Chapter 1

A message from my father to pay a visit to his compound at Wadi Halaf is nothing unusual. Three trading caravans have entered the city over the last week. His request that I bring Zoe, is what makes me think this is more than the usual opportunity to inspect slaves I might be interested in buying. Zoe and I regularly visit the harem at Wadi Halaf to socialise with my mother and half-sisters, so it’s unlikely my father’s summons is for a social visit.

My father and I have been doing regular business together in the two years since I gained my freedom, and ownership of the Halls of Valhalla. Our city lies on the crossroads of two major trading routes. The many caravans that pass through our city regularly stop at Wadi Halaf for fresh supplies. Usually the caravan merchants are interested in conducting some local trade. My father alerts me if they are looking to sell slaves so that I can get first look at what is on offer. The Halls of Valhalla specialises in training recently enslaved females from distant lands. It’s a specialised niche market that is very profitable. It’s also a difficult one for the larger slave trading houses to service. My ability to speak several languages, together with my own experiences as a former slave, give me a unique advantage over the established houses when it comes to preparing young women from distant lands for a life as a slave.

We leave Mahmud and Hanna to watch over the six slaves we currently have undergoing training. The six holding cells at the Halls of Valhalla can each house four slaves, so we have plenty of room for new stock. Mahmud is the only male living with us. He’s a former city guard who has worked at the Halls of Valhalla since it first opened. He now lives out his semi-retirement as our night-watchman, and occasionally as a slave overseer. As regards Hanna; she is a pretty twenty-year-old slave with long blond hair who has exceptional cooking skills. I had initially bought her with the intention of training her to be sold as a wealthy man’s bed-warmer, but her cooking skills have earned her a place here. She has proved her value many times over.

Zoe and I arrive at Wadi Halaf. The gate guards know us and they admit us without any fuss. The huge main yard between the gates and house at Wadi Halaf is often crowded with the wagons and pack animals of visiting caravans. But this morning the yard is empty, apart from the slaves busy cleaning up the animal dung and other detritus from the latest caravan.

A servant guides us to where my father is waiting. He’s sat alone in one of the large rooms he uses for business negotiations. Something is clearly worrying him. I am offered a seat, which is something he rarely does, and a sure sign that this is something serious. Even though I’m no longer a slave, he still treats me as such when we are alone. A slave is expected to stand or sit on the floor, which is how he normally holds business meetings with me. I may be a free woman these days, but the stigma of my former slavery is still rooted in his mind. He doesn’t offer Zoe a seat, so she sits on the floor next to me.

I’ve offered my cousin Zoe manumission several times over the last two years, but she stubbornly refuses to accept the responsibilities that go with freedom. Zoe was purchased as a house slave for the Halls of Valhalla when it was owned by Leif and Sigmund. Zoe became my slave when my father, in his capacity as city warlord, accepted Leif’s dying wish for the Halls of Valhalla to become mine. Although she is my slave, I have given Zoe certain privileges. Unless we are in a formal meeting with a client, I don’t expect her to call me Mistress when she speaks to me.