Tane awoke to the sunlight creeping in through a rip in the overhead canopy. Groggy and disoriented, it took him a few seconds to realize that he had been drugged and was now in the back of a moving wagon. His head was dizzy and the constant lurching of the ride didn’t help. His hands and feet were tied by rope, and his mouth was stuffed with musty cloths. Qenn lay next to him in the same fashion. At the front of the wagon a large brown sack with a bulk form inside it was tied down with chains. Besides that, the wagon only carried a single chest, chained and locked. The walls were of wood, smooth and not scalable, and the back door showed no handle.
He could barely make out a conversation at the front of the carriage. There was a lot of cursing and arguing about what to do with him and Qenn. Skadar Port was mentioned a few times. He assumed that is where the wagon was heading.
He began wondering how long he had been out. There was no way of knowing for sure, he had hoped it had been just for the night. He guessed it didn’t matter much at this point. He saw Qenn was out cold and left him alone for the moment.
He tried to break the rope binding his hands. The rope twisted and slightly loosened, but he only succeeded in cutting into his wrists. He tried to reach for the cloth stuffed in his mouth, but his hands were tied in such a way that he couldn’t even reach his chin. His sword was missing, and felt that the dagger in his boot was gone as well. His captors had searched him well. He decided he had better try to wake Qenn to see if he fared any better.
As quietly as he could, Tane kicked his brother’s legs. Qenn opened his eyes in a flash. The grogginess disappeared and turned to worry. Finding himself unable to move, Qenn panicked. He thrashed about trying to free himself.
Tane kicked him again. When Qenn made eye contact, Tane sent him a look and shook his head in warning. Qenn settled. He understood.
Tane used his fingers to motion for his brother to calmly make his way over to him so they could try to untie each other. His thin body moved easily across the wood planks to where he could grasp his brother’s hands. The thick rope was tied tight. It would be a painstaking process, especially if they were to be silent.
After several long minutes, Qenn stopped trying and Tane took over. Qenn’s hands were tied just as tight, and with Tane’s thick fingers, the task seemed hopeless. With the creaking of the wagon to mask their efforts, the two brothers continued for nearly an hour with no gain.
Finally, they gave up. Their fingertips were red and aching. Qenn lay next to his brother and thought about at least removing the gags from their mouths. He was just about to notion the idea to Tane when the wagon came to a halt.
Qenn quickly slid away from Tane. Both of them stayed motionless, keeping their eyes open a slit. It would be best if they were found still unconscious, they knew. Grunts and inaudible words were exchanged outside and then the back of the wagon was being opened with a rusty creak.
“Get up!”
The thieves were dragging Qenn and Tane to the back of the wagon by their ankles. With one strong motion, the two brothers were tossed from the wood bed and into the soft grass next to the trail. One of the men disappeared into the woods while the other unpacked cooking implements, ale, and food. Tane and Qenn moved themselves around into sitting positions, with only menacing looks from their guard. As the other man reappeared, they began to prepare a meal.
Tane looked around. They were still in the woods, but it wasn’t as overgrown as before. The air was cooler and fresher and filled with the sounds of water birds. The Lower Krune was close. Skadar Port wouldn’t be far.
Qenn watched the two thieves fill their plates with meat and bread, drinking heavily from their glass bottles. His fingertips were sore and raw, but still he tried to free his hands when he thought it wouldn’t be noticed. Every minute was valuable when escape was necessary.
“This is the deal,” the taller thief began with a glare towards the brothers. “We’re going to free your mouths so you can eat. Whatever sound you make will be your last.”
“Clear?” the other thief added with a look that made certain the brothers knew there would be no negotiation.
Tane and Qenn nodded reluctantly. The two men stared at the brothers for a second more, until they were sure, then began to remove the cloth from their mouths. Using a large sharp knife with a red stained handle, the smaller man began cutting loose the rope that bound their hands to their feet, allowing Tane and Qenn to sufficiently feed themselves while keeping their hands bound together. The brothers were handed a chunk of meat and a piece of bread as their captors ate across from them and watched closely.
It was on the tip of Tane’s tongue to ask the men why they were bothering to feed them, and he almost spoke as much before he remembered what it would cost him. The question however wouldn’t leave him. He thought about all the possibilities that the two thieves would have for them, and why it would be important for them to have kept their strength. In the end, he decided that they would probably be sold to someone as slave or made to fight. Either way, he was grateful for the food and would think of a way to make his captors pay for allowing him to eat.
