Page 6 of Trapped to Tame
Drax ignored her words, gesturing for her to follow them and they all filed through the doorway of her room.
She looked around it for the last time. She wouldn't miss this place, she thought as she stared at the uncomfortable pallet on the dirt floor and the rough, uneven table ... the fireless grate. For nigh on twenty years, she'd been alive and all she had to show for it was a pair of worn, holey boots that made her slip in the mud, and threadbare clothes that didn’t keep her warm and made her look like a woman who sold her wares at night.
Eve trailed after the three men, deciding to bide her time for now. She walked past Jays and spat on his corpse. If the men noticed, they didn’t give her any indication as they walked in front of her through the town to the nicer echelons; places she hadn’t seen since she’d been brought to the rings that first time when she was probably only about thirteen winters. So much looked the same, yet older, more worn. Much like her, she supposed.
When they reached the main gates, the portcullis was still open. They passed under it and, though there were guards loitering around, no one interfered with their leaving, which made Eve pause. Town soldiers sat around in groups, not even looking in their direction. She was used to these so-called protectors of the innocent turning a blind eye to the horrors that happened in the town slums every day; things that they were paid not to see, but this was different. It was as if she and the men she walked with weren’t even there.
‘Keep up,’ Drax commanded, and she scurried after them through the main gatehouse.
Dense forest lined the other side of the road and the men in front of her walked into the trees as if there was nothing to fear.
But Eve had never been outside the town wall.
Her heart seized and, just for a moment, she froze. She forced a breath into her lungs and looked back. Foolish as it was, a part of her wanted to run back into the confines of the town. She'd never been in the forest before; never even been allowed near the gates to see it.
‘What's wrong with the female?’ Priest asked.
She didn't need to look to know it was him. She already recognized his gravelly, condescending voice. He was angry. He didn't like her. She didn't give a fuck. It wouldn't be for long, she promised herself. They were fools of the highest degree for not ensuring she was bound in iron before they destroyed her chain.
She made herself follow them into the trees, and they came upon a small camp with a fire burning brightly – one she hadn't smelled nor seen until they were right on top of it.
Another oddity.
There were three black horses close by; the largest she'd ever seen, munching on hay that had been left on the ground for them. Something delicious-smelling was bubbling in a pot and Eve hid a grimace as her stomach rumbled loudly. She didn't want them to think she needed them, but she hadn't been fed for two days.
The one with the blond hair, Fie, gave her a sideways look as he sat by the fire.
‘Come,’ he said, stirring the bubbling pot.
He ladled some out into a bowl, offering it to her and she took it gingerly, half-afraid it was a trick. But she was hungry, too hungry to give it any more thought than that as she dipped her fingers into the thick gravy, digging for the meat first though it burned her fingers and scalded her mouth. Shoveling it in as quickly as she could, she used her fingers to mop the bowl clean, and only then did she realize that all three pairs of eyes were watching her with an intensity that she found unnerving.
‘Been a while since you ate?’ Fie looked her up and down.
Her cheeks heated, but she held his gaze, not making an excuse.
Fie took the bowl gently from her fingers and she had to stop herself from grasping it to her and practically growling at him, wanting to lick whatever remnants there were from the bottom.
But he didn’t whisk it away as she feared. Instead, he filled it up again and handed it to her. Her hands shook slightly in excitement as she accepted it.Twobowls? She’d never been offered more. Not ever.
She was still hungry, but this time she took the proffered spoon that he held, and sat down by the fire, taking her time to eat and enjoy the fayre she’d been given, putting the empty bowl down beside her with a sated sigh when she was finished. For the first time in a very long time, her stomach felt full.
‘It's late,’ Drax said from the other side of the fire.
A blanket was thrown to her, and she took it gratefully. She’d been starting to shiver despite the hearty flames in front of her. She wrapped it around herself, curled up and lay down on the cold ground, pretending to fall asleep immediately. She waited until all that was left around her were the sounds of the fire crackling, logs making hissing noises at times as it burned, and the soft snores of the men. She stayed where she was until the night was late and, in fact, was probably approaching the early hours of the morning.
Eve cracked an eye open. All three men were sound asleep. She eyed them dispassionately. Sheshouldkill them, but as soon as she thought it, she was repulsed by the mere idea. They needed her for something, and she had no illusions that they were friends. She knew that, really, she owed them nothing, but they hadn’t been unduly cruel to her, and she would not repay that by slitting their throats like a coward while they slept.
She took the blanket with her as she left, for she was no fool and it might very well mean the difference between life and death for her over the coming nights. As she walked slowly backwards out of the camp, away from the fire’s flickering light, Eve spied a bag. She picked up as she went, hoping for something useful inside, and, quietly as she could, she walked away through the trees, glad to find that her eyes were able to adjust well enough in the dark for her to see enough to avoid the many obstacles out here.
Keeping her breathing slow and even, she tried not to panic in the darkness. The terrain was as alien to her as if she were a wild boar in the center of town, but she could do this, she told herself. She had to. Going back to her life before wasn’t an option. It didn’t matter how much money she made for Talik and his men in the ring. He’d think of something gruesome as a lesson to all for what she’d done. At the very least, he’d take one of her hands. And she couldn’t stay with these men either… not after the dreams she’d had of them pulling out her heart.
She went south, at least she thought it was south. She couldn't see by the stars because the night had grown cloudy. The air smelled like snow although she didn't think it was quite cold enough. Her feet begged to differ though, her toes already numb, but still she kept walking. She didn’t exert herself, but neither did she waste time by resting.
By the time the sun began to rise, and light pierced the dense forest, she was happy with her progress. She opened the bag she’d liberated from the men, finding cheese and bread. She grinned to herself. A good haul if ever there was one.
Eve realized she needed to come up with a plan. She'd never even seen a map of their realm, but she supposed that if she kept walking, she'd at least come across a town or a village. Perhaps she could fight in the pit if they had one. Once or twice would be enough to buy some decent clothes for the cold, but she wouldn't be able to win every time. Talik would be waiting for news of such a woman. If she wanted to remain anonymous, she would have to keep travelling. Perhaps she could go to the sea, take a boat to the Islands, and get as far away from Talik and his men as possible. Perhaps she could start a family, find a place to belong. She gave a small laugh. It was a fine dream; one she'd had since she was a child when she'd realized how alone she was. She put it from her mind. Escape was all she should think about now. Her eyes had to remain only on her goal, or she would fail.
She heard the trickle of a stream and went to find it for a drink, washing her face in the cold water. She allowed herself a moment of respite.
