Young Writers Society

Leinad | The Slave Market

Leinad felt the oppression in this place. It weighed down on his shoulders, making the joints tense and his heart physically ache. How many of these lives would be ruined today? How many would come to fall under the roofs of cruel masters and sickening living conditions? How many of them would be beaten to death before the next morning?

Too many. Far, far too many.

He forced himself not to meet the gaze of a sobbing woman, or the man who was trying in vain to comfort her. They'd be punished, and Leinad wouldn't be able to stand it if he saw. Instead, he brushed past them and the guilt that tried to wrap itself around his subconscious, his eyes only for those he knew. Xanthys, Rein.... Lyra. So far he saw none of them. Not a single one.

"Papers."

Leinad didn't even look to the guard as he pulled his papers from under his arm. The knowledge that he had been allowed to continue along hardly made it past his ears, nor did the apology. Apparently, the young man had visited the armory on more than one occasion. At the moment, Leinad couldn't bring himself to care.

Commotion further up caught his attention, and he could have sworn that the voice he heard was familiar. A small, feminine one, tone pleading.

Kestral.

Leinad turned sharply, letting out a breath I relief. The girl was virtually untouched, save for the beginning of a bruise on her cheek. Whatever she had been saying prior to this, she had gone eerily silent for the guard hovering over her. It was a fight to keep his pace even, especially as Kestral caught his gaze for a moment. He had never seen the girl look more relieved.

"Greetings, sir," the merchant said. His tone was anything but pleasant, and his breath was worse. It wreaked of wine over-consumption and stuffed pigeon livers. "Have you found anything that's caught your eye?"

Leinad nearly faltered. He had never purchased another human being before- what of the process? He nodded, glancing at Kestral with feigned indifference. "How much for the girl?"

The man followed Leinad's gaze and gave a sharp nod. "Twelve silver. Excellent choice."

"Mmm." Leinad dropped the desired amount d coins into the man's already opened palm, cringing inwardly as he heard Kestral inhale sharply- the man had been swift to move re-tie her wrists. The rope was offered to Leinad, who tried not to look too horrified as he took it. A rope? They expected him to lead her around like a common animal? Of course they did. For all the man cared, Kestral was a common animal.

Papers were signed and exchanged, the entire process sickening. The old man lead her away with a gentle hand, not daring to look at her. The last thing Leinad wanted was to give himself away before he had even had time to save the others.

The odor was becoming thicker the deeper the pair delves into the market, so much so that there was water rimming Leinad's eyes- perhaps more from the slaps and kicks, the pleas and sobs that crawled into his chest and ties themselves around his heart than the stench itself. This was the last time he would enter a slave market. The very last. He could barely see or think anymore, and though he tried to focus, aggravation and fear numbed the thinking process. The others were here somewhere. His family was suffering. The people he had sworn to protect were--

The trail of thought was cut short when a man collapsed next to him. A familiar man. Leinad felt his mind swirl, and for the briefest moment, he couldn't make sense of anything. Xanthus. He formed the name on his lips, but it never made it past that. A man told him to step aside. His hand raised again, a hard expression on his face. The guard didn't raise the whip again.

"Sir, we're in the middle of a pu--"

"How much do you want for him?"

"I don-"

"How much?! It didn't matter if it looked like he was playing hero anymore. The last person in the city they'd be expecting to lead a resistance would more than likely be him- why was he so afraid of being found out? They all knew that he had a weak stomach for violence- it was the reason he never frequented the markets or the games.

"Five gold. I would ask six, but the boy's got a tongue on him."

Five gold? Leinad scowled, but pulled the coins from the pouch without giving it a second thought and pushed it into the guard's hand. "Make sure it gets to whoever's selling him."

Not that Leinad particularly cared, but the man was quite obviously a cheat.

Kestral inhaled sharply. Leinad almost screamed at the men to be more gentle as the yanked a bloodied Xanthus off of the ground. Eidonias have mercy.

Riaghán | Palace - Hallway/His Room:

Slave markets were disgusting. I had a feeling father had sent me there on purpose. To punish me. I snorted. Probably for the whole 'playing with the male slaves again' thing. I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that. Sighing, I pushed my hair out of my eyes and turned the corner. There was a new slave, hopefully broken, waiting in my room for me. I grinned and started walking faster. Hopefully, my father would forgive me for this little indiscretion. If not...well, I didn't particularly care. This slave was an interesting one, and not one I purchased in father's name. He belonged solely to me.

With this thought in mind, I swept down the hall, ignoring the slaves that cowered into the walls or dropped whatever they held. Normally, I would have scolded them, but not right now. I was looking forward to my little bit of entertainment for the next however long he lasted. Maybe I would work out why he reminded me so strongly of Father and a little of myself? Either way, I would find out, even if I had to torture him all damned night. Which I wouldn't mind doing at all. I could be rather... creative when it came to torture. Darren had liked that about me.

When I entered my rooms, I found the slave kneeling on the floor. He was tied to one of the posts of my bed, arms bound behind his back. "Hello darling," I announced, tossing my cloak off to one side. He cringed. It only made me laugh. "I think you'll be screaming by morning, no?" My comment made his look up sharply, wincing when the collar dug into his skin. I smirked and approached him. Best to get started before my Father came in to stop me. I hated interruptions. They made me angry. And even more violent than normal. Asha, my little slave girl, had learnt that lesson the hard way.

Rein

Rein shut his eyes, parched lips pursed against the urge to cry, to ask for help. It was a lesson Maura had taught him ages back: a lesson in breaking silently. It would spare him the worst of the torment; it would save his life. But even the sheer idea of Maura’s words cast in that faux deep voice of hers brought him to feeling like a wounded bird, mounted by nails piercing its wings. His chest heaved as he gasped in a breath, the needled collar slashing through his skin and releasing rivets of blood. He paled, the rush of blood from his head bringing every sensation through his mind at once and into a heavy drop of the prince’s words.

“You’re not quite broken yet.”

But he was--gods, he was, and he had never felt so disconfigured in his life. Silently, he opened an eye to see the devil’s face, but the image was cut short, bashed through as the brunt of the prince’s boot smashed into the side of his head, slamming Rein back against the bedpost with a simple thud. The prince slipped a finger underneath Rein’s collar, bringing his limp body back up from the floor, and untied him from the post.

“This is going to be the end of your life, maggot,” he whispered, the gruff on his cheek brushing Rein’s face. He jerked on the collar, bringing out a pitiful squeak from Rein’s lips, and pulled him to his feet where he could barely stay balanced. “You’re nothing but a possession, a toy that will break in half when it has lived out its welcome.”

