Li’sar lay under the warm furs in the darkness, her body all scrunched up,
pondering what would happen to her. She was warm and surrounded by others, yet
she felt cold and alone.

Light suddenly entered the chamber, it was Master Balad, one of the slavers.
“Time to get up” he instructed. This would be the third day since she had arrived
in Ventruse; the previous day she had been washed thoroughly, scrubbed all over.
They had taught her how to put perfume on. How she should stand in front of men.

She hadn’t been treated cruelly. Not yet, anyhow. She rubbed her eyes, and stood
up. She was slowly, ever so slowly, getting used to always being naked. To have
men always being able to watch her.

“An important client is speaking with Master Meldor now,” Master Balad explained.
Li’sar knew that Master Meldor was the chief Master. The leader of the others.
“He wants to present each of you to his client. The client may be interested in
buying some of you privately, instead of you going up for auction.”

Li’sar stood, as did the other five girls in the sleeping chamber. They were all
a little anxious of course.

“First you will relieve yourselves,” Master Balad instructed, and handed them a
bedpan, apparently expecting them to each use it in turn, there and then. “We
wouldn’t want anything to happen which might offend the client,” he added.

The girls were all new slaves, and they blushed as they relieved themselves into
it, right in front of him. He seemed to take little notice.

Then Master Balad took them to the washroom, where they washed their faces, and
their hair was brushed nicely. Perfume was put on them, each slave was presented
so as to be as beautiful as possible.

Balad told them each how beautiful they looked, raising their confidence, and
even making some of them smile. Li’sar felt intimidated by the beauty of some of
the others, especially Marise, who had such smooth soft silky skin, with nice
straight blonde hair.

After this the girls were taken to a chamber they had never been in before. They
were behind a curtain, and could hear music playing softly. Balad arranged them
into a line; Li’sar was fourth, out of the six in the line, with Marise directly
in front of her.

“Each of you are to come out from behind the curtain as you are signalled. You
are to stand in front of the men in position for inspection. You are to then
follow instructions, or come back here if the men wave you away.”

The girls nodded nervously, each hoping that they would not make a mistake.

The first girl was beckoned out, she stood in position, hands behind her head,
standing straight with her chest out, her breasts looking as big as she could
make them, her thighs apart. Li’sar couldn’t see, but apparently she was being
looked over.

After a few moments, she was apparently waved away, for she came back, looking
half-disappointed, and half-relieved. The second girl was beckoned out, and she
walked out and did the same. Soon she too returned.

Li’sar heard some talk, something about wanting women with larger breasts. Duly,
the next girl was beckoned out. Li’sar became increasingly nervous; soon it would
be her turn. She didn’t want to be chosen, yet she didn’t want to be rejected.

The third girl came back, and Marise was summoned out. She was looked at longer,
and was made to turn around, apparently so she could be looked at all over.
Li’sar heard talk that she would be bought, there was talk of 12 pieces of silver.

Then there was some talk of how many lashes the girl was to receive. Li’sar felt
her heart skip a beat. Why was Marise going to be whipped?

Surely enough, Marise was led forward, and apparently laid over a block. Li’sar
heard six spaced out cracks of the strap, each followed by a squeal. Many Valuan
slaving houses had a tradition of having a girl whipped before her new owners
when she was sold. If the new owner raised his hand before the whipping was
completed, it would veto the transaction at no obligation to him.

Marise was led away, apparently somewhere else. Li’sar never saw her again.

Li’sar was summoned out next. In front of her she saw Master Meldor, sitting on a
couch with another man. Beside them was Master Dregen, who Li’sar was terrified
of: his main job seemed to be to punish the slaves, and he was an expert at the
job. He had a thin black moustache, and was holding a strap in his hand now, with
one of his feet on a punishment block.

Li’sar stood as she knew she was meant to, blushing as her breasts rose, with the
men staring at her. Within a few seconds, the man waved her away. She quickly
withdrew to the relative privacy of the curtain.

As the girls who had not been sold were led away afterwards, Master Balad
reassured them, “don’t worry, you’ll all get sold soon. I’m sure we’ll get a
good price for you at auction, if nothing else.”

Despite his words, Li’sar was very worried.

—

“I really don’t have time for this!” Ragnor protested. “He is far too late.
Let’s leave now!”

“Very well, you leave, I’ll stay,” Token answered, his chin raised defiantly.

Half an hour later, Kalhune and Token were standing at the door to the inn,
watching as the rest of their party road away.

“He will come,” Kalhune said reassuringly.

“Maybe we should go looking for him if he doesn’t come soon,” Token answered.

“Yes, but where?” Kalhune asked.

They both knew that if they went looking for him, the best they would be likely
to find would be a dead body. But, they wouldn’t even mention that prospect.

—

Dalvid finally arrived at the tavern. He tied his horse at the front, and went
straight in. Kalhune and Token rose to greet his dishevelled figure.

“What happened to you?” They asked, running over and embracing him in unison.

“They almost caught me, and I had to take a detour through the forest,” he said,
“and I was set upon by bandits.”

They both shook their heads, and Kalhune put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Where are the others?” Dalvid asked.

Both of them could hear the sorrow in his voice, as if he had recently suffered
great loss.

“They left,” Token answered. “They left several hours ago.”

Dalvid nodded sadly. Token and Kalhune were the men he would have picked to stay
behind and wait for him. He told himself that at least he had two true friends.

They rode back toward Valua city slowly and quietly, an anti-climax. Token and
Kalhune were trying to work out what was troubling their friend so. They entered
the city just before dusk.

“Go and get some rest,” Kalhune almost ordered Dalvid. “Reporting on our mission
can wait until tomorrow.”

Dalvid nodded his head in weary agreement, and departed for his house.

Kala, one of his slaves, greeted him enthusiastically at the door. “Master, it is
wonderful that you are back!”

He nodded at her, heading for his chamber.

“May I get you anything Master?”

“No,” he said, “I want to be left alone.”

“Master? Wouldn’t you like to be pleasured after your long trip?” She asked.

“I want to be left alone,” he repeated, glaring at her.

She shrank away, “yes Master.”

He entered his chamber, and closed the door. He lay on his bed, and sunk his face
into the sheets. Then he got angry. At himself, for letting her go. At her, for
running off like that – if she hadn’t done that they wouldn’t have had to hide in
the forest. Finally, at the bandits, at the world, at everything, for stealing
her away from him.

He looked around for something, anything. He picked up a goblet and threw it
across the room with all his might; it clanked against the wall. Then he sank
his head in his hands, and wept. Wept like he hadn’t done since he was a child.
He wept himself to sleep.

—

Li’sar knew that she was to be auctioned today. She understood that almost all
girls sold at auction to someone or another. She was nervous and scared. She
thought of Dalvid, but knew that he was somewhere far away. Maybe even dead. She
shook thoughts of him from her mind; he was just a passing fling, nothing more.

She went through the motions of cleaning herself as instructed, putting on her
perfume and getting ready. A hard smack to her thigh quickly awoke her from a
hazy daydream she was in.

She still couldn’t help but think about Dalvid as she sat in the chamber, waiting
for the auction to commence.