PENELOPE KALLIS:

“As you can see, they’re in perfect health.” We stood in the middle of the dimly lit hall, surrounded by those looking over their slaves before the purchases were finalized. The twins I’d bid on were brought to me in chains by a masked man with a muffled voice, one of many workers at the auction. “You may look over them if you’d like.”

He turned to them, pulling on the chain that hung around their neck, forcing them to get closer. Damon bit his lower lip out of frustration while Sheila looked to the ground, afraid of what would happen to them. Had they known I had no intention of keeping them enslaved, I’m sure they’d be thrilled, but sadly it wasn’t something I could reassure them of at the time.

“Damon and Sheila, what pretty names you have.” I smiled softly, taking a step closer to them. Damon instinctively jumped in front of his sister, reminding me so much of my brothers. Despite looking to be many years younger than me, his courage was admirable. “Worry not. I’ll treat you kindly.”

“Right. . .” Damon doubtfully glared.

The masked man pulled on his chain again, forcing Damon to bow his head. “Silence. You should be thankful-”

“That’s quite alright.” I glanced at the chains he held. “There’s no need to be forceful. Something like that won’t make me change my mind about purchasing them.”

“So I just have to piss you off enough for you not to purchase us, huh!” Damon grinned, gazing into my eyes.

“Stop.” Sheila timidly whispered to Damon, grabbing his arm.

My first impression of Damon was that he was a hotheaded kid that followed his heart rather than his head, a trait that reassured me he was kindhearted despite his sharp tongue.

“You shouldn’t be talking like that.” Damon flinched as I raised my hand toward his head, shutting his eyes in fear of being struck, unable to defend himself with bound hands. My intentions were soon made clear as I petted his head gently, whispering, “It’s okay. You’ll soon find yourself needing no such words.”

The underground auction was inhumane, but that didn’t mean everyone there was cold-hearted. While slavery was a crime in Eleron, it didn’t mean that everyone who found themselves partaking was evil. Many households had taken in those unfortunate and looked after them, making their lives better by allowing them to work as permanent staff in their estates. Some were even given freedom and treated kindly. While I despised everything about it, at least nobody would find my demeanor odd.

Damon opened his eyes, looking confused as he expected pain, yet was shown kindness. He kept quiet, gazing into my eyes before suddenly looking to the ground. I could tell he didn’t trust me, which wasn’t surprising. However, that didn’t discourage me from trying as I softly smiled, moving my hand back. It was only then that I remembered why I purchased them in the first place, to get information, right?

“If everything is in order, let us move to the branding.” The auction worker interrupted our moment. “A slave mark shall be-”

“Unnecessary.” I cut him off.

“My Lady, I must insist for the-”

“I believe I made myself clear.” My gaze shifted to the man’s chestnut eyes, the only visible part of his face. “My bodyguard shall handle them from here.”

“As you insist.” He bowed respectfully, taking out a slave contract. “But first, we must process the payment. How will you be paying?”

“The ten thousand gold shall be-”

“They know who you are. Be careful!” I heard a disembodied feminine voice echo in the back of my head. “You’re in danger!”

I grabbed my forehead, glancing around the room to figure out what was happening, as it was my first time hearing telepathy. Sir James grabbed my shoulder, worried that I was suddenly hurt, but my eyes kept searching until my gaze met the half-fae succubus standing across the hall next to her new master. I wasn’t sure why she warned me, but the panicked look in her eyes told me she wasn’t lying.

“Behind you!”

Turning around, I saw three men stealthily approaching with daggers strapped to their belts. Immediately I recognized one of them as the guard that stood by the entrance when we first came in. However, when I laid my eyes on them, he suddenly slowed down, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

“Red,” I mumbled to Sir James, a codeword we assigned to warn each other of danger.

Sir James immediately took a deep breath, circulating mana through his body in case a fight broke out.

“Is everything alright?” the clueless worker asked.

Damon and Sheila seemed to have caught on as Damon bravely pulled his sister behind him.

