Chapter 4 Rabbit: A Talent Mark Novel

Chapter 4

"If anyone has any broken things, please give them to Rabbit before restarting your work, " Harmony said. The other girls moved quickly to their work areas, returning with things Rabbit might be able to use. It was not a large pile. Harmony frowned.

"I suppose that will be a start. We will have to search out more for you to work with. Is there anything else you need?" Rabbit thought for a moment and then mimed drinking from a cup.

"A drink? Water?" Harmony asked. Rabbit nodded. "Yes, I can see that you are a bit flushed. I will have a cup and pitcher sent down." She glanced around the room. The others had retreated back to their stations and resumed their work. Harmony seemed satisfied.

"I will bring more supplies and a list of items for you to work on. Until then you may practice with the bits you have here. Perhaps making a few personal items." Harmony's gaze darted to Rabbit's hair. "A comb to start, maybe?" She suggested. There was a muffled giggle from Badger's direction and Rabbit bowed her head in acknowledgement. Harmony looked back towards the vase she held carefully in her hands.

"I will return shortly." She walked carefully towards the doors and nodded towards Mouse, who darted forward to open it. Harmony passed through and Mouse once again closed the door. They listened to Harmony's retreating footsteps. When they faded to silence the other girls looked to Rabbit.

"That was beautiful, " Mouse said softly. Rabbit dipped her head in acknowledgement of the compliment.

"Is it all like that?" Badger asked. "All pretty things?" All of the girls stayed in their work stations, but were more curious about Rabbit than they were eager to work. Rabbit shook her head no and looked around the room. A few feet away from where she stood was a window. It was not the same type of window that dominated the front side of the keep and added sparkle to the fa?ade. This window was composed of cheaper glass that was cut into much smaller pieces. The glass was thick and heavily rippled. As a consequence, not much light came through and the girls could not see out.

Rabbit walked over to the window and reached for the panes. Her back was to the other girls and her body blocked their view. She quickly warmed her fingers and smoothed the glass, pushing the ripples aside. There was a thicker band by the edges of the wooden mullions holding the glass in place and she frowned. It was certainly not her best work; however when she was finished the lower rows of the window's panes were clear of ripples, letting in more light and allowing the girls to see out. She stepped away from the window, allowing the others to see what she had done. Even Badger was impressed.

"Handy, " Badger said. Rabbit smiled at her and returned to her work station. The other girls returned to their tasks of monitoring birds and storms and making the various creams, poultices and tinctures that a keep this size would require. Rabbit picked up a piece of broken tortoise shell and, using it as a base, began fashioning herself a comb.

They worked in silence for the most part although Rabbit could almost hear the thrum of magic fill all of the quiet spaces. While most focused on their own work, she still found the other girls watching her from time to time. She smiled softly to herself. Her younger cousins would often watch her the same way. Many people had actually. Fire working was the rarest talent.

"Best get used to it, " her older brother Benji would tell her every time she mentioned it. For the most part she worked alone, so it was not much of a problem and with time she had learned to ignore the observation. She supposed she had gotten used to it. For her part though she also observed the others. While their talents were impressive, there was something missing.

Rabbit recalled Lord Tessian agreeing with Grayson about her age due to the color of her mark. Even if she had been speaking, she wouldn't have corrected him. While it was true that the mark darkened with age, it also changed due to use. The other girls' marks had turned the brown of a freckle, but Rabbit guessed their ages to be mostly in their early twenties. For the marks not to darken until the age of 19 or 20 then they would not have had the full training and lessons she had gone through. Rabbit knew her mark was darker than any other in the room but she had just reached her sixteenth year in high summer.

'They must have been taken young, ' Rabbit thought. For lack of any official direction, Rabbit began crafting jewelry from the broken bits of metal and glass the others had given her. She thought of the dress she wore. It had belonged to Badger a few years prior. Rabbit glanced at Badger as she submerged her hands in yet another box of dirt. She was nearly a foot taller than Rabbit and broader of form. Rabbit shifted a little. The shoulders of the dress were a little loose as was the waist but the length was about right.

'How long had it taken Badger to gain that extra foot of height?' Rabbit's musings were interrupted by the return of Harmony. She was followed by an older woman wearing a plain dress with a stained apron tucked in over it. Rabbit guessed she was from the kitchen, a fairly easy guess as the woman pushed a cart containing bread and cheese as well as a pitcher and several cups.

All of them stopped work to watch as the woman lifted the plates to an empty table set against the wall. The woman worked quickly and did not glance in their direction. Rabbit could see her hands shake a little. When the items were unloaded, the woman curtsied to Harmony, who then gave her permission to leave. The woman wheeled the cart out with a pace that was just barely seemly.

