by K. Lew
Chapter 8: Blue-eyed Devil
After they saved her, they bound her wrists and ankles with rope. Whoever tied the knots, they tightened the knot to the point that the rope was digging deep into her skin. The last thing Phoebe saw was the blond man with the blue eyes giving her a sinister smile before tying a damp cloth bag over her eyes. Then she felt herself being lifted up by someone. The man carrying her was breathing hard with every step he took. Before long she figured out that someone carrying her was a man because every few minutes, he would readjust her in his shoulder so that her breasts always touched his shoulder. For a while she yelled for help until her throat went hoarse and later cursed them until someone gagged her with a cloth. She was seething inside. How dare they keep me here against my will? When my brother comes, he will kill them all. Finally, the blond man’s voice spoke out. “Put the girl down, Willis. Everyone else keep a watchful eye out. We’ll stay for an hour or two to rest before we move out again.” She was settled down onto the ground carefully.
A squeaky voice spoke. “But boss, I’m tired. Can’t we stay a little longer? I’m itching to get back to town.” A hand touched her hair.
The blond man’s voice spoke angrily. “Don’t you ever touch the merchandise again? I want her perfect when we showcase her. This is my final warning to you and the rest of y’all too.”
Merchandise? Showcase me? Are they slavers? A fear ran down her spine. She read something about slavers in her book. But what was it? It was in the last pages of her book. Her father and mother were traveling back on horseback. Her mother was pregnant. Her father and mother encountered slavers on their journey to the city of Leydeity. The slavers immediately captured them. But when the slavers heard that they were from the city of Leydeity and saw that her mother was pregnant, they set them free. The slavers apologized to them and offered to escort them to a village near the city of Leydeity. Her father said her mother politely declined, but he accepted. After a little convincing, she reluctantly accepted. Her father convinced her that they needed protection for themselves and their unborn baby, but also here was a chance to learn about the slavers and their customs. The three days her father and mother spent with the slavers surprised and changed their mindset about the slavers. The slavers were band of people that came from different cities and cultures. The slavers held no allegiance to anyone or anything only money. Her father was surprised to hear that a few slavers were formerly slaves before. These former slaves earned their way up and paid for their freedom. Their comrades called them vetritaes. Her father learned that all slaver groups were different in the ways they treat their slaves. In the group her father and mother were in, the slavers treated their slave like honorable guests, bringing out camomile tea for the slaves to drink. They even obliged and gave her mother herbal tea that was free of caffeine made from seeds of Hei tree that is said to aid pregnant women. The slaves that they captured were not tied or gagged, but there was a guard assigned to each slave. The leader of the group was a stern middle age man with a kind heart. Her father asked him how he got into the slave business. The leader said he came from humble beginnings. The leader said he started out as a farmer in a village close to the City of Leydeity. He liked his job, even though he couldn’t buy the finest things for his wife and two daughters, he was always able to earn enough to put food on the table. One day back from another hard day on the fields, he came home to see his youngest girl stricken with an unknown illness that left her unable to speak or walk. He quickly brought her to the village doctor who said that she was in a permanent coma and told him, there was nothing he could do. Soon afterwards he went into a depression and took up drinking full time. His drinking made him do things, he couldn’t control. He would hit his wife and oldest daughter when he came home from the taverns. His fields soon turned into empty, barren land of decay. Then one day he heard that there was doctor in the city of Leydeity that could heal her youngest daughter back to health. He quickly traveled there with his youngest daughter to see the doctor. When he finally got there, the doctor told him that he could heal her, but only if he gave him a hundred thousand gallons. He explained to the doctor that he was a farmer and couldn’t afford that kind of money. The doctor told him to leave and to take his sick daughter with him. He begged and got on his knees crying out his frustration. But the doctor was firm and cold, telling him he had to leave. But as soon as he left, his youngest daughter began coughing up blood. Desperate, he went back to the doctor, this time carrying a sword with him. He threatened the doctor with his life, forcing the doctor to heal his daughter. After the operation, he cried in joy as he saw his daughter opened her eyes for the first time. He was a man of his word and let the doctor live. When he came home, he watched his wife and daughter embraced his youngest daughter. But by then, he knew life would never be the same. Too many years had past and he burned any bridges with his family years ago. He soon found out the doctor he threatened was a Chemlord. He knew the lightkeepers would be coming after him. He realized the only way to make his family happy and protect them was to leave them. So that was exactly what he did. He gave up his trade and left his family, turned his back on them. As a fugitive of the law, he turned to slaving.
