“As if he has a choice,” Lord Vladya scoffed, his deep baritone filled with cynicism.
Emeriel whirled around to face them, anger blanketing his features. But as he stared into those intimidating gray eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to give in to his rage.
He had read in one of the books that an Urekai had the power to take a life without physical contact. It might just be a rumor, but with his sister’s life on the line, he had no intention of testing that theory.
“I will go too. Where Aekeira goes, I go,” Emeriel said, lifting his chin defiantly.
Aekeira snapped her head toward Emeriel, her eyes wide with terror. “No! What are you doing, Em?”
“I’m going with you,” Emeriel stated firmly.
Lord Vladya arched a perfectly shaped brow. “No. We have no need for you; we only need your sister.”
Emeriel stood. “I don’t care. Take me too. If you leave me here, I will always try to come to her. I will cross the great mountains if I have to!”
Lord Vladya laughed, but there was no humor in the cold sound. “Without the rite of passage, the great mountain will swallow you whole. You’ll never make it to the other side.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Emeriel vowed.
“No! My brother is not coming,” Aekeira interjected, turning pleading eyes to Emeriel. “Don’t do this, Em. I’m already doomed. I don’t want you to face the same fate.”
“If you come with us, you will be taken as our slave,” Lord Vladya stated, pinning Emeriel with a stare. “Urekai do not care if you’re male or female; you will serve in any way your master wants you. Whether it’s in the mines or the cellar, on your back, bent over, or on your knees. If you agree to be our slave too, your free will ends today.”
A shiver ran through Emeriel’s spine.
“Do you know what it means to be an Urekai’s slave, little human? You’re a pretty boy; you will not lack masters to service.”
Fear seeped through his core. If everything he had heard growing up and read in books were true, being an Urekai’s slave was worse than being a human’s slave.
And my dreams…
I should be running in a different direction…!
But he steeled his spine. “Where my sister goes, I go.”
“We did not agree to get two slaves,” the second Urekai said.
“That is settled then,” Lord Vladya continued, as if he had never spoken.
Reaching into his robe, the scarred Urekai pulled out another bag of coins, throwing both onto the floor toward the king. “We will take both.”
“Sold!” King Orestus banged his gavel again.
Aekeira cried for over an hour after they left the courtroom.
At first, she had been angry, shouting at Emeriel about his foolish decision. And then, she broke down, crying as if her heart had been shattered. Now, they were left alone in a tiny room on the boat.
Emeriel remained quiet throughout his sister’s breakdown, the weight of his decision finally sinking in. By the Light-gods, he was now a slave. Lower than a lowborn. Lower than a carpet servant.
And not just any slave, but a Urekai slave. Or many Urekai-Emeriel had no idea yet.
He would serve those heartless, ruthless beings who despised humans.
“You’re a pretty boy; you will not lack masters to service.” A shiver coursed down Emeriel’s spine. They were going to violate his body.
What he had always dreamed of would finally come true. Only now, it wouldn’t be just one beast; it would be many. As many as his master wanted.
They would spread him apart, subjecting him to that dreadful act of sex.
Emeriel swallowed the bile rising in his throat. His breath seized as panic set in.
“Breathe, Em. Come on,” Aekeira appeared by his side, rubbing his back. “In… and out… come on, Em.”
Aekeira’s voice was gentle, soothing, giving Emeriel no choice but to follow its sound.
Aekeira continued rubbing his back. “Good girl. That’s my girl.”
Two Urekai came in and forced them to take an unknown pill.
Surely, they hadn’t paid all that money just to kill them before they even became slaves, right? Emeriel thought as he swallowed it.
Minutes later, they both dropped unconscious on the floor.
Much later, Emeriel woke to the bumping ride of the carriage. His head woozy, his senses disoriented as he blinked several times to adjust his vision.
They had been forced to take a pill.
Rising, Emeriel walked to the carriage’s wooden window and pushed it open. A gasp escaped him.
They were in Urekai land. Emeriel could see dozens of them.
But what left his jaw on the floor were the humans. There were plenty in sight, with many females nearly matching the number of males.
Everyone knew the Urekai had acquired and held numerous humans captive after the war, but the sheer number he could see surpassed his expectations.
And they were all slaves.
Some were working in the fields, their weary bodies bent under the weight of their labor. Some were hauling heavy loads, their muscles straining with each step, under the watchful eyes of the Urekai.
Some Urekai held whips, while others held swords. The sight turned Emeriel’s stomach, making him sick.
Is this to be our life now?
Aekeira’s groan of wakefulness echoed behind him, and Emeriel quickly turned to his sister, concern etched on his face.
“Are you alright, Kiera?” he asked, his voice hushed.
Aekeira nodded, rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?” she asked, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
“Their kingdom, Urai,” Emeriel whispered, keeping his voice down so the carriage master wouldn’t overhear. Together, they took in the huge fortress ahead of them.
The carriage was headed straight for it.
“This place looks highly luxurious,” Aekeira remarked.
Emeriel nodded. As royalty, they were well-acquainted with luxury, but this was on an entirely different scale.
Which begged the question…
Who exactly were the males who had purchased them? And if they weren’t his and his sister’s masters, then who was…?
They were brought into an empty room after passing numerous chambers and passages.
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