And it was true, all Leinad had said about the royal family. Every breath of wickedness from their lips was another demon to possess Pash. Rein could remember every mention of slaves Leinad had said in passing with his council, and he suddenly realized that, very soon, without Maura, without those who loved him, he would die.

“Look at me or have your eyelids cut off,” demanded the prince, smashing a knee between Rein’s legs, bringing a sudden heave of an empty stomach through his throat and out between burning lips. Rian laughed, smacking Rein across the face and leaving him to fall to the stone floor among his vomit. A swift kick into Rein’s ribs knocked him against the bed, cradling his body in filth and blood. And the prince knelt down over him, gripping his hair with one hand while the other pressed against his throat, blocking his breath. “Before dawn, you will no longer be a human. You will break, and you will cry. And when you finally do, I will kill you.”

Rein shuddered, pulling for his courage, for any strength he could borrow from memories of Maura and Leinad, of the children and how they loved his stories when he taught them. He imagined Xanthus and Kestral and all the others--and he forced himself to open his eyes, staring the devil in the face.

And he suddenly understood what had brought the prince to take him, to want him to die. Eye-to-eye, Rein understood. They could have been brothers with those eyes. Those fiery eyes that had scared Leinad years before, that had been hidden from others from fear of fear. And Rein shivered, recalling stories his father had told him. Of names he called. him. Goodnight, my prince and With eyes like those, you could rule all of Pash. How his father would never speak of where he came from or why the emperor was merely misled. And a knot formed in Rein’s throat, caught his breathing beneath the prince’s grip, and brought his lips apart for air.

And as he did, the prince pressed their lips together, stealing anything left of his breath.

Dante | The Tunnels

I held her there, shocked at what I had just learned. A billion thoughts ran through my mind, but one was dominating all of the others. What is she sorry for? The thought kept spinning in my head, but I didn’t say a word, I just held her there and waited until she was ready to speak again.

Finally she gained back some composure and spoke
“But it's not... it's not the first time.” She said quietly, as if she was afraid of how I would react, didn’t she know me well enough to know I would never hurt her?

I took a deep yet soft breathe, a little confused by what she meant
“What do you mean?” I asked softly, “What happened to it?”
It. That word echoed in my head, it felt wrong, calling a baby, a living, breathing, person, it. As if I was condemning it or something.

A strangled sob came out of her mouth, then she spoke again.
“He found out...” she said, shuddering. “He beat me until...” she stopped and swallowed hard, “until I lost it.”

She muffled another sob against my neck as I took in what she had just said. Tears begin to sting my eyes at the thought of the prince beating her. He’ll pay for that. I thought to myself.
“It's okay Asha, there was nothing you could do, he...” I stopped. He beat you until he killed his own child. I couldn’t say that to her, I could barely stand thinking it in my head, how could any human being do that? Take his own child's life because he didn’t like who it came from, He acted as if it was Asha’s fault, I couldn’t stand it! And I couldn’t stand him!

She shook her head against me and tried to pull in a few shaky breaths
“It was my child.” she said, trembling, “What if... Oh gods...” she stopped and continued sobbing.

I was confused, I didn’t understand what she meant, how could I?
“What if what Asha?” I asked

She took a very shaky deep breath.
“Dante, if he finds out... he'll kill this one, too. I can't... I just can't.” she said

I rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her.
“I'll die before I let him do that.” I said.

Her fingers starting to dig into my shirt, any more of this and she would crease my uniform.
“You... you wouldn't be- be able to... to stop him.” she said between sobs.

I looked straight into her eyes.
“Asha, I've received more training than you'll ever know, I'm trained to fight off brutes that would want to do harm to any member of the royal family. The guards aren't idiots you know, we know that the prince can be a little crazy sometimes, that's why we've been trained to fight him off sometimes as well, I'm strong enough to handle him and I'll use every last bit of that strength to protect you” I said.

She held her gaze at me and just stared at me for a minute or two.
“And the child?” she asked weakly, you could hear the hint of hope in her voice

I looked into her eyes determinedly
“And the child.” I said, in the most assuring way I could

she laughed, looking down at her stomach and letting go of my shirt to rest a hand over it
“I'm still scared.” she said.

I gave her a little smirk.
“Don't be.” I said, hugging her again. “I promise you everything will be okay”

“It had better be.” she said, sighing.
all of a sudden she gripped my shoulder for support and started glancing around the room quickly.

“Asha are you okay?” I asked worried as I saw her turn pale. “Wha..” I began to say, but then I realized,
and my eyes went wide.
“Oh gods!” I exclaimed, quickly grabbing a bucket sitting in the corner of he room and handing it to her.

She grabbed it before turning around, and leaning her back against me for support before she started heaving. I looked away but held her up until she was done. When she was finished she spit into the bucket, and flopped back against my chest.

“You feeling better now?” I asked

She managed to put the bucket down. She moaned and rested all of her weight on me, which wasn’t a problem, and said “No.”

“You will soon, don't worry.” I said, chuckling

She reached up and gave me a light smack on the head.
“Why do men insist on saying stupid things to pregnant women?” she asked.

“Because I've had experience with a pregnant woman.” I said, remembering when my mother was pregnant with my younger brother a few years ago.

She snorted.
“Then you should know when you're about to say a foolish thing and bite your tongue.”

“Whatever you say darling” I said rolling my eyes

She buried her face into my neck
“Sorry about that, by the way.” she said. “It couldn't have been all that attractive.”

“It wasn't, trust me” I said jokingly

she sighed
“It was worse to experience than watch, trust me.”

I chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.

“Too bad we're out of lemons...” she said, looking up and out the door.

“I'll sneak some from our lemon trees at home tonight” I said, smiling at her

She chuckled and kissed me on the cheek
“I won't go back to the palace until at least tomorrow afternoon. Sounds lovely.” She said

“What about the prince?” I asked, getting a little worried

“I can't stay down here forever, Dante” she said with a sigh, obviously not understanding what I meant.

“I mean, won't he get suspicious with you being gone so long?” I explained

“Probably... but knowing him, he's been too occupied with new toys to really notice.” she said. Clearly she was referring to any new slaves he might have gotten from the Day of Filth.

“Well at least you'll be safe down here for a while” I said, comforted by the fact that the prince might not notice her being gone this long

“Mmm, until tomorrow.” she said in a tired tone while looking up a me

“Just don't worry so much okay? Everything will be fine, I promise” I said in another attempt to comfort her.

“You shouldn't make promises that you don't know you can keep, love.” she said.

“Listen, you get some rest, I should probably go, before they find out I've been gone this long, I'll see you tonight.” I said, smiling at her

“I'll probably vomit more than rest, but I'll try.” She said, letting her hands drop and nodding

“Well, just keep the bucket close, I'll be back tonight, and until then I'll make sure someone's here to take care of you.” I told her

She gave me a weak smile.
“Leo knows... I'll go to him if I need anything.”

