Aristunn woke me up by knocking on the door. I was excited because I had a date tonight. But there was so much to do that I doubted I'd have time to prepare myself. I'd at least do my makeup, that was a given. Some top merchant was celebrating the birth of his firstborn son. But before I start weeping at my total lack of accessories, I need to tackle two spiny subjects. That I am now a slave owner and the fate of Hama-Tula's family.

In an ideal world they would just move out, live on their own with their dowries and everything would be fine. But from what I grasped these last two days, Hama-Tula had a lot of outstanding debt and now that he died all this debt belongs to his family. His assets became mine but not the debt. And the debt collectors are also slave merchants just like Hama-Tula was. It is not hard to see how it will end. Hama-Tula's children will become debt slaves.

Debt slaves are enslaved for a period of three years. The owner of the slave can work him any way he wants and slaves have few rights. Once these three years are over, the value paid for the slave is abated from the outstanding debt. If the debt is big enough to warrant another three years enslavement, the cycle repeats. The slave has the right to shelter, basically whatever tarp is thrown over their heads to keep the rain off, the right to clothing, whatever rags the owner gives them to cover their modesty, the right to food, that excludes some things like potatoes but boils down to whatever leftovers from the owner's kitchen he gives them.

That part is weird. They eat almost no tubers or roots. Potatoes, beets, carrots are not considered food for people. Not even slaves.

If the debt slave is female, the owner can rape her as much as he wants. If she bears children, she becomes a concubine. Much like Hama-Tula's second wife or what would happen to Belle-Sunu if she conceived. Becoming a concubine ends the debt slavery, clears any outstanding debt owed by the female but she becomes a concubine, that is only one step above slaves. The husband can even cast her off if he grows bored of her. If she has any adult sons, the sons have to support the mother, otherwise, it is either the brothel or the streets if she has no skill to earn a living.

Children can also be enslaved but their worth is so low they usually aren't. When they are, it is because the master wants something else from the child other than the raw labor. Enough said. I'm too disgusted to keep writing.

So there I was at the house courtyard after spending most of the morning learning about how was life in the household. I sent two of the eunuchs with some money to buy a few items but now I had to act. The lady of the former Hama-Tula estate, flanked by my trusted advisor on all things mundane and mystical, the witch Nanna. Behind me Aristunn and the other eunuchs I'd learn about soon, and in front of me two groups, kneeling. The twenty-three slaves that worked in the place, and Hama-Tula two wives and eight children. The only person that wasn't there was Belle-Sunu. She was cooking lunch.

It seems that I'd have another moral headache ahead. To choose the lesser of two evils on either situation.

I decided to deal with the slaves first. My first impulse was to release them, but how would they earn a living? These people only knew how to do slave work. Even if they were to sell their labor elsewhere, they wouldn't be able to compete in the labor market with the other slaves that basically do it for cheap. They would have to pay for shelter, food, and other necessities out of their own pockets. Their only choice would be to sell themselves into slavery again.

Keeping them left a sour taste in my mouth. Hama-Tula had no debt slaves in his household. They were all permanent slaves, captured from wars or raids into other countries or city-states, or born from permanent slave parents like Belle-Sunu. They were one step below the debt slaves in the social ladder. I would have no problem keeping them and granting them a decent life but the fact stood that in my mind, I'd be a criminal. To keep slaves was anathema to one born and raised in a free world like Earth. From the Americas to Europe to Japan, all the places I lived in would be considered paradise by these people.

I remembered the conversation I had with Nanna behind closed doors before assembling them here.

"I want to release them, Nanna. In my world, to own another human was one of the most heinous crimes one could commit. I don't want to own slaves."

The witch nodded. She sighed and spoke, "In these few days we've been together, I learned a lot about you, girl. But you are no longer in your world. What you call release, here is called 'casting away'. Slaves that are no longer useful to their owners and that would be too expensive to maintain are thrown away by their owners, 'released'. I've seen my fair share of them. Starving. Diseased. Begging. Robbing and eventually either dying or getting killed either by criminals or the law enforcers."

I slumped my shoulders. "Don't slaves run away all the time?"

"Yes, some do. But the law says that when a runaway slave is captured, the owner has to pay half the slaves' worth as a bounty to whoever brings the slave back. Several groups hunt runaway slaves as they are easy money. Including those thugs that worked for Hama-Tula. Just give up on those silly ideals and live in reality, Sandra."

I didn't answer. I just looked away through the window and bit my thumb. I vowed to deal with this slave situation. If I had no short-term, easy solution, my only choice was to go for the hard, long-term solution. I'd teach these slaves how to earn a living, grant them the conditions to live on their own and only them release them. But that would be a project for months, years even. I would have to keep being a slaver for the time being.

Turning away from the window, I faced the witch. "What do slaves do when they have no chores?"

My brief reminiscence ended and I looked at the slaves.

