Page 8 of Given to the Fae
‘Not this one. But there are a few from the ones you’ve already picked who?—’
‘Do it,’ Bere interrupts, ignoring the orc completely as he looks at me.
I know what he wants, and, again, hesitation will doom not only me, so I kick her legs apart and thrust my hand between them, my fingers parting her and delving into her entrance.
Her loud gasp has me wincing internally as she rises high on her toes, her eyes flying to mine with the sort of expression I don’t usually see on seasoned slaves. Her shock, horror, and surprise are plain to see.
I mutter the conjure I learned before I came to the Dark Realms simply to ingratiate myself with Bere. He’s the only one of his men who knows I have an affinity with magick, so as far as everyone else is concerned, I learned this trick from a healer and it requires no special talent but knowledge of the human female form.
The girl’s face scrunches and a small cry of pain passes her lips as the magick winds through her. But then her expression turns into almost a look of triumph.
I see both Ogdan and Sio startle at her cry and yet another momentous look I don’t understand passes between them. No one moves, no one seems to breathe.
It’s as if everyone is waiting for something to happen. The very air is pregnant with it. But nothing does except that the conjure I’ve used gives me the information I need in the form of pins and needles in my palm.
‘She’s fertile, but she needs to put on weight,’ I murmur. ‘Breeding with the right bull won’t take long once she’s healthy enough.’
The girl is staring at Ogdan, her eyes wide, and he takes a step back, visibly relaxing with a small snort. Sio does the same. Her face pales and she appears stunned. Perhaps sheisanxious about leaving The Barrack after all.
‘The healer told me she was ill earlier,’ Ogdan mutters with a shrug, ‘but if you want her, take her.’
Bere makes a noise of derision. ‘I’m not sure I do. She seems quite intractable now that I see her properly.’
He turns away and moves on. I realize my hands are still on the female in front of me and I remove them, though not as quickly as I’d like to, conscious of eyes still on me. To anyone watching, my movements will appear languid and my countenance, bored.
Bere, Ogdan, and Sio move on down the line to finalize the trades, but I find myself watching the girl. She’s staring straight ahead. She looks shaken to the very core. I find myself wanting to ask what I’m missing, but I give myself a mental shake. This slave and her sad little life have nothing to do with me. I have a job to do and those I care about are counting on me. I turn and leave her to join the others.
‘The bulls you have are thin and weak. The two I brought are worth three of them. And,’ he scoffs, ‘these females... All of them need a proper healer and to be cleaned up before I can take them anywhere near a respectable town to auction. Like as not, I’ll be arrested for mistreatment of breeding-age females if I even step into the Fifth Circle!’
Ogdan straightens at the perceived slight to his merchandise. ‘The females here are all clean where it counts. None of them have disease, and some have been bred before. Aye, the ones you’ve brought seem like passable stock, it’s true, but only one of them has the marks of young-bearing, whereas many of mine have proved themselves fertile more than once.’
Bere shrugs. ‘I want four females for my two, plus three bulls.’
‘That’s a bad deal,’ Sio snorts, glancing at the females we’ve brought to trade. ‘That one,’ he points at Tori, ‘perhaps. But that one,’ he gestures at the older one. ‘She’s well past her prime. She likely only has one pregnancy left in her and she’ll probably die in the birth.’
Bere shakes his head. ‘She’s younger in years than she looks, and she’s birthed five hearty bulls. She’s an asset to any master, and you know she’ll sell well out here in the higher Circles even if it’s just for domestic tasks. I propose three females, three of your smaller bulls, and,’ he leans in closer, ‘I’ll take that last female. If you like.’
Ogdan chuckles. ‘That’s still four females. Two is fair for what you’ve brought.’
Bere snorts. ‘Two? You’re having a laugh. Three.’
The short demon shrugs. ‘Best I can do is two.’
‘I’m no fool,’ Bere murmurs, gesturing to the girl I was ordered to handle. ‘You want that one gone. There’s something wrong with her, but she looks like she’ll last well enough until I can sell her on. I’m willing to take her off your hands for free. Consider it a gesture of goodwill.’
‘You want us togiveher to you?’
Bere raises a brow, and I laugh before he can reply.
‘We’re notpayingfor her,’ I tell them, ‘but we’ll take her if you agree to the deal.’
Sio side-eyes Ogdan. ‘Perhaps you could give us a moment to confer.’
‘Of course,’ Bere allows, ‘but the Breach reopens in only a few minutes. If the deal isn’t closed by then we’ll simply go elsewhere.’
The two skin traders move away, talking too quietly even for my sharp fae ears to hear them. Sio is gesturing almost violently during their whispered conversation though, and soon I see Ogdan nod.
I glance back at the girl. She’s pretending she’s not straining her human hearing to listen, but I know she is.
