[The following is written in a strange script, appearing more as a series of stylised squiggles than any lettering known in the West.]
On this day, this one returned to the town of Combe. It has been long since last Calilla set foot in this place, but she is glad that she did. The memories here are bitter and sweet; it is an interesting contrast. Here, she sat encircled in the arms of a man who loved her dearly - a man who sought no dominance over her, but was pleased when he realised that she would obey. This one remembers Michael with great fondness, although there is some sadness in knowing that he has long since disappeared. She wonders if, in her absence, the jealous Ceou finally succeeded in her coup. Does Michael lie dead at the hands of the woman Calilla was forbidden to kill? Is his fate more benign? She cannot know. The only contacts of those days remaining to her are uncertain of the reasons behind his departure. Even Ceou is gone. Hopefully dead. That this one could not end the life of that woman will ever be a source of regret, but Michael wished for Calilla to stay her hand and so she did. Frustrating or not, that time in Calilla's life was simple and filled with a warmth she had never known before. She misses that.
Thoughts of the past are only as useful as the lessons they teach, and this one has learned much, although perhaps not enough. She turns her mind now to a future she would never have been permitted under the yoke of her Master. If she had remained loyal to his whims, she would be long dead - a mistake, a slowing of the reflexes or an example made to keep the other slaves in line. The reasons would not matter; the result would have been the same. Instead, she walks strange lands, trying to learn to live by strange rules that often make no sense or are contradictory. She speaks with those who are unafraid to waste a moment on one of her kind, trades with those who cannot make their transactions elsewhere or are too enamored of her exotic wares to lay aside their greed. Moreso, she seeks the affection of a man whose desire for her is a source of shame.
But that is a consideration for another day.
