The air hummed with activity as merchants haggled passionately over their wares, and vendors barked their sales pitches, competing for the attention of the bustling crowd. The constant clatter of wooden carts, piled high with goods, rumbled over uneven cobblestones, accompanied by the rhythmic clip-clop of horses' hooves.
Amid the throngs of people, children clung to their parents' tattered garments, their tear-streaked faces reflecting the harshness of their existence. Chains clinked with a mournful rhythm as enslaved men, women, and even the young shuffled along, their expressions marred by resignation.
"I was told there will be lots of slaves today, and I rushed to get it cheap" one man said to his friend, "I didn't expect it to be human slaves"
"I know what you mean," the friend replied as they watched another slave carriage stop to offload another set of human slaves, this time mainly women and children.
"Where are they getting them from?" the first man asked.
"Drakoria, I think" his friend replied. "Relatives of those who fought against the king. When the king's knights came, many who ran away fell victims to bandits and slave traders. Easy preys"
"That's ruthless" the man replied, "I was in Altstadt when the message came in, I didn't think he will go through with it."
"You should have seen the bloodshed" his friend replied, with a tinge of emotion in his voice. "Everybody who resisted was cut down, doesn't matter if they were children. And the worst part is that you can't even hide or pretend because the king promise to give half of the properties of the defaulters to any who reports them. Family turned against family, neighbors against neighbors. It was hell."
"Fucking shit" the man cussed, "that sent a cold shiver down my spine. He reminds me of tales of his great grand father. Pure evil."
"So you are no longer sending your youngest there?" his friend inquired.
"Would you?"
"Makes no sense not to" his friend reasoned, "cheap houses, taxes only for a few years and then if he somehow joins the king's army and dies in battle, his salary, which is higher than it is here will still be paid to his family for the next 20 years."
"Sounds like a trap" the man said, just as he was about to add something else, they were approached by three people. The woman at the forefront was swathed in dark, form-fitting robes that clung to her lithe figure. An extra black scarf draped over her neck, adding an additional layer of concealment. Flanking her were the two sturdy men, similarly adorned in these distinctive enigmatic outfits, with hoods that hinted at the secrecy they embodied.
"I need directions to Aurora's slave house" the woman asked, her tone kind yet authoritative.
"See that twin red tower over there?" the man's friend pointed out at the distance. The strange people turned and followed his finger. The women nodded to acknowledge she sees it. "Take a right turn, you will see a narrow alleyway, go through the alleyway to the other side and you will see it, no doubt."
The strange woman bowed her thanks and they left to follow his directions. The two friends stared at the fellows as they leave.
"A very pretty thing, isn't she?" the man's friend remarked, "She's no doubt a high noble, or maybe even a princess"
"What made you say that?" the man asked.
The man's friend turned to him. "You didn't feel that?"
"What?"
"The presence of those two?" he said but the man shook his head. "Well they were no ordinary" his friend added.
They turned back to look at the three again but they couldn't find them. They've disappeared into the crowd. At the same time, new slave carriages were arriving and that got their attention.
┌─────── ♕ ───────┐
Nadia followed the man's directions, and when she and the king's knights went through the alleyway to the otherside of the street facing them were gigantic walls of a castle, and a heavy black metal gate. The gates were opened and two carriages went out of the compound.
Nadia and her companions approached the gate but got stopped by the guards.
"Pass" one of the guards demanded, his tone firm and unwavering.
"We don't have any," Nadia replied, her voice steady, "It's my first time here"
"Then I'm sorry you can't enter" the guard said dismissively, "Not if you want to keep your hood up"
"Are you sure?" Nadia said, extended her hand, revealing a handful of glimmering gold coins and a few silvers. "That's fine" she closed her palm. "Care to point me at the direction of the next slave house?"
The guard was conflicted. He looked at his mate for help but the other guard just turned away, not wanting to get involved.
"I'm sure it's fine" the guard stammered. "Please enter"
Nadia said nothing and entered, the king's knights following closely behind.
