"Amari?" He whispered through the crack, "I need to talk to you about something. Now. I'm coming in..."


" He tossed the journal onto Amari's blankets. "He's going to turn you into a slave of some sort, and if that doesn't work, he plans to send you away... Amari, you should come with me, right now. I can make a portal back to Corone. You'll be safe and happy there, with lots of friends, and you won't have any trouble finding work at an inn..." Jake gestured helplessly with his free hand. "Just say you will. I can't bear the thought of you left alone here with your brother."

A flicker of fire, along with the hushed whispers of Jake stirred Amari from her light sleep. "What he...did to me?" Amari repeated his words, a confused look on her features. She tried to recall what her brother had done, that could warrant such alarm from Jake, but nothing came to mind. Amari leaned over her bed and turned the nozzle on the gas lamp that rested on her bedside table. It illuminated the room in a soft, amber glow, and the scent of oil.

"Jake..." She breathed, hoping to calm the youth down. Amari didn't understand his desperation. "Please, sit." She gestured to the foot of her bed, patting its plush creme duvet. Instead, a book was thrown her way. Jake had mentioned he read a diary. Amari wasn't entirely sure of the concept, to her - it wasn't something so private, rather it was a way to log information.

"My brother has always been good to me." Amari said, as she picked up the book, fingers running over the words on the front. "He taught me everything I know." Amari softly smiled as she opened the book to a random page. She couldn't read the contents, but the looped handwriting was undeniably her brothers. "He has such an elegance with his words...don't you think? The way his handwriting is, intricate loops and swirls. He's teaching me to read and write, slowly that is."

"Amari...." Jake pleaded. He couldn't believe what she was saying. She couldn't see for herself, she couldn't read. She'd have to trust the words of a stranger over that of her very own brother, and Jake feared that his claws were already deeply ingrained into her being.

Amari stood, book in her hand. "I'm not a slave Jake. Granted...I do much work, and am more inclined to believe that I do the duties of the help, rather than that of a Noble Woman - but I am ok with that. It's my choice to do that. I'm not a slave. It's a simple life, and I enjoy it." Amari placed the journal back in Jakes spare hand, and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Why on earth would brother do anything to harm me?"

***

Meanwhile, that very brother had just walked through the front door downstairs. Arriving home early from his trip. Tired, and in need of Amari's....services. He slowly trudged up the stairs, light footfalls barely making a sound.