“Let’s get a move on it.” It was the voice of the blond man with blue eyes. He spoke again. “Willis, carry her carefully as if she was a chest full of gallons.” He spoke in delight. “I don’t know about you guys, but the first thing I’m going to do with my share of the profit is hit all of the taverns the city has to offer me with cold mead and hot wretches.”
She was lifted up carefully and settled down gently on Willis’s fat shoulders. She sensed they were on the move again. She could hear many sounds. The heavy breathing from Willis, the loud, stomping footsteps of others walking on the grass, she could hear all of the noise much better with her eyes closed. Though she couldn’t pinpoint the exact number of people in the group, by the close proximity of the footsteps together, there couldn’t be more than five people. Then she heard a set of footstep that sound distinctive different from the other footsteps. This step were a lot lower in sound and for a second, she almost didn’t hear it. She tried blocking out all the other noises and focused hard. This footstep was dragging on the ground. Was it possible that they have another captive? Maybe I’m not alone after all. I have to find a way to communicate with him or her without causing alarm. There might still be hope after all.
The other footsteps seemed to be moving a lot faster. Perhaps a change of scenery. Then she felt herself slowing down. Then she hit the ground hard. Quickly she rolled over, trying to find something sharp to cut loose her hands. “Oh no you don’t.” A hand reached over and pulled her hair. She yelled in pain. The blond man with the blue eyes spoke. “I think our prisoner needs to see what we do to runaways.”
Someone pulled the cloth bag off her eyes and her mouth. Her eyes blinked in the sunlight. The trees were gone. They were on a gravel road. Then what she saw next, made her almost throw up. A ragged man was dragging his feet as he walked. But it was the huge boulder strapped around his back that made her sick. The boulder was making the man’s back bent to the front by the stress and weight of the huge boulder. She yelled. “Stop that. Can’t you see you torturing him? Get that off him.”
The blond man with blue eyes laughed. “That my pretty girl will be your fate if you ever try to run. You’re very lucky I taken a liking to you. So if you behave, everything will run smoothly for you. If you don’t behave though...” The blond man looked back at the ragged man with a boulder strapped around his back.
She yelled in disgust. “You are a sick man. I thought slavers would at least treat their slaves like humans.”
The blond man with blue eyes spoke with a sneer. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, girl. Yeah, some slavers do. But me personally, I’m all about profits and you girl are full of profits. Now shut your dirty mouth.”
She refused. “Not until you take that boulder off his back.”
The blond man
with blue eyes went to her and grabbed her right wrist tightly. “What did you say to me? You better hope when we get back to town you are brought by someone because if you don’t, I will do things to you that will make you wish you were dead.”
She shivered in fear pleading with him. “You’re hurting me.” But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The blond man with blue eyes continued his tight grip on her wrist.
Willis spoke up. “Hey boss, you should listen to the girl. If you damage her, that’s coming out of your share.”
The blond man with blue eyes spoke to the Willis. “Shut up. I will hide the bruises.”
Willis replied. “It’s bad business to damage goods nonetheless.”
The blond man with blue eyes paused momentarily before speaking. “Will you be a good girl from now on?”
She nodded as the pain lingered. The blond man with blue eyes took his hand off her wrist. “Good. Willis, tell the others to cook me something tasty. I’ve worked myself up to an appetite.”
The girl looked at him with hatred. Brother Bear, I need you. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.
Later on that day, Willis came over to her with a bowl of lukewarm porridge and stale bread. Willis spoke. “This is the best I can do.” Willis fed her with a spoon with breaks in between with bites of the hard bread. After she had her full, she spoke. “How can you do this to another human being?”
