The Legend of Sirra Bruche (Roran Curse Book 1) Read online

Randa helped her stagger to the bed and Andie dropped gratefully. Randa spoke to her, seeming to want an answer, but Andie didn’t have the faintest idea what she was talking about. At last Randa seemed to give up and she left the room, going through an open doorway on the side of the room. Andie glanced over her surroundings without interest. A plain bed, more a cot, really, with one blanket and no pillow. A small table next to the bed. A large, full length mirror on the wall near the door into the passageway. One very large window set exactly opposite from the door. It was not interesting enough to keep her mind off her protesting muscles.

  The sound of running water penetrated her fog, and her interest perked up a bit. Maybe she would be able to wash up. After a few minutes Randa returned into the bedroom, helped Andie to her feet and led her through the side door. It led into a very modern looking bathroom equipped with a shower, sink, and oddly enough, a full vanity already stocked with what looked to be dozens of beauty products. How strange.

  She didn’t have time to think much about it. The shower was already running, and steam was rising in the air. Andie sighed in anticipation of being clean again. Randa helped her pull off her filthy flightsuit and carefully assisted her into the shower. The hot water stung her skin, but Andie didn’t care. It was heavenly.

  Some while later, Randa walked her back into the bedroom, dressed her in a simple gray shift and helped her into bed. For a moment Andie lay there on the cot, her eyes wide. Now that she was somewhat clean and her aches had eased a bit, her discomfort was not overshadowing her homesickness. She thought of her family, her friends, and her home back in Dos Cientos that she might never see again, and the tears pooled up in her eyes. Her parents must be worried sick. Jenna too, Andie was sure of it. Even Casey, no matter how wrapped up in Jo he might be, was bound to be concerned. Would they find her crashed ship? Would they figure out what it meant? What if they didn’t find the smugglers? How would they ever know what had happened to her? How would she ever get home if no one knew where to look for her?

  Even if they did, what could they do on Corizen?

  With this despairing thought she succumbed to the exhaustion, her cheeks still glistening with tears.

  9. In the House of Jaory

  Andie’s first few days in Jaory’s house were some of her longest ever. Not a soul came near her except the silent servant named Randa, who brought her meals and checked in on her occasionally. Andie spent nearly all of the time standing near her window and staring out at the gardens below, or lying on her bed nearly crippled with homesickness, longing for her friends and family. Even Jo would have been a welcome sight.

  She learned early on that the window slid open wide enough for her to crawl out of it, and not far under it was a ledge. If she was very, very careful, it was possible she could climb out onto that ledge and find a way down. If she was really lucky, maybe someone would forget to lock her in her room. Still, from her window she could see that Jaory’s estate was surrounded by a tall block wall, and judging by the height of the wall near the front gates, she would never be able to scale it. What good would getting out of the house do if she couldn’t get out of the gardens?

  Jaory’s house was surrounded by gardens. The closer ones to the house seemed to be mostly trees and ornamental-looking things with lots of colors. Further away she could glimpse what might be a vegetable garden. Again, she wondered how everything managed to grow. Jaory must have imported soil from somewhere else, or she suspected it would be just barren and blue like the land outside the walls.

  On the fifth day there was some scuffling and noise in the hallway which had Andie on her feet, both hopeful and scared. A break in the utter emptiness of her day was welcome, but still, part of her feared the unknown. It might just be better to have them keep on ignoring her. But her door clicked and then swung open and Randa entered, followed by a procession of servants carrying corded boxes. Randa directed them to stack them on the floor, and Andie watched curiously from the other side of the room as the large pile formed. Finally the whole load had been delivered and Randa sent the other servants out and locked the door behind them. Then pulling out a small pocketknife she proceeded to cut the cord and open the first box. Andie padded up beside Randa and peered in the box eagerly. Randa lifted out a dress, a pink ruffled thing with a full skirt.

  Andie stared at it in disbelief. Was that for her? Were they seriously expecting her to wear something like that? Why couldn’t she wear a jumpsuit like Randa? Or even just stay in the gray shift she was wearing?

