"Ahoy aloft! Full sails!" he shouts to the sailors in the rigging.
Without even a reply, they begin to completely unfurl the sails. Once they're fully extended, the boat lurches as the wind fills the sails.
Delia looks to the ships that are pulled out, but they've already begun to fall behind. She soon realizes that they are not going to be able to catch them.
The captain comes over to where they're crouching by the railing and asks, "So, do you have my fifty gold pieces?"
She nods to Roland who hands over the pouch containing the gold.
The captain opens it and looks through it, satisfied.
"You did all this for fifty golds?" Stig asks incredulously.
"No, son," the captain replies, "I did it because I hate the empire."
"But you've risked your life and your ship for us," Delia says. "How can we ever repay you?"
"Having the pleasure of kicking that son of sea cow overboard was payment enough," he tells her breaking into a big smile.
"Make yourselves comfortable," he tells them. "It's a three day trip to Cardri."
The wind starts to fall off suddenly and there's a cry from up above. The captain looks to the sky and watches in amazement as the clouds begin rushing toward Al-Kur. "What the hell?" he exclaims.
"It's James," Delia whispers to the others.
"You think so?" Tersa asks.
"Yeah, only magic could make the clouds react like that," she explains.
They look back to Al-Kur and watch as the clouds intensify over the town and then suddenly seem to descend to the ground in one spot. After a couple minutes, the clouds begin dissipating and everything returns to normal.
"Hope they're alright," Tersa says, worried for her brother.
"Those two can take care of themselves," Scar assures her.
"I hope so," she says as she watches Al-Kur slowly disappear in the distance. "I hope so."
Chapter Twenty Two.
The days since the fall of the City of Light have blurred together until he no longer knows how long it's been since it all began. His butt has finally stopped aching from sitting on the seat in the wagon and the sore on his leg from the manacle around his ankle is beginning to toughen up and become a callus. His is but one of several wagons loaded with slaves.
Miko stares numbly out at the water of the ocean as the wagon he's in continues its journey. To where, he doesn't know nor care anymore. He was sure that James would've found him by now, but day after day of hope unfulfilled has left him doubting if he would come at all. After all he's only one boy and a street rat at that. Hardly worth risking one's life for. Why did he think James would even bother coming after him?
His arm still throbs from where he got cut by a fellow slave back in the city of Azzac. It was during the night after they arrived at the city and been placed in holding pens with other slaves. During their journey, as they came to different cities, they would stop off at the local magistrate's building and some slaves would be taken off or others added. Often the ones who were added were those who had been sentenced by the courts for some heinous crime and were on their way to wherever their sentence decreed.
It was during one such stop the day before their arrival at Azzac that they acquired an individual who took an immediate disliking to Miko. When the man was put in the wagon, he sat across from Miko. The chain from the manacle on his foot was secured to the same eye ring in the bed of the wagon that Miko's was.
Miko disliked the looks of him from the beginning, he was missing two fingers on his right hand and a scar ran across one eye that was white and obviously blinded. His hair was greasy and dirty, many of his teeth were missing and those that remained were crooked and beginning to turn black. He began to refer to him as Black Tooth, but only in his mind.
Black Tooth kept staring at Miko after the wagon began rolling and then he said something to him. When Miko failed to respond he began to grow agitated. One of the other slaves in the wagon, who had been riding with Miko for a while, said something to him.
Black Tooth turned to Miko and said something else before a crooked smile played across his face, which did anything but put him at ease. The rest of that day, Black Tooth kept staring at him and by the end of the day, Miko was feeling very uncomfortable and worried.
When the slave caravan stopped for the night, they unloaded the slaves and had them all settle in close together for the night, with several slavers armed with crossbows standing watch over them. Their legs were manacled together but their hands were kept free. One by one, they were marched away from camp where they were allowed to answer nature's call and then returned to the others.
Miko was relieved that Black Tooth was nowhere near his place. He did catch him glancing over at him from where he was sitting on the other side of the group. Each time he did, a chill would run through Miko and his nerves would start getting the better of him.
In the morning, when he woke up, many slaves were talking among themselves and pointing off the road to the east. Miko gets up and looks to see a wall of fog off in the distance. No one there speaks his language so he's left to his own imagination as to why they're so excited about it.
Once more led to the edge of camp, Miko takes care of nature's business and then is brought back to the wagon where his manacles are once again secured to the eye ring in the bed of the wagon. Black Tooth is seated on his side of the wagon with two others between them, much to Miko's relief.
All that day they continue riding under the blazing hot sun, Miko is surprised at just how dark he's becoming from the sun. Near nightfall, he sees a large city appearing on the horizon ahead of them. One of the other's in the wagon says 'Azzac' to him as the man points to it.
Miko gazes at the approaching city and wonders if this will be the end of the line for him, where he will truly become a slave. With apprehension, he watches the city grow closer until finally they pass through the gates.
They roll on through the city for awhile until they arrive at a large compound where the wagon stops and they're removed from the wagon. Feet still manacled, they're led into the building and divided into two holding pens where their manacles are removed.
Miko is the second to enter the pen and he watches with dread as Black Tooth is ushered into his pen behind him. When Black Tooth sees him there, he breaks into the smile that sets Miko's nerves on edge.
