Chapter 3

We’ve been riding for about two hours now, and at that time no one had made any conversation. Of course, I didn’t really want to talk either so I kept my head down and mouth closed the whole time. That is until Dominic started up a conversation, and as always, it was directed at me.

“You don’t need to keep your hood on, after all, it’s only us in this carriage”

I look up at Dominic as say, “True, but attracting too much attention can be dangerous”

Dominic gives a small laugh, “You’re not wrong, but in this case, I think you can relax a little bit”

I look at Dominic and give a small sigh, “I guess you’re right”. I take off my hood exposing my face to which both Dominic and the guard give off surprised expressions.

“You’re from the North Lands”, Dominic says

“That's correct, I think you can understand why I hide my face”

Dominic replies, “Of course, but I find it strange that someone of your race would be in a southern country. If you don’t mind me asking, is there any reason for your travel? After all, your people tend to isolate themselves”

I think carefully and reply, “You can say that I’m looking for something, but what that something is, I don’t even know”

Dominic and the guard looked at each other with a confused expression across their faces. They were at a loss for words, not knowing what to say. I decide to change the subject to keep things from getting awkward.

“So what type of goods are you transporting?”

Realizing my intention, Dominic replies, “I’m glad you ask, as the owner and head of the Barrett Trading company, we handle a large variety of goods, from spices and labor materials to more expensive goods such as weaponry, coins, and slaves. Currently, we’re transporting armor and weapons for a certain lord living in Colmar. Other than that, we purchased five slaves for which we’ll sell at auction in Colmar”

“Slaves?”, I ask him

He gives a slight smile knowing he’s captured my interest. He replies with, “Why yes, I’ve only purchased them recently but I can assure you that they are all of top quality. They are young and healthy, ready for manual labor or sexual pleasure”

Confused with the last statement, I reply “Pleasure? Then they are all female correct?”

Dominic continues smiling, “Why of course, would you by any chance be interested in purchasing one?”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested. They would only slow me down”

Dominic gives a disappointed expression, “It’s a shame, but the offer is still there if you change your mind”

“I appreciate it”

For the rest of the ride, I remained silent. Although I was curious about the female slaves, it was nothing more than mere curiosity about them. I had no want or need for a slave, and what I told Dominic was indeed true. A slave would indeed slow me down on my journey. We rode for another two hours before finally stopping for the night. A camp was set up and a guard began cooking in a large pot above a fire. It appeared to be a very simple stew made with preserved meat, cheese, and vegetables.

There were also three guards on watch, walking around the perimeter of the camp. I had asked earlier if I should join them, only to be told that it wasn’t necessary since the guards would switch throughout the night. Besides, “I need you fully rested and prepared as my escort” is what Dominic said. As promised I was given a bowl of the stew for my meal. As plain and simple as it was, it wasn’t half bad. The stew was filling enough to keep you full, but not enough to upset your stomach. At some point, a small portion of the stew was taken by a guard to one of the wagons. Watching him, he violently shoves the bowl of stew in the wagon before walking back to the fire.

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It was probably for the slaves, not that I cared too much. After finishing the stew, I walk towards a nearby tree and sat down with my back against it. I have one knee up and the other down flat on the ground. I hold my sword with both hands against my shoulder. I slowly close my eyes and let my consciousness fade away.

“Clank!!!, Clank!!!”

My eyes spring open from the noise. What woke me was the sound of metal chains hitting against each other. Looking around, the sun had barely begun to rise. I stand up and start walking towards the origin of the noise. For the most part, I slept pretty well, but it was still too early for anyone else to be awake. The guards keeping watch are walking around the perimeter and don’t seem to have noticed the noise.

Getting close to the wagon, I start to hear small whispers. It was obvious that all the noise came from the slaves, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I wanted to see them. Getting to the back, I open the flap covering the entrance, letting light in. In Front of me sat five female slaves, each bound by a set of chains and collars. Three of them had tan colored skin with black hair and dark brown eyes. One had lightly tan skin with blonde hair and what appeared to be blue eyes.

The last one, unfortunately, couldn't be seen because she was turned around facing a corner away from the other slaves. But she appeared to be smaller than the rest. The other four were considerably older, my guess was late teens, early twenties.

“So you’re interested after all?”, Dominic says standing behind me. He seems to have gotten up early and saw me.

“Good morning Dominic, but no, I’m still not interested, only curious”, I reply without much thought.

Dominic gives a small grin, “Well then, we should satisfy that curiosity, shouldn't we?”

Before I could give a reply, he orders a guard to come and bring the slaves out.

“Quickly, line up shoulder to shoulder”. Just as Dominic ordered, the women stood next to each other facing us.

“There you go, have a better look at them”, Dominic said to me as he gestured to go forward.

After seeing them earlier, my curiosity was pretty much satisfied until something caught me completely off guard.

“It can’t be???”, one slave immediately caught my attention, and it was the smaller slave that I couldn't see before. She was smaller because she was younger, but what stood out to me the most were her features. She had very pale white skin like snow, small pink lips, long chestnut brown colored hair, which hung down her back. Her eyes were big and bright. They were the color of a deep red tea. They were the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, yet they appeared very sad and fearful. Even though she was extremely dirty and her hair wasn’t properly taken care of, you can still tell she was quite the beauty.

But her features could only mean one thing, “She’s from the North Lands”

“I’m glad you noticed” Dominic replied.

I turn to face him as I spoke. “But how, there's no way you got her up north. Was she captured?”

“From what the man that I bought her from stated, she was traded from her family for supplies. They willingly treated her off, and appeared happy to have gotten rid of her”

How can that be, was her family so desperate for supplies that they traded her off, or did they intentionally do it. Whatever the case may be, she must have suffered. Judging from her appearance, she must be fifteen or sixteen years old. Much younger than the other girls.

“Does she speak?”, I ask Dominic

“Yes, but very little. The problem is, whenever she does speak, we can’t understand her. She speaks the language of the North Lands. I was hoping that you could talk to her and translate what she says”

“For what purpose?” I ask sternly while releasing a bit of bloodlust.

Dominic stares back and says, “I want to teach her to speak Numidian if possible. She’ll be easier to sell that way. In return, I’ll add another four gold coins for your services”

I give an immediate stern reply, “I refuse”

Dominic gives an unsatisfied expression, but as if an idea popped in his head, he asked, “Would you perhaps be interested in purchasing her? I can guarantee that she’s healthy, and more importantly, she is innocent a virgin. I’ll even give you a discount”

“Not interested”

“So you say, but I can tell you’re interested, tell you what, I’ll wait for your final reply in two days time when we reach Colmar. Give it some time and think about what you want to do, remember I’m willing to give you a discount”

Before I can refuse, Dominic walked away. I decide to walk up to the girl to get a better look. Standing in front of her, the girl looks up and gasps at my appearance. She gives off a terrified expression. I can’t blame her, my attire doesn’t scream friendly, and my hood covering half my face doesn't help either. The guard eventually tells all the slaves to go back into the wagon. As I stand there, I give a long sigh while thinking to myself that this is going to be a troublesome situation.