by Kris Kramer
***
The Ochaian showed up shortly after to examine Saras, and it was just as uncomfortable for him as it was for us. I’m not sure, but I think of the three of us, the Ochaian liked Saras the best. When he finished, he nodded his head at Saras and smiled a little, which sent shivers down my back. I’d heard the rumors about what some male slaves were forced to do in that kingdom, and I didn’t wish that on my friend. Or even an enemy. Maybe Arnum.
As fate would have it, Arnum showed up only a few hours later. He, along with two of his men, had been escorted to the camp by Hagrim’s men so he could see me and ensure I was worth paying for. He didn’t smile when he saw me. Not right away, at least. No, in that moment before the edges of his lips curved upward, I saw in his eyes a frantic determination to make sure what he was seeing wasn’t another elaborate trick. I’d escaped his grasp a few times now, and that night in Harfort had been his last, best chance to finally take me. Had I made it to Raven’s Crest, I’d be untouchable. So finding me here was nothing short of a stroke of unbelievable luck. A boon from whatever gods he prayed to. And I could see him thanking those gods when he approached me.
“Look at you,” he smirked, arrogance plastered all over his face. “Tied up. Like the criminal you are.” I should have said something, if only to reassert the fact that I was smarter than him, but nothing came to mind that was worth the actual effort of speaking. I stared back and smiled. I had to let him know I wasn’t afraid of him. “Nothing to say? Did they do us all a favor and cut out your tongue?”
“When I have something to say that you might actually understand,” I said, “I’ll say it.”
“You’ll pay for your insults once I have you, halfman. You’ll pay a dozen times over, just to keep me entertained on the ride back to Pontas. Although maybe we’ll walk, so we can spend some more time together before we get back and I turn you in. Your companion, here” he said, looking at Saras, “he’ll die first, just so you can watch. If I feel like paying for him.” My muscles tensed. Arnum could threaten me all he wanted, because I knew he couldn't deliver unless I was tied up and held down. The only thing his posturing ever earned from me was pity and scorn, because only a delusional fool would keep coming after me after failing so many times. But threatening my friends would earn him a painful death.
“And you,” he turned to Riose, shaking his head and laughing. “I guess this is what happens to people who cross me.” He looked at both of us when he said that, and I resisted the urge to check the expression on Riose’s face, mostly because I didn’t want Arnum to know he knew something I didn’t. “The three of you all tied up, like wild dogs. The only thing missing are your leashes and maybe a bone or two to fight over.”
“You’re not here to spend all day taunting ‘em,” Hagrim said.
Arnum grunted and stared at me again. “How’s this work?” he asked.
Hagrim walked up next to him. “You make your bid, and I match it against all the others I get today. If you win, you get him and the rock. If you don’t, you leave, and maybe we do business some other day.”
“What’s the high bid so far?”
“Ain’t one. Yer the first one here, so you get to call it.”
Arnum twisted his mouth in thought and looked at me, his eyes narrowing in anticipation of gutting me, no doubt. “I’ll give you twenty gold for him.”
“Twenty?” Hagrim said, twisting his beard. “Not too bad. We’ll see what the others say when they get here.”
“I get a chance to beat their offers, right?”
“Course you do. Wouldn’t be any fun for me, otherwise!” Hagrim smiled broadly and led Arnum away.
“You know him?” I asked once they were out of earshot. Riose shook his head, not in a ‘no’ kind of way, more of a ‘yes, but I can’t believe it’ kind of way.
“He tried to bring me on for this job. He told me I couldn’t do it on my own, so he offered me next to nothing to join him. I declined and he took it badly.”
“Hmmpf,” I said. I had to give this guy some credit. He was at least smart enough not to associate with imbeciles. I'd decided now that instead of killing him once we escaped, I'd just maim him. That would be an appropriate punishment.
Two other people came to the camp that day to check me out and make a bid. The first one was a man who came by himself, wearing a long, black robe with the hood up over his head. His face was visible, so I’m not sure what he was trying to hide, but he certainly had the mysterious look down pat. I had no idea who he was, but I could tell he wanted the gem more than he wanted me. He looked at me for all of two seconds, more out of courtesy for the process than anything else. Then he asked about the gem, and Hagrim took him to his tent to see it. I didn’t get to hear what the bid was, but I almost hoped he won. Based on some of my previous experiences with this gem, I had a suspicion about what this man really was, and I felt pretty confident that I could convince him to let me go once we were out of the camp, and he wouldn’t care, as long as he had the gem.
The other bounty hunter was familiar to me, but I couldn’t place him, at least not yet. I’d seen his face before, recently even, but I couldn’t think of when or where, or what his name might be. Of course, I figured it out later, which was fortunate, because if I’d known who he was when he arrived I might have blown any chance I had of surviving this mess. Regardless, he arrived with a few of his own men, looked me over, made a bid of eighteen gold, and then wandered away.
No one else showed up that day. That left three bidders – four, if counting the Ochaian – who spent the afternoon with Hagrim making offers and counter offers. There were times when I could barely make out the hints of conversation from Hagrim’s tent, and I wished I could hear better, so I could get an idea how much I was worth to these men. The early bids were around twenty gold, but by now the number had to be closer to fifty, or more. Hopefully Hagrim would tell me before he sent me away, but having to wait until then was becoming unbearable. It would only be a few more hours, though. At the most. If Hagrim didn’t settle this affair, ship me out with the winner, and then pack up his camp to move by tomorrow morning, I’d be shocked.
Whatever my fate would be, it would be decided tonight.