Silence had draped the procession. The carts moved slowly over the rocky terrain, accompanied by the muffled clatter of horses' hooves and the creaking of wood. The women packed within them were quiet, their eyes filled with fear and despair.
Yulia, her face taut, scanned her surroundings. Her gaze moved from one face to another, each locked in a world of somber thoughts, before returning to the front of the cart. The bandits on horseback flanking the convoy wore malicious smiles, reveling in their grim harvest.
The loss of her home village was a heavy burden on her heart already, but the absence of her children added an even more unbearable weight. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the cart jostled over uneven ground, jarring the women within it violently. Some let out moans of pain, others wept silently, while the majority remained eerily mute, resigned to their fate.
"Where are the children?" Yulia suddenly asked, shattering the oppressive silence. Her question echoed like a detonation, leaving behind an icy silence. The women exchanged fleeting glances, but none dared to answer. Some lowered their eyes, others swallowed hard, and all shared the same feeling of suffocating dread.
Sophie, who had indecently survived 3's ordeal, frowned and locked her gaze on Yulia. "All the boys were savagely killed... The little girls, they were taken somewhere else, I presume," she said in a hesitant voice. "I... I don't know where."
Yulia swallowed hard, and her trembling lips began to whisper a silent prayer for their safety. But suddenly, she stopped. This prayer reminded her too much of Henri, the priest who had abused her. She could never pray again.
Sophie, despite her antipathy for her rival, was piqued by curiosity. Their current situation forced her to temporarily set aside her resentment. She took a deep breath, then asked, "Why couldn't you escape?"
Yulia turned her gaze toward her, her eyes reflecting a mixture of surprise and pain. "At the exit of the Ys plateau, a group of adventurers were waiting," she said, her face darkening at the memory. "They blocked the path, preventing anyone from escaping."
Sophie let out a long, weary sigh. The information added a new layer to their grim reality. "So, they even blocked all escape routes," she muttered, the words lost in the thick air of despair.
The procession continued its slow, inexorable advance. The afternoon sun was gently setting, casting long shadows that sprawled across the rocky ground. The hot wind blew, causing the dry roadside grass to dance. The hours ticked by, each minute resembling the last in this march toward the unknown.
Yulia observed one of the bandits, a man with a rugged face framed by tousled black hair. She posed a question to the man, her soft voice slicing through the tense air, "Where are you taking us?"
However, Yulia's question was met with chilling indifference. No answer, not even a glance. Not far from her, Sophie looked at her with a mocking, pitying expression. She shook her head, stood up, her eyes brimming with fierce energy.
"To get through to these brutes, you have to be more assertive, Yulia," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Then, raising her head, she bellowed at the top of her lungs, "Can we at least know where we are going?!"
A stunned silence followed Sophie's abrupt question. The bandits, who until now had ignored the women, turned around, their faces expressing a mix of surprise and amusement. 3 then approached the cart, drawn by the audacity of this woman.
"We're heading towards a place that's both marvelous and nightmarish. We're heading to the Free Nation!"
Sophie cursed inwardly. Yulia, observing her reaction, felt a growing unease in the face of Sophie's sudden anxiety, who had started to chew her nails. Yulia eyed the bandit and asked him,
"I've never heard of it. What exactly is it?"
The bandit, still smiling, turned his gaze towards Yulia.
"How to explain... It's a place beyond the kingdom of Brodian, several weeks of travel from the coast. It's a place where all the scoundrels of the world meet. You only need to remember one thing: there, only the law of the strongest prevails."
A cold shiver ran down Yulia's spine upon hearing the description of where they were being led. She had heard tales of the kingdom of Brodian, a tumultuous land plagued by endless conflicts and twisted plots, but no story had prepared her for this vision of an even darker place, where outlaws ruled the roost.
Sophie, who had regained her composure, retorted with evident bitterness in her voice,
"And I presume that's where you intend to sell us off like commodities, isn't it?"
The bandit laughed heartily at Sophie's audacity,
"That was the initial plan, but orders have changed. You will be sold to different clans. You will all be kept to satisfy these fine folks."
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A deathly silence fell upon the cart, heavier than ever before. The abhorrent words of 3, the reality of what awaited them, shocked even the bravest among them. The silent looks exchanged revealed the terror engulfing them all. They were going to end their lives treated like beasts.
Yulia felt bile rise in her throat, but she swallowed it. No, they could not accept such a fate. Not without resisting. Not without attempting to escape. After a moment's hesitation, she ventured to ask the question that was plaguing her mind.
"And... And our children?"
She asked in a trembling voice.
"Where have they gone?"
3 shrugged, displaying blatant indifference.
"I have no idea."
He simply replied.
"My job is to deal with the women. The rest is handled by someone else. But they won't be killed, if that's what you were wondering."
The relief that spread among the women at this statement was palpable. Some even exchanged timid glances, a glimmer of hope rekindling in their eyes. They listened silently to the conversation between Yulia and Sophie and their captors, clinging to every word, searching for the slightest clue of what awaited them.
