Page 9 of Lich's Mate

“If that’s true…” one of the xaphan muses. “How did Zathex manage to get killed by one of them? Was the stupid bastard drunk?”

“Probably. I knew him well. He was arrogant all because he had a job that allowed him easy access to humans who didn’t know their place in society. He was one of Gorran’s best allies, but now that he’s gone, I’m next in line.”

“Yeah.” A xaphan laughs. I hate the way they sound. “Right.”

What happened to my parents? Are they still alive? Or did the xaphans finish them off, too? Like the rest of our village?

Turning to my left, I see Jemele with her chin resting atop her kneecaps. With the xaphans engrossed in discussion, I figure it’s safe to ask her a question.

“Jemele,” I whisper. She perks up and looks at me. “Do you know what happened to my parents? Did you see them?”

She shakes her head. “No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. I was there when everything started and they were too fast to stop. They started killing and burning everyone. I tried to get away, but?—”

“Hey!”

A xaphan storms over and I feel my belly drop to the floor. Instead of focusing on me, however, he narrows in on Jemele.

“Who the fuck told you that you could speak?”

Jemele’s eyes go wide as she shakes her head. “What? No, no! I’m sorry, I?—”

The xaphan yanks the door to her cage open and drags her out by the arm, slamming her to the ground. Reaching for his holster, he grabs a whip and cracks it a few times against her skin, eliciting loud and painful cries that echo out into the world around us.

He makes an example of her. He doesn’t finish until there are red welts all over her arms and legs. Then, he tosses her back into her cage and slams the door shut. I can’t see her face anymore. She’s lying on her side, turned away from me, unmoving.

…This is all my fault.

Maybe it’s better if I don’t see her expression. It might be nothing but betrayal behind those eyes.

The xaphans continue patrolling our cages, keeping us in fear for our lives. Jemele’s whipping isn’t the only one I witness. A few cages away, the xaphans bully an older woman, Denise, who had the courage to talk back to them.

They drag her out and beat her the same way they did Jemele. They even threaten to have their way with her in front of the rest of us. The thought of that happening sends bile up my throat.

What’s going to happen to us when we get to the auction house? Are we all getting sold into slavery? Will some of us get killed in the process?

Am I never going to see my village again?

As much as I want to blink away the tears, it’s just not possible. They stream down my face, wetting my cheeks and pooling around my chin. I’m too weak to move my arms up and wipe them away.

Around me, the sounds of cries are still there, but they’re quieter than before. None of us want to invoke the wrath of the xaphans who captured us. They’re cruel and callous in their ways. They don’t care about anything other than their own benefit. They’ll kill us without a second thought if we give them good reason to.

It’s a long journey until we reach the trading hub. I don’t want to think of whatever horrors we’re going to see on the way there. The xaphans seem eager to abuse us in any way they can.

They want to break our spirits. They want to leave us as shells of what we used to be.

And I think it’s working. Damn them all. I think they’re getting to us.

4

KAVIAN

“You told me to keep a lookout, so I’m giving you a heads up,” I say, reading aloud the piece of parchment in my hand and petting the karasu across its head and wing.

In my study, a candle flickers, the growing shadows of trees stretching across my walls as they rap against the window. It’s quiet, save for the occasional droplets of rain that pelt my window.

“I keep hearing strange rumblings of a caravan,” I keep reading, scratching my chin as I do. “People keep real quiet about it because they don’t want to get the wrong kind of attention, but it all stinks. Could it be the inhumane human slave trade entering New Solas? Could it be your friend? If so, you might arrive just in time to intercept it.

“If this helps you, don’t forget to pay it forward. Your trusted eyes, Vrask.”

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