The two shabby men sat across from Tane and Qenn and ate and drank like two mad animals. Their dirty clothes became even more-so as neither one of them made an effort to clean up when they were finished. They spoke to one another in hushed tones, always looking at their prisoners, watchful of their movements. Once it appeared that an argument broke out between them, but was either misunderstood, or settled immediately. As they drank the last of their bottles, the chains in the wagon began to thrash again, louder and stronger. Being close to the wagon this time, the two brothers could make out muffled screams.
Tane and Qenn both stopped eating and looked into the wagon. Their captors seemed less than worried about keeping it a secret now, as they slowly finished their bottles and tossed them aside carelessly as the noise in the wagon kept on.
“Don’t mind that noise,” the smaller thief said, moving to the edge of the wagon, climbing inside. “We caught ourselves a witch.”
“She used her magic and killed a sorcerer. There was nothing left of him.” The other man laughed hard and smashed his bottle into the ground next to them, shattering the glass. “And you two thought we were dangerous!”
The thief in the wagon removed the chains and the sack. Tane and Qenn strained their necks hoping to get a good look at what they had bound, but the smaller man was approaching.
Holding a glass bottle out to them, the man said, “This will be the last to drink for a while, so have at it.”
Tane hesitated, then took the bottle. He was already thirsty, and to have to wait even longer wasn’t worth the risk. With an uneasy glance to his brother, he began to drink. When he was finished, he handed the bottle to Qenn.
Just as he grabbed the bottle, a loud groan came from the man in the wagon as he was sent flying back into the carriage wall with an audible thud. His cohort was in the wagon instantly and now Qenn could see a struggle with a young woman whose flaming red hair was instantly captivating. He quickly positioned his body to see even more when Tane slumped to the ground next to him. His eyes were closed. He was out cold.
Poisoned!
Qenn quickly grabbed a piece of the broken bottle and stashed it into his pocket.
“Get her!” The small thief yelled. The woman grunted with the gag in her mouth, and fought as well as someone bound with chains. The wagon tossed and swayed with the quarrel. A few minutes later, the woman screamed and things went calm.
“Next time you wake up, girl, it will be with someone who won’t be as pleasant as us!”
“Tie her down tight this time!” The taller thief growled. “I don’t care if she bruises!”
“She’s no good to us damaged,” his companion hissed back.
“And we’re no good to her alive,” the other scowled in return.
As the scuffling died, the cursing men prepared to exit the wagon. Qenn spilled a little of the drink on his chin then dropped the bottle at his s
ide and laid next to Tane, closing his eyes. He would let them take him without a fight, he decided. Once Tane was awake and free, things would be different.
As the two men retied Qenn’s hands then hoisted him up and tossed him into the wagon, his thoughts stayed on the red haired woman tied in the sack.
It was nearly an hour later when Qenn cut loose the rope around Tane’s hands. He had freed himself only a short time after the wagon began moving. But with the uneven ride, he had to be careful. The glass would cut into their skin just as easily as it would the rope and he didn’t believe the thieves would stop them from bleeding to death.
The sound of travel had changed in the last few minutes now and he was aware of other distinctive noises around them. They were not in the woods anymore. The wagon was moving across a solid road and hooves were thudding against stone with a clip-clop sound. There were people yelling, close by and further away. Conversations and fights. Soon the creaking of the wagon was drowned out by the multitude of people.
“Tane,” Qenn whispered in his brother’s ear. With a hand on Tane’s shoulder, he began to nudge his brother awake. “Tane, wake up.”
It took a few moments for the drug to wear off as Tane’s eyes slowly opened. Relief mirrored in Tane’s eyes as he saw his brother, and noticed they were both unbound. Qenn held a finger up to his lips for caution.
“We’re in a city.”
Tane sat upright. “What happened?”
“You were drugged. You’ve been out for a few hours.” Qenn could barely keep his excitement down.
“What about her?”
“The witch?”
“They’re thieves, Qenn. I don’t trust anything about them.”
“What do you suggest we do?”
Tane thought for a moment. “Let’s remove her chains and wake her up. We’re all on the same side here.”
Qenn immediately began to untie the chains wrapped around the woman’s body, being careful not to make any noise. Once the chains were removed and set aside, Tane helped slide the sack from her body, slowly pulling it up over her head as Qenn sat her upright, holding her lithe form from toppling over in the process.
