Earthbound

[Kale Allerion]

The day faded into another sleepless night. I lay wide awake staring at the ceiling, the disturbing words I had heard at dinnertime replaying in my mind.

_______________________

"I don't like him," Faiyah said to the table as I poured her a glass of tea. I could tell by her expression she was carefully choosing her next words, biting back the ones she wanted to say. "He's too...radical."

"Radical he may be," Lady Vithica said between bites. "But that Baradier makes some very interesting points."

My hands trembled ever so slightly as I began pouring tea for Lady Vithica. I had heard the traveling orator Baradier's "interesting points", and they disgusted me and even frightened me a little. He proclaimed, and in no uncertain terms, that we earthbound people were the scum of the earth - unfit even to be slaves of the winged ones.

Faiyah bit her lip and stared at her food. Poor girl. It was so hard for her to keep her opinion to herself, but she knew it wouldn't be appreciated by her family.

"What, then?" her father, Lord Faoturk, said, noticing her expression. "Do you sympathize with them?"

Her eyes said "yes", but her shaking head said "no."

That settled, Lord Faoturk returned to his meal. Said nothing else for the remainder of the evening.

___________________________

Baradier is just a crazy radical, I told myself. He won't amount to anything.

But then...my master and mistress, two important political figures, seemed to be taking his words seriously. The thought made me uneasy.

No matter, I thought, shutting my eyes again. I need sleep. Long day tomorrow.

After ten or fifteen minutes, I finally dozed off.