Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [71]
The next morning when he was awakened by the lash, he saw the girl had already been returned to her place in line. One eye was blackened and multiple bruises showed on every part of her body that wasn’t covered up. There was a vacant look in her eye and when given food she wouldn’t eat. Given water, she wouldn’t drink.
When the line made ready to move, she still remained sitting on the ground. Two slavers came over to her and proceeded to whip her until she came back to her senses and stood up. Once she was on her feet, crying with tears streaming down her face, one of the slavers steps in front of her and says loudly enough so everyone can hear him, “Are you a slave?”
A barely audible, “Yes,” escapes her lips.
The lash strikes her across the shoulders and he just glares at her. “Yes, master!” she cries out loudly.
Nodding, the slaver returns back to the front of the line by the wagon. Everyone in the slave line is quiet, unable to even look at the ravished, punished girl.
Miko shudders at the memory as he gets his bowl of food and cup of water to drink. He hungrily consumes it all, wanting more, but knowing better to ask. After all the bowls and cups are collected, they get moving.
He can’t remember how long he’s been walking in the line, the days are a blur of pain and exhaustion. The only thing keeping him moving is the certainty that James will come. He will! he insists to himself.
It’s early in the afternoon when a commotion draws his attention to the front of the line. Looking up, he sees them pointing to a large body of water coming into view ahead. A large city sits on its shore.
“Korazan,” announces one of the slavers. “There you will be placed at auction and sold to your new masters.”
A hushed silence falls upon all of them as they continue marching toward Korazan, dreading what fate may befall them there.
Every last person in line is quiet when they pass through the gates of Korazan. Miko looks around at the people in the streets and notices that they don’t even look at them there in the slave lines. It’s almost as if they aren’t even people to them.
They’re taken through to a large complex at the edge of town, holding pens for those awaiting the auction block. There, Miko is removed from his line and the slavers begin separating the captives by age and sex. He’s herded into a holding pen with other boys and young men.
Several fights break out by those being separated from wives and children, but in the end they go where they’re told, usually with blood running down their backs from the numerous lashings required to subdue them.
Once they’ve been in their pen for awhile, one of the lads a few years older than Miko comes over to him and says in a whisper, “We gotta get out of here!”
Miko just looks at him and asks, “How?”
“Rush the guard, or something,” he says.
“I don’t think it would do any good,” Miko tells him.
Obviously not getting any support for his idea from Miko, the lad goes over to another group of boys where he can hear them whispering amongst themselves. I hope they don’t do anything stupid to get me killed, he thinks as he glances over to the older boys, huddled with their heads together.
He gazes over to the other pens in the area and sees many such as his, holding young boys and men. The women and girls must have been taken elsewhere for he doesn’t see any sign of them.
Another young man in the pen with him comes over and says, “Wonder what’s going to happen now?”
Shrugging, Miko says, “Don’t know.”
“Name’s Viktor,” he says holding out his hand.
Taking the hand, he replies, “Miko.”
Viktor glances over to the group of boys who are conversing together quietly. “Think they’re right?” he asks.
“What? Those guys?” Miko asks, indicating the group planning escape.
When Viktor nods his head, he says, “I doubt it. I would think the slavers are going to anticipate something