Romanowski and Rosemary

15. The eye sellers

I wanted to be done and over with it. The memories of my dad, my life in my world, were hitting stronger than ever before. Because I was so close to going back.

"P- Please, take... my eyes... out. Please," I heaved. I couldn't even shout as Nael looked at me in disbelief.

"Please... I- I beg you," Tears soaked my face, and the blood gushing now entered my mouth, filling it with a disgusting metallic taste. "Take my eyes out." I cried. I couldn't bear it anymore. The torn skin below my eyes was the worst pain I'd ever felt.

He looked at me, awestruck, as he caressed my face with the back of his knuckles, his fingers now a mix of my blood and tears.

"Why should I do things that'll give you peace?" he whispered, placing his lips over the open wound below my eye. Bile rose in my throat when my blood stained his mouth, but he just licked it in with his tongue. "Sweet Hades," he breathed out.

"Nael." His father called out. "She costs 2000 drachmas. Touch her, only if you have the money."

"I'll give it tomorrow." He replied in a trance, not able to take his eyes off my pitiful state.

"I want it now!"

I closed my eyes shakily, praying for the pain to lessen, for the electric compulsion to start, but it wouldn't. It wasn't able to detect a cut in my skin as a near-death situation, even if it hurts like hell.

"I've sold some of my previous slaves and will get the money tomorrow," he turned around to face his father. "Don't you fucking understand that?"

"Son, people will pay as much as 5000 drachmas," he smirked. "Do you think I give a fuck about your money? Guards! Take her out!"

* * *

My body hurt, and the only thing I was thankful for was that I still had my eyes.

Using my free hand, I ate everything that was given to me in the dark cell they'd put me in. One of my hands hung against the wall, clasped in an iron ring as I quietly ate.

One of the priestess had come and applied some herb paste where the priest had cut below my eye. And now, it stung like a scorpion's bite, but somehow, it had stopped the bleeding.

Other slaves sat shrunk against the very end of their respective cells, spooked out of their lives.

'Hey guys, surprise! I'm alive!' I messaged my teammates, putting on all the extra exclamation marks.

"Cors?! You're there?" Dunkin gasped as if he'd just started breathing again. "Acting happy right now is not funny, Cors. Even this comedy king knows that."

I suppressed a small laugh as I sighed against the walls. My sense of humour was so pathetic; being happy in a condition like this, I should definitely be sent to an asylum.

But the truth was, I didn't want them getting so worried that they'd do things on whim which might put their lives at risk too. Especially Dunkin.

'Was pretty sure I'd die the moment they wanted to cut my eye, but damn! Some cult member stopped it, um...'

I didn't know how to tell them they wanted to make me a slave instead.

"Um, what?" Aarmen asked nervously, "Do they want to... sacrifice you instead?"

"Aarmen, I'll sacrifice you if you do not shut up." Dunkin snarled.

"Yeah, leader. You're like that dude who'd tell a terrified deer stuck in a den about the 800 ways the lion wants to kill it."