The compound was big and elegant. A broad cobblestone path stretched before them, flanked by meticulously manicured green shrubs that adorned its edges. The path led their gaze toward a majestic house in the distance.
Surrounding the compound, magnificent trees with sprawling canopies whispered in the morning breeze, casting dappled shadows on the well-kept carpet grass that blanketed the ground. In front of the grand house stood two stately palm trees, their fronds also swaying gently in the wind.
Back in a slave house again, Nadia thought,her heart beating a bit faster and her breath grew uneven. She didn't know it would disturb her this much.
She moved forward with resolve, not sparing a glance at the short, fat oaf, who was leading two of her kind into a carriage. With each step forward she was regaining herself. She climbed up the stairs, and as she approached the door, it swung open from the inside. A striking human woman with a warm and welcoming smile stood before her.
"Welcome," she greeted and ushered them in.
Inside is a massive double staircase waiting room, and busy with people, mostly transactions going on. Nadia was casually looking around, trying to seem unbothered by the familiar scenes.
"This way please" the woman's voice cut through the noise.
Nadia's gaze followed the sound, and there, to her surprise, the woman stood at the foot of the stairs on the left. Upstairs? That's strictly VIPs, she thought.
She joined the woman and they climbed. At the top, they entered a room that seemed to exist in a world apart from the bustling space below. At the center of the room, two luxurious couches, dressed in the finest linen, faced each other.
"Please have a seat," the woman directed, her tone gracious. "The Proctor will be with you in a minute."
After the woman closed the door, Nadia stood for a moment, looking. Her last slavehouse had artifacts used in spying on the important guests before they were attended to. Not that it matters, but she kept looking to see if she could identify one of such. None stood out. She gave up and went and took a seat, the knights standing dutifully behind her couch. The king said take care of her, and that they've been doing, without reservations since they started on this mission, despite the fact she's a "zar", as the humans call them. That's the kind of King they need, but how long will it last? Of what value is she to him? It's bothered her more than she thought possible.
The door swung open, and a very lean, impeccably dressed nobleman strode into the room. His face was bare but he seems to be in his 30s in human counting.
"When they told me there was an interesting guest" he said, crossing the room to take a seat on the empty cushion across Nadia. "I never expected it to be an elf."
With an air of relaxed elegance, he settled into the cushion, one leg casually crossed over the other, and his arm resting comfortably on top of it.
"Come now," he said, smiling, "You didn't honestly think we wouldn't know, did you?"
Nadia remained silent, and he continued, "How many do you know with a skin as pale as your kind? And then there's the scarf round your neck..."
He looked at her for a moment, then said, "Take it off"
There was silence for a few moments, then she replied with a simple, "No."
The reply was not entirely unexpected but it shocked him still, and his face conveyed as much. There was no doubt, she is an elf, and she ought to know he knows, yet she was so comfortable with her refusal. Not many nobles would do that, let alone a slave. Is she unaware of his identity?
"I listen to no one but my master" she added, "And if you don't like it, you can force it out from me"
When she said the last bit the two big men behind her drew their swords, the sound menacing.
Her words angered him so much and it took alot to keep himself under control. His eyes left the two men and then rested on her again.
"They sure look impressive," he said, "But are you sure they will be enough?"
"What? No," she said like she was surprised he would think that. "All I need is for them to die here. That would be enough"
The proctor gave a forceful short laugh that ended in smile but within him he was seething with rage.
"So how may we help you?" he inquired, his voice dripping with restrained irritation.
"I will know when I see it" she replied simply.
He stared at her again but once more decided to let it slide.
"Very well then" he said, rising up. "Come with me"
He has dealt with many rude customers before, mostly high nobles, but never from someone so lowly. Of course he has encountered many rude slaves, it's part of the business, but they often come from a place of disdain, anger. That he understands. But this one? She talk to him like they are equals, almost condescending and that boils his soul.
