Kenda woke with a shout as she was lifted into the air.

Mj Falco had his hands twisted into the front of her tunic. His face, a thunder cloud of anger inches away from her own . "And what do you think you're doing ?" he yelled as he shook her violently. "You have much work to do, as do I. I have wasted entirely too much time looking for you as you laze about sleeping in the sunshine."

The tunic Kenda wore though cheap was incredibly stout as it had a rune of dura and a rune of cleanse both of which directly tapped the Kenda's vitality for power. An extremely practical arrangement of magic with one massive drawback. The tunic was both strangling her and weakening her directly in order to be strong enough to do so. The tunic was basically a slave bond. Kenda flopped about helplessly as Mj Falco shook her in his rage.

"If you can't do the work when I want you to you're not even worth the nothing that I paid for you." Mj Falco slammed Kenda down onto the drift wood, her back tearing open along old scars. The blood soaking into her tunic activates the cleanse rune further weakening Kenda. She can do nothing but lay limp suspended on the pale pillar her back in agony.

"Ahhh! you lazy bitch, get up so you can do your work" Mj Falco growled at Kenda. When she failed to respond in any meaningful way Mj Falco became even more angry and a ripple of distortion rushed from his chest and slammed into Kenda crushing her down onto the stand of the orick. The solid log did not yield though Kenda did she passed out completely as her legs went completely numb and her tunic tore completely and began to slowly mend.

Mj Falco a cold look on his face turned and with a single leap cleared the distance to the wall and it's height. He landed next to her rope and casually tore it free from the stone. tossing it into the sand he said "If you survive until morning you can have your stupid orick. I will assign you to the study program and I guaranty you won't live much past sixteen."

he opened the door to the repository chamber and left.

he therefore definitely didn't see the ugly flesh colored handle protruding from Kenda's middle suddenly stop shimmering becoming suddenly substantial and then destroying the runes of dura and cleanse with an small explosion of displaced mass.

the handle sunk slowly into Kenda as it bonded permanently with her on the moment of her sixteenth birthday.

Kenda lay on the log until slowly it sunk into the sand.

The sand then moved under her carefully arranging itself around her bruised and broken body until she lay straight and flat on her back. The sound of waves constantly in the background became prominent and subtlety more and more like a lullaby.

Soft sounds of footsteps approach the sleeping Kenda.

Footprints with nobody in them stop at her side. An invisible hand brushes the sweaty hair sticking to Kenda's face to the side.

"A percent bond with an excellent host" said a soft female voice. "I think it's time to set this one free" the voice spoke again. "She needs a small aid but she has definitely earned it."

A soft warm breath washed over Kenda and with a click Kenda's legs began to twitch before she settled from unconscious into a restful sleep.

Kenda woke with a stretch. She felt unusually good today

In the background she heard Mj Falco taking to someone.

"What do you mean I can't do that. I can do whatever I want she is my property."

One of the Magistrates must be talking to him Kenda though.

The Magistrate who was known as Mg Becknot replies "actually after your oh so very generous offer last night we looked into the matter."

" Yes and ... what of it? " asked Mj Falco he was obviously exasperated.

The Magistrate said " You can't sell her to the prisoner orick study program for two reasons. One she is not a violent criminal and only violent criminals with a death sentence are to be used. Two... She Doesn't Even Belong To You!!

You have basically kidnapped an orphan! " Mg Becknot was yelling at this point.

Kenda came fully aware and realized she was in the chamber of the orick. Fear filled her at the thought of what may happen to her now after having been caught sleeping here. She had been beaten severely for minor offenses. What would she do ?