As the cloth sack slid off of her head, time paused for Qenn. He stared in awe at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Instantly his heart was captured as his eyes slowly looked her over. Her cheeks were a reddish hue, probably caused by the sack tied about her, or from her scuffle with her captors. He stared at her features, thinking them both delicate and robust at the same time. She wore a scarlet jacket over a blue shirt that was ripped at the neckline, barely hiding scratches underneath. Her pants were dark blue. From her silky red hair, down to her muddied black boots, Qenn gazed, unable to look away.
Qenn smiled as his eyes made their way back up to hers. Then she punched him.
“Let go of me!” she yelled and backed away into a defensive crouch.
Tane was at Qenn’s side immediately, helping his brother up, trying to calm the woman. “Wait! We mean you no harm.”
“What’d you do that for?” Qenn added, confused. “I just freed you.”
The red-haired woman didn’t budge. “Who are you?”
“We are prisoners, like you. And we don’t know where we are, so don’t bother asking.” Qenn let his words spill with an edge, if only to let her know that he wouldn’t be taken by surprise again.
The woman stared at them for a few moments then relaxed her stance and looked around. After assessing the situation her eyes fell onto Qenn’s. “I am sorry for striking you.”
Qenn stiffened. “I’m fine.”
She continued with obvious frustration. “I have been kept in that bag for days and the men I have seen have not been kind. But if we are in this together, then my fight is not with you, and I am sorry. And I thank you for freeing me. I am in your debt.”
“There is no debt.” Tane smiled and offered her his hand. “I’m Tane, this is my brother Qenn.”
She shook his hand with an iron clasp, and then did the same to Qenn. “My name is Kandish.” She looked at the wagon door, her face turning hard again. “The door is locked from the outside. I tried for days to break it. But maybe the three of us might be able to.”
Qenn and Tane agreed. They spent the next several minutes pushing and kicking at the seams, but failed to open the door. The wood never splintered, never budged. In unison, they rammed their shoulders into it only to end up sore and exhausted. With sweat coating their faces in a dull shine, they continued for several more minutes in desperate waves until Tane called it off, stating that they would be locked until someone else decided against it and they had better save what energy they had for that moment. Tired, they sat on opposite sides of their cage, each leaning back into the wall for support.
Feeling slightly dizzy, Kandish drew her legs up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Do you have any water?”
Tane and Qenn frowned. The three were in need of a hot meal and a bath.
Tane said to Kandish, “What do you know of the men that captured us? Why do you think they have?”
Kandish kept her head sunk low, her long red hair masking her expression. “They will try to use us. You two will be sold. But me…”
She paused for a few moments and brought her head up, removing the hair from her face. Her smile was sad. “They have bigger plans for me. They are killers and thieves and were hunting out Seers at the southern end of Skadar Port. The price of Seers is high to the right people.”
“You’re a Seer?” Qenn interrupted.
“I am not, nor a witch, as they have told others to raise the price for my head. About a week ago, I came across five men in an alley hoarding off a small group of Seer women and changed their plans.”
Kandish smiled at Qenn, with a twinkle in her eyes. “The Seers escaped and I killed two of the men before the other three got to me. They poisoned me and tossed me in here. Once they tried to sell me, but I killed the buyer and another one of them before the other two captured me again. Now they keep poisoning me. They keep my body too weak to fight them.”
Tane nodded. “That must be what they did to us.”
“Why do they bother feeding us then?” asked Qenn.
Kandish smirked, “Dead bodies don’t sell.”
They went silent. Kandish became lost in unpleasant thoughts of her captivity. She knew sooner or later the thieves would see that she is more trouble than money. Escape had to come soon.
The brothers’ thoughts were of her. They were both impressed by the strength of her character. Both held a high level of sympathy for her. Though the fondness Qenn had for her changed slightly as he realized how dangerous she was.
“We will help you escape, Kandish.” Tane said, breaking the silence. Alone, she didn’t stand a chance. But she wasn’t alone. Once that door opened, he thought, the odds might be with them.
“Where are you from?” Kandish asked, soft and careless, as if an answer wasn’t necessary.
“Meadow. It’s a small village southeast of here.” Tane answered.
“We were traveling to Skadar Port when we were captured,” added Qenn.
Kandish’s face turned instantly sour. “What business do you have in Skadar Port? There are only thieves and killers there. Which are you?”
It was Tane who spoke out, his voice remained clam, yet firm. “We are neither. We are looking for help.”