Willis looked at her and spoke. “Look, I’m just following orders. The boss is the one you should be angry at.”
She shook her head in disgust. Willis spoke. “Look I will try to make sure the boss isn’t too rough on you. Usually he can get even worse after a drink or two.”
She spoke. “You’re not a monster like the others. Set me free. Just give me a knife and look the other way.”
Willis in turn shook his head and spoke. “You know I can’t do that.”
She spoke. “Can you live with yourself, knowing you sold a human being into slavery?”
Willis spoke under his breath. “You don’t understand. I need the gallons to help my ailing mother. My mother’s dying and I need the gallons for medicine or she will...”
She watched as Willis, a man who earlier was roughing her up was now struggling to holding in his tears. Willis wiped the tears away from his eyes.
“Hey Willis, come on man, you’re missing out on all the fun. The boss is poking the prisoner with hot sticks.” The squeaky voice came from a weasel-looking man. He was a skinny man. His nose was long and pointed like beak of a bird. His eyes were small and black. His hair was brown and messy. The weasel-looking man turned his eyes to her. He was staring down at her chest.
“Hey Willis, on the second thought you go ahead. I will watch the prisoner.” She saw his tongue wetted his dry lips.
Willis looked at his weasel-looking comrade and threatened him. “Rex if you ever touch her or even look at her you are a dead man walking. Do I make myself clear?”
Rex immediately shifted his glance to the ground. Willis spoke roughly. “Now get out of my sight or I will kill you right here.”
Rex cleared out, disappearing in a few seconds.
She spoke. “If you want thanks from me you won’t get one from me.”
Willis replied. “I don’t expect one. But it’s the least I can do because it is partly my fault that you are in this situation.” She listened as Willis spoke to her. “I’m going to get an earful from the boss later. But forget it. I’m tired of men like Rex who aren’t good at anything, but running and telling. But I don’t care anymore. I would do it again.”
Willis spoke up suddenly. “Speak of the devil.”
The blond man with blue eyes walked purposefully. He was carrying a long, gray mace with a small, gray morning star on top. Following behind him was Rex and another person.
The blond man yelled. “Willlisss! How dare you threaten my men? Only I can threaten my own men. Rex said you tried to strangle him and then tried to run off with the girl.”
Willis stood protectively in front of her. Willis spoke. “Do you think I’m that stupid? You know what is at stake for me. You know I would never mess that up.” Willis spoke again looking directly at Rex’s shifting eyes. “And if I did do want you said, hypothetically speaking you weren’t be standing in front of me now.”
The blond man with blue eyes turned his evil eyes to Rex.
Rex was sweating, turning red. “Boss, don’t believe a word he says. Willis was trying to run off with the girl so he could have all the profit for himself. He’s greedy and wants the money for food for his fat belly.”
The blond man with blue eyes stared at Rex. “You’re lying, Rex. You’re very lucky you’re married to my sister or I would bash your head in.”
Rex stammered, still red. “I’m not lying. He’s lying. You’ve...” A single arrow flew, hitting Rex in the face, right below his right eye. Rex’s body crumpled to the ground. The blond man with blue eyes was in complete shock, gawking at Rex’s dead body. Waking up to his senses, the blond man with blue eyes immediately pushed Willis hard, knocking the fat man onto the floor. He grabbed her left arm with excessive force, pulling her with him to the forest. As she screamed in pain, the blond man with blue eyes spoke to her. “You’re coming with me.” Willis grabbed her ankle, preventing the blond man with the blue eyes from pulling her away. A loud horn was blown in the distance. The blond man shifted his glance from Willis and to where the arrow came from. He let go, but not before ripping a few of strands of her hair before running off into the forest. His two lackeys ran off with him. Soon the three figures disappeared into the forest.
She heard the sound of horse neighing and hooves stomping the ground. In a few seconds, knights in black armor riding on their steeds surrounded Willis and the girl. A man in a black cloak with a red baron sigil stepped forward. He spoke in a proper manner. “I’m the commander of the Strongblood. You two are now under our custody. By law, you two are our prisoners of war now.”