“Lady Tanya.” The disfigured guard pretended to be harmless. “We wanted to congratulate you on your purchase.”

“Thank you,” I said, but the uneasy feeling of being watched swept over me.

“If I may ask. . .” He took a step closer as I looked past him before finding the source of my anxiety.

Standing by the stairs leading outside, the masked man I had engaged in a conversation with before the main event started was caught staring at us with a sly grin, immediately warning me that my disguise had failed. Noticing the change in my expression, the disfigured man didn’t hesitate to draw his dagger and thrust toward me.

Sir James, who appeared unarmed, performed a sword draw as the smirk on the white-eyed freak disappeared after he screamed in agony caused by the loss of his hand. Shimmering energy surrounded Sir James as a steel longsword imbued with mana appeared out of thin air.

“Twin Ice Spears!” Pointing my hands at the two unharmed men, a pair of conjured icicles flew toward them, penetrating one’s chest while the other jumped sideways.

Sir James didn’t hesitate to step forward, decapitating the one-handed man before he could do anything else.

“Augh! Get off me!” the auction worker yelled as I noticed Damon biting his hand. “You filth!”

“Water Scythe.” I transmuted mana into a thin blade of water, mercilessly decapitating the man trying to punch Damon.

“Sword Arts: Dragon Claw!” Appearing out of nowhere, a man wearing a black breastplate without an insignia swung a greatsword at me with rippling crimson mana tracing behind.

“Haste!” Sir James dashed between us, redirecting his attack that made the ground quake on impact, as a crack in the stone now separated us from the twins. “Wind Slice!”

Sir James counterattacked as wind empowered his sword, but he too was blocked easily by the man whose attire was no different from the one that led the ambush; however, they shared no resemblance appearance-wise.

Panic spread through the auction house as everyone started running at the first sign of danger, making it easy to recognize those coming after us, and there were lots of them. Luckily, only a few infused mana, and by the looks of it, were likely first-circle mages.

“Get behind me!” I yelled at the twins.

“Arcane Arrows!” An unknown mage launched spectral arrows toward us.

“Twinned Magic: Pillar of Ice!” By increasing the output of mana needed for the spell, a caster could utilize metamagic enchantment and alter the original effect.

Two turquoise transmutation circles appeared, one on the ground between the enemy caster and us while the other floated behind the man fighting Sir James. Ice burst out of the circles, blocking the arrows and grazing the man’s shoulder as he turned at the last second.

“Dragon Roar!” The man in black channeled a large amount of mana that resembled fifth circle magic, surpassing Sir James in core strength.

“Silence!” Sir James raised his hand, conjuring a barrier around us.

Words couldn’t describe how shocking it was to experience such a loud environment suddenly becoming dead silent. My knight’s experience and quick thinking saved us from a devastating sound-based attack as a mere second circle spell blocked the effect. Everything returned to normal as he immediately dismissed the silence field that prevented us from casting spells that required a vocal component which would’ve left us at a massive disadvantage.

Sir James gathered a large amount of mana at the tip of his blade before yelling, “Wind Slice!”

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“Arcane Arr-” While his opponent easily dodged such a telegraphed attack, Sir James smirked after his Wind Slice, a ranged attack capable of slicing through a rock, suddenly changed its course, splitting the caster in the back in half.

“Ice Shield!” Clapping my hands together, I conjured an ice barrier around me and the twins, protecting us from the dozen non-casters charging at us.

“You’re quite strong.” The greatsword maniac stopped to talk. “What is your name, Knight of Kallis?”

“Shatter!” The barrier around us broke into dozens of ice shards that impaled the incoming enemies.

Damon understood the danger and hugged his petrified sister, serving as a living shield against incoming attacks.

More were on their way as many struggled to push past the panicked crowd that swarmed the only set of stairs leading outside. However, while we had to deal with fewer enemies at once, they still blocked our only way of escaping, indirectly forcing us to keep fighting until we were the last ones standing.

“How do you know who we are?” Sir James asked, trying to stay alert.

