Chapter One: My Master

2324 Words
My shackles weren’t the only shiny thing about me. My captors had made sure to spare no effort to do their best to make me a desirable commodity. As I walked the jewels on my accessories twinkled in the light. I kept my head down as I was tugged along as each person went out ahead of me. The golden shiny fabric itched everywhere on my body and I longed to fling the cursed material away and be free. The heavy tiara they had put in my hair was chafing and the giant amethyst in the center of it was beyond gaudy. The chains were tugged forward again and I stumbled forward. I was next. I already knew my fate, all of these attempts would do nothing to sell me off. They had failed before, and they would fail again. I was not a prize that anyone ever considered wanting. I grunted as the pull came and I stumbled past the broad curtains onto the stage. “And now ladies and gentlefolk, we have our main attraction to our event!” The announcer grinned as she led me by my chains until I was facing the crowd. With firm pressure on the chains I went into a kneel as I’d been taught. It was better to obey than to suffer pain, I didn’t quite understand how humans dealt with that. “How many out there want their very own genie?” The announcer was still grinning at the audience, but they started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” she demanded. “You’re trying to sell that one?” One of the more out-going men demanded. He snorted. “You must be new, Honey. She’ll never sell, not with her reputation!” “So what if she has a patchy history. Isn’t anyone out there brave enough to have a genie for their very own? And the starting bid is more than reasonable. She’s only going to be a thousand lyra!” The audience laughed again. “She’s not worth a thousand!” A bony woman pointed her finger at my face. “That’s a man-killer you’re trying to sell-off. No one is gonna want that around! Good men are rare enough as it is.” The announcer was not to be deterred. “Fine then, starting bid 500 lyra! You guys must know that if you know how to properly use her you can have all your wishes fulfilled.” “No one has ever got one out of her that didn’t end in her killing them off.” Snorted a beast of a man that leered up at me. His lip curled as he got closer. “Hey, if you lower to bid some more you could still manage to sell her if you change your criteria.” “What are you talking about? “ The announcer demanded as she glared down at the man. His tongue poked out and circled around his lips before he bit his bottom one. “Sell her as a woman and I'll give you 10 lyra for her. She looks like she’d be fun to bed. Never had no genie before.” I resisted the urge to spit in his face. I knew that type. I had been fortunate I was considered too high of a priority to sell for their entertainment, but maybe my luck had finally dried up. I lifted my head and stared over the crowd. There was another man watching me from the shadows. He was quiet but studying me intensely. He lifted a hand. “I’ll give you 100 lyra for the genie.” The announcer didn’t seem the least bit off-put about the undercut of the bid. Instead, she grinned. “We have our first bid! Very good taste, sir. 100 lyra for our genie, are there any challengers?” “150 lyra.” Called a new voice. Everyone turned to a small group huddled near the front of the stage. A well-dressed man with wild red hair was standing up and pointing at me. He reminded me of a wolf as he grinned. It sent a shiver through me, that group was dangerous. “We have a bidding war! 150 lyra is the new bid!” “200 lyra.” Responded the first man as he took a step closer. His eyes were locked on mine and a foreign feeling flooded me. I would be safe with this man, I was positive of it. “300 lyra.” The red-head wasn’t done yet. “Boy, you don’t know the history of that genie or how to use her. I know exactly what to do with her type, she’ll be perfect for our group.” “500 lyra.” The first growled out. “I know her every history, and unlike you, I know exactly how to make my wishes to prevent the tragedies that have befallen others before. I know exactly how to make my wishes, but she’s no one’s tool. She’s a sentient being that deserves respect.” The beast from before laughed in my would-be savior’s face. “She just needs one thing, one big thing. Instead of three wishes, you should satisfy yourself with her three holes instead.” “You should watch yourself before some of that bad luck that they say floats around her, infects you instead. I hear no counter-bids, have I won?” The red-head was frowning and shook his head. “700 lyra, you’re not winning, boy.” “I’m no boy, 5000 lyra!” The audience went quiet. The announcer’s eyes went wide and she turned to the red-head. “Is there a counter bid?” Her previous confidence had been dashed by such a high bid. The red-head snorted. “You’ve made a mistake, I’m not the kind of enemy you want, boy.” His lips curled in a sneer and he turned and stalked off. “Sold!” The announcer crowed and the shackles that led the auction subjects forward fell off my arms. Instead, they unwound a golden leash from around my outfit and handed it to my new master as well as my precious lamp that was kept safe in an unbreakable box. “Come on.” My new master ordered and with a nod, I hurried to obey. I wasn’t sure who he was or what to expect, but at least I wasn’t at the mercy of the auction folk anymore. Maybe this time I could do what a genie should be able to do and