Here Shines the Sun Read Free Page A

what it means to be a proper slave.”
    Callad scowled at Grandon briefly and then knelt beside Rook, placing his hands on his shoulders. Rook could smell the pleasing scent of woodsmoke and coal on him. “Son,” he said softly. “You know it’s not like that. You can’t just tell a man you’re going to—”
    “Buy her.” pleaded Rook. He peered into Callad’s deep, brown eyes. “Use my money. Use all the money I’ve earned. I don’t care; use it all. Just buy her. Please .”
    Callad breathed out loudly through his nose, it smoked in the cold and ruffled the coarse coating of beard on his face. His lips pursed into a frown. “Son…”
    “Your boy ain’t allowed to have money.” said Grandon. “I hear you’ve been letting him take earnings. I could report you.”
    Callad turned his eyes up to Grandon and scowled. He lumbered back up to his feet. He looked down to Rook. “Son, let’s go.”
    “No!” cried Rook. “We can’t! Buy her!”
    “She ain’t for sale to you.” said Grandon. “You’re a slave, boy. Not his son. You’d do best to learn that. And as a slave, you can’t buy anything. But I’ll tell you what, if you want her to go home with your master so badly, I’ll make you a proposition.”
    “What?” shot Chazod. “You can’t—”
    Chazod’s head whipped to the side as Grandon’s hand smacked him across the cheek. He faced the boy and jammed a thick finger into his chest. “That’s the last warning I’m giving you tonight, boy. You mind your place.”
    Chazod nodded meekly as he held his cheek.
    Grandon turned to face Callad. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll trade you. Your boy for my girl.”
    “No!” barked Callad. He shook his head vigorously. His giant hand clenched down on Rook’s shoulder. “Come on son, let’s go.”
    Rook tore himself free. “Yes. Fine. I’ll trade.”
    “Absolutely not.” said Callad. “Let’s go.”
    “Then let our boys fight.” said Grandon. “Your boy beats mine,” Grandon slapped Chazod on the shoulder, “and you can have her free. But if my boy wins, I get to keep yours.”
    “No!” said Callad. “Absolutely not!”
    “Yes,” said Rook. “Let me do it. I can fight him. I can beat him.”
    Callad’s eyes flashed with an anger Rook had never seen before. “Rook, this is not up for discussion.”
    “Callad,” said Grandon. “If you’ve been letting your slave earn wages, that’s an offense. I’ll turn you in and they’ll take him. Then neither of us gets him. They fight. Right here, right now. Winner gets to keep the others’.”
    Callad regarded Grandon, and Rook was certain he saw fear on his father’s face. “Grandon…”
    “It’s done.” said Grandon. “You got nothing to bargain with. You’ve been letting your slave earn wages. I could have him taken from you this very night. Now, we’re going to do this my way. We both win. I get a chance to get the slave I should’ve bought, and you get the chance to keep your slave without me turning you in.”
    “And we get Kierza,” said Rook, pointing to her. “If I win, Kierza comes home with us.”
    Grandon nodded. “That was my deal. But you ain’t going to win, boy.”
    “I’ll do it.” said Rook.
    “Son…” Callad placed his hand on Rook’s shoulder. “These boys, they fight, Rook.” he said softly. “They train. They train to fight and kill.”
    Rook looked up at Callad. “I can fight too.” he hissed. “Diotus has been—”
    “Rook, I told you I don’t like you and that Diotus—”
    “You have to let me do this.” said Rook. His eyes pierced into Callad’s. “Somebody once told me that when you look upon evil, you cannot blink. You can’t be afraid. You have to let me do this.”
    Callad closed his eyes and shook his big head softly. “Rook, son, you can’t save everybody. Me and Sierla, we love you. If we lost you…”
    “But we have to do this,” said Rook. “Sometimes we have to do things that are scary. Sometimes,