'Obviously we frighten her, ' Rabbit thought. 'I wonder if they all are frightened? And if so, why go to the bother of bringing us here.' She remembered the rather full money pouch Grayson had turned over to the ponytailed man of the caravan. She didn't know the value of the coinage here but it was obviously a sizable investment. She then thought of the sparkle in Harmony's eyes and the awe in her face as she held Rabbit's vase. She had the feeling that whatever they paid ponytail man was a lot less then they would have to pay craftsmen for a similar piece.

'If they could get it, ' Rabbit mentally added. A town the size of the one surrounding Tessian's keep might not even have a glassmaker. Silence ruled the room as the work stopped and Harmony began her tour. She started with Mouse and seemed satisfied with the amount of work completed. Rabbit watched as Harmony continued around the room, surveying the progress done in her absence. Rabbit wished she would hurry. Fire working made her incredibly thirsty and she felt dry and hot. Still, she held her peace and stood waiting for Harmony's judgment. The judgment was good. Harmony smiled, the lines around her eyes deepening.

"Well, that is impressive." Harmony lightly touched a pendant Rabbit had created from small pieces of broken glass. "I can't wait to see how you fare with proper supplies." Rabbit smiled and bowed her head, trying to swallow past her parched throat. Harmony turned away from Rabbit and back towards Mouse.

"I am very pleased with you all, as I am sure Lord Tessian will be. Mouse, will you begin doling out the luncheon." Mouse scampered to the table and sliced the bread and cheese into even chunks. She then put each portion on a plate and gave each girl a plate. Rabbit thought it telling that Mouse served Badger first. Badger smiled and nodded as though she understood it was her due.

'Oh yes, ' Rabbit thought. 'Badger is their leader.' Badger did not wait for the others to be served before she began eating. With the exception of Robin, all of the others began eating as soon as they were served. Rabbit was served last, either because she was new and had not established her place in the pecking order or because she was closest to the food table, she couldn't tell. Rabbit did not begin to eat, her throat too dry to swallow the bread and cheese without the water. She noticed Robin continued to wait. Harmony watched from the side of the room.

Rabbit noticed Harmony was not given a plate and Rabbit wondered what her luncheon was like. After the plates were handed out, Mouse dropped off the cups and made the circuit with the pitcher. Again Rabbit was last. When the pitcher was down and Mouse returned to her designated work station and meal, Rabbit picked up her cup and took a drink. Robin began to eat as well. She nodded slightly in Rabbit's direction. Rabbit smiled, well aware that Harmony's eyes were still on her.

Rabbit drained her glass and then began to eat. The bread was not the coarse brown bread that she had been told much of the outlanders subsisted on, nor was it what Rabbit would term fine white bread. It was a type of bread somewhere in the middle range and she guessed it somewhat identified her place.

'Not important enough to share the food of the wealthy, but important enough to keep healthy, ' she thought. The cheese likewise was what she would term middle grade. It was sweaty and did not have as much cream blended in as she was accustomed to, but it had no mold and was pleasant to the taste. As she ate, Harmony walked over to the table, picked up the pitcher of water and walked to Rabbit's work station. She set the pitcher down on the edge.

"You may refill your glass as needed, " Harmony told her. "If the others need more they will come here to get it as you seem to require it." The words were said kindly but firmly and Rabbit nodded. Her earlier thought of Harmony as a type of Ghada stable master returned.

Harmony walked back to her place by the side wall as Rabbit poured herself another cup of water. She drained this cup as well and refilled it again before resuming her meal. It made sense. A Stable master was charged with protecting the horses and making sure they got what they needed to stay fit and healthy as well as making sure they worked. Harmony had the same role here.

When their meal was consumed, Mouse gathered the plates. Rabbit nodded her thanks as her plate was taken. Mouse smiled in return. Harmony indicated the pitcher and Rabbit's cup were to be left on Rabbit's work station. The girls stood expectantly at their workstations, looking to Harmony for instruction. Harmony's gaze swept the room.

"All of you may continue working, " she said. "Rabbit, you are out of materials. Please gather what you have made and follow me." Rabbit nodded her understanding and picked up the few things she had managed to create. It was not much, as she had not that many materials to work with and little time in which to work, but the items still filled both her hands.

Harmony opened the door and gestured Rabbit through. Rabbit moved as quickly as she could, trying not to jostle the glass creations in her hands. Harmony led her down the hall and Rabbit had the feeling her creations would be inspected by Lord Tessian before she was given her instructions. Rabbit's heart began to thump almost painfully in her chest. Lord Tessian had not struck her as a stupid man. Would he be able to see beyond the artistic bits she had created? Rabbit tried to control her breathing, suppressing her panic the way Mammon had taught her.

"Fire must always be controlled, " she thought, repeating the lesson in her mind. "Fire out of control is not a tool but a danger, to both the fire worker and everyone else." Her heart calmed a little as her breathing regulated. The lessons she had been given since before she could walk taking hold. Harmony stopped before Lord Tessian's door and knocked. As it had the day before, enter was called. Harmony opened the door.

