Click.
Instinct came.
I curled up.
Pain followed.
Injuries.
Back. Ribs. Arms. Head.
It hurt.
Tap.
A boot tapped my shoulder.
Not hard.
Just enough.
"Wake up."
The voice sounded different.
My head turned toward it.
A guard.
A new one.
His voice came again.
"Stand."
I tried.
But—
My arms crumbled under the weight.
I fell.
Thud.
He sighed, almost tired.
He caught my chain and pulled me up.
Clang.
The metal closed around my skin, pain followed.
I swayed on my feet.
But I stood.
He looked at my face as he spoke.
"Rough days, huh?"
My head shrank down under his gaze.
He sighed as he turned.
"Don't worry. You're being moved today."
It took me some time to understand his words.
'Moved.'
That means...
'I will leave.'
Relief spread warm in my chest.
Clang.
He pulled me along and led me out.
The door closed behind us.
Click.
The corridor smelled of rot.
Step.
My steps.
Step.
His steps.
Step.
The corridor passed in a blur.
Stonewalls and cells.
We went up four floors, maybe more.
Then came rooms I remember.
The smith's fire.
The splash of cold water.
I'd thought escape possible once.
Now I knew.
It was hopeless from the start.
He kept a steady pace.
I followed.
The room I was sold.
The desk.
The door.
He opened it.
Creak.
Night air.
Cold brushed my skin.
He pulled me forward.
Wagons lined the street.
Guards in cloaks, slaves in rows.
I looked up.
The sky.
The stars.
The full moon was bright.
Wind moved through my hair. There was no stench in the air, it was fresh.
Someone spoke.
"Last one."
The chain fell, and I was pushed forward.
"Move."
A wagon.
Old wood. A dirty cloth. And a small ladder.
My body swayed as I stepped up. My broken arms hung at my sides.
Another shove.
I fell inside.
Arms reached out by reflex.
"Argh!
Pain.
Thud.
I hit the floor.
The door shut.
Click.
It was dark.
Light came from gaps between the wood.
Silhouettes circled me.
Slaves.
I couldn't stand. My arms were useless.
Someone grabbed my shirt, pulling me upright.
"Sit."
I sat in the corner.
My voice hoarse.
"Thanks."
He answered.
"Shut up. I don't have space if you lie down on the floor, you dumb bastard."
My head lowered.
Silence.
The wagon moved.
Clack.
Hooves on stone.
Clack.
I watched the light slide across their faces.
'I am leaving…'
I didn't know if that was good.
I didn't know much of anything.
But I wasn't beaten today.
And maybe not tomorrow.
Time passed.
'Did it?'
I didn't know.
Clack.
The wagon moved.
***
I heard it.
A city.
The light felt warmer.
The noise.
Laughter. Shouting. Music.
Clack.
The horses moved past it.
The air went from the smell of food to rot.
Coughs. A child's sobs.
Creeak.
The wagon stopped.
Click.
The door opened.
Cold air against skin.
A firm voice.
"Out."
Step.
Stepping on wood.
Then snow.
Trembling hands held me steady.
Chains rattling.
Clang.
Hands gripped my chains.
I was pulled forward. Shackles cut skin.
It hurt.
The guards shouted as they pushed us together.
"Move!"
A warehouse.
Slaves lined up in front.
The metal doors opened.
Screech.
Light. Dull orange illuminated the inside.
Guards stood in front armed with batons.
Cages filled the warehouse.
Someone spoke.
"Line up. Men here. Women there. Children to the side."
We moved.
We stopped.
A woman went by. She counted us.
I kept my eyes on nothing.
She halted, looking at me a bit longer, then walked to the next.
She spoke.
"Prepare the branding."
We were pushed forward.
A door opened.
Heat came.
One slave went in. Screams. Then the next.
They pushed me in.
It was hot.
It stank of burned flesh and metal.
Guards pulled my right arm down on a table.
The smith came closer—a glowing metal rod in his hand.
Heat burned my skin.
Hiss.
A scream.
"Aghh!"
My scream.
A wet cloth was placed over the brand.
The smith took a knife as he spoke.
"Left arm."
The guards pulled my left arm to the table.
Slrrt.
The knife cut through the old brand.
It hurt.
"Argh!"
"Next."
They grabbed my chains and pulled me out.
We were counted again.
They brought us to a cage.
Click.
The door shut behind us.