  Randa held it up to Andie, nodding. Andie grimaced. “You can’t be serious!” she protested feebly, knowing that Randa couldn’t understand her. Randa just pushed it into Andie’s hands. With a huge sigh, Andie took off her shift and pulled the hideous pink thing over her head. Behind her, Randa buttoned up the back. Andie looked down. The pink material piled on the floor. This dress had obviously been made for someone much taller than her. Randa must have been prepared for that too. She pulled out a tape measure and some chalk, and soon she was measuring and marking where the dress would need to be altered.

  Andie spent the rest of the day trying on a procession of dresses and patiently holding still while Randa figured out what alterations to make. She also learned that the boxes contained hats and gloves, thin gauzy scarves, and narrow slippers with sharply pointed toes. The shoes were torturous. Andie needed feet both narrower and much longer, but Randa didn’t seem to mind that. She merely tucked small wadded handkerchiefs in the toes and expected Andie to deal with the way they squeezed the sides of her feet mercilessly. Andie winced as Randa made her walk across the floor. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to do much walking while wearing the stupid impractical things.

  At last the fashion show had ended. Randa had found one dress among the dozens that wouldn’t need any alteration. Probably it had been intended to be much shorter, instead of the ankle length it was on Andie, but the waist fit and the short gauzy sleeves fluttered loosely on her arms without appearing too large. Randa nodded again and then hung up the dress in Andie’s mammoth closet before handing her back her old shift. Then she led Andie to the vanity in her bathroom and proceeded to spend another two hours arranging Andie’s hair.

  While she combed and arranged and pinned, Randa hummed a little to herself. Andie desperately wished she could talk to her. But of all the Denicorizen phrases Kelly had made her practice, the only one she could remember was “Where is the bathroom?” Since they were sitting in the bathroom that wasn’t really useful. Instead, she had to content herself with sitting and waiting as Randa played with her hair. When she finished, Randa stepped back and smiled at her handiwork. Then she went on to make up Andie’s face. Andie had never bothered with makeup—it had always seemed to be a waste of time in her opinion. Besides, she had figured, no amount of preening would have ever made her beautiful, so why bother?

  But when Randa at last dusted Andie’s face with some kind of shimmering powder and moved away, Andie stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair, which she had kept just long enough to pull back out of her face, had been coaxed into shiny corkscrew curls that had been pinned up on one side, leaving one side mysteriously hiding. She looked, well, pretty, in an exotic sort of way. Was that why girls spent so much time messing around with makeup? For a moment she wished Casey could see her like this. The style was strange, sure, but still . . . Suddenly she frowned at the unfamiliar reflection. What exactly was Jaory planning for her anyway? Just the fact that he wanted her to look so made up worried her. She could only think of one reason why he would order this, and the thought made her stomach clench. Over her dead body was she going to let herself be used that way!

  Not five minutes after Randa finished with her hair, a knock came at the door. Oanni entered without waiting for one of the women to answer. He looked at Andie’s hair and grinned. “Why, you look like a different person!” He added something in Denicorizen to Randa, but Randa just looked away. Oanni shrugged
and glanced back at Andie.

  “Could you please tell me what is going on?” Andie pleaded desperately. “Randa cannot tell me since I don’t understand Denicorizen. What am I doing here? How long am I going to be here?”

  Oanni grinned. “Lots of questions. I guess I can tell what is happening. You are a, what is the word . . . umm, decoration, ornament. We dress you up and you walk the gardens, unless Master Jaory wants something.” Here another perplexing grin. “How long you be here, you stay until Master Jaory gets tired of you. Then,” Oanni shrugged, “he might sell you to someone else. A Citizen slave is a rare possession.”

  Oh, yes, Andie knew. There it was, the dreaded term. Slave. A Citizen slave certainly was a “rare possession”; one that could bring Armada weapons raining down on Corizen. Andie wondered briefly if there was a black market here in Citizen slaves. It couldn’t be that widespread or surely the Union would find out. Maybe that was a good thing. Andie hoped frantically that the Union would find out about it. It was her only hope for getting home.