The dilemma was tearing my heart apart. Fifteen men and eight women. As far as I know, the women were never touched by Hama-Tula and the men were not eunuchs. Hama-Tula allowed them to have sex in the pens in hopes of getting some child slaves. That created a tragic internal mechanic in the slave pens. The slaves didn't want to have children. Nobody would want to bring children into the world if they would be slaves for life, I guess. But the men occasionally sought the women when they wanted. They had non-conceiving sex most of the time and when the day of the month wasn't favorable they had to go for side B.

That was the first thing I'd change. Separate accommodations for men and women. I had no problem with consensual sex between them, but that was not the case. I might have a gender bias at work here but I didn't care.

I started my prepared speech.

"I will give you a choice. Those among you that don't want to stay here will be released from slavery. I'll take you to the courthouse and get the release papers drafted. I'll be honest with you, I wanted to release all of you, but Nanna brought to my attention that some of you might not want to take on the challenge of living on your own. Who wants to get released from slavery and rise to the rank of the freed people?"

The social structure of this place had several strata. From the bottom up, permanent slaves, debt slaves, and runaway slaves. Then the ranks of the 'free to die on their own', beggars, freed slaves, and freeborn people. These people needed only one bad week to fall into slavery. Above the ones living in misery, the craftsmen, merchants, and those that had some way to earn a living that didn't depend on breaking their backs every day, like minor landlords or business owners. A step up there was the town's elite. Master craftsmen, merchant lords, wealthy inheritors. Then the nobles, and finally the town ruler, Lord Es-Kinna.

Since I now owned Hama-Tula's assets, I was in the 'merchant lord' category.

Among the slaves, thirteen stood up. All male, the youngest and strongest ones. They gave me the same 'stupid girl throwing money away' look. These thirteen were absolute scum in my book. I bet they were the ones that sodomized the women the most.

"Round these thirteen and put them in irons. From this moment on you are no longer part of this household. I'll give you one last meal before we go to the courthouse to get you released." I could see a brief panic in their eyes. "I won't go back on my word or give you any kind of corporal punishment." After they relaxed, I pointed at the guards. "Take them to the pens. Let them gather whatever personal items they have."

I had to keep them chained for one little reason. They had to be present so the judicial chirurgeon could remove their tattoos and the courthouse drafted the release papers. But until the papers are notarized, there's no way they can be sure I'm not selling them. These were the ones with the lowest loyalty and for them to run away and give me the headache of having to pay bounties on them not much was required.

The lesser evil I came up with was to take them in chains to the courthouse. I'd have to live with the image in my mind.

Two men in their forties or fifties, the gardeners and the eight women remained. I waited for the thirteen to be out of hearing range before I continued. "You do not wish to be released? To become free?" I asked them.

One of the gardeners answered for the group, "These old bones are of no use elsewhere, mistress. I've worked the gardens of this house for twenty years. I talked to my friend, and he agrees with me. As for the women, now that there's only us here, they would not wish to be anywhere else."

"Fair enough if that is your wish. I have a task for you. Draw water from the well and fill the barrels the guards purchased. All of you can go to."

The ten slaves left for the well. With one problem solved, it was time to address the second one. Banunu, the second wife and the nine kids of ages ranging from thirteen to six were also kneeling. My plan for them was a cruel one but Banunu was willing to poison herself yesterday. I doubt they would disagree.

"I'll send you away with your dowries. Your luck is your own. Go and live on your own. There is one small house in the southwestern ward of the town, I'll gift it to you and that's all. Does any of you have anything to say?"

Rubati, the second wife, one that rose from slavery by giving Hama-Tula three male children, was the one that spoke first. "Milady, I know you are generous and merciful. You spared Banunu's life yesterday. I beg you not for us but for our children. Hama-Tula had a lot of debt. If we are cast out of this house, the debt collectors will enslave us and our children. Banunu's dowry will be taken to pay the debts. Please, mistress. Don't cast us out!"

"I deci--" I opened my mouth to speak but Nanna poked my ribs and cut me off.

The witch was furious. Her wrinkled face curled into a terrifying snarl, one that would give the seven dwarves pause to rethink their chase. She really looked the part right now. My heart froze and all anyone there could do was to listen.

"Wretched leeches! You are well aware that if you are kept here the debt collectors will come after Sandra for payment! If she does not sever the tail of the snake, the head will bite her! I asked around yesterday. If all of Hama-Tula's debt were to be paid, all of his business and this house would have to go. What you ask the stupid girl is that she gives up all she owns to save your sorry arses!"

"Nan--" I tried but once again she cut me off.

"You as wives are responsible for this house's ruin. You didn't curb your husband's impulses, you let him run wild and shower you with fancy silks and intricate embroidering. Jewels and gold. Now reap ruin! Sell your jewels, sell your silks, sell your bodies. You pushed Hama-Tula into living beyond his earnings and now the gods demand balance."

