Kira waited as the lock was wrenched off her cage and the door swung open. She frowned as two of Utin’s thugs were waiting for her on the other side. “Time to stretch the legs?” she asked cheerfully.

“Get out or stay in. Your choice.” Kira sighed and rolled out. She groaned as she set her feet against the cool sand. Her bones cracked one by one as she flexed her body. Being locked up in a cage all day was a hideous thing to do to the body. Her muscles ached from being stuck in the same position all day.

“Move,” said the thug angrily. He didn’t want to babysit right now, and the sooner he could put her back in the cage the better.

“I’m getting there.” groaned Kira.

“Go,” said the guard as he planted his foot against her butt and shoved. Kira hit the ground and a few of the men laughed. She spat sand and the thug’s hand took her shoulder before she could growl. “Get up,” he laughed.

“And stay down,” hissed Kira as she drove her elbow up into his throat. The thug reeled as he struggled for air and Kira was on the move. Her hands were still tied together as were her feet, but she didn’t need much mobility for this. She spun her body, putting all her weight into her fists and backhanded the man to the floor.

She had not been planning an escape attempt right now, but figured since she’d started it, she might as well finish the job. The second thug came at her, but neither of these men were fighters. They were big idiots who were used for their muscle, not their technique.

His large clammy fist came in, but Kira was already moving away from it. It was no different than all those times Mekov had tried to stab her in training, only the man was much slower than Mekov was. He brought up his leg for a heavy kick, but he didn’t hit harder than any monster she’d faced. Her arm went dull from knocking the man’s leg aside, but she still threw both fists into his crotch.

The man went down howling, and Kira followed him down. She fell on top of him and drove her fists into his crotch again. She was sure he wasn’t about to fight anytime soon, but she hopped into the air again and smashed his face for good measure. Guards were coming and Kira didn’t have long. She ripped the sword from the guard’s belt and brought it against the cords around her legs. For the past few days, she had been pulling on them, trying to get loose. She hadn’t broken them, but they were strained and they parted easily under the sharp blade.

A man charged her with a spear, but she knocked the tip aside and tried to reach the man. He brought the spear back around quickly though and kept his distance. The men coming now weren’t mindless thugs, but the trained guards of the caravan. The only chance she had was to take this man down quickly and be on the run.

The guard was good, unfortunately. Every time Kira tried to advance, he halted her easily. She growled in frustration as she couldn’t flee as he’d stick her in the back. The fight was already over, and she knew it. In a minute, she was surrounded by guards with spears. Kira sighed and lowered her sword.

“You are going to regret this move,” said Utin as he appeared.

“Come here and I’ll show you a thing or two about regret,” said Kira menacingly.

“Drop the sword,” said the head guard. “I don’t want to harm you, but I will protect this caravan.”

“Dying doesn’t mean a lot to me right now,” said Kira honestly.

“I won’t kill you,” replied the head guard. “You’ll just get a spear in your ass and still be back in your box.”

“You make a persuasive argument,” said Kira. The head guard approached her with his hand out, but Kira kept her sword up. “On one condition.”

“What makes you think you can negotiate?” laughed Utin. His smile faded as Kira placed the sword tip at her throat.

“If I die you don’t get a profit and I just become a giant waste of money.”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” said the head guard.

“It does to me!” cried Utin angrily.

“What do you want?” sighed the head guard.

“I want my bathroom break still.” The head guard laughed and nodded. “And if we come under attack I still want a chance to help.”

“Girl, you were going to get that last one no matter what. I don’t care what you do, if we need help, you’re coming out.”

“Well in that case.” Kira spun in a circle and released the sword. The spinning blade whizzed over the guard’s heads as they all ducked. Utin wasn’t as fast as the guards and it struck him dead in the face. Sadly, it was the hilt opposed to the actual blade which struck. Still his skin split and a small spurt of blood shot out.

The head guard shot over to Kira and backhanded her to the floor. Kira hit the sand and stayed there. She was sure her lip was bleeding, but otherwise she wasn’t badly hurt. She looked up at the head guard, wondering if he would strike her again. “I told you I would protect this caravan.”

“How dare you!” screamed Utin as he approached. Kira wouldn’t try a move against the head guard, but she welcomed a chance to pummel Utin. To her surprise however, Utin wasn’t mad at her. He was mad at the head guard.

“Do not strike her again!” he threatened.

“Excuse me?” asked the head guard confused.

“Bruised faces do not sell!” spat Utin. “If she looks damaged her price either goes down or disappears altogether. Do not strike her again or I will have your contract.” With that Utin stormed away, shouting for someone to bring bandages for his face.

“Sometimes I hate this job,” said the head guard. “Come on, let’s get your break finished so I can go back to a more relaxed night.”