“Who knows?” A devious smirk appeared on his face. “Sword Arts: Executioner Blade!”

“Body Reinforcement!” Sir James chanted as mana surged through his body and the man’s blade, both prepared for another clash.

Crimson mana raged through the sword as the man taunted, “Let’s see how you deal with this. Lighting Step.”

Sir James made a fatal mistake in expecting the attack to be aimed at him as his opponent suddenly appeared next to me, leaving a trail of lighting from where he once stood and now. Sir James was zapped by the weak lightning, which managed to stagger him long enough to prevent any hope of him saving me.

The attack was too fast to dodge and powerful enough that no spell could save me from being hit. Predicting that they wanted to capture me alive, I readied myself to lose an arm or a leg as I dared close my eyes in fear.

“Look out!” Sir James yelled.

It was over. Regret devoured me as I foolishly tried doing things on my own. Had I instead listened to my father, then. . . no. At least there was still hope for Sir James to escape if he abandoned me.

Clang!

The sound of swords clashing together echoed through the hall after a strong gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Don’t be scared.” I heard a familiar voice that made me believe I imagined things to cope with reality.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” chuckled the man in black.

When I opened my eyes, fear quickly turned to shock as I saw none other than my father standing before me, joined by another robed man with silvery hair, looking to be around his age.

“My Lord?” Sir James was at a loss for words.

“We were almost late,” said my father, looking at his friend while effortlessly holding the enemy at bay with his longsword.

“You’re the one that insisted we wait until the very last second, Victor.” He sighed, referring to my father informally, something even his closest friends didn’t do. “Now then, shall we begin? Mass Sleep.”

Feint ethereal music began to seep into the auction house, reverberating throughout and encompassing the continuous sounds of shouting, causing all but select few to collapse to the ground within seconds. It wasn't surprising to see the man clashing swords with my father still awake, but despite how dangerous he was, I felt a sense of calm.

“Save me!” A voice echoed in the back of my head again as I turned to see the elven woman dragging the half-fae out of the hall, hoping to hide after being unaffected by the spell.

“Distant Magic: Pillar of Ice!” I surprised everyone as a transmutation circle appeared between the elf and the half-fae, breaking apart her grip as ice burst out of the ground.

The girl started running toward me with her legs still bound, tumbling to the ground after a few short steps as panic set in.

“Arcane Wall,” chanted the mysterious friend, creating a transparent barrier between the elf and the girl, realizing I wished to save her. “Paralysis.”

He attempted to restrain the elf, but before the spell could take effect, she extended her hand and disrupted his casting by messing with his mana control. "Dammit!"

“Empowered Magic: Earth’s Grasp.” Countless roots bursting out of the ground entangled the elf, rendering her immobile.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” The man next to us smirked, licking his lips maniacally. “To think I’d get to fight Duke Victor Kallis. It’s an honor.”

“Fight?” My father furrowed a brow, sighing disappointedly. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Don’t underestimate me!” He yelled, pressing down with his full strength. "Sword Arts: Ex-"

“Fool,” my father said, channeling mana into his sword, blasting him into the wall on the opposite side of the hall.

I had never seen such a display of physical strength, even when enhanced with magic; however, it wasn’t enough to take him down as he wobbled back to his feet, stepping over the guests’ unconscious bodies. The wall behind him cracked, leaving him puking blood.

“Yes!” he yelled, still hopeful that they’d keep fighting, but after taking another step, he collapsed as the stress his body endured caught up with him.

My eyes darted to the half-fae as I watched my father’s friend slowly approach.

“Now what do we have here. . .” he mumbled.

“Greater Teleportation!” The elf chanted, disappearing into thin air before anyone could react.

“Damn. To think someone was capable of using seventh circle magic. No, she would’ve avoided my initial attack with ease. Could it be an innate ability? Hmm. . . Maybe a magic item.” He clicked his tongue, turning to me. “Sorry, I hope she wasn’t important.”

“No. . .” I shook my head, still confused as to what just happened.