“Don't let me worry about you okay?” I said smiling at her and giving her a kiss on her forehead

“I won't.” she said, nodding. “Behave yourself up there, Dante. No enraged homicides.”

“I've been controlling myself around the prince for a long time now, I can handle it” I said, still smiling at her

“Mmm, good. Sneak me some food, would you? Cravings haven't started yet, but I have a feeling that they will soon enough.” she said.

“No problem,” I said, giving her another kiss on the forehead, “see you tonight” and with that I left.

Leinad | The Slave Market

Papers had been signed, Leinad now owned two of his resistance members, and he had managed to bring Kestral and an unconscious Xanthus far enough that they could be hidden. Blood smeared the front of his robes, his hands, his sleeves... It made his stomach roil, the acids arguing relentlessly with his tea and breakfast. He flamed over his shoulder, eyes searching for anything that could be used to cover the opening to this little crevice. There was nothing.

He turned to Kestral, eyes soft once again. "Keep hidden and clean out his wounds to the best of your abilities. If he wakes, don't let him panic or give away your location- and do not move unless you must. I don't know how long I'll be, but I won't leave the markets without you, you have my word."

All the girl did was offer a tearful nod. Leinad gave her one last reassuring nod before rising, slipping out from behind the old cart. The two were well-hidden, behind barrels and empty crates and the old broken-down wagon. It shouldn't have been so hard for him to push the thought from his mind in order to focus once again on the task at hand.

Movement caught his attention, and his neck snapped back, eyes narrowed. No one. A shaky breath was released, and his feet began to rise and fall minimally, almost shuffling. His leg throbbed, his hip pounded and his walking stick was beginning to rub his palm raw, the wood mingling with a nervous sweat. It was too early. Too early to be drowned in odors and levels of pain that empathy could hardly stand. He felt for these people- for every single one of them- and he had to pretend that he didn't. He had to pretend that he was as indifferent as they all were. Here to purchase a broken body and cheap labor.

His worry was increasing- the others weren't anywhere that he could see. No Lourarn, no Rein, no Lyra, no Maura. Where in Eidonias' great name were they? Leinad paused, loosening his grip on the walking stick enough to offer his hand relief and eased his weight onto his 'good' leg. Perhaps if he stopped, only for a moment, he would catch sight of even one of them.

A yelp pierced his ears, drawing his attention to a pair of eerily similar children. The only truly noticeable difference was that one seemed to hold an air of femininity, and the other held the exact opposite. A man, not necessarily a guard, judging by the lack of uniform, had his fingers coiled around the girl's wrist, pulling her to the side. The boy was sputtering pleas- or some other some such. Leinad couldn't pull his gaze away from these two. Indifference wouldn't settle in his heart, and without thinking, he was striding towards them.

"Yes?" The man looked up, grabbing hold of the rope that bound the girl's hands.

"These two... are you willing to sell them?" He cringed inwardly at his tone, forcing his features to remain stern and business-like. He wasn't here to save them- not that their former master knew of. He was here for two more dumb beasts. Such were the way things went in Pash. Once again, the process required his signature on a couple of papers, one for each of the children, a sum to be forked over, and the rope that bound the children's hands was handed off to him. Hardly a word was exchanged between buyer and seller. It would seem that both of them could sense the tension that rose between them, sealing off friendly prattle.

And then it was back to searching with a mind that wouldn't stop swirling. He had just purchased two children- like he would have gone off and boughten his herbs or a present for his granddaughter's birthday. Children. He forced himself not to peer over his shoulder at them- he had to remain cold and stony until they were back home, safe from prying and suspicious eyes. And then- then he would send them upstairs to do the least draining chore he could think of while he slipped Xanthus into the tunnels with Kestral. Afterwords, and only afterwords, would he explain to them that they were not going to be looked at as purchased slaves, but adopted family.

Leinad would have no slave labor under his roof, regardless of what anybody else said about it.

A grunt - another common noise that shouldn't have grabbed his attention - made his head turn. A cart- not the run-down one that Xanthus and Kestral were hiding behind- had been pulled up to one of the lines. A guard was stopped over, pulling an arm around his shoulder, followed by a feminine body, draped in the simplest of clothes. And an all too familiar cloak.

Leinad felt his breath freeze in the middle of his throat. That invisible hand found his heart and gut, squeezing and throwing them around inside of him like they were nothing. His knees grew weak, and the amount of pressure he had to put on his walking stick caused a flash of pain to run up his arm. A flash that he hardly even processed. Tears came, blocking his line of vision. One snuck down his cheek, and he didn't bother to wipe it away.

Her body was flung - a careless motion that sent daggers straight into Leinad's chest - into the cart, and the weight on Leinad's shoulders pushed harder, trying in vain to push him to his knees. It was accompanied by the pressure behind his eyes- more tears that he couldn't release - and a pain in his chest that was far greater than any had been in a very long time.

He bit his tongue, saving the shouts and the sobs that were trying to tumble out. To turn from Lyra; to turn away from her lifeless body without even a word on her behalf, or an attempt to retrieve her for burial.... it made a moan form in his throat, blocking off his airways when he refused to set it free. But he had to. He had to find the others, and he had to save himself from discovery. He had to bring these children into his home- save them from the man or woman who would have purchased them otherwise.

With a deep breath and a glance towards the sun to scald and dry his eyes, he kept trudging, forcing his head to remain high, his expression to remain stony and indifferent. Everything about it send guilt, tons upon tons of it. It partnered with pain, weighing his chest down and causing his hands to tremble. There was a blackness at the edges of his vision, which he just barely managed to chase away.

His heart would not give out now. There was too much to do to let it stop beating. He had already failed at keeping the resistance members safe. The people he loved with his whole heart, the people he had sworn to keep safe.... he had practically betrayed them.

"Eidonias." It was barely a breath, but it began a prayer. A prayer for forgiveness, and the strength to keep himself strong until he could make it back home. A prayer for Louarn and Rein and Maura- that they were safe, and that if they weren't, that they would be delivered.

He looked to the line of slaves again, eyes landing on one young man. Something in his eyes, something strong and unbroken, held Leinad in mild awe. Something drew him to the boy, until his feet were moving in his direction, and his hand was reaching for his money bag. If he had failed Lyra, he could never replace her, but he hoped that he could make up for the wrong that he had had inflicted.

Blake | Slave Market

"Look at this one here," muttered a customer to his comrade. Blake's eyes pierced the man's gaze, but it didn't keep the customer from yanking his arm and turning him around. The customer poked, prodded, and checked every inch of him as any other customer did.

