Kira shifted back and forth in her box as Ven’s men carried her crate away. She couldn’t see where she was going, and she was a nervous wreck. Now, she was in the hands of a man she knew nothing about and going to a location she did not know. Even if Sakien was coming to town, he would have a much harder time finding her now that she’d swapped hands. She squeezed her leg as her heart beat faster.

It was twenty minutes later by Kira’s estimation when they arrived at Ven’s place. The sky disappeared as they entered a large room, and her crate was dropped on the floor. Kira could hear more slaves groaning and complaining. She must’ve been in some kind of storehouse for the slave trader.

“Want us to clean her up boss?” asked one of the men a little too eagerly. Kira held her breath and her two hands balled into fists.

“No. She’s fine where she is,” said Ven and Kira relaxed a little.

“Should we brand her?” asked another. Kira’s heart went cold on this one. If she was going to get branded, she would make sure they died with her.

“How stupid are you?” spat Ven. “Branded girls don’t sell, and I don’t want a sobbing worthless mess. Leave her where she lays or find yourself another job.”

That shut the men up. They shuffled about and attended their other duties, avoiding Kira’s case like she had the plague. The men may have been simple men, but they had easy jobs with Ven. They didn’t have to work too hard, and they got paid rather well. Keeping in the young man’s good side was all that mattered to a plush style of living.

An hour later the lights went out. Probably ten minutes after that, the room went quiet. Kira listened for any movement of a guard, but all was quiet. On the caravan she’d never had a chance to try and escape her crate, too many people watching. Now she was free to explore her crate and look for any weaknesses once again. Kira had examined her box on the caravan, but she’d never had a moment alone with it to test its defenses.

The lock was made of solid iron, and she didn’t have anything to pick it with. It occurred to her that didn’t matter because she didn’t know how to pick a lock anyway. She pulled on it anyway, shaking the lock madly at its invincibility. A few of the slaves moaned for her to be quiet, but Kira ignored them. She wasn’t resigned to her fate just yet.

The crate’s walls were a thick wood, and Kira felt along them blindly for any crack. She braced her back against one wall and kicked at the other repeatedly. More cries for her to be quiet and for every one of them Kira kicked harder. How could people just lie down and let themselves be sold without putting up a fight?

After what seemed like an eternity, Kira felt the wood with tired hands. There was hardly even a dent in it. She sighed and put her head against the wall. She was exhausted and hadn’t been fed dinner. Her stomach growled angrily, and her throat squeezed for any drop of moisture in her mouth. Her mind was sharp and willing to fight, but her body was tired. It needed sustenance and none was coming. When it realized no food was coming, her body pulled Kira into a deep sleep.

She woke up the next morning to men moving around the room. There was light above her cage and it wasn’t just torchlight. It was the sun. The night had come and gone, and the merchant was on the move. A pair of men took hold of her crate and loaded it onto a wagon outside. Judging by the sounds of people and horses, there must have been multiple wagons. They were going to the market!

It only took them ten minutes to arrive at the bustling market. The crates were unloaded one by one until it was finally Kira’s turn. She was prepared to pull down the man who opened her crate, but quickly decided against it. Two men stood over each crate being opened with heavy clubs. They were more than happy to beat any unwilling slave into submission. Kira knew there was no point in getting beaten for no chance of escape and let herself come out calmly.

The market was enormous! Multiple streets came through the market and everything a person could imagine was being sold. Kira was in a section specially reserved for slave trading. They were all brought up onto platforms just a few feet off the ground so potential buyers could look at them better. Heavy posts were built all around the platforms for slaves to be tied to.

It appeared most slave traders only dealt in a specific stock. A few only had big and bulky men who were good for their muscle. Some only had women, and a few of those went all out. Their girls were all beautifully dressed and not sitting against a post, but standing and taught to wave at passing customers. Kira looked at their strange outfits and was glad she wasn’t forced into one.

Kira was tied to a post with two other girls. Ven was the only dealer she saw who catered to just about every taste. He may not have had the best of everything, but he did have stock of all kinds. There were only the three girls, and Kira wondered if Ven was just now trying to get into selling women or if this week was just a bad week. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t because he was so good at selling them.

Kira’s only solace today was the giant tarp which blocked the sun from beating down on them. Kira and the other slaves had been given water this morning, but no food. Her stomach tugged at her entire body, looking for something to feast on. She groaned and put her head down. She had survived off of little food before, but she’d never actually gone days without eating.

