When the world became light again Painin groaned and tried to for himself to sit upright, but something strong was holding him down.

“Easy. Your head has been cracked hard enough that we thought you might not awaken. Truth be told you had another day before the Master would feed you to his dogs.” Came a voice from somewhere in the light.

Painin tried to open his mouth and ask a question but nothing came forth other than a croak. His throat burned, and everything else about him screamed pain. He felt pressure on his head and a cool sensation before he once more succumbed to the darkness.

Again, he awoke to find it dark and felt the ever-present pressure on his chest holding him down. He groaned and moved his head which still felt like his father’s anvil.

“Here drink this. It is bitter but the herbs inside will help you heal.” Came the voice from before.

Painin sipped the liquid down his burning throat and it tasted better than anything he had ever drank before. He tried to gulp more of the liquid down, but it went away too quickly. Opening his eyes, he could make out shadows moving around in the darkness and a distant moving light he assumed to be fire. He felt as if he was moving as the darkened world spun around him causing him to groan and squeeze his eyes shut.

“Rest now and heal.” Came the voice and Painin agreed that was a good advice to follow and didn’t fight allowing the darkness to take him.

Once more the world around him was an angry ball of light as he struggled to open his eyes. Finally, his vision began to clear, and he heard a sound off to his left. “Ah good you have awakened again.” Said the man with a smile on his lips. “Today we must try to walk a bit. The master does not like for slaves to ride in the wagons.”

It took a bit for what the man had said to him to filter through the pain, but one word instantly clicked inside his brain. That word was a slave. “Wh… ere Ko… bi?” He managed to get out though the effort took a lot of energy from him.

“I am sorry I do not know who this person is you speak of.”

“G…irl…” He managed before breaking into a coughing fit.

“Again, I am sorry, but the Master has not bought any females this trip.” He replied looking down at the ground.

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Anguish rolled through him as he allowed the reality of the statement to settle in. He tried to get to his feet, but darkness overtook him once more as he rose and he fell back to the bottom of the wagon unconsciousness.

When next he awoke, he was helped into a sitting position by the man who identified himself as Oaken and had served the Master of the caravan now for 3 trading seasons. It appeared to Painin that while not wholly legal the trade of slavery it was overlooked in the more desolate parts of the world. Where the lines of borders between countries seemed to blur such as where he found himself now in a land claimed by multiple countries and yet patrolled by none.

Oaken explained to Painin that there had been no girl with the men that sold him to his Master. Hope flared in his chest at the news only to be replaced by fear at the thought of her alone out in the woods still. Painin explained that he needed to get back to where he was from and Oaken sadly had to explain to him that he was in no condition to travel anywhere as he helped Painin get to his own feet for the first time in 2 weeks.

Slowly his headaches lessened, and he was able to begin shuffling around with the rest of the slaves as they followed the caravan on its winding path through the desert. Oaken explained that not many would venture into the desert as it was filled with dangerous creatures, natural obstacles, and shrouded raiders that seemed to be made of the very sand. Oaken was a veritable fountain of information and just seemed to delight in his ability to talk to someone, and their time together as Painin healed afforded them that time.

His only experience or knowledge of the desert was from a collection of children’s stories that his parents had read to him and his siblings. One such story involved a large stone castle that sat upon a precipice of stone amid a swirling vortex of sand not unlike a whirlpool deep in the unknown of the desert. He had also heard of the Haddad a group of nomadic people who followed a fallen Paladin and have sworn their lives to purify the lands from demons. His father had not given much credence to their slaying of demons he could not discount their ability to fight like demons themselves.

Painin continued to bide his time and improve his health all while watching the happenings of the camp as they continued their slow pace through the wastes. Oaken explained that though the Master had crossed the desert many times each trip was different than the last one. The dunes of sand shifted around them and they were forced to travel on the compacted firm parts that were exposed by the shifting sands.

Oaken took him under his protection and showed him what was to be expected of him from his time as a slave which included performing various tasks around the caravan. One such task was to collect the droppings from the draft animals pulling the wagons and placing them to dry on the back of the last wagon. Even though he was with Oaken that didn’t mean that he was exempt from feeling the sting of the master’s whip, whose stinging reach came from nowhere and bit through clothing to reach the skin within.

No matter what he did though he couldn’t stop looking back towards the East and wonder where Kobi was and how she was doing. He knew that he needed to get back to her and get her to a safe place. He just wasn’t sure when that would be.