Trying to put as much distance between them as possible, Miko moves to a far corner and settles down there. He watches Black Tooth as he goes over to several guys in the corner and begins talking to them. From the way they're acting, it doesn't look to him like the others know him at all.
The only time when Miko leaves his corner is when they're fed and when he has to use the slop bucket. It's not long after they're fed that the light begins to fade with the coming of night. The slaves in the pens begin settling down to get what sleep they can.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Miko is awakened when someone grabs him. Startled, he tries to break free but the man only laughs. Black Tooth! Black Tooth! Frantic now, Miko struggles harder and strikes out with his elbow, catching Black Tooth in the side. Frantic now, Miko struggles harder and strikes out with his elbow, catching Black Tooth in the side.
Black Tooth's grip loosens slightly but it's enough for Miko to wriggle away from him. In his haste to get away, Miko trips over a sleeping slave who cries out in protest.
In the dim light filtering in through the windows, he sees Black Tooth begin approaching him, something held in his hand, glinting in the dim light. Miko starts hollering "Help! Guards!"
Black Tooth says something and then rushes toward him.
Miko keeps hollering as he tries to get away from Black Tooth. The other men in the pen realize what's going on and quickly move to the edge to get out of harm's way. Some begin calling out and before you know it, the whole area is in a roar with words and cheers, none of which Miko understands.
A door opens and light fills the pens from several torches brought in by the guards to see what the commotion is about.
Black Tooth continues chasing him around the pen as the guards enter the holding area, and when Miko gets close to the men at the side, one of them trips him. Falling to the floor, Miko quickly rolls on his back and sees Black Tooth right on top of him.
The knife held in his hand strikes down, opening up a long cut on his left forearm.
Suddenly, the door to the pen is opened and guards rush in and grab Black Tooth before he can strike again. They immobilize his arm and remove the knife from his hand. They holler to others and as they take Black Tooth out of the pen. Two slavers come in with a wooden block and set it on the floor outside of the pen.
They take Black Tooth to it and lay his right arm, the one that held the knife, across the top of it as one of the guards draws his sword. With a quick motion, he severs Black Tooth's hand from his arm.
Black Tooth cries out in pain as his hand falls to the floor and blood begins to spray out of his stump.
One of the guards takes a torch and places it to the stump, cauterizing the wound and stopping the blood flow, which causes Black Tooth to cry out again as his flesh begins to sizzle in the flames. The smell of burnt flesh and hair fills the pen with a nauseating odor.
When the wound is sealed, they throw Black Tooth back into the pen and one of the guards makes an announcement which Miko is unable to understand. But he gets the gist of it, don't cause trouble or you'll be punished severely.
Then the guards take the block away and once more leave them in darkness as they file out of the holding area. Once Miko's eyes become adjusted again to the gloom, he can make out Black Tooth on the ground, holding his stump as he moans in pain. He can't see, so much as feel the hate for him radiating from Black Tooth.
His own wound seeps blood all night but by morning has stopped and a scab is beginning to form.
That was several days ago, just how many Miko isn't sure. He's lost count as every day is the same. He looks down to where Black Tooth still sits and whenever their eyes meet, naked hatred is all he sees reflected in his eyes. He's sure that given the chance, Black Tooth would kill him. But without his right hand, Miko is confident that he can defend himself against any attack he may try.
A day or so ago, the road turned south as it continues following the coastline. They had rolled into a large city and made their way down to the docks to drop off two slaves while picking up three more. They now number six wagons with sixteen slaves jammed into each.
The ships with their sails gave Miko a moment's pleasure as he imagines sailing upon the seas in them, like many a story he heard from bards and minstrels. To feel the sea air and the spray of the waves as your ship crashes through them, ah, Miko can only dream. But the dream was to be short lived, for they once more returned to the road and continued on their way, leaving the ships behind them.
Miko looks to the sea as they ride and occasionally can see the ships passing by on their way to who knows where. Ever since being in the port, he's had a desire to be upon one.
That night, during the wee hours of the morning, Miko is awakened by shouting as guards begin rushing about. He sees a couple of them with crossbows mounting their horses and heading off into the desert. The slaves begin muttering to themselves until a slaver comes over and tells them to be quiet.
Miko lies back down, wondering just what all that was about. In the morning when he awakens and gets back on the wagon, he sees at the edge of the camp, four dead bodies. Slaves that he later comes to understand had tried to make a break for it last night.
Wish one of them had been Black Tooth, he thinks wistfully.
Another couple of days finds them rolling into another port town and heading toward the dock area. Several ships docked there are in the process of loading or unloading cargo. The wagons pull up next to one and a slaver gets down off the lead wagon and walks up the gangplank onto the ship.
Miko is figuring on them transferring more men either to or from the ship. When the slaver comes back to the top of the gangplank, he hollers to the other slavers and they begin removing all the slaves from the wagons who are then led up to the ship. Excited about being on a ship, but apprehensive as well, Miko looks around as he walks up the gangplank and led over to a hatch where he's led down into the hold.