Then he punched the boy in the stomach.

Blake doubled over and fell to his knees almost too easily. "Pathetic," he heard the buyer say. Blake immediately glared right back before jumping at the man. The buyer stepped back, but he hardly had to as one of the neighbor slaves caught the boy by his shredded shirt.

"Wha'd're you doin'?!" Blake snarled at the slave. "Lemme go. I know whad I'm doin'--"

"No, boy." The slave set Blake back on his feet without any other word.

Blake pouted and waited just like the rest of the slaves on the block. His back still stung from the lashings earlier, and since it was the only thing he had on his mind, it hurt more than usual. He found himself bouncing on his feet, twirling and noseying around more than he was actually allowed, but no one bothered getting the boy to stand still. Blake assumed they finally learned that they couldn't get in his way, though perhaps that's naive?

An old man walked up to him now. Blake gave him the usual daring-glare, but this customer seemed very out-of-place. He was probably the oldest potential customer Blake's ever seen -- well, old and quiet. Independent. Blake didn't give much of a care aside from the fact that an escape from this kind of slavemaster wouldn't be much of a hardship at all. In all honesty, Blake's hopes were probably getting a bit too high.

"How much for this one?"

"What, not gonna look a' me?" Blake said bitterly.

The old man looked back at him carefully. The two stared at each other for so long, the slave merchant actually had to step up to them and interrupt their silent discussion. "The boy's a good choice, sir! Young blood, you know. He'll do the work, a man's work even! He's got the spunk to do it anyway, and though he's rough around the edges, he's very tamable--"

"Junk," Blake spat. The merchant turned on the boy, finger raised and ready to talk down to him, but Blake continued, his eyes still on the old man. "I'm a bad choice, old man. I'll stomp all over ya an' find ev'ry way poss'ble ta get outta yer ownership. I'm not afraid of nothin', so don' think ya can jus' talk me inta understandin'. I been done lots of bad things 'cause I don' listen to my masters: lashin's, cuttin's, beatin's -- This next master's my thirteenf, y'know."

The old man's mouth twitched into what would've been a smile. Blake was suddenly confused -- and his thoughts completely distracted him from the slave merchant's retort to him and recovery from Blake's speech. The merchant lifted Blake's arms and prodded his sides as he continued discussing with the old man about how the boy was a good buy (Blake knew the merchant just wanted to get him out of his hair. Or something like that, he was sure.), but the customer finally spoke up.

"How much?"

What kind of slavemaster was this guy?

"Wait right here. I'll fetch the papers!"

"I don' think ya heard me right," Blake told the man after the merchant left.

The man's eyes twinkled.

Leinad | Slave Markets

I heard you right. It was moments like this that made Leinad smile- moments like this that drew chuckles and kind words from his lips. But for now, this moment was barely bittersweet. The papers were signed, coins were exchanged, and Leinad had yet another rope in his hands.

He turned, eyes scouring this one last bit of market for those he had not yet found. Fear was a tangled mess in his gut by now, and guilt was still roaming freely. They weren't here. The entire market had been searched, and afternoon was fast approaching- something in which Leinad hadn't taken notice in just moments ago. Rein, Louarn and Maura were gone. He could only pray that he would be able to find them come the next day. Pray and hope and, for now, return home and mourn the one that he had lost for certain.

The more he wove himself through the market, the more distant his thoughts and what was happening became. The stench, the one that had choked him only hours before, was barely a tickle in his nose anymore. The sounds, heart-wrenching as they were, sounded so far off at this point, and perhaps, just perhaps, that was a good thing. One or more or all of the three were prattling on behind him, but as they reached the edge of the market, his silence drew out their silence as well. Numb. That's what it was. A combination of sorrow, exhaustion, defeat and shame.

It was not a welcome thing.

The cart came into view, and it was truly the first thing that Leinad had brought himself to process since his last purchase. The cart. Xanthus and Kestral. The ones that he had been able to save. Their gods, what would they think of their leader now?

A comment from the eldest boy just barely caught Leinad's attention- the last syllable. It wasn't enough to answer him on- they would have to wait to have their questions about his sanity answered until they were back in the safety of hi shop.

"Papa Lein?" Kestral's voice was the second thing that managed to permeate the haze that Leinad had shrouded himself in.

He slipped between one other barrel, still holding semi-tightly to the ropes in his hands. "Is Xanthus awake?" The exhaustion in his voice surprised him. He had meant to hide it.

He found Kestral's face behind the wood, trying to conjure a smile that seemed at least somewhat sincere. Xanthus was, in fact, awake, eyelids dropping ever so slightly. Kestral had distanced herself from him as much as she could in the little space, and now both of them had blank stares to offer the three extras that Leinad had in-tow. "I'll tell you later, but please, no questions for me right now." He glanced back at Xanthus, whose eyes were closed again.

"Where are the o-"

"I promise, Kestral, I'll tell you all soon." Something in his tone or his eyes got through to the girl, and she offered a slight nod, rising shakily to her feet. She glanced between Leinad and Xanthus before biting down hard on her lower lip and helping the man up.

Leinad shifted the ropes to his other hand, exchanging his walking stick for Xanthus. His joints moaned, protesting relentlessly, but Leinad couldn't bring himself to acknowledge it. Nor could he bring himself to acknowledge the confusion that was drifting around the group. Or the fear. All of these things were better left unspoken of in a place like this.

Maneuvering back through the barrels was far less difficult than anticipated, even as Leinad's eyes misted once again and blurred his vision. Xanthus was incoherent and barely walking the line of semi-conscious, but his feet seemed to move under him, offering a small amount of support as they slipped back into the market.

A sudden sight- a sudden important sight nearly knocked the man clear off his feet. There was a relief, so great that he managed to quicken his step, eyes trained on the young woman in front of him. Judging by the look on her face, she hadn't planned on being sighted. "Maura. All of your gods and goddesses, why..."

She wasn't chained, wasn't tied or broken. She had either escaped or never been captured in the first place, and she had let him worry that she had been sold or killed? Her mouth opened, but Leinad gave his head a sharp shake. Whether she was about to inquire as to why he had three new slaves at his hand, or about what had happened to Xanthus, or why he hadn't gathered any of the others didn't matter. Perhaps she was ready to rebuke him. It didn't matter. She was safe. Thank Eidonias, at least one of them was safe.

At least now he could return to the tunnels with an extra grain of sanity- but there was one unspoken question, and one unspoken a seer that seemed to hover between them. Or perhaps it was just two people silently making the same statement. The relief fled, once again replaced by the emotions that had come before it.

He hadn't found Rein.

