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 budge 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 in
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 both frowned.
Kandish appeared to be much weaker than she was showing. She was in
need of a hot meal and a bath. The two brothers were thinking that
they all shared the same dire look.
Tane spoke up, looking at
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.” Her smile was bright. “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 then.
Kandish became lost in her thoughts of the past week and the
brothers were thinking about her story and the woman telling it.
They were both impressed by the strength of her character; though
it bothered Qenn that she didn’t show any remorse from her actions.
He had never thought about killing anyone, let alone doing it
several times. The fondness he had for her changed slightly then as
he realized how dangerous she was.
“ We will do what we can to
help you escape,” Tane said after a few minutes of silence. He
wasn’t happy to learn that they would be sold, but it helped that
they had such a strong fighter with them. 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 really
necessary.
“ A small village called
Meadow,” Tane answered, just as depleted.
“ 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
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 budge 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 in
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 both frowned.
Kandish appeared to be much weaker than she was showing. She was in
need of a hot meal and a bath. The two brothers were thinking that
they all shared the same dire look.
Tane spoke up, looking at
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.” Her smile was bright. “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 then.
Kandish became lost in her thoughts of the past week and the
brothers were thinking about her story and the woman telling it.
They were both impressed by the strength of her character; though
it bothered Qenn that she didn’t show any remorse from her actions.
He had never thought about killing anyone, let alone doing it
several times. The fondness he had for her changed slightly then as
he realized how dangerous she was.
“ We will do what we can to
help you escape,” Tane said after a few minutes of silence. He
wasn’t happy to learn that they would be sold, but it helped that
they had such a strong fighter with them. 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 really
necessary.
“ A small village called
Meadow,” Tane answered, just as depleted.
“ 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
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