  Oanni announced that they would be eating in the servants’ area of the kitchen. “The servants eat right after the household is served, about noon for lunch and seven for dinner,” he explained. “If you don’t make it to the kitchen in time, you miss your meal. There is a clock in your bathroom,” he added. With that final instruction, he abruptly left the room.

  Randa glanced at the clock in the bathroom and nodded at Andie. They left the bedroom and headed down the hallway, Andie trailing Randa timidly. At the end of the hallway, they went down several flights of stairs. It opened into a very large and modern kitchen, complete with all Terran appliances. Andie recognized the familiar brand names. They couldn’t be normally found on Corizen! Jaory must be very rich if he could afford to smuggle this stuff in unbeknownst to the king.

  A small group of servants sat around a wooden table eating soup. Randa and Andie joined a man sitting on a bench. Randa served herself some soup and Andie followed. The meal was absolutely silent, but Andie thought it was probably because of her. She kept her eyes downcast, concentrating on her food. Even so, she could feel the weight of their curious and hostile stares. She was relieved when Randa finally led her back up the stairs to the room. Once in the room, Randa carefully looked both ways before shutting the door and then pulled a notepad from her bag. In surprise, Andie watched Randa print words in Denicorizen and then point to objects in the room. Andie cocked her head thoughtfully, listening as Randa slowly pronounced the words she had written and pointed out what they were. Finally, she pointed to the window, the bed, the door, and the lights, haltingly repeating the words Randa was teaching her. The older woman smiled encouragingly and printed some more words. She spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach Andie Denicorizen.

  Dinner was another quiet, uncomfortable affair. Andie nearly gulped her potatoes and rushed back up to the room. There wasn’t much else to do, so she readied herself for bed. Then she slid under the blanket as Randa used the bathroom. She was still awake twenty minutes later when Randa left the room, locking the door on her way out. Visions of home were running through Andie’s head. Never before had she felt such homesickness. She thought of her parents, fervently wishing she had never caused them so much trouble before. She missed them so much! She longed to hear Kelly’s practical voice, helping her to look at her options rationally. Andie even would have given anything just to see Jenna. Most of all, she couldn’t get Casey out of her head. What she wouldn’t give just to see Casey and hear his voice reassuring her again, or even teasing her like he used to do. Knowing that she might never see her family or friends again, the tears silently dripped from her eyes, her chest throbbing as if a jagged hole had been gouged there. Andie buried her face in her pillow, her body shuddering with her great wracking sobs. Finally, the tears subsided and a lonely, deep ache took their place. It was hours before she finally drifted into fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares.

  The next morning, Randa woke Andie shortly after sunrise. They endured yet another silent meal with the other servants and retreated to the room again. Randa had brought a sewing kit with her, and she spent the day altering most of the clothes to fit Andie. While she worked, she continued to try and teach Andie some Denicorizen words and phrases. In the evening they returned to the kitchen for the late meal, and afterward Randa locked Andie in the room and disappeared for the night. This pattern continued for the next week.

  Andie started to pick up Denicorizen words more quickly than she expected; apparently Randa was a much better teacher than Kelly. By the end of the week Andie could understand much more. She could even speak a little—halting, mispronounced phrases that nevertheless helped her communicate with the other servants. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  The eighth day Randa didn’t arrive to wake Andie up in time for breakfast. Idly, Andie stared out the window trying to distract herself from the gnawing emptiness in her stomach. With two meals a day of stews and bread she wasn’t exactly starving, but certainly she was used to eating more often than twice a day. She wondered how long it was going to take her body to adapt. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t be here long enough to need to adapt.

  What were her chances of getting home? She could escape from Jaory’s estate, conceivably, but it was the outside world that daunted her. She knew next to nothing about Corizen—it would probably be impossible to get away from the planet. Even if she could somehow get away from Jaory and safely across the Blue Plains, she would have to find someone willing to fly her off planet, and would anyone want to take that risk? She seriously doubted the smugglers would take her back. They had seemed awfully intimidated by Jaory, after all.

  Maybe there were Union officials at the royal court? But where was it? And how far away was it from Jaory’s estate?

