He continued watching the scene in wonder, taking deep even breaths at the masacre.

The blood had seeped into the ground below where the bodies were being cut drenching the soil red.

A few people had tried to run from their fate, but they had been shot in the legs by the soldiers, and their writhing bodies thrown into the fire, alive.

No one tried after the third.

Crouched down, Vin took this all in. He didn't know who he had been, or how he knew he was now Vin, just that he did. And it would be in his best interest to get out of here, NOW!

Taking a look over his shoulder, he was met with a straight drop into the rocky waters below. The storm made the waves crashing on the side even more menacing.

He shuddered, took a deep breath, and considered his options.

'Hell, even if I stay here the entire time these people are cutting and killing, it's not a bad deal.' They had to leave sometime.

And so he stayed. The hours passed, and though his legs cramped up, and his back hurt, and the bugs were biting his legs mercilessly he didn't make a sound.

It was nearly impossible to tell how much time had passed in this place, the only way one could was by looking at the farthest point in the sky that the eye could see, where the rays had evidently broken through. No such luck here.

It was still spooky and dark.

The furnace had kept burning, the people on the top of the cliff had dwindled down to just the guards, the executioner, the large man, and the people attending to the furnace.

"We should move out now, the fire should be set for the next few days, atleast." The man, who had been largely behind the torch announced as he came out.

Looking at the slope system he had set up to keep feeding the flames, he nodded assuredly and walked past the people down the rock, his fingers picking at the toothpick in his hand.

The other followed his cue, hurriedly packing up their tools- large blades, saws- and the caps and shoes they had collected into another cloth that the large man carried on his back. They filed out after the man.

Vin was still frozen, unseen in his spot. As soon as the last straggling lad left his view, he crept out of the side of the slope.

Crawing on his hands and knees, he crossed the rock to the other side and watched as the people descenced the snake like path down to the beach below.

He stayed, watching. When they had all reached the sand he glanced a last look back at the ashy surface he was lying on, and shivering, followed after the troupe.

====

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

They trekked on, with Vin following from a distance carefully placing his steps. He watched as they stopped at the foot of the incline, and went off to the side with few rocks placed in a circle.

He hid behind a large stone as the execution crew sat down, placing the items in their hands in the middle.

"Well lads, " He started, "and lady." He added at the sight of the scowling woman on his right.

Picking with his toothpick, he continued, "What do we have today?"

A bellow sounded through the clearing, "What we have here, old boy, is little Johnny almost pissing 'imself!" A figure from the farther side cackled, clapping a queasy looking young boy on the shoulder hard enough that he almost fell from his perch.

"He WHAT? Hehe." Many answering laughs broke out.

"It's alright, young man. Nearly fainted my first day here."

"Oh my gods! Good lord and all the others above! It would have been a damn better sight!"

"Hey! Lay off the poor guy!"

"Oh, sod off Charlie! He can talk for himself!"

"The defacto leader of the group interjected, "That's enough, now. Settle down. Give Johnny some space..."

"...In case he wants to piss again."

The laughter renewed. This time, even the young boy was smiling wanely.

They finally quieted down after a while and opened the bundles they were carrying. In the larger ones were the shoes and hats that they had collected, another contained some baubles, a coin here, a broken down pocket watch, a matchbox, a few kernels of corn, and even a sewing kit among many other items. The last one, the leader kept in his hand as he opened and displayed the large silver and gold coins inside.

"This here, is what we received for taking care of the criminal scum. Fifteen silver and four gold yaks. Ick and Oik,"

He threw a silver coin in the direction of the two men each. They jumped up to catch their earning...

"OW!"

"Bollocks!"

...and immediately bumped into each other.

The glared at each other for a while, and picked up the dropped coins.

"Rory and Dan." They got two coins each.

"Thanks Joe."

This continued till the seven people had received their share. Joe gave the man who had been in charge of cutting the bodies up with a gold coin, and folded the last 3 of them back in the cloth which he put in his pocket.

"This will go into paying for the ship and repairs. Good work."

========

It took another hour for Vin to move from his place, as the people fell asleep.

After the money, they had each taken a share of the hats and shoes, and the knick-knacks, and settled into a well-practiced routine.

A fire was build, and the blood and gore and grime was cleaned off their hands, and a meagre meal of freshly caught rabbits later most of them had went off to sleep with only Ick and Oik tending to the fire, dozing in their seats.

Vin took this chance and crept out. He steadily placed his feet as he approached, looking at their faces to make sure they were really asleep.

"Hmm" He froze as the large man grumbled, turning around to find a softer space in the sand.

He waited, and waited, and when Dan did not move again, he continued to the softly dying fire, and the pouch he had been eyeing earlier.

It had mostly been emptied, but there was one thing that had caught his attention.

A small ashy rock.

Nothing flashy, and likely nothing of any monetary value.

But very, very familiar.

He opened the knot, the napking falling around his palms as the leftover items lay in the flat of his hand. They had likely been taken from the corpses above, and discarded as useless by these...killers? Executioners? He wasn't sure, and he wasn't going to ask.

There!

He dug out the rock. The grey colour was very nondescript, and there was no shine. No wonder these...thugs?...didn't take this when dividing the loot.

He stared at the stone, the three indents in the middle, layed out in the shape of the triangle taking him back to a moment in a life he didn't even remember.

This was the last thing he had touched, wherever he was before the void. And it had burned him.

"Oi! Where did you come from?"