grant wishes that didn’t kill my owner. “Yes, Master,” I whispered as I increased my pace to keep up. He stopped and I ran into his back. I winced as I stepped away and brought my hands up to fend off the blows I knew would follow. “Don’t.” He ordered. I swallowed hard and lowered my hands and waited for the pain. “No, I mean don’t call me Master. My name is Dagon and I came to save you. I know you’re a genie and a special one at that. I have no intention of dying by my wish, I know well those that have wished before me. I have some rules for you.” I nodded as I kept my eyes on the ground. Of course, he would have rules, they always had rules. I just hoped that these would not involve me being in pain. “First, don’t call me Master, ever. I’m not above you, just call me Dagon. Second, I am not going to abuse you in any way, you don’t have to fear my intentions in that department either. Third, you are going to accompany me on my journey while I figure out the exact way I want to word my wishes, and you will help me in this endeavor so I do not make a mistake as those before me did. Finally, we are going clothes shopping, I’m quite sure you don’t want to wear that gaudy outfit any longer. Now, could you tell me your name?” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him but my mouth had fallen open. This couldn’t be happening. No one had ever asked my name before. I was just a genie a tool to get them what they wanted. In fact, with all of my masters, I don’t think a single one had ever told me not to call them master either. “Acacia,” I whispered. The words burned my tongue as foreign as they were to me. “Another rule.” I tensed as he stepped closer to me. He put a crooked finger under my chin and lifted my head until I was meeting his eyes. “There will be no staring at the floor and walking behind me or anything like that. You’re my equal, Acacia, you’re traveling with me, not as a pet.” I nodded as I struggled to form words into some sort of comprehensible string of meaning. “Thank you, Dagon.” It took all my willpower to not add a master in there. As we continued to stride through the market I looked around. Normally I kept my eyes on the sand so I never really bothered to experience much else. The wonders of colors and sounds around me made me smile. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Acacia. We’ll be at the dressmaker soon. Is there any particular style you’re fond of? I don’t have a lot of lyra left, I spent the majority on your freedom, but what I have is at your service.” “Why are you being so nice to me?” The question bubbled from me before I could stop it. One of the earliest lessons from my first master had been to never ever question your master. Which is why when he wished for me to make him a prince, I didn’t question it. I made him a prince of a far-away Kingdom with a very loving husband. One of the few times I hadn’t killed a master, but the tale others told always ended with his death anyway. “I bought you for a reason, Acacia. Partly because you’re a genie, there is no lie there. But I’m intrigued by you. I’ve studied you for a very long time and decided that I wanted to meet you, and whatever price I had to pay did not matter in the slightest to me. I want you to grant my wishes, but I’m going to think about them for a long time before I make them, and I want to make you happy in the meantime.” “So I don’t interpret your wish in a way that will kill you?” “None of the deaths that have happened are your fault. You have been owned by many evil men and their karma is what tied the noose around their necks, not you. If they had thought about their wishes and been better men, I am confident they would all still be here to this day. You’re not a bad luck genie or a man-killer as the rumors state. Just a victim of bad masters, I’m going to try to change that around for you, if you’ll let me.” He smiled at me and my toes curled into the warm sand at my feet. I couldn’t trust myself to speak so I nodded instead. Everything he said sounded too good to be true. There was a buzz at the back of my mind warning me that perhaps all wasn’t as it seemed and this could all be part of some elaborate trap. “We need to get you some shoes as well. You can not travel in those sandals. Everything they adorned you with is garbage. Let’s change that, shall we?” he turned and started to speak in a language I couldn’t quite catch to the shop owner. The woman came around the side and measured me for a few moments before nodded and moving away. She came back with her arms full of various colors and fabrics. Dagon smiled at me and nodded to some pieces while he shook his head at others. I reached into the stack and grabbed a thin purple fabric that matched my eyes. I tugged at it and dared to smile at hi. “This? Can I have this?” Dagon nodded and smiled at me. “You can have whatever I have left, my lady.” My cheeks flushed at the strange endearment and I started to look at the fabrics, and the footwear more carefully. Maybe my luck had finally changed, but I was still going to be cautious. I wouldn’t allow myself to get attached no matter how nice he was being right now. All of my masters were destined to leave me, and the majority of them suffered excruciating deaths. Despite Dagon’s assurances, I knew that one-day his name would be added to the scroll I kept in my mind. Just another name to check off as I failed in my duties once more.
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