Four

Year 1784

  Awoken by the sound of rain and lightening becoming so loud she stood up, sitting on the floor. She looked at the cell in which she was trapped in a cell, with the little window, which was attached to the wall. Everywhere looked calm, she could not remember the last time she stayed in a funished building, everywhere smelt of rats, dead rotten rats, she had been caged in a hole a long time now. The room which was enclosed with wall of stone and the smaller window which prevents her from escaping, which prevents her from seeing her loved ones, its been eight misery years since her freedom was snatched from her, for the past eight years, six months and five days, the room has always been so congested, that she hardly breathes well sometimes, the room was both congested with sweats and dirts from herself and the other slaves.

She heard a noise from the other end of the building and she stood up, walking towards the Lines of the railing, she saw that one of the slaves was been dragged, maybe for one of their purposes, she shook her head wondering how she coped for eight years and how she was going to escape, she have tried escaping for a long time, but it never seemed to happen. Always getting caught. A hiss escaped her lips, everyday in here felt frustrating.

She remembered the first time she tried escaping with the human boy, when she came here for the first time, how he was killed, she still couldn't get the dying boy away from her mindset, she was hunted every night, with those blue eyes which was widely open staring at her, she never got the chance to know his name. He died an awful death. But still, it never stopped her from trying to escape, and each time she tried escaping, she was been caught, and she was been punished. She had lived her whole life leaving as a slave, and she wondered if things were going to change.

When she was captured and brought here, after staying for two weeks, they were taught how to fight, they were trained the hard way, how to fight and attack when you were been attacked, she remembered the guard, who was put to duel with her in a combat, he made sure he attacked her, till she had no breath left in her, he attacked her in a duel for 6 years, but that didn't last long though, she attacked him and killed him at the end when she turned 17, that was when she had her first kill, the slave establishment punished her so awfully and later on starved her for killing a guard who was but doing his duty, but she was happy she did it. Killing the man that caused her sorrow for six years.

  She tried escaping after the assault done to her, and the slaves, and again she was caught, she remembered the punishment they gave her, they stripped her naked, tied her back on the table and flogged her with wires and irons, that was the worst days of her life, but it will sound foolish to say that the punishment never deterred her from trying again, from trying to escape again, instead it motivated her to leave the god damned forsaken hole.

 Walking back to the room, she sat down on the floor which have a piece of clothing which she was lucky to get from the hips of trash, but it had been more than a trash to her, it had been a great help to her, she lie down on the hard floor, sitting down she kept her head down thinking of a way to escape again.

"Thinking of a way to escape again" 

She heard a voice from the other cell, it was Rachel, who had turned out to be a long time cell slave neighbor, and she had helped her cope through all the torture, a smile stretching out of her face, she wondered why she never for once tried to escape, she was always doing what the warden asked her to do. 

" Don't you think is wise to leave these god damned forsaken place, it sickens me everyday, you never for once tried to escape, you wanna remain stuck in here"

She said standing up and walking near her cell mate.

"I really wanna leave here you know, but, you tried escaping and have been caught and totured numerously, the only way you can try escaping is been sold as a SLAVE who might give you a more dangerous life or a good life, but the chances of getting a good life is minimal"

Rachel said reminding her of some stories, she had heard news about slaves getting sold to good masters 

"But also I heard news about slaves been sold to their evil masters and were forcefully sexually assaulted or killed if they did not oblige to their order, my mother always told all those stories"

Rachel said, every words her mother had said, keeps running through her mind. 

 Rachel was about to talk, when she heard a voice from outside her cell room, making her to stop talking.

"There would be a black market trade the following week, and I heard it would be a one in a kind, the slaves to be chosen are to be the ones whom the warden chooses, the ones fit enough, the ones tamed enough"

The guards at the door whispered to them selves, as a witch Rachel was, she was able to hear everything which the guards had said.