His expression screamed that he was sorry, but his voice just barely managed a, "Help me get them home."

He just hoped that Maura knew he hadn't given up- he just couldn't find it in himself to continue yet.

Xanthus | Streets of Pash

I'd never known the world to be so loud. There was this constant buzzing, almost a pounding in my ears that seemed to enhance any other sound that entered them. The sound of my own heavy breath was even becoming deafening, yet at the same time, all of my other senses were entirely numb. I couldn't have seen or taken note of which direction I was going in if I tried, people were touching me--supporting me so that I wouldn't collapse, yet I couldn't actually feel their grasps. The muffled sounds in my ears distracted me from even trying to smell anything, although I suppose I lied; the taste of drying blood was crisp in my mouth.

I'd received a hell of an amount of beatings before in one way or another, but the aftermath of my latest one had literally left me in another world. A world that needed to stop bloody melting into itself, only allowing me to see a swirl of the dingy colours of Pash's streets in front of my eyes. I wanted to stand up straight, lift my weight off poor Leinad, find the twats who thought it was impressive to beat the senses out of me and break their necks. I couldn't breathe without thinking about it, let alone do any of that.

There appeared to be three unfamiliar faces with Leinad, Kestral, me and... Maura? I couldn't even bring my senses clear enough to be sure. Either there were strangers with us, or I was hallucinating. I would've asked someone, but the ability to speak was on another level for me at that moment. Well whoever were among us were talking, but all I heard was an increase of the muffled sounds in my ears, although I could just grasp that the voices I heard were familiar. Perhaps the strangers weren't speaking. Or they didn't exist. My gods, I had no idea what was going on.

"Xanthus?"

The sound of my name flicked my eyelids I hadn't even realised were shut open to see the blurred face of Leinad in front of me, an equally as blurry Maura and Kestral beside him along with another slab of colours melted into themselves. Wait. Weren't there three strangers earlier? Gods, I really was turning insane. Leinad's voice didn't process quickly enough in my mind, so he called my name again. This time, I managed to lift my eyes to his aged face. He tried to smile. It wasn't successful.

"... tunnels... take you... see if... can find Leo... help... get some rest."

I was extremely sure Leinad had said more than that, but what it was he said was a mystery. As I let myself get used to my surroundings though, I realised where we were. We were in the tunnels. I hesitated for a moment. How had we gotten here? We were just outside... seconds ago, we were in the streets, and... my gods, I needed some sleep.

As I felt myself being nudged deeper into the tunnels, I felt my senses creeping back into me. Perhaps it was the familiarity of home, or whatever the tunnels were to me. The unfamiliar faces were playing on my mind as I pulled my aching legs onwards and I figured that Leinad must have sent two of them upstairs or something. I couldn't dwell on the thought for too long though; it was distracting me from remembering to breathe.

Louarn | Stal’Vuth Mansion - Garden:

Footsteps echoed through the courtyard, making Lou open his eyes. The sun beat down on him, pulling his breath out in soft pants. He needed water, and all those bastard guards had given him was vinegar or salt all day. It was making him thirsty and desperate. These footsteps... He thought it was the girl again. He hadn’t seen her since that first time when she asked for his name, but he had a feeling she might be watching him.

“Pitiful.” The comment made Lou raise his head. Through his blurry vision, he found Lord Darren staring down at him. The man gave him a slightly disgusted look. Lou missed that look and frowned at him. It seemed like the sun was getting to him. Even though the sky was fading into the reds and pinks and oranges of sunset, Lou wasn’t seeing it. All his saw were two Darren’s gazing down at him. “Have you had enough yet, little lord?”

Lou just stared at him, blinking away his double vision. “Please,” he whispered through cracked lips, giving the man a desperate look. He knew he was begging, but he just didn’t care. Almost a whole day in the sun with only salt and vinegar to eat and drink, and he was just about begging to be released. Lou was a lord; he wasn’t accustomed to this sort of treatment. He wasn’t strong enough to keep his pride. No survivor was.

“Pathetic,” Darren said with a snort, sauntering up to the bound lord. He trailed his fingers down Lou’s chest. “So, begging is your thing?” he asked in a low voice. Lou bit his lip. The hand slid lower. “Then beg,” Darren hissed, caressing the other man. “What do you want?”

Lou looked away from the other man, still biting his lip. He was a lord! This man shouldn’t be touching him like this! He shifted, uncomfortable but it did nothing to stop the man’s assault. Why was the man doing this? It wasn’t like Lou was poor or ugly. After all, he had been told on far too many occasions that he was rather, well, pretty. For a man. Lord Stral’Vuth had even said that Lou had a pretty face. Lou winced, eyes flickering towards the other Lord. Darren gave him a wicked grin and Lou gasped, flinching.

“Water,” he whispered, twisting his wrists in the ropes that bound him to the wooden pole. The man’s hand left him. Lou didn’t want to look towards him. It was embarrassing enough just being touched the way he was. He didn’t like it. At all. The man didn’t seem to care.

“What was that?” the man asked, smirking. “Did you want water?” Lou nodded and the man laughed.

Maura - Slave Market

Maura froze. Leinad’s eyes were on her. He had seen her.

A man bumped roughly against Maura’s shoulder, shouting in her face as she stared past him at the old man with the wooden walking stick approaching her. Being sighted was the last thing she had wanted. She had only wanted to see that Rein was safe, and disappear. Now, she could do neither.

Yet, she didn’t cut and run while Leinad walked toward her like she ought to have. She had to admit to herself that despite the great efforts she had put up to avoid growing attached to any person, she had not only grown affectionate for the soft-hearted Rein, but for this honorable old man as well.

She cursed herself for her weakness.

“Marua,” Leinad said. “All of your gods and goddesses, why…”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Leinad shook his head to silence her. She glanced over the faces of the slaves with the ropes tied to their necks which Leinad held in his hand. Their faces…none of them were Rein and there were far too many unfamiliar faces among them. What was Leinad thinking? He had money, but how could he afford to save the people like Rein and these new childish faces.

“Help me get them home, Maura,” Leinad said. His expression was sorry, but Maura couldn’t let the feeling through. This wasn’t a matter of one of the nameless faces that congregated in the tunnels day in and day out. This was Rein. Rein. Even Leinad himself had a special connection with Rein. How could he walk away from the market without him?

He handed a few of the ropes over to Maura and tugged her along by her cloak. She followed slowly, numbly. People bumped into her and shouted at her as she thoughtlessly stepped in their way. With every step she took on the hard cobblestone streets, she heard only one thing in her mind. Rein…Rein…Rein…

She pushed through the slaves Leinad led with his ropes. “Leinad,” she said, keeping her voice deep and quiet. “Rein.”

