Page 32 of Given to the Fae
My stomach rolls without warning and I double over as pain radiates through my body. No longer caring if Morgan notices and gives me the tea, I curl into myself with a groan, and I hear Bell call out.
‘My Lord, the favored one ails. Mightn’t she need some of that tea?’
I curse her name silently as a skin is thrust through the bars. When I make no move to take it, I hear Morgan’s voice.
‘Drink it. Now.’
I make a grab for it without looking, afraid if I open my eyes I’ll bring my oven cake back up. My fingers brush against nothing, and then I feel strong fingers that almost seem to caress mine before he lets go of the skin.
I uncork it and pull myself up just enough to take a swig.
Then I retch all over the straw.
I hear Bell and Ila shrieking and cover my ears before the cart is enveloped in shade and then stops. When I next open my eyes, we’re in another stable. Except as I look around, I realize that this isn’t a stable for horses. A few other slavers mill about. There are several human girls and some small children on one side in a large pen.
The bulls are on the other side. Some of them gaze hungrily at the females who largely ignore them. The cart opens and I’m hauled out unceremoniously and then dropped to the floor.
I hear Morgan’s voice telling off whomever let me fall, and I vaguely hear a bit of a scuffle before Bere’s voice booms out.
‘What’s the fucking problem? Offload the cargo.’
‘Bere, this cunt laid me out. Hit me jaw, he did!’
‘You gave the keeping of the Breach Blet one to me. Silve nor any of the others should touch her.’
‘Enough. Silve, no one touches that one. Make sure the others know.’
‘Aye, Bere,’ the one called Silve defers and I don’t hear his voice again.
I’m picked up carefully off the ground and cradled like a babe. I don’t need to look to know that Morgan has me, and I relax against him without even thinking.
‘How do you feel, female?’
‘Dizzy,’ I murmur.
I tack on a belated ’my lord’ at the end in case anyone’s listening closely.
‘I’m going to lay you in the clean straw for now, until Bere gives his orders. Rest. I’ll be close by.’
I give a tiny nod but know that I’ll be opening my eyes as soon as I’m able. There are too many slavers and slaves alike in here for me to let my guard down.
I wait for a few more moments before I open my eyes and find that I’m feeling much better and seemingly recovering much faster than before. Perhaps the hideous tea does work. I see that the waterskin has been left beside me so I uncork it again and brave the lukewarm concoction. The bitter taste has me grimacing, but I no longer feel the need to vomit.
Casting a look over at the cart, I see Bell and Ila being told to take off their dresses, which they do without being told twice. Ilook away for a moment as I see the bruises over their arses and teats. Bere sees them as well and snarls at one of his men that they’re not to be touched again before they’re sold, and that they both should be given a healing potion to drink.
I see them both sag with relief at Bere’s orders and they’re taken to a water trough to wash themselves clean.
‘Get them ready, and you best hope that those potions heal them quickly. It’s market day today, and I want them offloaded! Kings!’
‘Aye, Bere?’
‘Find the Wren brothers and tell them we’ve arrived if they want to see the goods.’
‘Aye, Bere!’
I sit up, using the stone wall to lean against as I swig the tea, and watch everyone’s movements. There are fifteen slavers and about twenty slaves including our party. Luckily, most of the humans are locked in the pens...waiting to be sold, I suppose. Bell and Ila wash themselves thoroughly and then put their clothes back on. They run their fingers through matted hair and try to look as presentable as possible. It looks like Bell has been giving Ila help, and that they’re hoping to be sold on together.
I hope they get what they want. If they’re truly friends, it’ll be safer for them to enter a new master’s home together. They can watch each other’s backs in case the other slaves try to make things difficult for them. It’s the best they can wish for, and they know it.
