Chapter 4: On the Lonely Island

Rumor of Brandyé’s defiance of Abula Kharta, and how Khana had bought him from their lord, spread rapidly, and it was not long before Brandyé was the subject of much gossip and whispering, which was a thing he was only too familiar with. Khana himself fell under the scrutiny of the Cosari, for while the purchase of a servant was entirely legitimate, to rob their lord of the subject of his wrath was seen as terribly unwise, and it was wondered how much wealth Khana had parted with in order to do so.

Neither of the two were much perturbed by this however, for Khana was a commander and captain of no small reputation and thus able to distance himself from the common folk’s tongue-wagging, and Brandyé of course bore it with sadness and resignation that he would likely never be truly accepted anywhere in all of Erâth. Rather, the bond between the two strengthened, though Brandyé remained manifestly his servant, and had many daily chores and orders to be carried out. Even this, however, did not greatly bother him, for he discovered that it gave to him a satisfaction – a sense of purpose, as it were – and he found […]

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Chapter 3: Among the Cosari

So began a new life for Brandyé, among the people of the isles who he came to learn called themselves Cosari. He lived in the great house upon the height of the mountain, under the lordship of the man whose home it was. Abula Kharta was his name, and Brandyé had not been wrong, for he was indeed lord of his island – Galawōmi – and several of those surrounding them. Brandyé became to him a servant, and was made often to appear alongside his master, sometimes shackled or chained.

Having long since lost all pride, Brandyé was surprised to feel such humiliation in this servitude; he was often the butt of jokes, and the laughter and jesting at his expense often brought tears to his eyes. If his tears were seen they would laugh all the more, and beat him, and so he soon learned that he could prevent them if he bit his lip dreadfully hard with his teeth. Thus he evaded their temper, only to have ever cut and bleeding lips.

He was not always so cruelly treated, however, and there were times when Abula showed him some small kindnesses. He would have Brandyé with him when he dined […]

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Chapter 2: Isles of the Cosari

What now awaited Brandyé was a thing beyond his imagination. Who these men were remained unknown, but where they had come from was now clear, for before him lay a creation of a size and nature that he had never heard spoken of, even in his grandfather’s wildest tales.

It was a water vessel – so much was clear, for it lay half upon the beach, and half in the shallows of the sea. But it was as unlike the craft that had borne him from Consolation as a pebble is to a mountain. The vessel’s hull rose some ten or more feet above his head, and atop that he saw a great mast, towering high towards the clouds, and from which hung vast drapes whose purpose he could not fathom. To the rear of the craft stood another mast, though shorter than the first, and the tapered bow ended in a carving of some fanged beast that reminded him uneasily of the fierundé.

There were perhaps some dozen men on and around this great craft, and Brandyé could see many more animals – small deer, foxes, a kind of wild pig, and birds that resembled pheasants. Each was bound in a […]

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