“Come one, come all to the best livestock around. Only this is the one livestock you don’t want to eat. I don’t know what kind of uses you’d have for them, I don’t care! I’ve got just the right person for whatever your tasks are. Come on up and have a look!”

After hearing those same lines for the thousandth time today, Kira was beginning to hit her head against the post. She no longer cared that she was starving or that she was being sold as a slave, she just wanted him to shut up! Ven’s voice still cracked and his pitch was all over the place. He came off as more whiny than confident, and his voice drove her nuts. How this man ever made a living was beyond Kira.

Kira hadn’t been lazy, even as she’d been tied to a post and gagged. She’d listened to all the traders and learned as much as she could. Despite the size of the slaver’s corner, it appeared slaves weren’t widely sold in this country. Very few people, other than the wealthiest, actually kept slaves here. The main reason for the market was for the ship captains. Port Agnoth was a big trade hub between many nations, and this was the easiest way to redistribute goods between traders.

Kira had heard some cultures enjoyed slavery a great deal. Most of the slaves were for manual labor, but Kira knew that wouldn’t be her destination. No, her curse was her gender. Women weren’t sold for their strength or skills, only their bodies. Kira was young and in her prime, meaning she was just right to drop in some whorehouse. Fortunately, she didn’t look very presentable at the moment. Kira let her body hang loosely and look as pathetic as possible. Not being fed really helped keep up the appearance.

Her best defense now was time. At the moment she could only hope for Sakien and the others for a chance to escape. She had no chance while she was tied to a post and surrounded by guards and merchants. Kira hated to imagine what life would be like if they didn’t come for her. If she did get sold to someone then her best chance was to wait it out until the whorehouse. Then she would use everything she’d learned to fight her way out. Kira really hoped she’d get a chance to go out with a fight.

A few men looked at her with cruel smiles. Then, they moved onto the rest of the stock and never returned. One man seemed to have an interest in a few of the females, but he wouldn’t agree to the price Ven wanted and stormed away angrily. Every time they left Kira sighed with renewed relief.

Most of the customers blurred together in Kira’s eyes. They were so frequent that she felt this area was mostly filled with window shoppers. One group however became strangely apparent to Kira. They were dressed much nicer than the other scoundrels who came through. They made many criticizing clicks with their tongues as they checked the slaves. They usually dealt in higher stock than this and even Kira knew it.

Ven knew it too. These men were a part of Captain Helling’s fleet, and they were proper traders. They weren’t above dealing in slaves, but they only wanted the best of the best. Women usually brought in higher profits than men where they were going, but a strong lad couldn’t be overlooked either. If they wanted someone, it would be one of the finest girls or men that the other traders had. However, they knew Ven was still young, new to the market, and needed to boost his reputation. This meant they might be able to walk away with some great deals, even if the slaves weren’t as high of quality.

Ven’s stock was decent, but there were only a few they were really interested in, Kira among them. They argued with the merchant fiercely over the price. Kira couldn’t hear much, but by the merchant’s stammer, she could tell he was being bullied into a low price. She hoped his stubbornness would hold out.

“I didn’t see a good one in the bunch!” shouted a man. “You should be thanking us for taking them off your hands.”

“These men and women are high quality I assure you,” said Ven.

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“Bah. Most of the guys are falling apart, and the girls don’t look like they’ll last a day.”

“Really now?” demanded the merchant. He walked over and held out a hand to Kira. “This girl here has a strong body, untouched by any man, and a hint of the exotic.” Kira heard their voices coming closer and brought her head up. If she’d learned one thing, the men didn’t like aggressive girls. Why take on a slave that would give you trouble over one who wouldn’t? Since she was girl, Kira knew the merchant wouldn’t hit her. A beaten girl isn’t pretty and doesn’t sell.

Just as Ven turned away from her she lifted herself up the pole and kicked forward. Kira just managed to reach his butt and pushed him forward. She couldn’t yell at them thanks to the gag in her mouth, but she could still growl angrily. Her eyes shined with hatred and the merchant stumbled away in surprise. He quickly regained his composure though and kicked her leg back gently.

“Feisty, isn’t she?” said Ven, his voice revealing his lack of confidence.

“I looked at her already,” said one of the men. “Pretty face, but her arms are scarred up. She’s not worth that much.”