Loud footsteps came rushing from the stairs as a few dozen soldiers stormed the place with the Kallis family insignia.

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I sat on a bench and waited anxiously for my father and his men to finish rounding everyone up while keeping an eye on the mage that kept staring at the poor half-fae girl; meanwhile, Sir James appeared as if his spirit was crushed, knowing that if they hadn’t stepped in, my life would’ve been forfeit.

“Penelope Kallis.” The sound of my father's voice had me shook. “Do you have any idea what would’ve happened had we not shown up?”

“Yes,” I mumbled, looking at the ground, showing no sign of resistance.

“You would’ve lost your life.” He sat beside me as I was too ashamed to look up. “Do you even realize how devastated we would’ve been had something happened to you?”

After believing we had lost Alex, I knew exactly what he meant. I was just glad he hadn’t raised his voice yet.

“I. . .” No words coming out of my mouth could make the situation better, and knowing my father, apologizing wasn’t going to do anything either.

“She did better than I expected,” my father’s friend muttered through a smile.

“You’re not helping.”

“When did I say I’d help you?”

To think that a smug jokester standing around with his arms crossed made my father sigh.

“How did you know where to find me?” I dared ask, looking up at my father.

“Did you really think you could sneak away from home without me knowing?” Father asked. “Honestly. . .”

“But why didn’t you stop me?”

“Say what you will, but the Kallis blood is strong in you, just like your brother. Stubbornness runs in the family, so I’m well aware that you wouldn’t have stopped if you didn’t seek out this yourself.”

“You can thank your father for that,” his friend teased.

“Geron. . .”

“What? It’s true,” Geron said, looking back at me. “Instead of lecturing your daughter, you might want to hug her and make sure she’s okay.”

“You’re going to lecture me about being a father now?”

“No, but she’s shaken.”

“My Lord.” Sir James approached, kneeling before Father. “Please don’t pin all the blame on Lady Penelope. I’ve broken my oath by not telling you and allowed her to dive into danger. Please punish me as you see fit.”

I wanted to speak up, but my father stopped me as breaking an oath and endangering someone from a noble family were acts worthy of beheading.

“Sir James, I admire your courage to admit to your wrongdoing, but we shall discuss your punishment later. Now go and see to it that all the slaves are set free and round up all the nobles.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Sir James quietly got up and left.

The first two people that came to mind were the Lord's wife and the masked man, but I didn't have time to check where they were.

“What about these three?” Geron looked at the twins and the half-fae.

“I guess it’s up to them. . .” Father said, glancing at the twins.

The twins exchanged glances before looking back at me.

“Can we. . . stay with big sister?” Damon asked, taking me by surprise.

Sheila nodded in agreement, holding her hands together while looking at the ground. I glanced back at my father, afraid to ask him out loud.

“Penelope?” He turned to me with his arms crossed. “What do you think?”

“I’d like to take them home, if possible. . .”

“You’d have to take care of them yourself.”

“Okay?” I looked confused as if he was allowing me to keep pets.

“It’s not as easy as you think, taking care of shi-”

“Victor, I think she doesn’t know. . .” Geron interrupted him.

“Know what?” I looked confused.

It was the first time my father laughed. “Brilliant. In that case, I believe it’s the perfect pastime as you won’t be leaving the house anytime soon.”

“I knew it. . .” I sighed, expecting as much.

“Wait until your mother gives you an earful,” he said, and the worst part is he didn’t mean scolding me.

“What about her?” Geron looked at the half-fae. “What a rare sight. Mind if I take her?”

“If that’s what she wants,” Father said.

“Well?” Geron asked. “You haven’t said a word since we saved you.”

“Is. . . Is it possible for me to stay with Penelope too?” she asked, mimicking Sheila’s submissive posture.

I carefully turned to my father again with a shy smirk, biting my lower lip in anticipation. If it weren't for her warning, who knows what would've happened.

“You have to be kidding me?” Father exhaled, scratching the back of his neck. “Let’s go home and consult your mother, before we end up taking in someone else. I’m getting sick of this place. . .”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.