Twilight Between: Day 10

Word Count: 60,227

Summary of Events:

As he watched the sunrise, Torben thought about what Eginhard had said the evening before, musing particularly on the similarities between himself and König Odalrich I, taking much heart from the idea that König Odalrich I might've been scared to do what he'd done, but done it anyways. Adler, finally done another long, monotonous day's work, joined the supper line, where he was given a wooden plank as a plate holding his supper of a bruised apple, dried-out cheese, and a stale bun . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Because of his hunger he ate the whole apple, starting with the bruised area because it was the most unpleasant, before he moved on to the cheese, which he was pretty sure was already a naturally dry variety, based on its colour, but which had become even drier at some point by being exposed to drier air than it ought to have been.

This hard, dry outer layer was unpleasant, and even had the ability to be painfully sharp, although the inside usually wasn’t too bad, even if Adler had to admit that he wasn’t the sort of person who was really all that fond of cheese in quantities even as significant as the chunk he was eating, which was probably 50g at best.

Since it was all there was to eat, however, Adler didn’t let the sharp, dried-out outer edges or the flavour of the cheese bother him.

Finally he ate the bun, which was dry and stale, making it nearly as difficult to eat as if one were to have mistaken a fist-sized rock for a bun. Once somewhat softened by his saliva in his mouth it became a moderately more palatable mass, although he did prefer crackers when it came to dry bread-type products, as they were easier to bite and chew due to their thinner state.

Once he was finished he was, as usual, unsatisfied, his stomach still yearning for more, and even craving more, such as meat, which was something he hadn’t had in his entire time as a slave, and he was pretty sure he knew why: it was too expensive to be given to slaves.

Setting the plank of wood aside, where someone would collect it up from once he’d gone to bed, only to put another bruised apple, dried-out piece of cheese, and stale bun onto for him or someone else to eat the following day, Adler yawned, desperately tired and barely awake.

As his gaze wandered over the slaves around him, most all of whom had eaten their food and were yearning for more — as well as sleep — just as he was, Adler’s gaze was caught by what looked like a floating head.

When he fixed his gaze toward it, however, he found that it was that woman again, with her black dress simply lost in the shadows of the building she was standing beside, which made her head look as if it were floating like some ghostly apparition, even though Adler didn’t believe in such things.

Once again, her gaze was fixed on him, and even as he was prodded to his feet by the end of a Sklavestab, it didn’t once move from him.

Adler didn’t chance a glance over his shoulder as he headed into the building, sure he would get a solid whack of the end to the side of his head if he dared, besides, he was tired, and even if it was a couple of planks elevated not much more than a metre off the floor with a pathetically thin linen blanket and his linen shirt for bed linens, it was a place where he was allowed to have reprieve from his regular travails, even if for not nearly long enough.