“I disagree,” said Ven proudly. “That beautiful black hair, those green eyes, someone might really like that. She’s prime for the customer with special wants.”

One of the men scoffed and turned away. He was obviously done with Ven and didn’t want to bother arguing anymore. The other man leaned closer and his smile disappeared. His eyes squinted as he examined her closer. “What’s that on your forehead?”

Kira leaned back as far as she could away from the man. She didn’t like how this man was looking at her. He looked at her with intelligent, discerning eyes. This one wasn’t looking at her like a piece of meat. He was studying her like a cat, deciding if she was worthy prey or a dangerous animal.

“Show me your forehead.” Kira shook her head. “On your life girl, raise your head up here.” Kira knew this man was serious. The merchant shouted in outrage, but the other man just pushed him back. Kira leaned up just enough for the man to flick her hair aside. Still dark on her head was the marking Sakien had placed on her.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

“What is it?” asked the other.

“Where’s the captain?” asked the other as he stormed away with his companion. His friend followed blindly, still confused. The merchant was yelling at them, but his voice had a touch of fear in it.

What was that, she wondered. That man took one look on her forehead and disappeared faster than a snake down its hole. She knew it had to do with the mark Sakien had put on her forehead, but what did it really mean? Kira suddenly wished she’d dug into their culture a bit more. She just thought it meant student, but if that was all, then why did those men flee?

A few minutes later she got her answer. Kira heard the merchant’s surprised voice and the two men from before reappeared. Ven sounded very scared. No, maybe scared wasn’t right. Intimidated would be the better word Kira decided.

A third man stepped onto the platform and came over to Kira. He was dressed even better than the previous men. All of his clothing was made of a beautiful material Kira was unfamiliar with and exotic furs draped his shoulders and head. There was an air of authority around him, and Kira saw many eyes following the man.

“That’s the one captain,” said one of the men. Kira scooted away nervously. A captain was looking at her? This was an unpleasant surprise.

“Come closer girl,” snapped the captain. He waved her forward, but his commanding voice alone was enough to bring Kira. He took one look at her forehead and spat in disgust.

“How dare you?!” roared the captain as he reeled away from Kira. Kira looked at the captain intently, wondering what was going on. She knew she needed to listen to every word of this.

“You would dare this in a public street? You would dare to try and sell this to my men? I should kill you for such an insult.” Kira saw the two men draw swords, and the market went quiet. Ven looked around disturbed, but it looked like no one would come to his aid. His reputation was not great enough to threaten the captain.

“I meant no dishonor,” begged Ven.

“I should kill you!” swore the captain. “Know that the only reason you live today merchant is because I know you’re not cruel, just stupid.” Kira saw the merchant bowing repeatedly while admitting to his stupidity. “Where did you get her?”

“Trader from the northern route.”

“By foot then? How long has she been in travel?”

“Only a few days.”

“Heavens below,” growled the captain. “Do you even know what that mark on her forehead is?” He moved back to Kira and held her hair back with a thick hand. “Did you just assume it was tribal tattoo?”

“I have no idea,” mumbled the merchant.

“Obviously, or otherwise, you would have never taken her. Allow me to impart some wisdom on you. Allow me to impart some wisdom on everyone here about this dishonorable wretch!” One of the captain’s men kicked the merchant to the floor.

“This girl here is marked by a master of the north. This is a bond of blood and bone, better than any amount of gold. This means this girl is no slave but stolen property!” He flicked a finger at the merchant and then back to his feet. His men dragged the merchant over and pulled him to his feet. The captain flicked a finger at Kira and one of the men untied her from the post. She stood sorely but knew this was her moment as the man removed her gag.

“Tell us girl,” demanded the captain. “Where did you get the mark?” Kira thought hard to remember what Sakien had called himself. “Now!”

“From my Kien’koro,” said Kira, hoping she remembered that correctly.

“Just as I thought. Was your master slain?”

“No,” said Kira.

“Louder.”

“NO!” The captain kicked the merchant back to the floor and walked to address the crowd.

“No, her master wasn’t killed. Which means right now, there is either a northerner traveling to this town or already here. He will not come here to buy her back but kill whoever has stolen her. By trying to sell this girl to you, this man is endangering your lives.”

