Chapter 3: Training Reyna

As seemingly docile as Reyna appears, I am taking no chances. Her claim to be possessed by a si’lat djinn could be part of an elaborate hoax to gain her freedom. Once I have completed registering Reyna in the Halls of Valhalla’s records, I have Reyna confined to the secure area to give me time to brief Zoe and Amina. Like me, Zoe refuses to accept Reyna’s claim of being possessed by a si’lat djinn. Amina is more open minded to the possibility that Reyna at least believes that she is telling the truth.

“Si’lat djinn are driven by the need for sex. They are reputedly gentle and caring, although they can be manipulative,” says Amina, reciting what she knows on the subject of si’lat djinn.

“Why bring Reyna all this way to the Halls of Valhalla?” I ponder. “The grey monks are up to no good, but what they hope to achieve is a mystery.”

“Would you concern yourself with Reyna’s story had her background been like every other slave entering the Halls?” asks Amina. “I think that she believes she has some duty to perform beyond learning to be a good slave.”

I don’t dismiss Amina’s words out of hand, but I’m far from convinced of their accuracy. The fact that Reyna is required to wear the heavy collar places her apart from an ordinary slave. The story about her being possessed by a djinn is an unwelcome complication. The absence of a more plausible reason for her arrival here is the only reason I haven’t dismissed Reyna’s story entirely.

I leave it to Farai to try a different approach towards understanding Reyna’s background. Although only sixteen years old, Farai has proved to be adept at prising information from otherwise evasive new slaves. I don’t accept Reyna’s assertion that she’s possessed by a djinn, particularly one of the types summoned by dark magic. Everything that has happened so far must have an alternative explanation rooted in the real world.

“Reyna claims that until recently she was a lady’s maid in a ruling lord’s castle,” says Farai when she briefs Zoe, Amina, and me later on her findings. “Some skulduggery resulted in her mistress being imprisoned and a new lord seizing power.”

“That sounds all too familiar,” sighs Amina, referring to the similar events that resulted in the assassination of her father, and the death or enslavement of most of her siblings. Fleeing from such brutality is what brought her, Farai and their other sisters here.

“And do you believe Reyna is telling the truth?” I ask Farai.

“No. I think there may be a kernel of truth in what she says,” replies Farai. “However, Reyna is well educated, which is uncommon for a lady’s maid. She is comfortable with being naked and shackled, which is inconsistent with her supposed background. And what she’s told me doesn’t explain her claim to being possessed by a djinn.”

The next problem Reyna causes in the smooth running of the Halls is when her three cell-mates hear about Reyna claiming to be possessed by a djinn. Three moderately compliant young women suddenly become agitated and troublesome. I suppose I should have anticipated their reaction, and confined Reyna to a cell of her own. Unfortunately that is easier said than done with the the Halls’ cells already near capacity.

I normally keep new slaves in pairs or trios until I’m satisfied that they are settled, and aren’t going to do harm to themselves or to others. It’s far too early for me to trust Reyna on her own without someone nearby. Have I made a huge mistake in agreeing to train Reyna? It isn’t that she is disobedient or rebellious. On the contrary, apart from her wild tale about her background, she has been a model slave so far.

I have always been one for taking responsibility for my actions, so I refuse to expect anyone else at the Halls of Valhalla to keep an eye on Reyna tonight. I can’t risk leaving her out of a cell overnight, so I accept the only other alternative. I shuffle the sleeping arrangements so that Reyna and I are to share a cell on our own tonight.

Sara and Gül are delighted, since it means that they get to sleep in a room rather than a cell. They have both completed their training, and they are being careful to be on their best behaviour in the hope of me securing a private sale for them. Not only will it save them the humiliation of a public auction, but every slave I consider worth trying to sell through a private sale receives a tiny addition to her slave tattoo. The additional mark is like a seal of quality. While nothing can guarantee her being bought by a good master or mistress, the mark increases a slave’s value and gives her a better chance of securing a considerate owner.

I have Zoe lock Reyna and me in a cell. It’s not the first time I’ve slept in one of the Halls of Valhalla’s cells, although the last time was in the days when Leif and Sigmund owned the Halls. In those days I was still a slave. Fortunately I know from experience that providing a slave with a comfortable sleeping mat means she is far more likely to be fresh and attentive in the morning. That’s another lesson some of the larger slave trading houses seem reluctant to learn.

“Are you not going to have me shackled, Mistress?” asks Reyna when we are alone in our cell.

“Why would I want to do that?” I reply.

“You seem very trusting of me, Mistress. What if I intended to do you harm?”

“Then you would not leave this cell alive,” I reply.

Despite the unease Reyna’s arrival has caused among the other slaves, I feel that I’m a good enough judge of character to sense that Reyna isn’t prone to random acts of violence. That doesn’t mean that I trust her, and I suspect that in the right circumstances she may well intend me harm. But not tonight.

Reyna settles into the routine of the Halls of Valhalla after a couple of days. She hasn’t repeated her claim of being possessed by a djinn, and nothing in her behaviour gives me any cause for concern. The other slaves still avoid Reyna when they can, but that rarely interferes with the daily routine. What does become clear is that whatever her background, Reyna has never worked as a lady’s maid. Neither does she have the sexual skills a si’lat djinn reputedly possesses. On the contrary, she is hesitant when it comes to anything sexual. What she told Farai and me is false, even though she had no reason to lie. Normally I don’t concern myself with a slave’s past life, since her enslavement effectively starts her life anew. However, Reyna intrigues me. She’s obedient, and she is well mannered. Her language skills are excellent, but she is sexually inexperienced and her domestic service skills are in need of improvement.