“Help me get them home, Maura,” he repeated without looking at her.

Maura grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him. “Rein,” she insisted. “I’m not leaving without that fool of a man.”

Leinad finally looked at her. His face was so tired, so nearly-defeated. Maura felt a small pang in her chest, but it was nothing compared to the fire that burned inside her of passionate rage that Rein had gotten himself taken up somewhere they couldn’t find him, and that Leinad was just letting it go.

“Maura—”

She stuffed the ropes she held in her hand back into Leinad’s grasp. “You know that he can’t make it back on his own.” She paused to recollect her voice, as it had grown dangerously feminine. “It’s my fault, really… I haven’t taught him well enough. I was supposed to teach him to look out for himself and I failed. It’s my responsibility to find him.”

“Maura, I don’t…” Leinad sighed, running his thumb over the thick ropes in his hand. “I searched the entire market, Rein is nowhere.”

“Then I have to find him,” she said. Before Leinad could grab her arm and pull her back, she had already blended back into the crowd. She ran, pushing people out of her way, her cloak flying behind her.

If Rein hadn’t been in the slave market, there was only one place he could be now. Maura had watched the slave auctions on far too many occasions; she knew that a man as weak as Rein wouldn’t have been bought by an average citizen of Pash. He may have been bought for the games, but Maura knew that it was too early yet for a buyer sadistic enough to put an unskilled man like Rein into the area to be buying slaves.

No, there was only one place a slave like Rein could be.

Before joining Leinad’s resistance, Maura had spent days upon days watching the inner workings of the slave market. She was paid off my shadowy men in back alleys to learn the tricks of the trade to increase their profits of buying. Typically, these men sought the strongest prospects for the games and would offer Maura a portion of their winnings if she could find them a winner.

Maura was good at her job.

So good, that a man representing the Emperor of Pash himself approached her. The Emperor had first choice of the slaves after a Day of Filth, but often a few of the stronger-willed slipped past his sight. He paid Maura gratuitously to seek out these men and buy them for his own use. The Emperor, and particularly his son, found great pleasure in breaking wills, and a strong will was most satisfying to break.

So, Maura knew that if Rein had not been taken to the slave market that morning then there was only one place for him to be.

The Pashan Palace.

Elias/Eloise | Above Lein's shop

"I don't get why you're cleaning," Elias started. Eloise shot him a look that shut him up. The other boy was leaning against the wall. He looked bored, and unimpressed. Eloise returned to pulling up the sheets one by one until the bed was made. "He never told us to clean up or anything. We don't owe him--"

"Oh shush. I swear you talk to hear yourself sometimes," The girl mumbled as she rolled her eyes. Her brother could be so stupid sometimes. "I'd like to make a good impression and maybe he won't--"

"He's an old man," Elias scoffed as he crossed his arms. He'd be darned if anyone would lay a hand on his sister. Especially a brittle old man who couldn't seem to get his bearings. "I doubt he could--" Again, Eloise cut him off.

"Just stop," she growled. Eloise swiftly strode over and flicked her brother in the side of the head. Elias shot her a glare and snatched her wrist in his hand, the most devilish smile spreading across his lips. "I know that look, don't give me that look." He kicked her feet out from under her and pinned her to the ground. "Elias no!"

He dug his fingers into her sides as she flailed and laughed under him. The other boy was giving them the oddest look but Elias couldn't care less. "What the hell?" Elias continued to tickle his sister. Ignoring her loud half-screaming laughter and her commands to 'Cut it out'. Ignoring the boy who was slowly inching away from them. Ignoring the old man who had just walked into the room.

Eselda | The Tunnels

I waited until Leinad was gone to come out, and even then, I stayed in the entry to the hospital room. Xanthus was back, just like Kayla promised. Lyra wasn't though- and Leinad hadn't answered when I had asked about her. She was okay, though, wasn't she? Maura was looking for Rein, and Lou would be okay. He was a lord, after all. They couldn't keep him for too long, or they'd get into trouble, probably.

Leo was the one who saw me- not that it looked like Xanthus could even raise his head. It was okay if he didn't notice me this time. "There's a lot of blood, Essy," Leo warned.

I bit my lip, eyes trailing to the cot that Xanthy was laying on. I didn't like blood- not even a little tiny bit, but I wanted to see him, just to make sure that he would really be okay. "I'll leave if I get too scared." I made sure that I sounded brave and stepped into the room, walking all the way to where the men were.

Leo was right- there was blood. My stomach felt weird, but I wasn't going to puke. I'd be okay. "He's going to be alright, isn't he?" I think that he looked at me there, but I couldn't even tell if he had really saw me, or if his eyes were just facing my direction. He was hurt really bad.

"He should be." Leo walked over the the cupboards and pulled something out- a funny little jar or something- and walked back over to us. "Will you hold this for me, Essy?" I nodded and took it, blushing a little when Leo pulled Xanthus' top down. Not that there had been much left of it in the first place, and at least he didn't get it stolen. I heard from Lyra once that sometimes they took all of a slave's clothes so that people could see their muscles and how strong they were. It seemed a little gross to me.

Leo took the jar again, unscrewed the lid and started rubbing it into Xanthus' wounds. His lips twitched a little- almost like he was wincing. "Does it hurt him?" I looked up at Leo sharply, making sure to glare. "Don't hurt him anymore than he's already hurt you oaf!"

The funny thing about Leo is that even after you insult him, he stays calm and doesn't tell at you. "I have to put it on, Essy. It'll keep the cuts from getting infected." He glanced at me, and then at Xanthus. I was sure that there was something weird in his eyes, but I didn't know what it was or how it got there. It made me suspicious. "Why don't you try talking to him? It might wake him up a little."

I relented, nodding a little before turning to Xanthus, just barely touching his hair. Leo had better make him okay. "I'm still wearing the bracelet you got me," I whispered, sighing a little. "I think it's really pretty."

My eyes went up to Leo to make sure that he wasn't laughing at me. It felt funny to talk when nobody was answering. "You saved me, you know. It was really brave of you to do that, especially since you knew that they might... that they were going to get you."

Leo moved, which was definitely a good thing, because now there were tears in my eyes. "But Papa Lein brought you back, and that's all that matters... except he didn't find Lyra, and he won't tell anyone where she is." I sniffled, because now I was getting worried. "I hope she's okay."

I shifted on my feet a little, trying to think of what else to say. "If you can hear me, can you show me? Blink or wiggle your toes or something, okay?" My voice was getting squeaky, and my eyes were so teary that I couldn't even see him clearly anymore. He would be okay. He had to be okay, because if he wasn't, then I had just lost everybody important to me.