The head guard led Kira to a secluded area over a few sand dunes they were using for bathroom breaks. He untied Kira and let her do her business while he stayed turned the other way. Kira contemplated if she had another opportunity to run but quickly decided against it. The head guard was nice to her, but he probably wasn’t lying about putting that spear in her. Plus even if she ran, where would she go? They were in the middle of the desert.

As they were walking back the head guard detoured them away from the camp. “You’re a fierce one,” he said.

“I’ve been fighting every chance I’ve had,” said Kira.

“Are you really a part of the guild?”

“I’m new but yes.”

“Then a piece of friendly advice.” He stopped and looked around to make sure no one could hear him. “The Hunter’s Guild would never stand for it if one of its members was taken into slavery. When you get to town, you let anyone and everyone know you’re a hunter and a member of the guild. The guild will have you out in no time, and they might even hang Utin for it.”

“Really?” asked Kira.

“Really. Now come on, we need to get back.” Kira didn’t move though.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked suspiciously.

“I could tell you how I respect hunters and their willingness to die for us common folk but honestly,” he turned to her with a cold look, “it’s all for revenge. Utin is running a cheap shift on this caravan, and he’s gotten a lot of people killed so his pockets can be heavier. My men’s blood goes into gold for him. Now let’s go.”

Kira nodded and followed after him. She had another opportunity now, and she planned to use it. A small smile crept up on her as she eyed the head guard. She didn’t trust or like many men, but it was good to know there were still some honest people in the world.

*

That night Kira was met with an annoying surprise. The minute she was led back to her cage Utin was waiting with one of his thugs. In his thug’s hands was the heavy gag she had woken up with before.

“I’ve had enough trouble from your rambling mouth. You broke my rules, now you go back to being silent.”

Kira grumbled and growled, but allowed the man to tie it across her mouth. She despised the feeling of the heavy cloth in her mouth. Already she could feel her mouth going dry and her tongue wiggling, irritated by the sudden invasion. The thug then retrieved some new cords for her limbs, but surprisingly the head guard stopped him.

“No. If we need her I don’t want to spare the time cutting cords.”

“May I remind you she is my slave,” said Utin.

“And I’ll remind you this is my caravan to protect, using any means necessary. I’ll let you keep her gagged in the cage if you want, but the minute I need an extra hand she comes out. Now get in the box girl unless you enjoy being tied up.”

Kira didn’t need any persuasion as she gratefully climbed back into her cage. She could deal with the gag as long as her limbs went free. She’d never known such an achy feeling as her limbs being tied together for half a day at a time. The head guard slammed the door shut and locked it. Before leaving he pointed at her gag and said.

“I’m being lenient here, so don’t remove that unless Utin says so. Got it?” Kira nodded and leaned against her box.

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And that’s where she stayed. The night went by peacefully, and they were on the move again as soon as there was light. Kira shifted back and forth in her crate, trying to find a comfier way to rest. Even with her hands and feet free trying to relax was a problem. These past few days she’d gotten more sleep than probably the last month. With her gag on and no trouble about, there was nothing else for her to do.

The talking of the men was becoming more and more excited. There was talk about what the men would do once they got to town. Most said they’d settle for a cold drink and a warm meal. Many more talked about finding a beautiful woman to bed down for the night. Kira sighed as the banter went on and on.

One very bold man talked about how he wanted to see where Kira was sold to. He happily told everyone how he’d love to have his way with such a beautiful girl. They laughed as they wondered if she would be as aggressive in bed as she was a person. The wagon grunted as the man climbed up the side of her cart. The blanket came away and the man leered over, drooling happily in his delusions.

Kira couldn’t tell him off verbally, so she did it physically. As soon as his face came into view her hand, shot between the bars. Three of her fingers jammed their way into the man’s mouth and hooked him like a fish. The man gargled a scream as Kira yanked him down into the bars and headbutted anything that made it through. She let go of him as soon as she connected with flesh and steel.

Kira’s head swam as she fell back in her crate. She was weak and the sudden attack drained her. She shook her head to find her balance and then rubbed her forehead. Hitting the man had been worth it, but those bars really hurt. Still, she was better off than he was.

The man’s face split open in many areas under the impact. He had tried to pull away from Kira’s clawing fingers and when she’d let go, he had gone flying backwards. The sudden hit as well as his resistance tripped him off the wagon, and he hit the ground with an undignified crunch. He would’ve been furious if he could find out which way was up.

The men surprisingly were all on Kira’s side. They were laughing so hard some of them had to stop walking to not fall over. The man received nothing but mockery for being knocked out by the little girl he wanted to rape. It wasn’t just that she was a girl. It was that she was trapped inside a cage, and she had won the fight. It wasn’t until Utin yelled at everyone to get back to work did they help the man onto a wagon. He wasn’t walking for a bit.

It wasn’t until past midday did Kira hear her chance arrive. The head guard suddenly came charging through the caravan screaming. “Raiders on the hills! Form a circle and ready your crossbows!”