Qenn nodded to his brother. He liked how Tane had answered her. He almost smiled at the thought that she was the person that they had traveled to find. He would like that.
Kandish groaned, stretching her long legs out before her, folding her arms in her chest. “You two must be pretty desperate to look for help there.”
Tane and Qenn decided to let the matter die. They were unsure how much to tell her. It was a matter that was still very painful to even talk about.
The three were silent then for a while as the wagon turned sharply this way then that, their bodies gently sliding against the
wooden walls with the sounds of people around them still filling the air, though not as loud as before. The wagon drivers began speaking again, yelling to others in the streets, the voices yelling back. Seconds later the wagon came to a sudden halt.
The three captives stood immediately. Voices were heard at the back of the wagon, cursing and arguing. Then it escalated. The sounds of a fight broke out, quickly followed by a scream. Voices died down as it sounded like the crowd began to dissipate.
“We have no weapons, so we’ll have to move fast.” Kandish was taking charge, moving towards the door, ready for it to swing open. Tane and Qenn stood at her side, reading themselves for the fight for their lives.
Outside the carriage, in an alley behind a tavern located away from the main road, the two gruff thieves were pushing aside drunks and other thieves, beating those who would not move, guarding their keep. A man lay unmoving next to the wagon wheel in a pool of dark liquid. The few men hanging around the tavern were all hard faced and gruff, all sweat and bruises. The wagon owners held their ground with long iron rods, speared at the ends.
After several long minutes, a horse-drawn wagon arrived and stopped beside them. The lone rider swiftly exited his seat and made his way over to the two them guarding the wagon, who swallowed hard upon his arrival. Others backed away whispering, their faces flush with caution and recognition. Some left the scene altogether.
“You Mason?” the smaller thief called out, holding an iron rod as if ready to strike.
“I’m here for the Seers,” the newcomer stated, his words boomed in irritation. “Open the door.”
The man was tall with a knee-length black coat hiding his well-muscled physique. His hair was long and brown, matted back. A lone scar decorated his tan face just under his left eye, running across his slight beard to his prominent jawbone. His eyes were dark and hard, fitting his ever-present look of annoyance.
“Hold on a minute,” the smaller man objected. He pointed his iron spear at the other’s face. “We also have a half-breed and an elf, so the price doubles. Hand over the money, then you can take the wagon.”
Inside the carriage, the three captives listened closely. The man they were being sold to was there, and he didn’t sound at all pleasant. At least they would be sold together, the brothers thought. They would have strength in numbers.
Kandish’s face was lined with anger. “Be quick, elf. And don’t be scared. If you have a chance, kill them.”
Qenn stood at her side, his nerves rattling him. His pulse raced like it did the last time he was at home. He swallowed hard and tried to picture the Takers outside the wagon, and the revenge he would have for them, but he couldn’t complete the thought. The truth was, he was scared. And it was showing.
Tane placed a hand on Qenn’s shoulder to reassure him. “Stay close to me.”
“Run when you get the chance. And don’t stop.” Kandish barked. “You were wrong to come here for help.”
In the darkening alley, the two men guarding the wagon grew nervous as they stared down the buyer. They whispered to each other in dismay for a few seconds before the shorter man turned away, threatening the buyer with his spear. “You’re not Mason, are you? Well, who are you?”
The big man said, “Open the door.”
Without warning, the two thieves rushed him. Iron spears swiped past his brown head in a rush, but missed poorly. The man they thought was Mason grabbed one of the spears and slammed it into the head of the smaller man who dropped to the ground lifeless. The other man dropped his spear and ran. The buyer picked it up. As the thief reached the corner of the alley, a spear lodged into his back, piercing his spine. He toppled over in the street and drunkards quickly began removing his possessions.
The big man looked around as if there was more work to do, but none challenged. He walked for the wagon and began to remove the lock.
Inside the wagon, the three had heard the fight and knew something terrible had happened. As the lock scraped open across the door, Qenn’s heart nearly broke free of his chest. He looked to Kandish, who nodded that it was time. With a heavy groan, the thick door began to open.
As it did so, the lone figure stood at its opening. Kandish’s blue eyes grew wide with a hint of fear. She fought with urgency to hold back the two brothers as they raced past her to attack him. She gasped softly, “It’s Kamen Ode!”
Kamen Ode raised his scarred face up to the three people in the wagon. His smile was cold. “Welcome to Skadar Port.”
CHAPTER SIX