Asha | The Tunnels

Now just didn't seem like an opportune time to tell Papa Lein about Dante- about the fact that he knew, or that he loved me, or that I had vomited all over the palace floors yesterday. I had started out of the room- I had been sitting in there for hours, trying to hide my morning sickness from the tunnels- to speak with him... but all I could do now was stare at his back.

There was something wrong, and my spinning head and roiling stomach were telling me that it may be wise to leave well enough alone for now. I probably didn't want to know what had happened, and the pressure that I was already under couldn't be good for my unborn child. I had to stay as calm as I could for as long as I could- it was something that another old slave woman had told me during the first pregnancy. Another thing that I didn't feel like thinking about right now.

So I watched Papa Lein's back as he made it out of the tunnels, refusing to think about the fact that he had only come back with two of the missing however-many. Calm as possible meant not thinking about that sort of thing.

But now what? If Xanthus really was as beat-up as I had heard then saying, then I doubted my stomach would agree with a visit to Leo for something lemon-like, and there was such a somber air floating about right now...

Perhaps I'd just go to the main room and hope for a moment of peace between sick-spells.

Besides- I had heard that Kestral was back, and I wouldn't mind making sure that Tiberius wasn't bothering her too much. The two may have been very, very good friends, but they still had their moments.

Leinad | The Tunnels/His Home

Leinad hovered by the entry to the hospital room for a moment, waiting until Leo had eased Xanthus onto the coy, and a shadow of Eselda's form was visible by the opposite entry. She would hate him for not getting to Lyra in time- when she found out... when any of them found out...

He turned, offering Tiberius and Kestral a weak smile as he passed them in the main room, and shuffled through the underground. His mind wandered, and he let it, desperate for any form of distraction. The storerooms had been replenished, which meant that his granddaughter had visited the market after all. There were three new-comers upstairs, each of which were probably starving and tired. They were out of his favorite broth, and he had forgotten to add it to the list for Kayla...

It wasn't long before Leinad was shoving the trap door open above his head and clambering back into the shop. He shoved it shut with his foot, stooping to replace the mat that shielded it from view. He remained at the counter for a few moments, staring at the front door. At the moment, he was half hoping, half praying for Maura to barrel through, preferably with Rein at her arm. Of course, there were probably thousands of little reasons as to why that didn't happen.

With a sigh, Leinad started around the counter, putting even more pressure on his walking stick that he had at the slave market.

Th sudden roll of screechy laughter nearly knocked him backwards. His pace quickened, and the stairs were taken as quickly as one could expect them to be after he had spent the entire day walking. By the half way point, the laughter and the pleas had gotten louder and more desperate, and Leinad's legs had gotten more sore and far harder to walk on. It must have been by divine intervention that he finally made it into his room, and the scene in front of him had to be even more so.

The boy- Elias, if Leinad was remembering correctly- scrambled away from his sister, who sputtered a few more laughs before seeing him. The boy stood, watching him carefully. The older one was stating daggers, and Leinad was smiling at all three. A small, one-side-higher-than-the-other thing, but a smile nonetheless.

"Forgive me for shooing you all up here like that, but there were things that needed to be taken care of, I'm afraid." He glanced at each one of them in turn, trying to find a good starting point. He had never done something like this before- how to go about it evaded him. "Now, there are a few things that I have to make very clear."

His smile softened. "I do not consider any of you slaves, and you will not be treated as such under my roof. You will never be sent back to the market, and you'll never be hit, beaten, whipped... none of it. From here on in, you're family." All he got in return were blank stares. Of course, that was to be expected. This probably hadn't been a regular occurrence for them- Leinad chuckled at the thought. Not a regular occurrence at all.

"The only time I want you to make yourselves scarce or look like you're hard at work is when we have customers downstairs, and even them, it's more a game than an actual chore, don't you think?" He motioned for them to follow, slipping into the small upstairs kitchen. "Take whatever you want and stud yourselves to your hearts' content." He met the oldest's gaze head-on, pausing for a moment. The boy wouldn't give him his name, and Leinad wasn't about to force it out of him- but he refused to call the child something as cold and indifferent-sounding as Boy. For now, he just nodded at him. "You wouldn't mind humoring an old man and have a word with me in private, would you?"

The boy glared, and then shrugged. That was good enough for him. "Eloise, Elias, help yourselves to anything you find. There's tea in cupboards up-" he pointed "-there."

They both whispered thank-you's, which earned them a smile and a nod before Leinad guided Blake back to his room. There were certain things that had to be said and made clear, and this one was fiery.

Blake | Leinad's Home

Blake watched the two twins eagerly run out on their own, and it made him more furious than anything. They were so naive to think that they could enjoy life like this. Have they never been slaves before? Life's a paradise when you're actually allowed a few hours of peaceful rest at night. Now that's paradise.

The old man -- Leinad, was it? Junk. -- closed the door behind them and smiled in Blake's direction. The boy only rolled his eyes and crawled onto the window sill. "See ya later, old man."

"Leaving so soon, my young friend?" Opened the window and swung his legs over the side. "We were just getting to know each other, too." Blake scoffed. That was funny. He leapt out of the window, now hanging on the sill with his arms. "At least have a meal before you plan your departure. You could use some meat on those bones before living on the streets."

Food?

Blake's eyes landed on Leinad cautiously -- that grinning, overly-pleased old man. At least, he looked way too happy all the time. Blake was convinced Leinad didn't understand what exactly this world was coming to. Still, the thought of food... "Yer lyin'."

"What makes you say that?" Leinad asked. When Blake didn't answer, the old guy limped his way over to a chair and sat himself down comfortably, lying the walking stick against the wall. He folded his hands and carefully watched the boy. "I understand you're planning an escape. I completely respect this from a slave. The life you've led has undoubtedly been rough and unbearable, I'm sure."

Blake's arms were getting numb. He had to decide now: jump down or climb in?

"Why do you want to run away?"

Grumble. The old guy wasn't going to stop talking, was he? Blake glared at those twinkling eyes -- those eyes that obviously screamed 'Warning: I'm wise and clever!' With a final sigh, Blake crawled back onto the window sill and let his feet dangle inside. "I'll stay, but only because you offered food...and it better be good."

Leinad chuckled. "I promise, I know no better cook."

Blake curled his lip at his words, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. "But I'm leavin' after tha', so don' try t' stop me."

"I have no reason to." Blake's eyes narrowed. "I trust my family to have good reason for leaving. As long as they do good things out there -- and it wouldn't hurt if they came back. At least once."

"I ain' comin' back."

"Why not?"

Blake scowled and kicked the table next to the window. "Junk! I'm no' stupid, old man! I know how ya slavemasters work! Most of 'em just beat us if we're bad, but some of 'em are sneaky. They sweet-talk lies, they make us do rid-ri.. rid--"

"Ridiculous?"