Bandits? Delightful! Kira hammered on the side of her box as the wagon was pulled around. This was exactly the type of situation she needed. More people in the caravan would die, and she would get released. It was a win-win situation in her eyes. She saw Utin appear over her box and smiled. His angry scowl told her her time was now.

But he didn’t open her cage. He kept his eyes in the distance with one hand on her lock. He was debating whether he would have to release her or not. The caravan was formed up, but there were no cries of battle. There was no sound of crossbow bolts flying or men charging. Kira pressed her head to the bars and wondered what the hell was going on.

They were on the road not too far from the city when the bandits had appeared. This section of the road was notorious for attacks as the road dipped down and had hills on both sides. Once a caravan walked through, it would become trapped by any well coordinated attack. The bandits today were waiting on both sides, numbering in the thirties and most armed with crossbows.

“What are they doing?” whispered one of the guards to his superior. Before he could respond, one of the bandits came walking down the hill with his hands up. An emissary decided the head guard.

“Stay here and cover me. I’m going to talk to him.” The head guard took a deep breath and walked into the killing field to meet the bandit. If things went sour he would surely be dead in the next minute. His best hope would be to take the bandit and use his body as a shield.

“What do you want?” asked the head guard dully.

“We want your caravan, is it not obvious?” laughed the bandit mirthfully.

“Over our dead bodies.”

“This is acceptable but costly.” The bandit looked at his forces and back to the caravan. “I think you would agree in our current position we could kill your entire force.”

“I would, but I think you’d also agree we’d kill at least half your men before we went.” The bandit nodded appreciatively.

“A heavy toll for both of us. I dislike killing people so I suggest a compromise. Instead of the heavy toll of death, how about a small toll of gold?”

“You wish us to pay a toll?” asked the head guard.

“Consider it a tax for protecting you on this section of road.” The head guard growled and looked back to the caravan.

“I wish you would’ve been protecting the road just the other day. We had an issue with sand hermits.”

“Most unfortunate,” said the bandit sincerely. “And in your misfortune, I see our compromise. We will not take from the living but the dead. All the money they would be paid we will take. I’d advise the lead merchant to take it.”

“My friend,” smiled the head guard as he shot a glance to Utin. “I think we have ourselves a deal. Do you promise to let us pass if we pay your toll?”

“I promise you safety to the city,” said the bandit cheerfully. “Go and speak with your merchants.”

“Of course.” The head guard ran down to the others and whispered to his men to stay ready. He didn’t think the bandit was lying, but one can never trust a bandit too much. He stopped next to Utin and Kira’s crate.

“They promise to let us pass if we contribute some gold.”

“You’re just giving them our gold,” hissed Utin. “Why do I pay for guards if you won’t even fight?”

“We have fought, and we’re weaker for it,” snapped the head guard. “If we fight now we’ll all die, including you. Gold is worthless in death.”

“You make a good point,” conceded Utin. If the greedy merchant was greedy about anything, it was his own life. He could always rebuild his wealth. However, if he died in the desert, then he couldn’t rebuild anything. “What do they want?”

“The pay and money of every man we’ve lost.”

“Thieving bastards.” It honestly wasn’t as bad as Utin thought. It was a sad loss to lose all that gold, but if everyone had survived then he would’ve lost it anyway. In the long run, he was still coming out even, and they would hit town soon. It was an acceptable deal.

Not to Kira it wasn’t. A peaceful resolution did nothing for her! She rammed the box in frustration. If the bandits attacked then she’d be out in a heartbeat. No, for once Utin wasn’t being the rat he was and making the smart decision. She kicked the box again, and Utin snapped at her.

“Stop it before I tie your limbs.” He hopped off the cart and went to his own personal wagon. He had his men stand over him with blankets so no one could see the actual wealth he was traveling with. He didn’t want the bandits to get even hungrier by eyeing his gold in the open sun. When he’d tallied out the amounts, he had several sacks heavy with gold.

The head guard took them all up and dragged himself back to the bandit. They were heavier than he’d expected, but he didn’t want any of his men to leave the cover of the wagons. He dropped the sacks in front of the bandit and smiled. “As agreed.”

The bandit checked each bag to ensure their contents were genuine, and when he was satisfied, he nodded. “As agreed. You may pass. Have a pleasant journey.”

“You too,” said the head guard. The bandit whistled and the rest of his litter removed themselves from the hills. A few came down to collect the bags at the bandit’s feet.

Utin had the caravan moving before the head guard even made it back. He knew the bandits would be content for now, but the faster they left the better. If the bandits enjoyed his gold, they’d be happy for now. If they decided it wasn’t enough, Utin didn’t want to be around for it.