"So what's your master's name?" he asked as they began their journey down the hallway. "Is he from the south?"
She remained silent, as he had expected, but the lack of response still grated on his nerves. They continued in silence until they reached the end of the hallway, where a vast arched picture window framed a view of the backyard.
The Proctor had already descended three steps before realizing that the elf and her guards weren't following. He turned to find her standing by the picture window, her gaze focused on the backyard as if searching for something. She turned to him, her expression inquisitive.
"How do I get down there?" she asked.
He climbed back up to join her and looked in the direction she had been watching. The vast backyard was filled with hundreds of slaves working, making it impossible to discern any one person.
"Take the other staircase down" he told her, and she walked away before he could give any other instruction.
The Proctor watched her progress until she disappeared beneath the staircase, her footsteps fading away. Normally he would follow her but he didn't see the need.
Few minutes later she came outside, followed by her guards. His gaze followed them and they were heading to the old half-goat breaking wood.
"Eder," Nadia called in a hushed voice in their native tongue.
The old faun's axe came down heavy again on the wood, splitting it in half before turning slowly to the familiar voice that called him.
Nadia smiled at him. He looks almost unrecognizable, his hair and beards bushy and grey. His horns have been sawed off, and his once proud chest muscles sagged a bit.
"Lady Nadia" he chuckled, finally recognizing her, his smile coming off sad, the utter defeat never leaving his eyes. Then as though now noticing the other two behind her, he looked at them, then back at her again, taking notice of her fine cloths and then his eyes came upon the scarf on her neck.
Nadia pulled it down slightly with a finger to show him that it was indeed empty.
"I have found us a place," she said, adjusting her scarf back in place. "Is Ophelia still with you?"
"Yes," Eder replied after a moment's pause. He picked up another piece of wood to be cleaved and positioned it on the splitting stump. "But she is...she is not herself."
He raised the axe high and brought it down on the wood, splitting it halfway.
"But she's alive?" Nadia asked, starring at his trembling hands as he was forcing the stuck axe out.
"Yes," he replied, setting the half split wood upside down. "Last I heard."
"And when was this?"
"Few months back," he replied with a hint of uncertainty. "I can't remember"
Nadia cussed under her breath. She watched him split the wood again, and his trembling hand picked up another. He was once a most feared General in the rebel forces. Though impossible to see now, but she knows him well and what she wants is still perfectly intact.
"I came here for you too, Eder" she said, "We need you"
Eder scoffed and flipped the wood over before breaking it in two and tossing the pieces aside.
"There's nothing much this old body can do for you, my dear lady" he remarked.
He picked up another piece of wood and placed it on the stump.
"Would I be here if that were true?" she said in a serious tone and he turned to meet her gaze.
"Like I said," she continued, "We have found a better place"
He stared into her eyes and saw she was serious, and that surprised him.
"A slave is a slave," he said firmly, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "There's no such thing as better...and I'm tired of changing masters."
He turned back and hit the wood harder than he had hit any of them before, though it gave almost similar outcome. He was angry and Nadia could see that.
"Not even if you live the rest of your life without the collar?" she said to his back, calmly.
The words had the effect Nadia thought it would. Her without a collar is surprising but not entirely shocking to those who know her, because she is "not talented". The humans made the collars in a way that restricts the flow of "mana" of her kind. In a world where their mana is already massively depleted, another restriction was hell for the talented ones. It was like getting 'attached to a boulder' and forced to walk with it. It keeps many of them constantly weak and often tired out but that's better than a slave that could fight back so the idea of a master that doesn't put his slaves on collars sound too good to be true.
"Let's get something clear. I am not forcing you, neither am I pleading with you." she went on, "We do need you, but only the you that comes willingly because you want to. It could be dangerous for us otherwise, and I'm not willing to risk that. We can always find someone else but it is impossible for us to find an opportunity like this again. So what's it going to be? Do you want in? Or should I find someone else? "