The Choosing
Running did them no good. The people who lived on Tremalking were not warriors, or fighters. They followed the Water Way, almost all of them, and simply existed, allowing all things to happen, floating above. They were potters, and fishermen. Artists, and people who waited for the Lady to shine, and the Time of Illusion to come to an end. But warriors? Not a one. Within a few hours, almost everyone had been rounded up into their own villages, and they had begun to take the Oath. Huge beasts, clawed and fanged, that they had never seen before stalked the streets of the villages, rounding people up. Soldiers dressed in strange armor, their helmets shaped like insect heads, sunlight glinting off of scary looking weapons rounded people up. They separated the women from men, keeping them carefully corralled to the side.
High Lord Turak Aladon of The Blood, Commander of the Hailene, stood in one of the the villages, looking over the villagers. None had fought, as was proper. He felt the breeze on his shaved head, and looked over at the guards. Letting his gaze wander, he spoke to the air, expecting that his orders would be heard and carried out. “Have them checked for marath’damane. The sul’dam will be here soon. Until then, see to it that they take the Oath. Any who do not are to be made da’covale.” His so’jihn bowed, and moved to the commander to relay the orders. Turak walked back to the ships of the Hailene, awaiting an actual fight.
Amee watched as she and the other women were herded into one of the other huts, and locked in. There was some whimpering and crying, but not much. People stood in small groups, wondering what was going on. Amee didn’t understand why the invaders had come. They had taken none of the Sea People pottery that they made. No, they had simply made everyone take their silly Oath, and then let them go on with their daily business. Except the women of a certain age. They were all here.
Amee started to feel her anger rising. She’d been taught the Water Way, had tried to accept it. But she never could. There was always something inside her that couldn’t accept it, that could never just accept things as they appeared to be. Her parents had smiled, and taken it in stride, as befitting people who lived the Water Way. She was allowed to be herself, and everyone simply adjusted for her. Like water. Before she could start yelling, the door opened, and a soldier walked in, strange weapon at the ready. “Everyone outside for the Judging”, he says. All of them are chivvied outside, and made to stand in a line. A strange sight greets Amee.
Five women are in the open space before the hut/ Four of them wear blue and red dresses, with pictures of lighning running down the chest to their skirts. The last kneels at the feet of one, something shiny on her throat, and as Amee got closer, she could see it’s a necklace. Or collar. There’s a long glittery chain that goes from it to a bracelet on one of the other woman's wrists. That woman stroked the kneeling girls head, while speaking to her, and Amee could catch some of her words, as weird as the accent is. “Nura is a good damane, yes she is. Now she’s going to help find more marath’damane.”
The kneeling girl, Nura, answered back in the same accent, smiling as she got petted like an animal. “Yes, sul’dam. Nura is a good damane”, and then got to her feet. The pair proceeded to walk down the line, Nura looking at everyone closely. Nothing happened until Nura got to Amee, and then Nura’s eyes opened wide. “Her”, she says, and drew back.
“Me? What about me?”, Amee asked, seeing the other women on either side edge away from her. She turned to run, and suddenly something happened. She couldn’t move, it felt like there’s immovable bands around her. She turned around, or something turned her around, and she watched one of the other women, a pretty blond, walked towards her quickly, one of those collar things in her hands. She stretched out, and fastened it around Amee’s neck, and suddenly whatever was holding her vanished. Landing on her knees, her hands scrabbled at it, ignoring the blond woman. “Get it off!!! Get it off, get it off, getitoff!!!”
Nobody made a move to take it off. The blond woman looked at her, smiled at her. “You were marath’damane, and are now damane. You belong to the Empress, may She reign on the Crystal Throne forever. My name is Dagna. How are you called?”
“A what???” Amee gaped at this woman, this Dagna. “Get this Light-forsaken collar off of me!! Get it off!!!” She felt her temper, never truly under control at the best of times begin to rise, and she snarled. She charged the woman, well aware of the glittering chain that connected the collar to Dagna’s wrist. Dagna smoothly pivoted and moved out of the way, tripping her in the process, never losing her smile.
