The  Kingdom   Year of the Lilies Torrid Season The Market Altsas   Isla    WHEN I WAKE UP, we are approaching huge towers that provides the soldiers that are guarding the Kingdom a birds eye view of almost everywhere. I catch myself staring at the towers in awe of the power of the people. This Kingdom must be very powerful to raid our home and cart us away like livestock.   But unfortunately, I'm too weak to do anything. I'm too weak to use my mind. I won't even create a breeze even if I tried. The cart stops and as if on cue, the crying and wailing stops. Eerie silence reigns the pungent air.    I'm beginning to lose my calm when flies begin to buzz actively around me. But from what I can s

The Plantation     Year of the Lilies Torrid Season The Plantation Altsas   Mavli   I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE STRAWHAT I'm given by the taskmaster. We all were given one and also a change of clothes which comprises of a calico long-sleeved shirt that's way too big for me and drawstring calico trousers which are big for me too.    We are shackled by our ankles and chained together then the taskmaster leads us into the gated plantation. The land is very expansive and stretches out to the horizon. My fists clench as I stare at the acres of land, our farmland and at home is less than one-eighth of this plantation, why would one family own such wealth?   My back is nudged hard by the stick the taskm

The Grits   Year of the Lilies Torrid Season Unknown Place Altsas   Isla    I WAKE UP ON THE MAT I WAS GIVEN to sleep on the previous night. My arm aches and throbs with dull pain, reminding me of why and how I got here. I was bought by a goldsmith, he's a short wiry man. He was rather curt with me but he managed to ask his wife to spared me a bowl of onion gruel. I ate the awfully bland food and ran outside to throw up. His wife — a tall, overweight woman followed me outside with fear that I might run away but she covered her nose with her hand and went back inside the hut.    Their huts are built differently from ours at Kintil. Theirs is built from stone or sunbaked bricks while ours were molded from mud.  &n

The Bath      Year of the Lilies Torrid Season The Hut Altsas   Isla    MY HEART WARMS UP TO MYE almost immediately. Maybe it is because she looks like my sister, maybe it's because she's sweet and innocent. I don't know the reason why but I grow fond of her almost immediately. Like I've been placed under a spell. Mye is the kind of child that will make you want to protect her, that will make you go out of your way to do anything for her. That's the same effect Mavli had on me the first day I laid eyes on her; she made me go out of my way to protect her, she made me want to give her everything. I have a vivid memory of the time I tried to catch a peacock for her. I wanted to give her that peacock and everything other thing in the world. But the peacock escaped, and we had a good laugh about it. I had

 The Dagger (2)   Year of the Lilies Torrid Season The Streamlet Altsas   Mavli   I AM NOT ONE TO LOSE CONTROL, but I do when I see him. The onyx ring burns the ring finger of my left hand. An unknown emotion charges my insides.   "Cirok." It can't be. "What are you doing here?" My fingers are trembling, my heartbeat is frantic.   Something I can't decipher flickers in his eyes. "Aren't you glad to see me, Mavy?"   I wince at the sound of the nickname. He  takes a shaky step forward, his eyes don't leave mine. "I was looking for you, I was so glad when I saw you."   I can't stand t