Bread like stone and water with a bad smell.
I swallowed it anyway.
I sat with my back to the bars.
Slaves sobbing. Eyes watching nothing.
Pain.
The arm burned.
The cut hurt.
It felt like a moment.
Or maybe more?
The cage opened.
Click.
The guard spoke.
"Out."
They led us out of the warehouse.
Cold air brushed through hair.
We stopped outside.
My head turned.
Night. Snow was falling. The moon shone.
The city rose. Bright lights glowed.
My eyes went back to the street ahead.
Empty alleys. No lights. The stench of rot.
The contrast between the two sides left me feeling empty inside.
Clang.
They pushed us forward.
Step.
Lines of slaves walked down the streets.
Step.
The sea appeared ahead.
It wasn't dark.
The water was bright under the moonlight. Reflecting the stars and breaking them with each wave.
The Radiant Sea.
I watched too long.
A hand pushed me.
"Move."
We moved toward the sea.
Behind the cliff where the city stood.
A hidden port.
Three ships. Black wood. Propellers at its back.
Wooden planks connected the ship to the pier.
Step.
I stepped on deck.
Creak.
Old wood under my feet.
A hatch opened.
A ladder descended.
The guards shouted.
"Hurry up! Go down!"
We went down.
An empty room. No light.
I sat in a corner.
The chains fell to the ground.
Clang.
Slaves filled the room.
A guard stepped down. A lamp shone brightly upon us.
Faces lit under the light—his tone flat.
"You are our property. We don't want to lose our goods. If I find a cold body, it's a problem. Be quiet as if you don't exist."
The light turned with him.
He climbed up.
The hatch shut.
Thud.
Silence.
Then—
Coughs. The shuffle of clothes. A sob.
I leaned against the wall.
My body ached.
Pain.
The brands, the cuts, the broken bones.
The ship moved.
The water crashed against the wood.
Splash.
I closed my eyes.
Her face came again.
The pain vanished.
Her smile.
It warmed me.
Lisa.
I held on because of her.
The ship moved through the waves.
Crash.
***
Creak.
The hatch opened.
Instinct came.
I woke and curled up.
No kick.
No pain.
Light instead.
My eyes opened.
The sun shone through the windows. The smell of salt. The sound of waves hitting wood.
Step.
Step.
Thud.
A voice.
"Line up."
I looked.
Guards stood in the center.
A table was placed in front of them. Crates and barrels next to it.
We stood.
Clang.
The chains rattled.
They gave us bread, meat, and a cup of water.
One spoke.
"Keep the cup."
I sat and ate.
Bread like stone. Strange meat. Water tasting like salt.
Thud.
The hatch closed.
I leaned against the wall and tried to sleep.
Pain kept me awake.
Ribs, arms, and my back.
They needed time to heal.
I looked through the window.
The water shone silver under the sunlight.
The Radiant Sea.
Lucien told me.
The ship moved, and I forgot the others.
I watched the sea.
The glitter with each wave.
The salty air and sound of crashing waves.
She would have liked it.
She loved the sea.
The noise of the sea calmed her. The view of it made her eyes sparkle like a child's.
I loved the way she smiled when she talked about it.
Her face appeared.
Lisa.
I felt at peace.
***
Time passed.
Days.
Food, water, and sleep.
Through the window.
The Radiant Sea.
Always the same.
Then—
Land.
A city.
Colorful houses. Tall towers.
We sailed past it.
Then—
Another city.
Dark houses. Destroyed buildings.
The ship docked at the port.
People waited on the pier.
Some with weapons. The others with torn clothes and chains.
Slaves.
I sat back down.
The hatch opened.
Creak.
More slaves entered.
Clang.
Their shackles rang as they moved.
Not all were human.
Fur, height, and long ears caught my eye.
Beastkin.
Dwarves.
Elves.
Even chained, they looked unreal.
The room filled.
Thud.
The hatch shut.
Whispers. Crying. Breathing.
The sea swallowed all of it.
***
More time passed.
Days.
Maybe weeks.
Time blurred.
Every day was the same.
Food, water, and sleep.
Until—
The light was gone.
The sun still shone.
But the water changed.
Dark Blue, bordering on black.
The Midnight Ocean.
The Ocean, which circled the world.
I watched the water and felt something inside me twist.
I sat back down.
And closed my eyes until her face appeared.
It calmed me.