"Talia! Slow down!"

      The frantic shout was nearly lost to the wind rushing past the young woman carving her way down the sandy slope. Slow down? Talia thought. Not likely. Instead of complying to the pleading cries of her companion, Talia leaned into the wind. She felt the board beneath her feet shudder slightly as it adjusted to the shift in her balance. Her fingers tightened around the bar which controlled the windsail attached to the board by a sturdy wooden mast. The sand-glider wasn't as nice as some, but it was one of the few things she could call her own.

      Talia knew why her friend was so concerned, aside from simply being a scaredy cat, the duo were barreling towards Dead Man's Ridge. Here the desert sands gave way to a wide, rocky canyon and a staggering, stomach clenching three hundred foot drop.

      "Talia!!"

      The voice sounded further away and Talia glanced over her shoulder to see that her best friend Kimera had stopped, the faded sail of her sand-glider flapping uselessly in the breeze. Talia waved and laughed before turning back towards the ridge. As she neared the edge she felt a rush of adrenaline surge through her. Almost there she thought as she prepared to draw back on the sail. Kimera often called her reckless and perhaps the young woman was right, perhaps Talia was reckless, but if that meant experiencing life to the fullest then so be it.

      If Kimera had anything more to say, she was too far out of range for Talia to hear and Talia was far too focused on what she was doing to notice anything besides the movement of the board beneath her feet and the hot wind as it swirled around her.

      At the last possible moment, Talia pulled back hard on the bar while simultaneously leaning back as far as she could. The shift in her weight caused the board itself to rise up on one side, the edge digging into the sand as she drifted into the turn. As the board swung around, the back edge brushed against rock and Talia felt it shudder violently beneath her feet. For a brief moment she thought the board might split in two and send her toppling over into the canyon.

      Wouldn't that serve her right for being so cocky?

      Fortunately, Talia would not meet her end that day. The rough board skidded back onto the smooth sand and she leaned back into the turn to straighten the sail out. With her heart pounding violently against her ribcage, Talia eased the sand-glider to a stop at the bottom of the hill that she and Kimera had been surfing.

      "I can't believe you did that, Talia!" Kimera called out, her tone a mixture of anger and relief. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

      Talia lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh sun overhead and looked up towards her friend. "I didn't though," she replied. "Even if I had, who would care enough to notice?"

      "Don't say that, I'd care," Kimera protested defensively, a pout forming on her full lips. Talia offered her an apologetic smile, but did not rescind her statement. Talia knew that Kimera hated it when she said things like that, but she was convinced that Kimera lived with her head buried in the sand. Then again, Kimera only knew half of the abuse that Talia endured. For some reason, Talia didn't have it in her to burden her friend with the knowledge.

      "Shall we go again?" Talia asked.

      She wasn't ready to go back.

      "I can't," Kimera said. "I need to go home and get ready. Mother said if I am late for the start of the festival she'll whip me until I can't sit. We've been invited to the palace, you know."

      "Yeah," Talia muttered.

      "I know you're treated unfairly there," Kimera said softly. "I shall do my best not to enjoy one moment of it, but I've never been to the palace before."

      Talia looked towards her friend and saw the guilt filling her dark eyes. Talia smiled and pulled Kimera into a hug. "Enjoy every moment of it, Kimi," she said. "I mean that, honestly. Eat, dance, and laugh. Don't worry about me. I'm stronger than I look."

      "Really? You mean it?" Kimera asked as she hugged her back. The younger girl looked almost relieved. Talia might have laughed had her heart not felt so heavy.

      "I do," Talia declared with a firm nod. "Now go on before you get in trouble."

      "Right, see you later!"

      "Yeah, see you later," Talia called out as Kimera gathered up her sand-glider and took off in the direction of the upper city.

      Taking a deep breath, Talia decided to make one more run before heading back. Nothing felt more free than the feel of the wind as it carried her.

      "Where is she?"

      Talia felt her breath catch in her throat. There weren't many things she feared, but that voice sent cold chills dancing down the length of her spine. She had returned to the palace far later than she had anticipated. The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the courtyard. Talia had hoped to use them to her advantage and sneak unnoticed into the stable where she kept her sand-glider stored away.

      Apparently, she had been unsuccessful in that endeavor.

      "I- I-"

      "Speak up you idiot! Where is she?"

      "T-there, my lady, she's in there," the stable hand managed at last.

