Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [1]
Slamming the door closed, he races down the street, panicking. From up ahead, a door opens and a man pokes his head out as he looks down the street. When the man notices him running, he opens the door wider and yells, “This way!” motioning for Miko to quickly come inside.
Seeing the man holding the door open and gesturing for him to hurry, Miko sprints forward, his panic subsiding. When he reaches the door, the man opens it further for him to be able to run inside. His anxiety decreases rapidly when he passes through the door and is safely inside.
Once he’s inside, the man closes the door and Miko begins to say, “Thank you…” but stops suddenly when he realizes the man is advancing on him with a knife. A quick survey of the room reveals several men with bared knives and swords. Dread fills him when he sees a dozen or so people, both men and women along with a few children, sitting along one wall. To his astonishment, they are completely naked with their hands tied behind them.
“Strip!” the man from the door says. Miko, panic ready to consume him, remembers the slavers they fought on their way to the City of Light. Shaking his head in disbelief, he backs away from the man. Someone from behind grabs him and two of the men proceed to strip him naked, using their knives to cut the clothes off of him. He struggles to resist, but only gets socked in the eye for his efforts.
Shortly he finds himself sitting naked on the floor next to the others, his hands secured behind his back. Over to the side is a pile of clothing sitting in the corner, what’s left of his clothes is tossed on top. The little boy sitting next to him starts to cry and the woman on the other side of the boy tries to comfort him but to no avail. The boy’s cries grow louder and louder until one of the men comes over and strikes him on the head, knocking the boy unconscious.
“You bastard!” the woman yells at him.
The man turns to her and backhands her across the mouth. “Shut your mouth!” he yells at her. “Open it again and I’ll slit your throat!” He draws his knife and menaces her with it, then sheaths it as he walks away, laughing.
The woman scoots closer to the boy and does her best to comfort the unconscious child. Miko can see tears streaming down her face.
“Here come some more,” the man by the door tells the others. Opening the door partially, he sticks his head out and yells, “Over here!” while he waves to whoever is out there to come inside.
A man with a woman and two kids run inside. He begins to express their gratitude when the woman sees Miko with the other naked people sitting on the floor and screams. Realizing their danger, the couple grabs their kids protectively.
“Strip!” the man by the door commands.
The father pauses momentarily then launches himself at the man by the door. He throws a fist but is easily blocked. The slaver strikes back with the handle of his knife, clubbing him in the side of the head. The father stumbles backward from the blow, dazed. Two of the other slavers grab him and proceed to cut his clothes from him.
The woman screams as others grab her and the children, tearing them apart. Soon, all four are sitting naked against the wall with the others, arms securely tied behind their backs. They try to talk amongst themselves but are quickly silenced by the slavers.
Several times over the next hour or so, that scene is replayed as more people rush into the room seeking safety only to end up captured.
There finally comes a time when the man at the door turns to the other slavers and says, “I don’t think there are anymore out there.” To the naked people he says, “Alright, get up.”
Miko finds it hard to rise with his arms tied behind his back. Using the wall for leverage, he makes it to his feet and stands there waiting while the rest of them get up.
One of the naked people remains seated against