Over my twenty of being a slave, I never looked forward to much given that it was always the same basic, get bought, go to a new master's or mistresses' house, do my duty and then get returned to the slave establishment. Nothing much thrilled me and most often I viewed life through a pretty much black and white looking glass. Nothing apart from my survival interested me and I did what I had to do to survive.

Despite this, something about this woman, Lady Karayan told me that this particular time would be different. That things would be more interesting that I probably bargained for. I believe in my life I had attempted and truly attained a behavior of wary neutrality. It kept me alive so I was not complaining.

But now, didn't feel the same. I was trying to be neutral. I really was. But things weren't going as planned. First of all, I had interacted with the doll that I had been bought with. Then I had forgotten even for a few seconds to appear meek to my new mistress. If she was as observant as I felt she was, she would be on to me. I hated it when my masters or mistresses were interested in me. That made them keep me longer. If the master at the slave establishment had been sincere and I was free after this time, then I definitely didn't want my new mistress interested in me.

We had ridden in the carriage for hours and for some part of the journey, the doll by me had fallen asleep but had been jerked back awake by the wheels of the carriage going over a bump in the road that indicated the changed between the dust road and the smooth gravel leading up to our mistress' mansion. I had been staring monotonously outside but at the bump my senses had been jerked as well, new found interest bubbling in me, curiosity that had been stifled rekindling, my senses trying to figure out more about my new mistress.

I glanced at her, Lady Karayan and I caught her watching us, waiting to see our reaction. I quickly bled out all the interest from my face and dragged my eyes down. The doll by me on the other hand, as this was clearly her first time being a slave didn't know better. Her eyes were wide and she was looking around with keen interest and naïve innocence. I really had my work cut out for me this time. The doll knew nothing about being of lower class and as time passed, I was more convinced that she came from riches.

I subtly hit her foot with mine, initiating the first contact between us, trying to subtly tell her to curb her excitement without actually talking. I indicated with my head for her to bend her head down in a submissive way but she was instead more confused. I almost face palmed. Of all the slaves I had to train it just had to be a soft, naïve, formerly rich brat. Great. Just great.

I slowly indicated again with my head for her to put her head down but before she got it this time, Lady Karayan laughed. I looked up to her in alarm.

"You're innocent and naïve doll. It's cute. But it will get you killed. You have to train her well Gabrielle..." She paused at my name, her voice melodic and testing as if measuring the weight of my name on her tongue. I perked up, feeling the hair on my body stand on end. Nothing she had said was exactly new but the way she said it just felt like something that she would really do. She was dangerous. I felt it with everything in me. She also felt ancient. Her energy was that of a really ancient vampire. Just how old was she?

"Or you both might just die and that would be a shame." She finished very calmly with a sly smile on her lips and a wicked gleam in her eyes. The doll by me shivered while my spine straightened even more. I was right in my initial assessment of her. She was dangerous and she was very influential in the southern regions. The respect she commanded, her aura, her language.... I had to be extremely careful.

The wheels of the carriage crunched on the graveled pathway through wide iron wrought gates with careful magical inscriptions on it pulled wide apart. The horses, those majestic beings pulled the carriage diligently as if encouraged by the fact that their journey was almost over already. I honestly don't know where my obsession with horses came from but I loved horses. I wondered if I would live long enough to ride one or if I would ever even own one. Those were fancy dreams to me. Very fancy dreams.

After a few minutes, the carriage dragged slowly to a stop and I finally lifted my head. When the carriage was settled, I heard boot clad footsteps crunch on the gravel and hurry towards the carriage. My mistress set aside what she had be reading and uncrossed her legs, getting ready to leave. She twisted her neck to the side, trying to remove the creaks in it from the journey and her slender neck creaked as she moved it. It was incredible that she still looked so perfect and put together as if she had not just sat in one spot and travelled for hours. She must be used to this. This life.

The door to the carriage opened and a middle age looking vampire with perfect hair and a slightly crooked nose peeked at us from outside.