"You will wait until you are called, " Harmony said to Rabbit. Rabbit nodded. She gestured that Rabbit was to turn over the items in her hands and she passed them to the older woman. Harmony stepped inside the room, pushing the door closed with her foot. Rabbit waited. The cold from the stone floor began to seep into her boots making her feet somewhat achy. Beyond the thick door, she could hear the sound of voices conversing. She guessed the deeper one to be Lord Tessian and the softer one to be Harmony. She could not make out the words through the thick door but the softer voice was speaking the most with the deeper rumble only occasionally interrupting.

'Harmony is making a report, ' Rabbit guessed. After what seemed like an eternity the door to Lord Tessian's rooms opened and Rabbit was called inside. Harmony stood by the door as she passed.

"Lord Tessian wishes to speak with you." Harmony said. She gestured towards the center of the room where Lord Tessian sat. Once she was certain Rabbit understood where she needed to go, Harmony stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. She wondered if Harmony would wait in the hall as she had. Rabbit crossed the room, her feet moving from stone to carpet as she walked. She was slightly less terrified than she had been the day before and she began to notice details that she had missed.

The carpet, while sumptuous, was beginning to look a little threadbare in spots. The curtains were of a study material that would stand up to many cleanings and were dyed a color that would not show fading as readily as many of the more expensive fabrics and dyes would.

Lord Tessian invited her to sit in one of the chairs and she realized that it had been reupholstered sometime in the past as the former material could still be seen slightly around the edges. Most nobles would have passed the worn chairs down to their lower ranking but favored leman, buying new instead. Rabbit wondered if this lack was due to monetary considerations or availability. She turned her attention away from the furnishings and towards Lord Tessian. He was dressed identically to the day before and Rabbit wondered if it was the same outfit or if he kept many similar pieces.

'That's where the money went, ' she thought. The shirt was just as fine as she had thought the other day. It was almost fine enough that Mammon would allow it in their closets. 'So availability might not be a factor. Or the trappings are inherited.' She let the matter fall for later consideration. Tessian smiled at her. It was a warm smile that did not touch his eyes. On the table between them were displayed the items she had passed over to Harmony.

"Quite an interesting talent you have there, " Lord Tessian began. Rabbit ducked her head in acknowledgement of the complement. He reached out a hand to stroke the pendant in much the same way as Harmony had. "In fact some of this is finer work than any I have seen in the Baronies. One might say it even rivals the work of artisans trained in Heldan proper." He leaned back in his chair a moment, staring at Rabbit as though considering what to do with her.

"Have you been well treated here so far?" he asked. Rabbit thought one night was not exactly an accurate judge of treatment, but nodded slowly anyway. "But not as well as you are accustomed to?" Rabbit blinked. How would he know what she was accustomed to? If she allowed herself to speak she would have told him that freedom was always preferable to captivity. She knew more than ever that she must remain silent. He smiled at her again.

"Do not look so surprised, " he told her. "There was no way you could have hidden it, even with your silence." His tone was indulgent and he seemed almost eager to explain how he had made his deductions. Rabbit tried to swallow the hard knot of fear that had risen into her throat.

"Your clothing had taken quite a beating on the way here and the dirt served as quite a disguise, but once my laundress had done her job it was evident that the material was of a much finer quality than any of the other girls wore when they were brought in. According to Harmony, you have displayed some of the manners of those accustomed to dealing with their betters and given the skill you display here, " he indicated the table with a wave of his hand. "It is quite clear why. It is nice to know that the Sheomon too prize their artists and artisans so highly." Rabbit blinked at the term Sheomon, but remembered that was the outlander word for the Ghada.

'Although Mammon pronounced it differently, ' Rabbit thought.

"No doubt there is some Lord or Lady somewhere who will be missing your talents greatly come the next feast day hmm?" Inwardly, Rabbit breathed a sigh of relief. The knot of fear loosened, leaving her feeling a little queasy and light headed. Outwardly she kept her face blank. Lord Tessian's face turned serious.

"While no doubt someone of your skills is used to being highly compensated and you are as a consequence of course accustomed to many of the finer things, I am afraid that here things are somewhat different." Rabbit swallowed a snort and concentrated on projecting nothing.

"I cannot afford to show favoritism among your group as dissatisfaction may affect production. However, if you continue to show the skill and talent you have displayed here, there may be additional perks that can be granted. Do we understand each other?"

Rabbit nodded slowly, not at all sure what it was she was supposed to understand. She mentally walked back through the conversation as Tessian studied the trinkets she had produced. Greed sparkled in his eyes and understanding started to dawn. Lord Tessian thought she was a talented artist, hired by the wealthy and used to being extravagantly paid. He wanted her to use her skill for him without paying her extravagantly and figured a few extra treats would keep her satisfied.

'He must think that as long as I am treated a little better than the others I will be happy, ' she thought. Rabbit thought of Badger. 'Oh yes, that's going to go over well.'