"...yeah. Those kinds of jobs." Blake flushed horribly, his face scrunched up with embarrassment. "And they mock us 'cause we can' talk like 'em--"

"I must say, your grammar has improved quite a bit since we last spoke--"

"--And they drug us!" Blake slammed his fists and kicked the wall with both feet in retaliation. A heavy silence fell in the room, Blake breathing heavily. The thoughts of his mother were, apparently, still way too painful to talk about. With a fiery glint in his dark eyes, he cast his gaze to Leinad, to the old man who didn't even flinch. In fact, his small smile was still there. "I don' trust ya, old man. Not fer a secon'."

Leinad let the silence linger. Blake was tense, his knuckles white from how tightly he gripped the window sill. His gaze fell back to the floor, not standing -- or bearing? -- to look at him further.

"You're right."

Blake froze. Of all the responses to get... he got that? He slowly looked up at Leinad, almost afraid of what he would see or hear next. When it was the same smile, his eyes only narrowed. "Junk--"

"I never appreciated those slavemasters," Leinad said, nodding. He was obviously deep in thought and leaned back in his chair. "They're cruel, heartless -- they don't quite understand you're real people, do they? You're family and deserve to be treated with humane respect."

Blake blinked.

Leinad chuckled. "I don't plan on doing any of those things to you. I'm very much a friend. Think of this as... freedom. You're not a slave anymore, and you can do whatever you want. My home is yours. Granted, it'll take some teamwork to keep this place in order -- Let me tell you, that shop of mine can get quite the business sometimes! -- but it's nothing we can't do together."

Blake shook his head and looked away.

"At least wait a couple days before you decide to leave?" Leinad offered. "There is so much I would love to show you. I think you would enjoy it here if you gave it a chance." Leinad reached for his walking stick and moaned his way out of his chair. "First things first: I've been listening to your stomach for quite some time now from all the way over here! It's time to eat."

He took a few steps toward the door before stopping. Smiling, he held out his arm. "Come on, Adröis."

Blake curled his lip at that weird name, whatever it was. He certainly heard worse, but this one took the cake for weird. Still, his stomach's growling was persistent.

"Fine. But I'm staying for the food."

Ignoring Leinad's smile, he jumped down from the window sill and marched past him out of the room without another word.

Emperor Tharin | The Palace

Meanwhile, Raijin stood alone on the balcony. The afternoon wind rolled through his robes, swiped through the draperies behind him. His graying hair slid back against the breeze, and his tired eyes roamed across Pash: through the bizarre and the fountain in the square; across tiled roofs and the hills where the rich lived; he peered far into the distance where the Slum Gate stood above other buildings. And then there were the gates of Pash. Everything beneath his fingertips, as if he were God and this vine of a city, winding around the branch of trade were his creation--everything under his fiery eyes.

A rustle behind him fled through his ears and brought him to turn his head to the side. “Avenerxes, you’ve word of her location?”

A tall, dark man approached the emperor, his face long and grim. As he stood flanked to Raijin, he shook his head, closing his eyes. His voice roiled within his throat, a dark tone amidst dark words. “Your Majesty, it is with my most violent regret that I must inform you...” He opened his eyes, slits in his face, like a tiger’s. “...your fleeting Empress is gone.”

There was something hollow--a clamour of rage and disgust that echoed in his stomach--and he slid an old hand across the marble guard of the balcony, stroking the arm of a gargoyle to his side. “Avenerxes, I am not one to believe that sirens, the women who con and strangle men in their sleep, should be given third chances.”

“Your words are wise, my liege.”

“Alert every palace guard. The next man to see the Empress will bring her to me.” He gazed upon Pash, out through the streets beneath the palace where a hooded man swept through the alleyways. “And I will kill her.”

Xanthus | The Hospital Room

To my relief, I was feeling a fair bit better than I'd felt earlier on. I was aware of my surroundings, to begin with, and to be frank, I was just glad that Essy was here. I didn't appreciate Leo being here though, not after he put that stuff into my wounds that felt like it was burning my skin.

Something pressed down gently into my hair. "I'm still... bracelet you got me... it's really pretty." Essy's voice was a whisper. "You saved me, you know... really... of you to do that, especially... they might... that they were going to get you."

As Essy finished her sentence, her voice cracked ever so slightly. I couldn't let her cry. Come on, you fool. Just say something to her... anything. Come on... I could still hardly make sense of what Essy was saying, but the words were flowing into my ears easier than they were before. I mean, it took me a while to even notice she was next to me at first. I was bound to be able to do something soon, even if it was just a curve of my lips. She continued speaking, but I was trying so hard to do something... anything to comfort Essy that I couldn't concentrate on what she was actually saying.

"If... can hear me, can... show me? Blink or wiggle your toes or something, okay?"

My mind yelled at my limp body to do something, and I was more than determined to listen. Essy sniffled as the sound of footsteps neared us, and I was sure Leo had soon reached my side again. As I attempted to move my toes, I was surprisingly successful. I could almost hear the smile on Essy's lips as she took in a long breath. Just as I was about to attempt a smile in return, the intense pain I'd felt earlier returned, except this was ten times worse. Leo sure got a reaction out of me this time.

The intense stinging sensation in my chest made every part of my body flinch and for the first time in what felt like forever, a sound left my mouth. While Essy screamed at Leo again, I let out a gasp as whatever Leo was putting over my skin slid deeper into my wounds. I'd had enough. As the pain intensified, I made a great attempt to free myself. I sure could move now. I tried lifting myself by my hands, my legs, my elbows, I tried to sit up, and I even tried simply fidgeting in hope that something would happen, but I was too damn weak. The stinging never ceased either. That didn't stop me from trying though.

"Xanthus." Leo tried to sound comforting as he kept me as still as possible, but all I wanted to do was break his neck. "Xanthus, you're okay, just relax. I know it hurts, but you've got to keep still." His voice was perfectly clear, so I guessed the pain really had awoken me. Leo's hand lowered onto mine and I was surprised by its warmth. When he spoke again, his voice was the softest I'd ever heard it. "It won't take long, Xanthus. I need you to just bear with me. Keep still, okay?" His hand clasped around mine slightly as he finished speaking.

I didn't know if it was him, or just the fact that I'd gotten used to the pain, but it was then I realised the stinging sensation had numbed by quite a bit. Leo warned me before he covered my next wound, but the pain wasn't any better. I decided to do as Leo told me, so instead of fidgeting, I resorted to tensing my body this time in an attempt to numb the burning sensation. I tried to look on the bright side: at least the pain had brought me out of semi-consciousness.