I wondered how much would the prince pay for me. It was a silly and stupid thought but I wanted to know my net worth. I pushed that down and locked it down. I decided right then I was worth ten million gold shekels. At six to eight grams a coin, that's all the gold bullion owned by the governments of the USA and France together.

Just for the record, the coins were all of uniform weight. I just didn't know the exact measurement.

Banunu and Rubati broke into tears. Some of the children also started to cry. Nanna hadn't stopped talking and now I was her target.

"You hurry up and expel them. Break all ties with the house of Hama-Tula before ruin finds us."

The witch's choice of pronouns wasn't lost on me. "Us," I quipped when I met her eyes.

"My tent, my tools, my merchandise is ruined because of you, girl! I have nowhere else to go and you are clueless about the ways of this world. Consider this a favor from me to you, to stay by your side and give you good advice, yes?"

I knew very well what this witch wanted. This estate was way cozier than the caravanserai tent. But she had a good point. Even though I compensated her with the two gold shekels, I still owed her for the trouble. And after you got to know her, the witch was even lovable.

"You are hired. For your counsel, you get a guest room in the main house, three meals a day and in the future, I'll build you a shed for your witchcraft. Is that acceptable?"

She cackled until she ran out of air. And that was how I got a witch in my house working as my advisor. But she was right. If I kept the family here everything would be repossessed. I spent the whole morning racking my brain on what to do. It was too callous to just toss them out. But I did want to have a place to live. Heck, I had to fight off a tentacle monster naked in the river for this. Maybe some of their customs were rubbing on me, but the least terrible choice was still terrible.

To save the body, I'd have to sever the arms. That was a solution I already passed through Nanna earlier and she begrudgingly approved.

"Banunu and Rubati, you are hereby banished from this house. You will take your children and the dowries you brought in with you when you married and leave."

I felt like I was condemning the family to death. Given the kind of associates Hama-Tula had around him, that might even be truer than I expected. The eunuchs grabbed the two women and were about to drag them out when I raised a hand. It was real but also staged.

"I offer you three silver minas for each of your children. Sell them to me and I will keep them as my slaves in this house." A mina was worth six shekels. A large coin. I was mistaken earlier to think it was decimal. That was more than what a child was worth. Eighteen silver shekels. Thirty is reserved for adults.

I kept repeating to me it was all a ploy to legally separate the children from the debt. That I was not trafficking in human lives. The children were confused. They looked back and forth between me and their mothers. I felt Nanna's leathery hand grasp mine. Was the witch the angel or the demon on my shoulder?

'And by my side, I see a monster on my wing. She drags me on, she keeps me safe, she makes me see.' The song lyrics by a punk rock band from Seattle rang in my mind. '... Instead, I suffer here for this'.

Neither widow was expecting this. They exchanged glances, looked at their children. It was a downsized version of the offer from yesterday. After exchanging a few whispers I couldn't hear, they nodded.

"We accept your offer. But Rimush is thirteen and will come of age next year. Would you pay one gold shekel for him?"

Nanna squeezed my hand and I glared at Banunu through narrow eye slits. "Children are children. And I can never be sure he'd take after his mother's venomous habits. Take my offer and leave, or just leave."

Once these two were out of the gates, their best bet would be to run away from town. I couldn't help them though. If they were caught by the debtors, they'd be stripped of all possessions they carried and then sent to slavery. Since they were widows and already old for a sex slave, their market price suffered a big drop.

I felt dizzy. That was about my limit. The two women stood up, hugged their children and then went inside. A choir of weeping voices ensued. One of the kids, the youngest tried to run after his mother and was held back by his sister. My knees were about to give. I heard the bag of coins I'd prepared changing hands behind me. The two women would walk out until the gate and then theatrically tossed out for any passerby to witness that they were cast out.

Before they left though, the contracts for the children were signed by the mothers. Nanna served as a witness and my signature was already in the parchment.

I bit my lip so hard blood came out. My fingernails dug into my palms. I was a monster. I bought a lot of people. I tore children from their mothers, I got their father killed. I just tossed two women out to be eaten by man-wolves.

I wish I was one of those Marys Sues that whipped everything wrong away with a smile and song. While I was confident in my singing voice, I wasn't. Once I got Hama-Tula's possessions yesterday, the debt collectors would consider me part of the Hama-Tula estate as well if I did nothing.

Casting the widows out was the only way. At least the children were safe. Maybe if I kept repeating that to myself, I'd believe.

It was too much for me. Not only I was just a college undergraduate student a week ago, but I also lived in a completely different society. My mind was going around in loops.

"Aristunn, take the mistress to her room. She spent too much time under the sun. I'll make sure her wishes are followed," Nanna said.

I felt Aristunn holding my shoulder and my feet just followed him. Soon I was lying on my bed, my face buried in my pillow.

I cried myself to sleep.