Shida's whole body was in pain. One that consumed him, molten lava that crawled over his skin, seeping deep down into the marrow of his bones. His eyes blearily stared at the dark ceiling, little light leaking from the darkness. Shida heard soft voices and muffled sobs surrounding him, a stench that burned his nose. His cracked lips parted, skin breaking from the movement as a wispy moan escaped to join the chorus. His tongue like a dried sponge flapped in his mouth but he couldn't even form coherent thoughts, let alone words.
The first day was nothing but pain.
The second day Shida awoke when his head slammed against the floor. The carriage hit a rock, sending everyone in it flying. His body creaked and groaned, a high fever making him look like a sweaty tomato.
Shida opened his eyes, taking in the cramped apartment. Iron bars as thick as his fist surrounded him, a black tarp was thrown over to keep them from looking out. There were fifteen people, young and grown, sporting shackles linked to the bars. The adults' faces were bleak in the darkness, shoulders slouched in acceptance. The children muffled their sobs, hugging around an older girl in a desperate attempt for solace.
The older girl looked at him, stringy blonde hair familiar.
"You're alive," Claire whispered pity in her bluish-grey eyes.
Shida slowly pushed himself up, skin twitching and sending pain whenever a person shifted or brushed against him. They were all together, packed like sardines, and couldn't take a breath that five other people hadn't exhaled.
"Where..." Shida croaked then coughed, hacking up black phlegm. Bursts of pain went through him, his body shuddering as tears sprang from his eyes.
"You don't remember?" The pity in Claire's eyes grew. A few children whimpered and she pulled them closer, hands reaching out to rub whatever she could reach of the frightened child.
Shida shook his head. The last thing he remembered was burning alive in the fire with Ina...no....Shida narrowed his eyes. ...wasn't someone with them? Black figures?
"You've been sold to the slave traders. They told us we are being transported to Inford for the auction." Claire answered, eyes squinting to make out his face in the shadows.
"Slave traders..." The memories of the last few nights rushed back to Shida. He quickly checked his body, realizing why he hurt so bad. His body was full of burn marks and blisters, some popped and leaving gaping wounds. His skin was red and patchy, peeling. The bite wounds were ripped open and filled with ash, the cuts and bruises from the beatings....all of it made his body riot in pain and refuse to move.
If he was this bad how was Ina...
Shida looked around at the people, searching for the familiar chubby face. Panic raced through his heart.
"Where is Ina?"
Claire recognized the name and shook her head. "Ina wasn't taken. Milly and Grey love that child and they are not short on money. They wouldn't sell him."
Bitter relief and fear battled inside Shida. Did Ina get out of the fire too? What did Milly and Grey do to Ina once Shida left? Is Ina okay?
"Don't worry too much. He is in a lot better place than we are." Claire tried to soothe but it went straight through Shida's heart.
That's right. Ina was in a better place than him. Milly and Grey would take Ina back in a heartbeat without Shida around. Perhaps they would be in a better mood and refrain from hitting him too. Ina would have his warm bed and food, go to school.
Would Ina even miss Shida?
Shida hunched over, distress lining his face but slowly it smoothed out. His blistered finger ran over his dry lips, warmth flickering.
He loves me the most, Shida reassured himself. He was willing to run away with me. I'm sure he is looking for me. I'm sure he is crying, just begging for Grey to take me back.
Ina will protect me, won't he?
Ina's smiling, naïve face flashed in Shida's eyes.
No, Ina has never protected me. I doubt he will start now.
He smiled bitterly but shook off the thought.
The carriage grounded to a halt, the sound of footsteps growing louder. Shadows outside the carriage made their sweltering box darker. The voices filtered through the cloth, and Shida listened hard, hoping to hear about last night.
"-great. Mr.Clay seems pleased with his buy."
"The boy is a good catch, especially one that falls into Umbra's line."
The people in the cage shifted uneasily.
"Heh, he can't be all that powerful. Did you see him? He looks like a pig's warty ass with all those blisters."
Laughter burst outside and the slaves' eyes all fell on Shida. Blood drained from his face as those eyes glittered at him in the darkness: fear, disgust, revulsion, all of it staring down at him. His stomach twisted uneasily and Shida shifted to try to ease to pain.
A scream pierced through the cage as Shida accidentally brushed against a woman at his side. Shida flinched, a blister popping from the move and the scream made his ears ring.
The scream sent everyone off, suddenly they were dragging themselves to the opposite side of the cage, clawing over people to get farther away from Shida.
Shida watched, shocked as suddenly he was given room to stretch his legs a bit. Shame flooded him from their responses but relief filled him as well. There was less chance his sore skin would touch people now.
The first good thing about being Umbra's servant, Shida thought, slightly pleased.
Something hard smacked against the bars, the sound ringing out and silencing the slaves. "Quiet down! Or I'll come in there and cut off some tongues!"
The cover was removed over the back, light piercing through everyone's eyes. Shida looked away, images dancing as he tried to adjust to the light. He could hear clanging as the door swung open. More men unlocked people's shackles from the cage, leading them out one at a time.
"Take a piss then get back in the cage! Lyod will hand ya yer rations on t'way back." A voice from the dark cloak yelled, pointing towards the trees.