Rachel looked up at Alexia, a smile appearing on her face, finally, they were going to have a chance to be freed, either from bondage or more bondage.

"You heard them"

Rachel asked Alexia, but knowing the fact she was a human, she knew she wouldn't hear anything.

" Am not deaf deaf, you know that, but remember me being a human, I can't hear sounds from far distance, am different from you, so now spill, what did you hear, that made you giddy with excitement" 

Alexai said, in a low tone, the way Rachel was smiling so furiously, had made her wonder what she had heard from the guards who stood in the other cell next to her, nothing goes unheard from the ears of a witch, and no one knew her identity, no one knew she was a witch.

"The slave establishment had decided to set up a black market trade, for slaves to be sold to new masters. Finally, we would be free from these hell bound"

Rachel said getting all dreamy, her eyes shine with unknown desires, which caused Alexia to roll her eyes. Getting sold to slave masters does not mean that they would be free from slavery, it might mean entering into their death trap.

"Getting sold to slave masters, should not cause you much joy, instead, you should feel so scared, do you think there are good slaves masters, no sane person will come to buy human being and use them at their own free will, if eventually I get sold, I will escape"

Rachel said already calculating her plans in her head, 

"And what if you we were not chosen. Sometimes, you think of the negative sides, than having your minds filled with positive thought, you are always enthusiastic, sometimes being pessimistic is good, so you don't get disappointed when things don't work your way"

Alexia said again, sitting down on the floor, her stomach growled, for the past two days, they has not been given a good meal, the last they had eaten was a dried bread, which the other slaves had fought over. To get a desirable share. 

"I believe we will be selected and we will be sold"

Rachel said, she was always the one who took things slowly, she wanted to leave the establishment, but she was not going to risk her life to do so.

"I heard the werewolves and vampires and other creatures, would be there, what if you get sold to a werewolf, I heard they could get mates with a human, do you believe in mates"

Rachel asked, looking at Alexia in the eyes, she had heard a lot of stories, especially from her mother, that is why she had always been filled with different knowledge concerning other creatures, these stories sometimes, keeps her occupied.

"Yes I believe in mate, but I don't believe that for myself, I am human, am not sure a creature can accept me, since my kinds are considered weak and fragile, even if I find someone I love, fate can't make us to be together, we are two different world, set apart"

Alexia said, the thought of finding someone to love, a real soul mate had always jugged in her mind, but she had learnt to cast those thoughts away from her mind.

"You can find your soul mate you know, things happen, I believe in fate, I believe and hoped I get sold to my soul mate, but if he turns out to be a son of a bitch, I will rip him apart before he tries to remove my sanity"

Rachel said, Alexia turned looking at her, she was surprised at her friend's outburst, she was always the quiet one, sometimes, she wished she could be like her, having so much faith in her self.

"I understand you, If any shitty thing happens, we run away, maybe, that could be our chance to freedom, just stand by me, when we get sold, and I hope the gods perform some wonders, I hope we leave here with a good master"

Alexia said, wondering when she started hoping. When was the last time she had hoped, and what had happened when she hoped, she had received a brutal punishment from the warden.

As Rachel was about to talk, two guards came towards her, opening her cell, not giving her a moment of space, they dragged her out from the cell, another guards followed suit, taking Alexia with them, out from her cell.

As they stepped out of their cells, the morning sun reflected on their faces, causing them to be blink their eyes for a second. 

Other slaves were seen, gathered at the command of the senior warden. Alexia saw other slaves inmates, whom were of equal age with her. She realized that they are not less than eighteen to twenty years of age, remembering the words of the guards, she realized that they were been called out to prepare them for the slave trade. Lining them up in a line, Verona at her back, they ordered them to be quiet before making their speech. Since the two slaves already had an idea why they were been called, they stood still, wanting to hear the other information concerning the slave trade.

The establishment was as quiet as a grave yard, no one dared whispered unless they had seek for their own lives to be shortened in a minute.