By the age of seven, Aloysia was already brighter than the men in her family, and she paid the price, her drunken father losing her in a bet to a Radanite Jewish slave trader. He was on his way to Iberia with a dozen Saqaliba, prized Slav eunuchs with both penis and balls removed, an operation just one in three survived. Before crossing the Alps, Aloysia was traded again to a Serbian lord, Drasko, who Intended to use her as a breeder. Her eyes, that never flinched at the whip, never looked down, or away, soon convinced Drasko this bright girl would be wasted in such a simple role. She was set to work plying her charm and gile to tempt young children from their parents in the crowded markets of Lombardy. It was Aloysia that suggested the use of aborted foetuses and tried to move the Votary away from preying on children for their sanguine supply. She and Drasko were soon lovers. As her youth betrayed her, she would always move on to a new city, each time with a new identity, until she often found herself confusing the threads of stories and truths. One of the few female members, Aloysia remained, for most of her life, one of the Votary’s leading lights.