Kira growled inside her crate. She’d been so close! She wanted to scream at the bandits and tell them they were wimps. They were chickens who were too afraid to fight. She’d take a bolt to the chest over going to the city. She kicked her crate until someone yelled at her to stop. Damn pansy bandits ruined her day.

An hour after nightfall the men cheered. They were at the city and they were safe. Well equipped guards greeted them as they came into the city. They had to pause at an inspection point for all of Utin’s trade to be looked at. Not many things were illegal in the land, but the things that were were extreme offenses. Utin wasn’t a good person, but he was a law abiding merchant. He didn’t envy those who ended their careers in a grave or in shackles. The lock came open and Utin opened Kira’s crate.

“Get up!” he commanded. Kira shook her head lazily. “Get up or I will have my men drag you up.” Even through her gag, everyone could hear Kira chuckling. After last night she was so unintimidated by Utin’s men it was hilarious. It wasn’t until Utin’s last threat that Kira paid attention.

“Stand up or I swear I’ll see you to the cheapest whorehouse I can find. The kind where they’ll dope you up so bad you won’t care how they beat you.”

That one got Kira’s attention. She knew Utin wouldn’t make money on such a threat, but he was a vindictive little shit. He was the kind of person who would be willing to take the loss just to watch someone’s life be torn apart. Kira nodded somewhat respectfully and rose to her feet.

“Good. Now step out so this man can get a look at you.” Kira stepped off the cart so the inspector could get a look at her. He looked up and down her body with a careful eye. Poor and mistreated slaves sometimes came in sick or carrying plague. He checked her for lumps, anything that oozed, or any discoloration of the skin. When he was satisfied that she was healthy, she was sent back into her box.

“Healthy specimen you have there,” said a boyish voice. Utin turned around with a frown. He knew who this voice belonged to. “Where did you find her Utin?”

“Next town up on the northern route. Can I help you, Ven?”

Ven was as young as he sounded, a remarkable feat for his trade. Most decent merchants were in their thirties or forties, but Ven wasn’t even twenty. He had short black hair, a thin mustache, and a pudgy face. His long cloak and heavy clothes suggested a large man, but Utin knew Ven wasn’t anywhere near it. Ven was just a boy trying to play man.

“I was wondering what your plans were for that vixen,” said Ven powerfully until his voice cracked a little. Utin gave the boy a sly grin but said nothing about it.

“Vixen is right. The girl is an absolute terror. As with the rest of my goods, I’ll be selling them on the market tomorrow.”

“What if I said I want to beat the hassle of the morning and gave you two hundred pieces for her now?” Utin raised an eyebrow. Was this boy serious?

“Trying to beat the crowd and pay just that?” laughed Utin. “I’m afraid not.”

“Two hundred and ten,” said Ven with open arms. Utin knew what the boy’s strategy was. He snuck out with most of the big trade items before they hit the market, and then he became the sole seller. He certainly made good business that way, but he was too young for this. He didn’t understand what his goods were truly worth yet or to know when a man was swindling him. He wouldn’t make any real profit for years to come.

“Two hundred and fifty and you can take her.”

“Are you trying to cheat me?” said Ven offended.

“No more than you’re trying to cheat the other vendors. Two hundred and fifty.”

“I’ll give you two hundred and forty.” Utin frowned, but on the inside, he grinned.

“Very well,” he said slowly. “You can have her if you’ve got the gold. Know that I’m only doing this because my caravan got hit and I could use the extra coin.”

“I’m glad to do you a favor,” said Ven with a bow.

The boy was an idiot, thought Utin. Kira wasn’t a bad catch, but her attitude and scars would make her a difficult sell. Two hundred would’ve been an excellent amount in Utin’s eyes, but he was walking away with an extra forty from Ven for the night trade. Now, Utin wouldn’t have to pay for somewhere to store and feed Kira tonight which would save him even more.

Then there was her claim of being a hunter. He didn’t know if that was true, but as he counted the gold from Ven, he realized he never wanted to know. She could be some seriously bad stock if she was. Better to pass the responsibility of her off to another before trouble could spread.

“A word of advice,” said Utin to Ven as Ven’s men came to take Kira away. “The girl has a vicious mouth on her. I wouldn’t take that gag off unless you have to, or she’ll scare away customers and drag down your prices.”

“Much appreciated,” said Ven happily. “Glad to do business with you.”

As Ven’s group carried Kira’s crate away, a cruel smile came to Utin’s mouth. He waved to the leaving merchant. “I’m very glad to have done business with you.”

This was very bad, thought Kira. She had expected to have more time before she traded hands in the city. She took a deep breath and steadied her panicked heart. This Ven was young and kind of stupid in her eyes. Kira would have to find an opportunity and escape. Escape here in the city would be harder but much more realistic she realized. Even if she had escaped out in the desert, where was she going to go on foot?

As she was loaded up onto a wagon, Kira closed her eyes. She wondered if anyone was coming for her if she was truly on her own again?