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“Yes, Sir,” grinned Rejji as he hurried out the door.

Rejji walked as fast as he could, as running in the mansion was frowned upon. He mentioned provisions for the trip to one of the kitchen staff and they seemed to know exactly what was required and how much of it. Rejji tossed the sack over his shoulder and hurried upstairs. Wicado was not in his office when Rejji got there, but he entered moments later and indicated they should go.

When they exited the mansion there was a carriage at the bottom of the steps waiting for them. Rejji marveled at the craftsmanship of the carriage and almost tripped getting into it. Wicado smiled and shook his head. Instead of heading for the road out of the estate, as Rejji thought they would, they proceeded around the mansion and took a road that Rejji had never been down. The road led through fields of vegetables and ended at the Khadora River.

There was a huge dock on the river and an even larger barge tied to it. The barge was loaded with crates of vegetables, but in the center of the barge was a structure similar to a large hut. The Bursar led the way to the structure and they entered it. The inside consisted of two large rooms and a ladder going upstairs. One room was a kitchen and the other was like a sitting room. Wicado indicated for Rejji to put the sack of provisions in the kitchen and then handed him a small bag and asked him to put it in the room upstairs.

Rejji climbed the ladder and saw a large room with bunks and a door to a smaller room. He opened the door and saw that the small room contained a bed, a chair, and a desk. He placed the bag on the desk and returned downstairs. Wicado was outside watching the bargemen cast off and Rejji hurried out to join him. Huge ropes that were looped over posts on the dock were removed and thrown onto the barge. The bargemen jumped onto the barge as it started moving downstream. Rejji watched as the river took the barge swiftly away and the fields of the Pikata estate grew distant.

The banks of the river alternated between forests and estates as Rejji made his way up to the bow and sat on a vegetable crate. The river was fairly narrow here although Rejji knew it was wide enough that he could not throw a stone across it. There was little other river traffic to be seen. They passed a few small fishing boats and a ferry that moved goods and people from one side of the river to the other.

One of the bargemen came forward and sat next to Rejji. The Bursar’s slave boy started a conversation with the bargeman and asked him question after question. The bargeman did not seem to mind and filled Rejji’s mind with tales of his escapades over the years. He described the trip they would be taking and what sights there would be to see. Around high sun, the bargemen left to get food and Rejji decided to eat as well. Rejji found the sack he had brought with him and fished around inside until he found some cheese and dried meat. He climbed the ladder to the sleeping quarters and found Wicado in his private room at the desk.

“I have brought you some food,” announced Rejji.

The Bursar turned and smiled at Rejji. “You are a good lad,” he said as he sliced the cheese in half. “I see you were grilling one of the bargemen up in the bow. Did he satisfy your curiosity?”

“Some,” grinned Rejji, “but I guess I have more curiosity than most.”

“Well that can be a good thing,” replied Wicado. “I still remember the first time I made this trip many years ago. I was a young man then, about your age. It seems so long ago now.”

“Were you a slave at the time?” questioned Rejji.

“Oh heavens no,” Wicado answered. “My father was a Cortain in the Pikata army. I was an apprentice to the Bursar at the time.”

“You mean like me?” asked Rejji.

A sadness fell over Wicado’s face as he answered, “No, Rejji, not like you. You are a slave and will always be a slave. You can not be my apprentice even if I wanted you to be.”

“Then why did you purchase me?” queried Rejji. “I thought you saw promise in me to be your assistant.”

“I do see promise in you, lad,” Wicado stated. “You have more sense than most of those who reside in the mansion, but that does not mean you can become one of them. Why did I purchase you? I am not sure. I have had two apprentices in the years I have been Bursar, neither worked out. The last was Rymaka who was forced on me. It took over a year before I could convince our lord that he could not handle the job. I think I liked your spirit and cleverness. I guessed you were being helpful so that you would be selected, but your suggestion on Bakhai was a good one. It showed that you are a thinker and I guess I just wanted someone around who could think.”

“You mean you purchased me to be company for you?” Rejji pushed.

“Yes I guess that is why I purchased you,” chuckled the old man. “A terrible waste of estate funds if I do say so. And me the Bursar no less. Still your suggestion of Bakhai and your handling of Rymaka have proved to be profitable to the estate, so I can hardly complain.”

They ate in silence for a while and finally Wicado put his food down and looked at Rejji. “Were you just trying to get out of the cage, or is that girl that was selected someone special to you?”

“She is my friend,” admitted Rejji. “I did not want to be separated from her.”

Wicado nodded as Rejji’s thoughts turned to Mistake. He did not have the time to tell her he was leaving and now his thoughts grew dark about what she might do without him there to temper her rage.

“And Bakhai, is he your friend too?” the Bursar asked.

“I have only known him a short time,” responded Rejji, “but yes he is. He was already in the cage when Mistake and I were captured. I have not had friends my age before. My village was mostly older folk.”

“This must be a traumatic event for the three of you,” suggested the Bursar. “How is it that you are handling it so well?”

“I do not want to be a slave,” admitted Rejji. “None of us do. If I were not a slave I would be having the greatest adventure of my life with you. You have taught me much and I am eager to learn. You treat me well enough that at times I guess I forget that I am a slave. It saddens me when I hear someone say that I will always be a slave though. That is not right. I have done nothing wrong to be punished this way.”

“There is truth to what you say,” sighed Wicado. “I could say that I am sorry for purchasing you, but that would be a lie and I do not lie. Besides, you would have been purchased at the next estate anyway. The best I can offer is to try to make your life as carefree as possible. I will not be able to justify keeping you though if our lord comes up with another apprentice for me.”

“Is that going to happen?” Rejji asked.

“Eventually it must,” conceded the Bursar. “I am getting quite old and our lord has already mentioned the need for me to pass on my duties to someone younger. Only the lack of available talent has allowed to me to be without an apprentice for so long.”

“What will happen to me then?” queried Rejji.

“I don’t know,” admitted Wicado. “You will become Seneschal Trang’s problem. He will probably put you into the fields to harvest. Let us not dwell on such things and spoil this fine outing. Return to the bow and watch this great nation of Khadora pass before your eyes. Before nightfall we will pass Sintula, the city where the Lituk River meets the Khadora River.”

Rejji nodded and rose. He returned to the bow and hopped up onto a crate. He tried pushing the dark thoughts out of his mind, but it took quite a while before he was interested in the river again. The river had widened somewhat and Rejji saw a barge going upstream. It was being towed by a boat with many oarsmen. He had wondered how the barges were returned to their homes and now he knew. In the distance, Rejji began to see the tops of buildings appearing over the trees and his excitement grew. The river traffic increased dramatically and the river widened further.