The crowd gasped, and Kira smiled wickedly. So that’s what they were afraid of. They were afraid Sakien would come into town and kill whoever had her. She realized how dangerous a property she was now. She didn’t know that northerners had a reputation like that and apparently neither did most of the populace. But the captain and a few others seem to recoil when they discovered her origins. Anyone who had traded with the north knew they were a dangerous folk to cross. Some of the merchants actually averted their eyes from Kira. Their fear was not missed by the crowd, and she could see it infecting the rest of the populace.

“I warn everyone here to avoid this girl at all costs. Whether the rest of this merchant’s stock is worth the trouble I do not know. But for trying to endanger my crew with such a buy, I will not trust this man.”

Judging by the look on the other merchants’ faces, Kira guessed the captain had just dropped the axe on this young man’s career. Selling slaves was already a hard business and being denounced by a well-known captain didn’t help. The merchant seemed to know it too as he curled into a ball on the ground.

The captain started to push Kira back to her post when a plan formed in her mind. “Buy me,” she whispered to him.

“What?” he asked confused.

“Buy me,” she repeated. “I promise you my master won’t hurt you, and he’ll reward you greatly for getting me out.”

The captain considered this for a moment. He could end this whole debacle by purchasing this girl right now. With what he’d just said, he could get her dirt cheap and maybe make a good profit off of her.

Yet he didn’t. The captain pushed her back against the post and had his man retie her. There was no guarantee this master of hers would have any money. There was even less guarantee that he wouldn’t attack first, ask questions later. As bad as he felt for this girl, she wasn’t worth the risk to his crew and wallet.

“No, I’m afraid I cannot,” he said sadly.

“Why?” cried Kira bitterly.

“It is too dangerous.” He leaned in and whispered to her. “Just wait for your master. He will get you out of this.”

“Then go to the guild!” she cried desperately. The captain was about to hurry away, but the word of a guild made him pause. There were only a few guilds out there; he belonged to one himself, and they were all extremely powerful in their own way. “Tell them I’ve been captured.”

“Guild? Who do you belong to?” Kira was getting tired of this question, but she really needed the captain right now. She leaned over so he could really see the scars on her arms.

“I’m a hunter!” she cried for everyone to hear. “I was drugged in the middle of the night and kidnapped!”

“What?” asked Ven worriedly.

The captain slowly turned his head away from the girl and to the merchant. Was she serious and was this man really that stupid? Kira didn’t look like any hunter of beasts he’d seen, but than again she wasn’t in armor or with blades. Her arms certainly suggested she had seen some action. The guild would have to verify this, and if it were true, this man would be in serious trouble.

“What do you know about this?” said the captain in a confidence shattering tone.

“Nothing I swear it!” begged the merchant.

“Could be a trick,” suggested one of the sailors.

“It could,” agreed the captain as he turned back to Kira. “You do know impersonating a member of a guild is a very serious crime.”

“I know, but I’m a hunter.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Kira needed the captain, but this was just getting stupid.

“You removed the gag yourself from my mouth. How did you expect me to say anything?”

“It can’t be on all the time.” shot back the captain.

“I just came in last night and it has.” The captain growled and looked to the merchant.

“Is this true?”

“I…I was told she had a vicious tongue unbefitting of a lady,” stammered the merchant. “I was told if I wanted to sell her she should be gagged at all times.”

“You even starve your slaves!” growled the captain as he kicked the merchant to the ground. “If half of what this girl claims is true you could be dead by sundown! For your sake, I hope it’s not.”

“Just tell the guild,” said Kira. “My name is Kira. I’m sure they’ll send someone.”

“I have no time to go to the guild, but I won’t have to.” The captain grinned and eyed the market. “Rumor spreads fast. I don’t imagine it will be long until someone connected to the guild gets wind of this.”

If only the captain knew how true that was. A scout for the Hunter’s Guild was in the market at that very moment. While it wasn’t a well-known practice, the guild kept a close eye on the slave trades. They’d rarely buy or intervene on a sell, but every once in a while, a person would come through who would possess incredible skills useful to the guild. Lots of the slaves sold were strong, but some were fighters, and some of those were powerful enough to hunt the greatest in the lands.

The scout wondered what he should do. He wanted to charge over there himself and kick the merchant, but he knew in his heart that wasn’t right. He, like the captain, had no way of knowing if the girl’s story was true. He didn’t even know how to verify it. Still, if the girl was a part of the guild then this was a serious matter. As everyone talked about the girl, he vanished into the streets. Someone at the guild house would know how to deal with this.