Tales Of Syphona Fan Fiction ❯ Adbertos ❯ Chapter 9- Imprisoned ( Chapter 9 )

Pure blinding pain, that was the first thing Kratos became aware of. It had been ages since he had experienced the sensation and although it was not new to him it was more intense than he remembered. He struggled to open eyes he could not recall closing, clenching his teeth at the bright light that assaulted his pupils. Why did he feel like he was waking up with a bad hangover?

He was slumped against a tree, his hands bound behind his back. A sharp tug told him that whoever had tied the ropes had done well, but hopefully not too well. He glanced around with his eyes half closed so as not to attract unwanted attention, trying to ascertain the situation he found himself in.

He was still in the clearing, the ashes from the fire had been scattered and he could see Anna’s still form beyond them. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her; her eyes were closed and she was curled on her side, her hands and ankles bound. Kratos took that as a good sign, if she were bound it meant she was still breathing.

Another glance told him where his sword had gone.

On the other side of the clearing were three horses, the sword hung from the saddle of one of these creatures. Beyond the horses he could see a wagon with a team of oxen and hear voices beyond that. At the sound of footsteps Kratos hung his head, feigning unconsciousness once more. The footsteps crunched across the clearing, the owner sighing dramatically as he crashed to the ground nearby.

“Leave an unarmed kid to see to the prisoners,” a youthful voice muttered. “Why should I have to? It’s not like they’re going anywhere, couple of lazy sleepyheads.”

Kratos slit his eyes, peering towards the sound of the voice. A small figure was hunched near the remnants of the fire, poking at the ashes with a stick. If this was all the guard they had posted it would be a simple matter to escape. Even retrieving his sword and freeing Anna would pose no problem.

“Stupid prisoners,” the kid muttered, poking the ashes more forcefully. “Should’ve never come here.”

“Alek!”

The kid’s head jerked toward the sound of the voice. “Yeah?”

“Get over here and help me with this pail of water,” the man’s voice called back. “Boss reckons we ought to wake the prisoners before we start off.”

“We’re not gonna feed ‘em?”

“Got no bread to spare,” the man shrugged. “They looked pretty fed to me, they’ll make it till we sale them off. Here, take this.”

Kratos opened his eyes, raising his head as the two stumped towards him carrying the pail of water between them.

“Good,” the man smirked, “you’re awake. That’ll save some trouble. Alek, you take some of this water and wake the girl.”

“Don’t touch her,” Kratos hissed.

The man laughed at this. “Not in any position to be giving orders, are you?”

Kratos glared up at him, pulling at his restraints. This caused the man to laugh even harder.

“No point in that now,” he smirked. “Rope is made by elves, practically indestructible.”

Kratos turned his head, eyeing the kid who was approaching Anna. “If he touches her….”

“What’re you gonna do? Like I said, you’re in no position to do anything,” the man turned to the boy, who stood staring wide-eyed at Kratos. “Alek! Wake that wench already! We’re burning daylight and I’m not gonna be the one to explain to the boss what took so long!”

Visibly swallowing Alek turned towards Anna, drawing a ladle of water from the pail and splashing it on her. Anna sat up in shock, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Trying to drown me? Might as well throw me in the stream! What did I…!”

She stopped shouting as she noticed the boy standing before her, ladle in hand. He looked surprised, though not anywhere near as surprised as Anna. She looked around, quickly finding Kratos and taking notice of the man who stood over him.

“What’s going on?”

The man grinned at her, “Well, lovely, you and this guy here are now our prisoners. You’re gonna come with us now and you’re not gonna cause any fuss.”

“What in the name of the heavens is taking so long?”

The man and the boy turned, coming to attention as an older woman came into the clearing.

“Well? I asked what is taking you so long?”

“Sorry boss,” the man apologized. “We were just having a bit of trouble outta the man there. And then the girl starts yelling.”

“I see,” the woman glanced towards Kratos and Anna. “They seem to be quite compliant now. Let’s get moving.”

“Yes boss,” the man nodded, turning to Kratos. “You heard the lady, let’s go!”

“You too,” Alek told Anna, squatting down to cut loose the ropes binding her ankles. “And don’t think of running, Bratha will just chase you down.”

Anna stared at the child before her, “You’re human, aren’t you? Why are you doing this?”

“Ain’t none of your business!” Alek growled, shoving her as she got to her feet. “Just bad luck for you, that’s all.”

The man called Bratha grinned, “Not all humans are to be trusted pretty lady, some would just as soon sell out their own kind as to help them.”

“You’ve chosen the path of a coward then,” Kratos said softly, glaring at the man. “You lack the strength to protect yourselves so you are indebted to others who are stronger than you.”

“I ain’t no wimp!” Bratha growled, tugging hard at the rope bound around Kratos’ waist. “I could take you, and anyone else too!”

“But he has a point,” Anna said, watching Alek as he made sure the ropes around her wrists were secure before tying off a length to the back of the wagon. “If you do not lack strength then why do you choose this way of life?”

“I told you,” Alek whirled on her, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. “It ain’t none of your business. We just do what we gotta do and it’s your bad luck getting caught up in the middle.”

Bratha snorted, finished with securing Kratos’ lead he stooped to made a sort of hobble from a length of rope. “I don’t think we’ll have much trouble from the lady, but I doubt we’ll find you very cooperative.”

Kratos’ smirked, “Smart man.”

Just then the woman appeared again, two others with her. “Are we ready here?”

“Yes ma’am!” Alek answered, followed closely by Bratha’s, “Sure thing boss.”

She appraised the two prisoners, examining them carefully yet still with something guarded in her expression. “The man is strong and healthy. If he doesn’t turn out to be a handful then I expect he should prove quite valuable.” Her eyes darted to Anna, quickly sweeping her up and down, coming to rest on her uncovered hand. Anna was sure she saw a trace of a frown, a flicker of anguish in the woman’s eyes, before she smiled. “And this looks like one that managed to get away from them. I imagine they’ll have a hefty reward for her return.”