      Talia cursed under her breath and frowned.

      What a coward.

      Talia managed to get the glider stowed away just as the doors to the stable flew open. The figure filled the doorway, the red-orange glow of the setting sun creating a halo of fire around the otherwise unimposing silhouette.

      "There you are," Olena sneered. "Where have you been, you worthless whore?"

      "I.."

      The young woman, a year older and a foot taller than Talia, sauntered a few steps closer. As she did so, Talia was able to see the cool, calm expression on her face. Olena was smiling, but it lacked anything resembling warmth or joy. She ran her fingers across the tack hanging along the wall. "What, Talia? What excuse do you have for me today? Please, regale me with your lies. I love a good story."

      "I was out on the dunes with Kimera," Talia said at last, her eyes watching Olena's hand. She cringed inwardly when the woman's fingers curled around the handle of a riding crop.

      "I thought I forbid you from seeing that stupid piece filth?" Olena replied.

      "She's not a piece of filth," Talia snapped before she could stop herself.

      Olena laughed, a harsh, grating sound that lacked mirth.

      "Oh my dear," Olena cooed, pulling a riding crop from the wall. "Sometimes I believe you act with such insolence because you know how much it pleases me to hurt you. Then sometimes I think you enjoy the pain. So which is it, Talia darling?" Olena stroked the leather tongue at the edge of the crop against the palm of her hand as she sauntered closer. "Do you yearn that badly to make me happy, or do you simply like it when I make you bleed?"

      "Olena, please," she whimpered, hating herself for how weak she sounded. The hold Olena had over her was strong and try as she might, Talia could never break free of the paralyzing fear that gripped her when Olena was in one of her moods.

      More laughter bubbled forth from the woman as though Talia had told an entertaining story. "Please, what, pet? You brought this upon yourself, you broke the rules."

      Without warning, Olena lashed out. A cry of pain and surprise escaped her lips when the flat pad of leather struck the swell of her right cheek. Pain radiated from the point of contact and had Talia not seen the whip fall away she would have swore she had been burned.

      "You know, Talia," Olena purred, sliding the length of the whip through her fingers.. "I realized just now that it doesn't matter why you do the things you do, so long as the end result is the same."

      Talia saw her raise the whip again and tried to get out of the way. She stumbled backwards, the heel of her boot catching on the uneven cobblestone floor. As Talia fell, the tip of the whip caught her just below her chin. The strike was followed in quick succession by another blow which landed against her left cheek.

      Talia lifted her arms to protect her face as Olena continued to strike her with the whip. "Won't you cry, dearest Talia? Beg me to stop?"

      As much as it hurt, Talia couldn't bring herself to beg. She couldn't give Olena that sort of satisfaction. Each lash burned worse than the one before and just when Talia was certain she could take no more, the blows began to lessen and finally stop altogether. Every inch of her body ached and Talia could feel welts beginning to rise where the whip had come into contact with her exposed skin.

      "Do you know what I think?" Olena declared breathlessly. "I think you deserve to spend some time in the pit. What do you think?"

      True fear struck her then and Talia found herself reaching desperately for Olena's skirts. Her fingers curled tightly into the soft velvet folds.

      "No, please," Talia gasped, her earlier pride dissolving. The thought of being left alone in that cramped, dark hole terrified her more than death itself. "I p-promise I won't disobey you again."

      Olena reached down and hooked her finger beneath Talia's chin. She angled Talia's head until their eyes met. "I'm sure you won't, my love, but what sort of mistress would I be if I did not follow through with my punishments? I warned you, did I not? I told you what I would do if you disobeyed."

      There was no warning when Olena's foot lashed out, the pointed toe of her shoe stabbing into Talia's ribs. The blow knocked the air from her lungs and caused Talia to release her hold on Olena's skirts. Smirking, the older girl stepped back.

      "Guards!" She called out sharply. Almost immediately two towering figures filled the doorway leading into the stable. Talia managed to get to her hands and knees only to be rewarded with another kick that sent her sprawling across the cobblestones again.

      "Yes, my lady?"

      "Take this filth to the put," Olena stated coolly. "Once she is there, you will leave and you will forget anything you've seen here today. Am I understood?"

      There was silence.

      "Am I understood?"

      "Y-yes, my lady," the guard replied.

      "Excellent," Olena replied, her voice chipper. "Enjoy your stay, Talia, and don't fret, I'll come visit often."