“It seems in this land”, she said conversationally, “people don’t understand the danger that marath’damane pose. Or how to act. Very well, let us have your first lesson. You are damane, a Leashed One. I am your sul’dam, the Leash Holder, and as the person who leashed you, the bulk of your training falls to me. You must always protect your sul’dam above yourself, and never strike at her. Any harm she takes will be felt by you fivefold. But it seems that you need to learn that lesson. Very well.” She stood there, and smiled. “Go ahead, hit me as hard as you can.”
Amee stared at her, and before she could think better, she charged Dagna, and tried to kick her in the stomach as hard as she could. She connected with the other woman, she knows she did. The next thing she knew, she was down on the floor, moaning, trying to breathe. Her stomach hurt like she’d been hit by a falling tree, every movement agony across her middle. She couldn’t catch her breath, and after long moments, the feeling passed. She looked up in agony at Dagna, who simply smiled at her, and spoke again, like a child to a dog who misbehaved. “See? I warned you. You must always guard your damane, even unto death. Her death is yours as well.”
“I’m…..I’m not what…”, Amee stubbornly gasped out. “Get this blasted thing off of me!! Please, just take it off!!!!”
Dagna nodded, and sighed. “Very well, I’ll indulge you this one time. But if you keep this up, you’ll learn some of what the a’dam can do, and you won't be happy.” Turning to one of the other sul’dam, she spoke in a flowing language, and the woman sighed, but took her bracelet off, handing it to Dagna. Dagna stepped forward, and chose someone at random. “I’m going to put this on you”, she said, and she did. “You have naught to fear. Hold this”, and she dropped the bracelet into the waiting girls hands. “Now walk across to her, “and she indicated the other sul’dam, “and give it back to her.” The girl looked at her oddly, but did as commanded, and the other sul’dam lifted the collar off of her.
Walking to Amee, who simply stared up at her, panting in pain, even as it receded, Dagna smiled. Undoing the bracelet on her wrist and dropping it to the floor, Dagna stepped back. “If you can take that bracelet to that sul’dam right now, I'll take the a’dam off, and never bother you again. I swear it by the Light.” Amee stared at her, looking for the trick, but there seemed to be none. Seeing freedom, she grabbed the bracelet, pushed herself up to her feet, and began to walk. The first step was ok, but she started feeling a bit nauseous by the second step. Putting her foot down for the third time, she thought she would spew everywhere. The next step she does, falling to her knees and vomiting what felt like everything she’d ever eaten in her life. And then the cramps started, each muscle in her limbs and stomach all seizing and contracting at the same time. It felt like forever before she had the strength to scream, and she fell to her side, avoiding the vomit somethow. The pain seemed to last for hours, and when she came to herself, Dagna kneeled next to her, bracelet on her wrist, rubbing her back. “There, do you see now? A damane cannot move her bracelet more than a few steps from where her sul’dam placed it. You are damane. Accept it. Now, I ask you again. How are you called?”
“What does it matter?”, another of the sul’dam called to her in irritated tones. “Give it a new name, and have done with it.”
“Many sul’dam believe that damane should receive a new name when they are leashed, if they are allowed a name at all”, Dagna said in mild tones. “I am your trainer, though, and I would allow you to keep yours, if you don’t displease me.”
Amee shuddered, the pain slowly fading. “Amee. My name is Amee.”
Dagna smiles at her. “There, you see? That wasn’t so hard.” She began to gently pet Amee. “Amee…”, she said, rolled it around on her tongue. “Amee...It’s a nice name.”
“Now lets go.”
Hailene = The Return
Marath’damane = Those who Must be Leashed (a woman who can channel and hasn’t been leashed yet)
sul’dam = Leash holder
Da’covale = one who is owned (slave)
So’jihn = Height among lowness (a top ranking slave who, depending on the person they served, could have more influence than a noble)
Damane = Leashed One (any woman who could channel and wears the collar)
a’dam = The magical collar a damane wears, able to do many things in the hands of a sul’dam. Most of all, prevents channeling unless directed by a sul'dam