厨房从后面挺进李婷

The unfamiliar sensation made me finally come to my senses.

I opened my eyes and found that I was in a very strange place. It was quite large and dimly lit. All around me sat a number of people of unknown origin.

I was taken aback.

What was I doing with them, and even more so when I was handcuffed?

I tried to remember what had happened. But the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was…

As I was walking back to the shopping carriage, someone suddenly crept up behind me and pressed a rag to my mouth. The specific smell from it made me pass out almost immediately.

And there I was.

It looked like I had been kidnapped. I took what happened much more calmly than I expected myself to.

Though on the other hand, it\'s not every day I get kidnapped…

Despite the fact that in one room there were a lot of people — the silence was almost absolute. Few people spoke to one another. Most had gloomy or blank expressions on their faces.

In the meantime, I had to find out what was going on.

There were several people sitting next to me in a pile. We were all handcuffed and wearing the same plain clothes. I shoved the guy closest to me in the shoulder.

He looked a little younger than me. He had disheveled brown hair and a gaunt face.

The teenager flinched and looked at me strangely.

— What is this place? — I asked.

He looked surprised.

— Don\'t you know…?

— Honestly, I was kidnapped,» I admitted, «So I have no idea.

The guy sighed, as if he realized something.

— Oh… So you\'re new. I\'ve been here more than a month.

— New girl? — I asked again.

— It\'s a slave market,» he explained.

— What?!

I was startled, and I shrieked even louder than I should have. Many people stared at us.

My jaw dropped, realizing I was in a place like this.

— A slave market? — I was indignant. But how? Isn\'t it forbidden in the country?

The guy chuckled softly.

— You really don\'t seem to know anything. The laws have never worked on these monsters.

— But…! — I hesitated.

— We\'re all merchandise here,» he said in a doleful voice.

I resented that. What do you mean «no»?!

— Haven\'t you ever tried to escape?!

The teenager flinched.

— A couple of people did… But they were shot dead right away. No one has tried since. It\'s all useless…

Judging by the tone he spoke, he had long since come to terms with the current situation. Everyone here knew what awaited them and did not want to fight the irreversible. The hope in his eyes was already extinguished.

Meanwhile, I was simply discouraged by the insolence of these slave-traders.

I could understand when commoners were kidnapped in broad daylight. It was sad but real. On the other hand… I was dressed in expensive clothes and clearly looked like an aristocrat. Weren\'t these people afraid of the consequences?

When I stopped talking, the guy who had spoken to me before remarked:

— You\'ll soon get used to it.

— Get used to…?

— New conditions are scary. But one way or another you\'ll have to accept it to survive.

I hesitated.

The guy smiled weakly and introduced himself:

— As it happens, you can ask for help if you need it. We\'re comrades in misfortune, after all. I\'m Dylan.

Even though we couldn\'t shake hands, I nodded.

— I\'m… Leriana.

It was the strangest encounter I\'d ever had in my life-and yet I felt that Dylan wasn\'t a bad person.

— How did… How did you get here?

The guy smiled wryly.

— We were all kidnapped here.

— You, too…?

— Yeah…» he nodded grimly. «Me and my sister were on our way home when some men attacked us. Then we came straight here.

— You have a sister? — I wondered.

He was getting darker when we talked about it.

— I do. Or maybe I was… I don\'t know what happened,» Dylan said doomfully. «My sister was sold at the first auction. No one bid on me. I\'ve stayed here ever since and they took her away. That\'s how we split up.

This guy\'s story really looked sad. He\'s only a teenager, but he\'s already been through so much… I really felt for him.

— So… we\'re here until we\'re sold out? — I summed it up.

— Yeah.

— And then what?

— Hell knows. We\'ll be lucky if we survive at all.

His words sounded like a bitter reality. Slaves had never been treated well. They were really seen as things and not spared. Most slaves died within the first year of being with their masters.

I couldn\'t believe that almost everyone here had accepted such a fate.

— We must do something! — I declared, «We can\'t let them do what they want with us.

— We have no other choice,» Dylan protested, «Otherwise we\'ll all die right here.

But I didn\'t want to believe that.

— No! There\'s got to be a way!

The guy sighed.

— You only think that because it\'s the first time you\'ve been here. Soon you\'ll realize it\'s all useless.

Even though Dylan told me that, I let it pass me by. Maxie and Razor must have noticed I was missing by now, and they were looking for me. But I didn\'t know if I could wait for them to come…

The main problem remained the handcuffs. I was helpless with them, and I certainly didn\'t know where to get the key.

Seeing the pensive expression on my face and my desperate search for a solution, Dylan decided to reassure me:

— But don\'t worry. I don\'t think you\'ll be sold today.

— What?

— The most beautiful or able-bodied are the first to be bidden. They always leave ordinary slaves like us for last. Especially since you have a defect.

I didn\'t know what he meant.

— «Defect»?

— Didn\'t you know? You have a scar on your face.

I shuddered at first, not believing it. It wasn\'t until I put my handcuffed hands to my face that I could feel the disfigured line across my cheek.

***

— Ladies and gentlemen! Our long-awaited auction is finally starting!

The announcer announced it on the stage, while thousands of gazes were immediately directed there. These were aristocrats from various walks of life — hiding their identities under masks.

The great hall was designed like a colosseum, allowing those present to see what was happening on the stage from every angle.

The lights were dimmed and applause erupted.

After the presenter\'s announcement, the slaves were led one by one to the scaffolding. Each of them did so under duress, while the guards kept a close watch.

— Ten gold pieces? Twenty gold pieces? Is there no further offer? Sold for twenty gold pieces!

Depending on the background and appearance of the slave, the price increased. One fellow who was a prisoner from a neighboring empire was sold for one hundred thousand. Simply because he had a rare pearlescent eye color.

And finally it was my turn.

I was among the last, and the guard rudely pushed me in the back to face the audience.

There was lively conversation in the audience.

— She has an unusual hair color. But why is she hiding her face?

The presenter answered:

— Unfortunately, nature has deprived this girl of beauty. Her face is too horrible and scarred to show to the public.

Most of the audience was left disappointed and sighs were raised. After all, no one wanted to acquire a defective slave.

As a matter of fact, it played into my hands in a way. I had to stall for as long as possible. So that Maxie and Razor could come after me…

Otherwise, I really doubted I could get out of here on my own. There are too many guards, and my hands are tied.

I\'m really not in a good position right now.

— The starting bid is five gold pieces! — Meanwhile, the announcer announced, one, two…

There was silence in the hall. No one really wanted to pull out their hand, and I was relieved. It looked like Dylan was right, and everything was going to be all right.

The hell with the scar on his face… that wasn\'t the most important thing right now.

But as usual, fate was unpredictable.

Just as the host was about to close the bet on me and call me back, suddenly…

— Five hundred thousand gold pieces.

A voice suddenly rang out in the hall, startling all the guests. Especially me.

I was dumbfounded.

Who the hell is this madman?!

The man who had offered such a high bid for me was dressed all in dark clothes. And his face, of course, was hidden.

The only thing I could see from here… were his scarlet eyes.