Page 18 of Given to the Fae
‘What Circle is this?’ I whisper, looking up at Bell once I’ve made sure the fae aren’t close enough to hear me.
‘Dunno. But the town is bigger than I’ve seen in a while.’ She sounds almost excited.
Ila frowns at her. ‘Aren’t you afraid?’
‘Of what? A rich master? One that keeps me in private rooms to pleasure himor herat their leisure?’ Bell scoffs. ‘We are what we are, and this town is much better than The Barrack. This place will have wealthy fae, orcs, goblins. Perhaps even mages.Count yourself lucky that you might be sold here, girl. It’s more than you could have hoped for two days ago.’
Ila seems to consider Bell’s words for a moment and then nods.
‘Is that what they intend?’ I ask. ‘To sell us here?’
‘I heard them say the bulls will be. That’s why they’re being fed. They need to look virile. I’ve heard that females...non-human ones, I mean, buy them sometimes, not to breed their humans, but sotheycanpretendto be human and find themselves mounted by force!’ She giggles behind her hand.
‘The wealthy,’ Ila mutters with a pained look as she shifts. ‘More coin than sense.’
I nod in agreement.
‘I suppose if we’re meant to be sold as well, they’ll make sure we’re fully healed,’ I say.
Bell shrugs. ‘Not you. You’re for the pit fighters. Especially after you put me on the ground so forcefully.’ She almost looks pityingly at me.
My eyes narrow a fraction. ‘You should be thanking me. Whatever they did to you... You weren’t awake for it.’ I glance at Ila, who seems to deflate next to Bell, and I wince. Bell swears under her breath and looks daggers at me.
She nudges Ila. ‘Sometimes it’s like that for us,’ she says. ‘But if you’re lucky, you’ll be bought by a wealthy lord, and it never will be again.’
Ila nods a little and brightens a bit while Bell gives me another pointed look.
‘Yes,’ I say, as if I know something of true slave life outside The Barrack. ‘You must catch a lord’s eye. Do what Bell does. She’s skilled in the arts of seduction.’
Bell sits up and preens a little. ‘For once the Kismet is right. Do as I do, girl. I won’t lead you wrong.’
She glances down the barn at where the fae males are talking to the stable hands and scowls. ‘I hope they don’t leave us in this cage all night. I need to piss.’
Ila shakes her head. ‘They think the Kismet is Breach Blet, remember? They’re taking her to the healer. They might take all of us if they intend to sell us here.’
‘I doubt it,’ Bell sniffs. ‘The Kismet always gets special treatment. Isn’t that right, Bryn?’
I don’t answer and she continues. ‘Though I noticed that one with the brown hair who gave us water never got what was coming to him after he threw you in here so hard.’ She eyes my forehead. ‘No stumbles, nor cuts. No little accident. Odd, no?’
I shrug. ‘I know about as much about it as you do. Ogdan and Sio weren’t exactly chatty.’
Bell snorts. ‘They were trying to get rid of you for years, weren’t they? But for some reason it stuck this time. Perhaps you’re no longer Fate Touched.’ She raises a brow. ‘Gods, if that’s true I do pity you. They’ll all think you a seasoned slave, but you’ve never even had a bull much less a fae, or an orc, have you?’
I look away, not liking that she’s talking about this.
‘You know that isn’t true,’ I whisper.
But she scoffs. ‘Thathardly counts, Bryn. You can trust me on that if nothing else.’
I hear the fae coming back and for once I’m grateful.
‘You better learn to be a good slave quickly, my dear,’ she mutters, ‘or you’ll be royally fucked in more ways than one.’
The cage door is unlocked and opened.
‘Out,’ Bere’s second, Locke, barks.
The three of us exit the cage gracelessly and stand in a line by the wall.