  Suddenly the lock clicked open on her door and Randa rushed in, striding into the closet without even greeting Andie. Andie started to follow her into the bathroom, but Randa was already hurrying back out. In her haste she nearly plowed Andie right over. Her arms were full of yellow filmy fabric. She held it up against Andie’s chest. Andie sighed in exasperation. She recognized the dress; Randa had finished altering it the day before. It was another long, ruffled affair with a pinched waistline. The sleeves and neck were edged in lace that irritated Andie’s skin. Randa was clearly flustered though, so Andie didn’t argue as Randa helped her into it. Randa looked at Andie’s face and hair and clicked her tongue impatiently. Grabbing Andie by the hand, she dragged her into the bathroom. Forcing her down onto the vanity stool, she quickly applied some makeup and made a whirlwind attempt at dealing with Andie’s recalcitrant hair. Eventually, she gave up and pulled the hair back into a tight knot that made Andie wince in pain. Randa retrieved a big, floppy hat from the closet and pinned it to Andie’s head. Andie looked at her reflection dubiously. Was this really considered attractive?

  Randa checked the clock on the wall and gasped. She rushed into the closet and pulled out some shoes which she hurriedly yanked onto Andie’s feet. Then she motioned her to the door. Andie followed her, valiantly trying to ignore her protesting, pinched feet. At last she was getting to leave the room for somewhere besides the kitchen!

  Out in the hall, Randa led her back down the stairway that led to the servants’ quarters in a rush. Outside, she led Andie quickly down one graveled path leading directly into the gardens.

  Jaory was standing under one of the trees. He motioned Andie toward him. “Well, my princess, you are much better than I thought. You will do very nicely,” he observed appreciatively in Basic. He studied her intently, his eyes traveling down her body. Andie burned under his stare. “Very nicely,” he murmured. Who does he think I am? His own private doll? she fumed.

  “What exactly do you want from me?” Andie spoke aloud, her voice cold. Randa’s hand pressed into her back; Andie ignored her. Jaory’s mouth twitched. His eyes bored into hers. “I want a pretty little mannequin
to decorate my gardens. It is an easy job, and I will treat you well. Just make sure that you do what you are told, and I will continue to treat you well.” He paused to flick a speck of dust from his jacket.

  “On occasion I may require a few other things of you. Sometimes I may want you to help with serving food or such. I trust you can be pleasant about that.” His artificial smile did not fool Andie. Beneath his pleasant words lay a sinister threat. Her heart pounded and her sense of dread increased. She tried courageously to meet his stare for a few seconds, but fear won out and her eyes flicked to the ground. Jaory was no one to be taken lightly. She examined the ground for a short while longer until the heavy crunching of gravel signaled Jaory’s departure. As soon as he rounded the first corner of the house, Randa sighed heavily.

  Randa gesticulated forcefully at Andie, clearly alarmed. Then she launched into a tirade. Andie couldn’t understand much that she said, but she was clearly reprimanding her for speaking to Jaory as she had. “Never again?” she nearly growled. Chastened, Andie promised not to. It was obvious that Jaory was very dangerous. She decided that it would be best to stay out of his way.

  With the encounter with Jaory fresh in her mind, Andie’s first impulse was to retreat to her room. However, Randa refused to let her go in. “We must stay in the gardens,” she insisted slowly and repeatedly until Andie finally got the message. “Master Jaory requires it.” Reluctantly, Andie agreed. It would not do to go against his orders, no matter how much she wanted to hide in her room.

  They wandered the graveled paths near the house for nearly an hour. Beautiful flowers lined the walks, varieties she had never seen before. Their perfume was heavy and sickly sweet. They may have been pretty, but the smell soon started to make Andie sick. Ignoring the throbbing in her feet, she headed away from the flower beds and into some strange maze walled with living hedges. They seemed to separate them from the rest of the world. The bushes towered high above, at least nine feet tall. The shaded walk was cooler than the rest of the gardens, and they wandered through the maze for most of the rest of the afternoon. The walkways occasionally opened up into small courts with wooden benches. Once in a while there were fountains or even sculptures. Andie had to admit that it was actually a pleasant area to stroll, despite the fact that her feet were now numb.