My new life as a slave was one of pain and humiliation. The slavers tried every method to destroy my pride and bend me to their will. I fought them and so I experienced pain. In some strange way pain kept me alive and fueled with a passion to live. I did not want to die and have my spirit swept away by Chal, the One God. I desired nothing more than to be free to die, and know that I would join the Ashani of TheGhostCallers_. In the small arenas I fought and killed. It did not seem to matter who or how many I killed, the pain continued. I did not know what town or city I fought in, nor did I know the names of my opponents, but the faces and names of the slavers I will always remember. Izari 'ail vizinar, Joliz Forah, Rasama nar Omaraliz and Avir nar Ri'mazaj... I remember them.

The routine of my life was shattered by ... pain. One day I am certain I will appreciate the irony, but not today. I was bound and hung like a trophy on the wall and I was drawn into unconsciousness by pain. I was woken by pain. The position I found myself in did not change, but the room had, as had the company. On my left and right hung two others, a man and a woman. Later I would learn that they were Telal and Cira and that their fates would be linked with mine in ways that I still cannot completely describe. A man came in and inspected us like we were sides of sheep hung to cure. He caressed Telal, insulted Cira and inspected the brands on the soles of our feet. His name is Ra'the a man I both respect and detest. A strange mix of cruelty and kindness. Ra'the once was a gladiator, through his skill and determination he won his freedom, but he returned to force others to fight for entertainment. A contradiction I will not understand.

For a week we hung like that, to make a point I am certain. We rarely spoke to one another, other than to introduce ourselves and to determine if we really were still living and not in the clutches of what the Chalites call the Praj. Once our ordeal was deemed to have been over, the Sisters of the Healing Water came to tend to us. So another week passed, as we were allowed to heal and rebuild our strength.

Once Ra'the had deemed us ready, we joined the other gladiators in the stable. This was a group of unique and varied individuals. Among them walked a mute giant, a holy warrior, a wrestler, a knife wielding woman, and a female berzerker. The three of us were tested. Cira was unprepared for the testing or the arena and quickly fell under the speed and power of the wrestler. I was next and barely managed to hold my own, that boy had fists of iron and a determination to match. Telal too was able to hold his own, through his extraordinary skill, but like Cira he was not mentally ready for the challenge. Now, they have been hardened by the arena and the quest.

Before our first battle in the arena, we trained with Ra'the's Stable, honing our skills and our teamwork. Although, we were a strange collection of people Ra'the did his best to make us fight as a unit. This is very similar to the training of the Shawnal warriors. Cira discovered a natural talent for combat, she is far more dangerous with her hands than with any weapon. Telal only had to show her and her drive, fear, and talent did the rest. Her skills as a dancer and an acrobat allow her to move past her opponent's weapon and deliver her strikes. Telal always exhibits calm and his body appears to be an extention of his thoughts. Plaz'klip is the stable's leader, what he says or suggests is always obeyed. He is a strange man, he openly flaunts his beliefs and his gifts from his God.

Before going to the Arena of the Sand, we were warned about the sand. I did not understand what I was told until I experienced it for myself. That day we fought two battles. The first was against a group of knife wielding fools. They were free men who wanted to taste what the sand had to offer. Now they are part of the sand, they are the voices and the thoughts of the sand. The SandArena can comfortably hold ten to twenty gladiators but is not open to everyone, apparently the Knives thought the invitation to Sand Arena was worth the risk. Quickly they were defeated, the crowd grew ugly and I knew that our day was not finished. We were there to entertain, and we failed to satisfy the crowd. During the first fight I was not wounded and I felt like I was walking on the back of a hundred camels. I could not get my footing and at times it seemed like the sand was trying to trip me up. Cira and Telal experienced the same thing, but Plaz'klip and the others did not. Before the second fight He and Ra'the warned me not to fall once wounded. I am lucky that I was able to heed his warning. The seven of us stood waiting in the rolling sand when out stepped three powerful and experienced gladiators. Before the fight was through they accounted for Sani, Ak'noi and Cira. I was wounded this battle, as soon as my blood hit the sand I was overwhelmed by the thoughts and voices of a thousand people. I felt their hands tug at me trying to pull me into the sand. I struggled to keep my feet and stay clear of the spirits that were calling to me. I would not give Chal my spirit and I was determined I would not give the sand my soul either. Once I had mastered my own will, the sand stopped shifting and I became aware of everyone on the arena floor. Strangely the sand became a vague extention of my senses. Cira and Telal tell a similar tale. Eventually, we overpowered the three men, despite their skill and power. During the fight I was certain that Cira was dead and had succombed to the sand. I do not know if Telal called her back or some power of her own pulled her from the sand, but she rose, rejoined the fight, and walked out of the arena. Apparently we had satisfied the crowd, because when the gong sounded to end the match the crowd cheered.

After the match we were tended by the Ladies of the Healing Water. I now instinctively knew who else the sand had tasted. Before the matches had finished for the day Ra'the took Cira, Telal and me to listen to an offer. A small soft man in fancy dress gave us an offer to escape the sands. He would buy our freedom if we chose to accept his quest. To ensure that we would carry out the quest we would have to undergo a ritual in the arena that would bind us to the quest. He indicated that we had the skills and the knowledge to go into the BrokenLands. I accepted his offer of freedom only after I had been assured that I was not going to harm the Orzan or anyone close to him. Telal and Cira also accepted the bargain.

The nature of the sand would ensure that we carried out our assignment. After that we were free, if we could resist that allure of the arena. Ra'the did not give us much hope. Less than one in ten are able to stay away from the arena of ghost sand. Before we left Ra'the said that we were welcome to return to him if we couldn't resist the lure of the arena.

The ritual occured under the light of the red moon. We approached the man and Ra'the who was standing with him. Our price was two purple spheres. Once we were on the sand I was aware through the sand where everyone stood and what their physical condition was. Apparently this was not the first blood bargain this man had made on the ghost sand. The ritual was simple and effective, we agreed to pursue the quest, the man spilt his blood on the sand and in turn so did Telal, Cira and I. The instructions were simple "Kill Kagnoi and destroy Shaknai." Once the ritual was complete I was drawn to move south towards our target. It began faintly, now it is much more compelling. We were given horses, gear and free passage through the city. We took everything given to us without taking an inventory and began our journey south.

When we had left Lie'lm I knew this journey would be like no other. I knew my mind, spirit and body would be tested and I was afraid that I would not be able to endure. I had exchanged one prison for another, instead of walls and bars my mind would limit my choices and force me to obey. However, the promise of freedom and the opportunity to return to my people, my family and the Ashani was worth the risk. A chance ... that was all I was looking for and I took it and so bound my fate to Cira and Telal.

The next chapter TheRoadSouth