered rolling hills.  Large boulders lay about as if tossed by giants.  The horizon was turning purple and red.  She had been running for at least six hours, maybe more.  It had to be twenty miles. 

Greza slowed to a walk and as she struggled to catch her breath she leaned against a boulder. 

She was alive.  She had done it.  Even if they caught up with her eventually, she was free now. 

Without thinking she lay on the ground, positioned her backpack as a pillow and fell asleep. 

She didn’t sleep long.  The sun and her own mind prevented it.  It had bee maybe two or three hours. 

Digging out an apple from the backpack she continued on, though at a fast walk instead of a run. 

She wondered where she was.  There were no villages, roads or farms.  She had never learned about this place.  She knew the country was the Danata Kingdom.  Though she could tell you the history of the kingdom she couldn’t say anything about the people here.  The Danata Kingdom was still apart of the Empire so they spoke Haran like all Imperials, or at least some of them did. 

Now that she had time to think she began to wonder what exactly she was going to do. 

She had her freedom now but no way to get food and shelter.  In the outside world people worked for money.  All she knew how to do was simple manual labor and fighting. 

All her favorite heroes from the histories and stories were soldiers.  Like her they knew the cost of taking a life.  Only they took lives to protect others. 

The problem was that she couldn’t join the Imperial Army.  They’d know she was an escaped slave and she’d be brought back to her masters.  She had to go outside the Empire to the smaller, less civilized kingdoms. 

Greza tried to remember the map of the world in her head.  She was heading east.  Past this kingdom was the border of the Empire.  Then there was the Kingdom of Ekonia.  She had read about Ekonia.  It was a tiny, warlike kingdom that prided itself on the quality of their mercenaries.  A mercenary kingdom.  It was also new.  The mercenary band called the Chimera Company had saved a king’s daughter from kidnappers.  The price had been half the kingdom.  Was that five years ago or six?

The problem was that mercenaries weren’t honorable.  She wanted to be like the heroes of old.  None of them were sell-swords.  She didn’t want to kill for money.  If she joined them, she’d be fighting other people’s battles regardless of who was right or wrong. 

But she had to think about this rationally.  Like the philosopher Sarnalitus said: “Always put your heart aside when making a decision.  Think through the issue with reason and intellect.  Then, after seeing the facts for what they are, then bring in the heart to judge the decision.” 

So, she thought it through rationally. 

If she didn’t join a mercenary company she would be forced to be a hired worker or worse.  She’d be paid very little and without connections she simply wouldn’t make it without compromising her values further.  She knew very well what happened to poor girls without a place to turn to. 

On the other hand, if she joined a mercenary company, she could fight, earn a decent living and maybe rise in rank to something respectable.  Perhaps she could even do some good while she was there. 

Ekonia it was.  She’d keep walking until she saw the black flag with the Chimera symbol on it.  The books said that they accepted anyone that could prove their worth. 

Besides, who else would possibly accept her?