The hold is a place of stale air and unpleasant odors. They are led over to where eye rings have been secured to the hull and their manacles are secured to them. Left there in the dark, Miko begins to get scared and a little nauseous from the motion of the ship and the smells from the hold.
After what seems like hours, the ship finally begins to move. Even though he's held in the cargo hold as a slave, Miko enjoys the roll of the ship despite being nauseated as it makes its way out to sea.
After twenty minutes into the voyage, one of the slaves further down from Miko starts throwing up when the rocking of the ship gets the better of him, spraying it all over. The odor only adds to the already unbearable stench in the hold. Miko's stomach begins to protest as he continues to smell the other man's vomit.
Before too long, others begin vomiting as well, including Miko whose stomach can no longer stand the combined odor and the rocking of the ship. The voyage that started out as one of excitement for him, now is pure misery as he gets sicker and sicker, vomiting several more times.
At last, the rocking of the ship diminishes and they feel the hull scrape alongside another dock. The ship comes to a stop and they hear footsteps on the deck above them coming over to the hatch. The hatch above them opens, allowing light and fresh air to come in, much to everyone's relief.
A sailor comes and begins removing their manacles from the eye rings in the floor. They're then told to come up and when Miko steps out of that foul hell hole, he sees that the ship is resting next to a small pier on a heavily wooded island, at least he thinks it's an island. At the end of the pier are several buildings as well as a guard tower upon which two guards with crossbows are standing watch.
The men are disembarked from the ship and formed into lines upon the pier. A guard steps forward and takes several papers from the captain of the ship and then turns to the slaves. After making a short speech that Miko is unable to comprehend, they begin marching along the pier toward an area with several large barrels. A slave stands with a bucket near the first barrel.
As the first of the new arrivals reaches the slave with the bucket, he pours the water in the bucket over the slave's head who then commences to rub as much of the filth he acquired in the hold off as he can. When it's Miko's turn, he steps forward and feels the water flow over him gratefully, the stench from the hold of the ship at last being washed away. A faint odor still remains despite his efforts to remove it all, but nothing like what they smelled like before, a hot bath would do the trick a whole lot better. After the last of the slaves has had a bucket's worth of water poured over him, the line begins moving again.
They march for about an hour, the fresh air and exercise is a pleasant change after the length of time on the wagon and then in the bottom of the cargo hold. From out of the forest ahead of them, a wooden palisade suddenly appears and begins running along the side of the road. Guards armed with crossbows can be seen walking along the top of the wall and look their way as they approach.
A gate large enough to accommodate a wagon swings open as they near the middle of the palisade and they're marched through. Once on the other side of the gate, Miko sees a large open pit in front of them, with a winding road that follows the outer edge as it circles down into the depths.
Surrounding the pit are many wooden buildings, with the wall encompassing the entire area. Wagons are rolling along the road as they make their way from out of the depths of the pit. The guards march Miko and the others over toward the road that leads into the pit and then follow the road as it descends into the pit.
Chapter Twenty Three.
James awakens to the sound of waves crashing upon rocks. Though his head hurts like it's about to split open, he sits up and sees Jiron sitting over near the entrance to a cave, staring out at the water. Their two horses are standing over by the opposite side of the cave.
A groan escapes from James as he sits up. Jiron glances back over his shoulder at him and smiles. "Didn't think you were ever going to come back to the land of the living," he says.
Holding his head in his hands to try and ease the pain, James replies with a raspy voice, "Not sure that I have."
Jiron gets up and brings him a water bottle, "Like some water?"
Reaching out his hand, he takes the offered bottle and drains the entire contents. Looking around, he asks, "Just where are we?"
"In a cave near the ocean," Jiron explains.
"How did we get here?" he asks as he hands the bottle back.
"After we left Al-Kur," he begins to explain, "I initially took us out into the desert but ran across a patrol, they saw us and gave chase. I had to back track toward the coast, we didn't lose them until night fell. After that, we rode all night until I saw this cave opening revealed in the moonlight."
"Been here for two days," he tells him. "Wasn't sure if you were going to make it at first, but by the end of the first day you were getting less restless and began to quiet down. I was afraid the noise you were making would alert anyone passing by to our presence here. I did some scouting around and we seem to be in a remote area, I doubt if anyone will think to look for us here."
"Me too," agrees James, his throat still a little raspy. "Do we have any food?" he inquires.
"A little," he replies and then moves over to one of the saddle bags. He takes out a cloth containing some rations and brings it over to James. "I figure we have a day's worth left," he says, "maybe more."
James takes it and when he takes his first bite, his stomach lets out a large growl and he begins eating in earnest.
"Are you going to need more rest?" Jiron asks him.
"I think so," James replies just as a yawn escapes him. "Most likely another day at the most, then I think I'll be okay to travel."
"In that case I better go and find us more food or we'll be out by morning," he tells him. "It looks like you're going to be needing a lot."
"I usually do after major magic like I did back at Al-Kur," he explains.
Jiron looks to him and asks, "Will you be okay by yourself?"
He shrugs and says, "If no one shows up, yes. I doubt if I could do anything to defend myself now if someone should come by."
"I won't be long," he says as he goes over and begins to saddle one of the horses.