"Lady Karayan. How was your trip?" He asked and extended a hand through the door, which she took elegantly and he helped her step down.

"Lord Mba...tiring as always but necessary." She said flippantly, pushing her red hair behind her. Lord Mba, dark skinned, average height, ancient eyes and a curious smiled then looked back into the carriage and let his gaze drag over my form with the other girl. I was mildly uncomfortable but I was not afraid. Either way, I was counting on the man to be too uninterested to care if I was not the usual shivering slave.

"You know, if you needed another slave, or other slaves, you could have sent someone of lower station like the other times." The man, Lord Mba commented and my mistress' eyes twinkled. She extended her free hand towards us and spoke.

"Get down from the carriage slaves." She commanded and then turned back to face to man as we got down.

"I had some business to take care of. So I decided to find the slaves myself when I was done." If Lord Mba found it curious, he didn't mention anything further about it. I realized that it was dusk already and the evening air was chilly and comforting. I was still wary because all of this just felt too formal. I knew I had to be even more careful. A lady and a Lord already? Where were we?

Speaking of which, the mellow yet beautiful orange and yellow hues of the setting sun casted a glow over the biggest and most beautiful house...no mansion I had ever seen. There were wings to it and what's more was that the magic around the place basically hummed to me, appealing to the secret witch in me. What was even stranger was that some of the magic here felt so familiar to me. It didn't make any sense because I had never been here before. Still, the magic called out to me. Like I should recognize it. Like I should know it. It was frustrating because it brought forth a pang in me. Maybe one of my ancestors' magic had been used in the wards of this place. But I would never know. I didn't know where I came from and that stung.

A female slave, I could tell from her posture rushed up to me and the doll and spoke to us just as Lady Karayan was being led up the great, wide, double doors of the mansion. I didn't have time to properly look around me because evening was setting and I was still tired and overwhelmed from the journey.

"Follow me." The salve said simply. She looked like a girl of just sixteen and she had wild red hair but it showed that she was well versed in the ways of slaves. She had a collar around her neck though there was no leash and I raised a brow. Some masters and mistresses liked collars while others didn't. I wondered which my mistress was. As we followed the slave through another entrance by the side of the mansion and not the main entrance, as we were turning the bend, I distinctly heard Lady Karayan ask Lord Mba

"Where is Lord Kyryaan?" To which Lord Mba answered

"On some business in the East." I couldn't hear anymore because we had already turned the corner. Lord Kyryaan? As in Lord Kyryaan the Lord of the Southern Regions?! Alarm rose in me and it was starting to appear clearer to me. Oh my heavens. Oh no. Still, I decided to confirm with the slave.

"Please excuse me. Where are we?" I asked her as we passed through dimly lit corridors. She paused long enough to look back at me and a suspicious smirk curled on her lips.

"The home of Lord Kyryaan Kyle von Lukeberg. Didn't you know?" She asked sassily as continued her way, not caring in any way that her words had caused my heart to race a mile a minute. Just my luck. My last time of being a slave and I just had to be brought to the mansion of the freaking Lord of the Southern Regions! Every slave knew of the mansion. Shrouded in secrecy and barely any slave ever made it out. I now understood the smirk on the face of the master of the slave establishment. He had been so quick to say I could be free after this because he didn't believe I would survive. That sick bastard! I was shaking in anger. Everything felt wrong and I had to reel my emotions in before I did something stupid. The freaking mansion! Oh heavens!

The hallways finally became lighter and we passed through a very expensive part of the mansion. We passed a couple of closed doors and finally arrived at one. The slave took out a bunch of keys from her dress and opened the door. When it was opened, we walked inside. It was a big, very expensive looking bedroom. I was too tired to look around but I had never been in one like this.

"Lady Karayan will be with you in a while." The slave said and left without another word closing the door behind her. The doll and I stood awkwardly in the silence of the room, with nothing to our names but the clothes on our backs and my napkin that said I was free after this. Well that was bogus!