Shida heard his chain unlock and was dragged out of the cage. He hurried as fast as he could, every step sending spikes of pain through his legs. The shackles weighed on his wrists, puss seeping from the open blisters.
The cloaked man pulling his chains looked at him, seeming to hesitate before dragging him over to the others. The slaves were all lined up, men and woman alike, facing away from the makeshift camp currently being formed by the slave traders.
"Drop trou and piss." The man grunted.
Shida glanced at the people next to him, watching their faces turn red as they did exactly that. Their eyes focused straight ahead or above them, eyelids twitching from the force they used to not glance down.
Shida didn't want to go with all these people around him, however, after sleeping a whole day, his bladder was full and threatening to burst. He wanted to move quickly but Shida's protesting body wouldn't let him, every move hurting.
Shida tried to distract himself by looking around. He had always lived in a forest, surrounded by trees and wildlife. It was strange here, as this snow-covered road, was barren of any large trees. There were saplings here and there but the ground was bare for miles, only dead-looking foliage and a few tall blades of grass sticking out from the snow. The horses were nipping at these greens, blowing large puffs of frost through their nostrils. It was strange, especially seeing large mountains in the distance.
The world really is big, Shida realized. There are places without trees and maybe, a place without snow.
"Let me go!" A woman yelled harshly.
Shida looked over as a woman struggled against her captures. She had made it a couple of feet in a futile attempt to escape when they easily caught her.
"I shouldn't be here! Those bastards! Neva Court will never get away with this! I'll kill them! Even if I have to hire the Purified!" She screamed, face red and spit flying.
The cloaked man threw her short body onto the ground, swiftly kicking her in the gut. "Don't resist."
Another clocked figure sneered. "You think a slave like you can hire the Purified? You are lesser than an insect."
The woman's sharp eyes peered at the man through the locks of her unkempt red hair. "Do not underestimate me. When my family comes for me, I will make you regret what you all have done today. You will beg under the name of Wen Vira."
Neva? Vira? Weren't those noble family names that Ina mentioned before?
Shida barely had time to form those thoughts when his chain was yanked.
Shida groaned in pain, stumbling after the man, each step felt like knives piercing his feet. They received rations: a slice of stale bread and a cup of water which were to be eaten and drank right then and there.
Shida's stomach gurgled and he quickly took his portion, scarfing it down with abandon. The water was warm, but it felt like heaven going down his parched throat.
The cup emptied too soon, whimpers escaped Shida's lips as he desperately licked the inside of the cup.
"Get going!" The cloaked man said in disgust, pushing him back into the cage. Shida let out a cry of protest as the door slammed shut in his face. He watched as they locked the door and shackled him to one of the bars of the cage, a feeling of despair welling up.
He crouched back in his spot, the people still giving him room. Shida glanced at them and looked away. It was better treatment than what Milly and Grey gave him. Ignoring him was a blessing compared to that.
Shida closed his eyes, stomach grumbling. Ignoring its protests, he tried to sleep. The sounds of incomprehensible begging made him open his eyes again.
The children crowded around Claire whose cheeks were bulging and she grabbed their faces with her hands, prying their mouths open. Hovering over them, a trickle of water left her mouth and went into theirs.
The children didn't complain, too thirsty to find it disgusting. They lapped it up eagerly, disappointment making them frown when she moved on to the next child.
Shida watched hungrily, wanting water too but instead buried his face into his arms, careful of the blisters. He heard cloth ripping but ignored it until a moist rag touched his arm.
Shida's head snapped up, face to face with Claire. She froze, watching him watch her. When he didn't move, she resumed her task, using the last of the water she had to moisten the bandages and wrap his arms.
The water, warm as it was, felt cool compared to his blistering skin. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, but still, he watched her, questions burning in his gaze. When she finished he couldn't hold it in anymore and croaked out, "Why? You didn't drink any water, right?"
Claire's head snapped up, eyes wide when he spoke. Then she softly smiled, blue eyes clear. "Oh hush, I'm just taking care of your wounds like always...." Her hands trembled. "Maybe...this will be a good thing for you. Getting away from those bad people." She looked up at him, smiling hopefully. "Maybe your masters won't be bad people." There was a desperate light in her eyes, jaw clenched tight in a grin.
Shida stared at her, warmth flickering in his dark gaze. But it soon went dark as he noticed how malnourished she was compared to the others.
"You must look after yourself as well. Who will the kids have if you die from dehydration?" Shida croaked, wincing and rubbing his throat as he tasted blood.
Claire finished wrapping his arm, the cloth only covering half of his arm. She eyed her handiwork as she replied, "I will be fine. You should worry about yourself as well. Try to stay as clean as possible. You don't want your wounds to get infected."
"Aren't you scared of me? I'm Umbra's...." Shida trailed off as he spotted no disgust or hatred on Claire's face.
"Luminos is love, right? So, shouldn't he love even Umbra?" Claire asked.
Shida stared at her and let out a small smile. He nodded, eyes drooping. The tension in his body just let go at her words and suddenly exhaustion swept over him.
Claire noticed and smiled. Her hand hung in the air for a moment before gently brushing through Shida's hair.
"Goodnight." She whispered.