Yulia, for her part, didn't know whether she could trust this bandit. But for now, it was all she had: a glimmer of hope, however faint it may be. When the conversation faded, 3 cast them a heavy, suggestive look.
"Now, be quiet. We still have a day's journey before we reach the port."
3 commanded before turning on his heel and rejoining his fellow bandits.
Yulia furrowed her brow, intrigued. The port? Yet, the sea was much further than a day's journey away. How was that possible? Seeing her puzzled expression, Sophie leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.
"He's not talking about a seaport, Yulia. It's an airport. Goods are transported by air aboard massive airships, often used for smuggling."
Yulia remained silent for a moment, memories of her past flooding her mind. The airships... she had always admired them, those imposing vessels that majestically floated among the clouds. She remembered the sense of wonder she felt every time she looked up to behold these engineering marvels. It was a time when the world still seemed full of promise to her.
Her dreams had always held the wonder of stepping onto one of these airships, being swept across lands and seas, and beholding the world from a bird's eye view. However, these dreams were harshly extinguished when her husband suffered a knee injury. They were confined to a humble existence in their village.
A day passed in a kind of painful stupor, paced by the noise of the wagon wheels against the road and the worried murmur of the captive women. Time seemed to stretch unbearably. Eventually, the horizon revealed a change in scenery. Trees and fields gave way to larger, more modern structures. They had reached the outskirts of the air harbor.
The sight was breathtaking. Dozens of airships floated in the sky, held to colossal towers by thick mooring lines. They seemed almost alive, like enormous whales suspended in the wind. Despite the circumstances, Yulia couldn't help but be awestruck. It was as if a dream was being realized, albeit under conditions she could never have imagined.
At the foot of the imposing towers, a bustling village had established itself. Passing merchants shouted their offers, attempting to lure the occasional travelers who stopped to switch ships or wait for their departure.
However, as the brigand convoy approached, the vibrant activity abruptly slowed. Merchants ceased their calls, and bystanders hastily scattered, carefully avoiding the gaze of the mounted men. Clearly, no one wanted to invite trouble.
They continued on their way, moving away from the harbor until they reached a more distant square where an impressively large airship rested. Too large to be moored to the towers, it sat on the ground, a majestic silhouette contrasting the surrounding landscape. Women from the convoy were already being led inside, their frail and tiny figures starkly contrasting the enormity of the machine.
The wagon finally came to a halt, prompting a collective sigh of relief from the women. One by one, they disembarked, their faces etched with fatigue, backs aching and stiff from being forced into the same position for long hours. Most had scarcely slept, tormented by worry and anxiety about their fate.
Yulia was one of the last to disembark. A wave of relief washed over her as she finally stretched her numb legs, gently shaking her muscles to relieve the accumulated tension. But despite this respite, she couldn't ignore the knot of terror tightening in her stomach.
She observed the gigantic ship, her curious mind always captivated by such machines. However, a certain apprehension gripped her. She would be boarding, true, but it would be to journey to a place even more frightening than anything she'd known before.
Her heart clenched at the thought, but she drew a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and joined the other women. She had no choice but to move forward, as terrifying as it may be. Yulia didn't even attempt to run. Everywhere she looked, armed men surveyed their every move.
Standing at the foot of the massive airship made her feel minute.
"You really are a country bumpkin," Sophie taunted beside her, a mocking smile on her lips. Yulia ignored her and boarded the machine without a word, her thoughts already focused on what lay ahead.
They were promptly ushered into the hold, a cramped and confined space that would become their jail for the coming days. Each woman was allocated a corner, a hefty iron chain attached to their wrist restricting their movement.
A chamber pot shared between two, a loaf of bread, and a water flask comprised their entire provisions and comfort. Lamentations and objections were quickly stifled by the imposing presence of the brigands.
"This is all you'll get for the journey," announced 3, his gaze sweeping over the terrified group of women. "You'll need a week to reach the Free Nation if all goes well. So, make it last. We'll meet again in a week."
3's words echoed in the hold, leaving the women with a sense of despair that sank even deeper. The journey had only just begun, but it already felt interminable.
Yulia was fortunate to be assigned a spot next to a porthole, a small consolation in their grim situation. She could spend most of her time watching the world from the sky. It would provide a welcome distraction, a temporary escape from the harsh reality of their condition.
Sophie, on the other hand, grimaced as she tried to bite into her loaf of bread. It was hard, nearly as hard as stone, and the effort to eat quickly turned into a struggle. She grumbled under her breath, her words mixing with sighs of frustration.
Aware of the ordeal ahead, Yulia decided to conserve her strength as much as possible. She nestled against the airship's wall, her worn-out body finding some comfort in the relative tranquility of the hold. Thoughts of what awaited them at the destination haunted her, but for the moment, she chose to focus on the present and preserve her energy for the trials to come. Eventually, lulled by the gentle hum of the airship, she fell asleep.