Her words seemed to excite Alek, and even Bratha seemed relieved. Behind the woman the two others seemed apprehensive. Anna studied them for a moment, feeling perhaps that with them she would find the weak link in this chain of command. One was male, older than herself but younger than the woman they called ‘boss’. He looked the stronger of the two, his face tight and drawn but his eyes determined. The other was female, perhaps the same age as the man but that would be where their similarities ended. Her face was plainly distressed, eyes brimming with tears. Her jaw was set, yet it was difficult to tell if it was in determination or so as not to cry. Alek was watching this woman with concern, while Bratha tried to look anywhere but at her.

“So, you are traders then,” Kratos said from beside her. “You sell out your own kind so that you don’t become the victim yourself. How… pathetic.”

Bratha turned, aiming a punch at Kratos’ head, but was stopped by the words of the boss. “Don’t injure him Bratha, you’ll just deflate his value. And yes, young man, we are traders, but don’t think that this is a trade we have chosen for ourselves. Times are desperate and we all do what we must to survive.”

She looked around at the others, “Let’s go.”

At her word Alek, Bratha and the other man climbed onto the waiting horses, the boss climbed up to drive the oxen with the younger woman beside her. The wagon stumbled forward, pulling Anna and Kratos behind it.

Anna sighed heavily, looking at Kratos. “What do we do now?”

Beside her Kratos shrugged. “We walk. It will take some time to get to any trading center.”

“And when we get there?”

“I don’t plan to stick around that long.”

***

That evening they camped out on a hillside. The younger woman, who they learned was called Elise, had brought them bowls of some sort of stew which Anna ate ravenously. She sat with them as they ate, eyes downcast and silent.

“You don’t agree with the others, do you?” Kratos asked softly.

Elise looked up, shaking her head. “We only do what we must.”

“Why must you do this?” Anna asked, frowning into her empty bowl. “Have you any idea the horrors that you sell your own kind into? Do you not know compassion?”

“I only know that this is the only way,” Elise said softly, taking their bowls and scurrying away. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry,” Anna stared after her. “If she were so sorry she could help us get out of this.”

Kratos peered after the woman, eyes narrow. “She is outranked. I don’t think she will do anything that might put her in our place.”

“You really think they would sell one of their own?” Anna asked, wide-eyed.

“If they have gone so far down the path as to trade their own kind what is to stop them from doing so?”

Anna frowned, watching the woman as she cleaned up around the campfire. The boss was sitting off to the side, conversing with Bratha and the other man. Alek was tending the oxen and horses, glancing over at Elise often.

“Alek!” the man called from where he sat with Bratha and the boss. “Quite dragging your feet and help your mother!”

“Yes sir!”

The youth went scurrying across the clearing to his mother’s side, where she patted his head before handing him a pile of dishes.

“I don’t think they would turn on her,” Anna said, watching the exchange.

“Perhaps not,” Kratos agreed.

“Why do you think they trade humans?”

Kratos shrugged. “For protection, for money, there are many reasons and we are not likely to learn the exact reason. For now the ‘why’ does not matter so much as the ‘where’.”

“Sorry?”

“Where are they taking us?” Kratos narrowed his eyes. “We seem to be heading south, so I would imagine they are taking us to Asgard. But there is also a road not far from here that would take us back north and west to Hima.”

“Does it matter where they take us?” Anna asked. “I thought you said we’d be gone before we reached the destination.”

“We will, but we also have to be on the lookout for Kvar’s patrols,” Kratos sighed, looking at Anna. “You should rest. They will likely start out early in the morning and we’ll be in for a long day of walking.”

Anna nodded, crawling under the wagon where their captors had left a pile of straw. She fumed silently for a moment, furious at being treated like an animal, before she became thankful of the warmth offered by the bedding. She closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent and listening to Kratos as he moved nearby.

***

“Anna!”

She blinked sleepily, trying to focus her mind on where she was. Kratos hissed her name again, urgently. She sat up, groaning as she bumped her head against the underside of the wagon.

“Ow.”

“Shh!”

She opened her eyes, squinting in the dark at Kratos, who crouched at the end of the wagon peering in at her. Beside him was a large, familiar shape.

“Noishe?”

The creature wagged his tail, standing up and walking away. Anna scrambled from beneath the wagon, Kratos helping her to her feet as she stared unbelievingly at the creature before her.

“Where did he come from?”

“I told you he would find his way back,” Kratos said softly. “Now, be quiet. We don’t want to wake our guard.”

Anna looked around quickly, eyes searching for their captors. Gentle snoring came from the wagon, though the cloth flaps were firmly closed. Around the fire were Alek and the other man they assumed to be his father. Bratha was slumped against a tree, clearly asleep. She looked back at Kratos, who had removed the ropes from his wrists and was working on cutting hers.

“How?”

Kratos looked up at her sharply, his eyes begging her to remain silent. Clamping her mouth shut she did as he asked, fighting the urge to shout with joy when the ropes fell free from her wrists. He led her to Noishe, urging her silently onto the creature’s back.

As she climbed up Kratos ran quietly to where the horses were sleeping, removing their saddles and untying their ropes. He crossed to where the wagon stood and repeated the same for the oxen, further disabling their captors ability to give chase. Satisfied with this he stooped to pick up his sword, which laid entangled in the ties of one of the saddles, then sprinted back to where Noishe waited with Anna.

As he climbed onto the creatures back behind her Anna spared one last glance around the camp, everyone was still sleeping soundly. Then Kratos leaned past her, whispering to Noishe.

“Let’s go.”