A single archer on foot, rushed to the commander. “Commander, there were a few others who escaped into the forest. With your permission, may I take a score of knights in black and go after them?
The commander spoke. “The forest can have them.”
The archer spoke. “As you wish. What about the badly injured man nearby Commander?”
The commander spoke. “Show me.”
Before the commander walked away, he spoke to the knights. “Make sure the prisoners are secure.”
Three knights in black dismounted off their steeds and clasped metal chains on her hands and Willis’s hands. Then the three knights in black lead them to a caged wagon towed around by two, large herbivores. They walked on four legs and they had reptilian scales from their head to their bodies to their feet. They had two, small ears similar to a hippo. They looked disinterested and were chewing on something in their mouth. One of knights picked up her up and ushered her inside the cage. Another knight pushed Willis into the cage. The third knight shut the door and clicked the lock together. Then they walked off.
She looked around the cage. Horizontal bars like a net with vertical bars overlapped the cage. There was dried hay beneath them.
Willis spoke. “Hey, I guess since we going to be here for a while, we might as well make ourselves comfortable.”
She spoke. “Thank you...for a moment I thought I was going...”
She couldn’t finish and broke down into tears. Willis came to her side and hugged her. His warm embrace comforted her.
Finally she spoke. “None of it matters. My brother will never find me.”
Willis reassured her. “You’re alive. As long as you are alive, there is always a fighting chance. I promise on my mother’s life, I will protect you until we find your brother or until your brother finds you whichever comes first.”
She looked at him and spoke. “Thank you, Willis.”
Willis spoke. “I never got your name? Unless you mind me calling you sweetie pie from now on.”
She spoke. “No way. My name is Phoebe and my brother’s name is Patton.”
Willis spoke. “Phoebe. What a sweetie pie name. If I had a daughter I would have named her something as sweet as yours.”
The man in the black cloak came back. Two knights in black accompanied him. “He is dead. His body was covered with burned marks. But that is not what killed him, it was crushing weight he carried on his back. So connecting the dots, you must be a slaver. The penalty of being a slaver is death.” He pointed at Willis. Then he looked at her. “But you must be a captive, planning to be sold into slavery. So I will broker a deal with you. You testify against him and say he is slaver and I will set you free.”
Phoebe spoke simply. “No way. Not happening.”
The man in the black cloak stared at her and spoke. “Then you will share his fate.”
Willis interrupted, yelling loudly. “No! I’m a slaver. I confess. Please spare her life. She’s only a girl.” Willis crawled to the metal bars, gripping the metal bars with his hands.
The man in the black cloak looked at her first with a puzzled look before turning to Willis. He spoke. “It is strange. A slave and slaver trying to save each other even under the threat of death.”
The man in the black cloak left without another word. His two knights followed behind him.
Willis turned to her and smiled at her weakly. He sat down. Phoebe sat next to him and asked. “Who are they? These men in black armor?”
Willis looked at her and spoke. “You really have been living in the forest with no contact with the outside world. I will explain. You saw the red baron sigil on their armor?” She nodded. “The red baron represents the Strongblood. The Strongblood is a powerful and rich family that influence and govern the city of Leydeity with the Chemlam. I grew up admiring the Strongblood family as if they were royalty. But when I became a slaver, I learned I had to avoid them if I wanted to keep my head. They obey the law to the fullest and carry out the law with an iron fist.”
Phoebe asked. “Willis, who leads them?”
Willis replied. “Lord Strongblood. I do not know his name. He should be in his sixties by now. That is all I know.”
Phoebe asked. “Do you know where they are taking us?”
Willis replied. “No. Sorry I don’t.”
Two knights in black came back and climbed up onto the two large herbivores. A swift kick to the large herbivore’s body and the wagon began to move.
Willis spoke to her. “Sleep. You’re tired. I will wake you up if anything happens.”
Phoebe looked back at where they were staying before. She saw the red smoke. They lit a huge bonfire with the two bodies burning within, reducing into ashes. Phoebe felt no sympathy for Rex, but that other unnamed man, after all he went through, deserved a better fate. Sleep well, brave stranger. I hope you find your peace.
****