4

A man sat near the fire place wearing a thin white shirt and pants from the same suit he wore while he attended the auction. He was not wearing a mask which hid his sharp features. He had golden eyes and white hair which were short but messy. Looking at him felt like looking at a painting of a perfect being shinning near the fireplace.

The door closed behind me. I stood there waiting for his command.

A deep silence ensued between us.

'Sit down' he said.

There was not chair or stool there. He asked me to sit near his feet, a perfect place for his slave. I could only swallow my pride as I have always done and sat near him.

'What is your name?' He asked me while resting his hands on the armrest

'Noor, sir'

'What does it mean?' He asked curiously. I was not from this world so my name was not very common.

'It means light' I said, even though I felt nothing but darkness.

'Noor I will start the Sklaven now'

'Yes'

Slaves were owned by Ichors since the founding of the empire. They are not considered a taboo like Vish Kanyas but respectable and well sought-after job. Sklaven was the ceremony which makes a common person slave of Ichors. The slaves are forced to be loyal to their masters or else their soul will disintegrate. Crumbled into nothing but dirt. The people who are in the service of an Ichor will have a symbol of some kind depending upon the state of their soul. This clearly means that the master of their soul is the Ichor now. The color of the symbols on the body of the slaves depends on the status of their master. Lilac or gold are related to royalty, red to dukes and so on, color scheme depends from nation to nation.

The man started chanting, his eyes shining like fire in dimly lit room. He gave me a jade dagger used for ceremonial purposes. I bowed deeply and cut a small part of my hair, offering it to the man. The sklaven ceremony demands hair of your slave, signifying absolute loyalty. As soon as the man took them it disintegrated into ashes. Grey ash flew in the room and landed on my nape forming a spider lily. The flowers mean death. Since I had no will to live the spider lilies were formed at my nape wilting at the top.

Grey …Status unknown.

The ceremony ended and I officially became his slave. My body and soul literally belonged to him. I felt nothing. My life was bleak and I wanted nothing but to end it.

'Sit on that chair.'

The chair was at the rear end of the room where firelight could not reach. I sat there in silence. I could feel the curtains behind be covering the large window.

'I heard Vish Kanyas are assassins? Is that true?'

Did you think they were only made for prostitution? Pathetic!

'Yes master, they were originally made by Kautilya for assassination through poison. We were administered small doses of poison in our food every day since we turn four. Over time our body becomes immune to every kind of poison and we become poisonous to others. Vish Kanyas are also snake charmers and are taught literature and cultural activities.'

'Snake charmers. That is interesting. Can you summon them now?'

'Yes'

Licht and schatten, my two snakes of opposing color and nature. One was white like snow and other pitch black like night. All the kanyas are given snakes as pets when they turn ten. Number of snakes depends on their status and strength. The highest Kanya can summon up to a hundred snakes at the highest level. I summoned them through a chant, they both were rattle snakes with unusually thick and large bodies.

Rattle…Rattle

Both of them arrived simultaneously. Licht was of aggressive nature with a taste for human flesh. His rattling was impatient and fast. Schatten on the other hand was calm and peaceful so unlike his brother. However, he was cannibalistic in nature who cannot ingest anything except other snakes.

'What are their names? If they have any'

'Licht and Schatten, Master. They were not raised for assassinations but rather for extraction of their venom. Among all the snakes raised by the Vish Kanyas they both have the most deadly and dangerous poisons that can even kill a full-fledged Kanya. Kautilya still has to learn about the use of their venom and how we can be immune from it'

'Any reason of such abnormality. They are quite unusual for a rattle snake'

'I think it is mainly because of their abnormal diet. Licht only eats human flesh while schatten is a cannibal. Maybe it influences their poison'

'I see' He said. I cannot understand why he was talking to me like this. He was respectful and polite. Not seeing me like a lowly prostitute or a slave. I was happy but a little apprehensive to be treated in such a manner, generally men who come to visit treat us like this when they want our bodies. Princess. Goddess .my love, they these sweet nothings while licking our ears knowing fully well that we are nothing but servants for their pleasure.

'What do you want from me Master. There is no need to speak to me politely after all I am your slave' I said while touching the spider lilies on my nape.

'Come here'

'Yes'

'Were you taught about those activities?'

'We were taught how to seduce people by the other kanyas.'

I kissed his forehead in a soft and gentle kiss, slowly moving towards his eyes, cheeks and lips.

'Are you a virgin?' H asked

Men …They are all from the same trash no matter how rich and affluent they are.

'Yes I am. The women kept for auctions are all virgins.'

'I see.'

I continued kissing him, however he pulled me. The man touched my neck, his fingertips making me feel ticklish. He kissed my collar bone while gently putting me on his lap. I did not do anything while he gently kissed my perfumed hair, touched my nose, ears and lips.

Then this skin ship stopped for a moment. Hugging me while putting his face on my shoulder he said.

'You had eyes that looked dead and drowning in hopelessness, like you had forgotten what light felt like. Your eyes were so painful and filled with sorrow yet beautiful at the same time.'

Sweet nothings. However, it felt like he was speaking from his heart.

'Therefore I ask you to kill me when the time comes .'

The man was trembling in my arms . Hiccupping and crying in my embrace .

Foolish Men