Rachel

Dawn crept through the cracks in the wall with its dingy yellow light. Rachel's head pounded. In had been difficult to sleep on the hard concrete floor of their cage, but at least she'd managed to get some rest. There hadn't been much else to do once the slavers had left them, shutting off the lights and leaving them in almost total darkness. Maybe it was for the best. The more strength she could gain, the more likely she could plot her escape.

It was not long before the slavers made their rounds, delivering the bowls of gray goo. Rachel ate obediently. She tried to better survey her grim surroundings with the aid of daylight and rested eyes. The room was lined with cage after cage of frightened women, boys, and girls cowering, stuffed on top of one another in their cramped cells. Like her, every other captive seemed to have been stripped of clothes, their hands bound in front of their bodies. There were no sibla guards in sight, but she knew, having watched them deliver their food, they weren't far away. She could even hear their voices intermittently through the door. No wonder the others were afraid to talk. It was clear their sibla captors were close enough to hear and could come back at any time.

"Got an order for one mature female. Around 140 pounds live weight," A loud voice cried out. A moment later Ren appeared at the door. Rachel held her breath as he walked down the aisle of cages, his eyes scanning until they rested on a cage not far from her own, stuffed with girls who appeared a bit older than herself. All seemed to be in their teens. Reaching to his belt, the sibla took up his keys and unlocked the door. The girls quickly attempted to escape his grasp, but Ren managed to grab a firm hold of one unfortunate's arm and drag her from her fellows. Slamming the door shut again, Rachel watched as the sibla forced the chosen girl onto a scale.

"I've got 146 on this one!" Ren called back.

"Customer will take her," came the response. "Bring her round back."

Rachel could see the poor girl shivering in fear.

"Please don't," she whimpered softly.

Ren frowned at her. "Come on," he said, pulling her roughly from the scale. "No good resisting. You know better than that."

The girl seemed not to hear his warning, struggling against the sibla's attempts to drag her from the room. Ren's hand rose struck her soundly across the face. Rachel cringed as the woman's body went limp and crumpled to the floor.

"Need help with this one," he called out. Another slaver quickly joined him and the two carried the woman away.

"What are they doing with her?" Rachel asked the boy by her side, noticing her cage mates watching the proceedings.

"Taking her to the back," he whispered. "That's where they slaughter us."

Rachel felt her stomach go cold. She'd heard what Gifre had said. She'd heard him proclaim her to be no more than meat, but Rachel hadn't wanted to believe it could be true. That these men could really be engaged in such a gruesome trade. But with reality so clearly forcing her to face the truth, Rachel found herself all the more determined to fight back against her fate.

"We have to do something," she said to the boy. She watched as he cast an uncertain look at his fellow who shook his head.

"You saw what happened," the second boy answered. "There isn't anything we can do."

"You have just given up?" Rachel asked, incredulous. "They are going to kill us!"

"Quite!" the first boy said in a whispered hiss. "If they hear us it will be worse."

Rachel's brow furrowed in disbelief. "What could be worse?"

The two boys looked at each other again. Rachel could see the fear and hesitation in their faces.

"We are taken from our home months ago now," the second boy said finally. "They brought us to some horrible dark place where they kept us in cages even smaller than these. They made us eat five times a day. They were trying to make us get fatter. At least here we have room to move. As long as you do what you're told they don't beat you."

"We have to get away," Rachel insisted.

Both boys shook their heads, their expressions solemn.

"The one's who tried were taken apart piece by piece," the first boy answered, his voice so quiet as to almost be inaudible, "They made us watch. You don't understand." His eyes darted nervously towards the door, keeping a watch for their captors. "We can't fight back."

"But," Rachel tried.

"Need another mature female!" came the call, interrupting her protest. "A bit bigger than the last."

"On it!"

As Ren's response rang through the air the boys quickly scrambled to the back of their cage and Rachel was quick to follow their example, hoping to stay out of Ren's sight and reach as he returned from the back room. She could see the white rag he carried now in his hands to wipe them clean. It was stained a dark red.

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The day continued in the same horrifying fashion. Orders from customers shouted from the front room every so often, their unfortunate purchases weighed and dragged away. How long before someone would come to her cage? Rachel wondered. There was no way of knowing. But as the light from the thin windows above began to fade and the orders became more infrequent Rachel began to have more hope she might live to see another day.

Since their whispered conversation the boys had stayed huddled together in the back corner of the cage. It was clear they would not talk anymore. They certainly seemed to have no interest in plotting escape, but Rachel hadn't given up. She sat as close the bars as she dared, observing her surroundings and looking for a way out.

The room they were in had only slits for windows and no doors and the cage's metal bars seemed impenetrable. Both were obstacles she couldn't imagine getting around. Even if she did manage to somehow slip out of her cell and through the doors, how could she get past the sibla who ran the operation. Was there a way to distract them? 

From the back corner of the cage, Rachel heard the sound of gentle snoring and turned to see that the two boys had fallen asleep beside one another. She watched the gentle breath moving their stomachs, their face's slack, clearly in deep slumber. It seemed impossible that they should sleep. Were they really so entirely resolved to their fate? Rachel couldn't imagine it. But as the monotony of waiting continued on, she found even her own eyes struggling to remain open.

"Right this way sir."

Rachel sat up quickly, startled by the sound of the head slaver's voice and the sound of the door opening.

"Please forgive me for not answering your call sooner. We were just planning to close up shop for the day, but I'm certain we can still help you fill your order. You said you were looking for wild caught ?"

"Yes," a deep voice answered. "That was my customer's order. Its seems there has been a shortage recently however. The other dealers in town were unable to fulfill my request."

"Well then," Gifre answered. "Hopefully we will do better. Were you looking for food stock or slaves?"

"More of the former. Young animals. Preferably male."

"Wild veal ay? It certainly has been harder to come by recently. Humans in the settlements seem more and more reticent to part with their young and the tribute season is ended. But you're in luck. Raiders brought me a few nice specimens just a few days ago."

Rachel's heart beat fast as the slaver came towards her. The boys had woken too now. Rachel could see the fear on their faces though they didn't dare speak.

"Here we are," Gifre said as he arrived at their cell. "Two fat intact young males, look to be no more than ten or eleven, each with a live weight over ninety pounds. At that age they're still young and fresh. None of that gamier taste you get from the males after puberty. And there," he said gesturing to Rachel, "a girl, eight years of age. All prime veal if I ever saw it."

The man at Gifre's side was different from all the other sibla she'd seen so far. He was taller than any of the slavers had been, dressed in clothes that marked him as a man of status. Unlike the slavers, his attire was clean. A crisp white shirt, a well-tailored coat. His hair, like Gifre's, was shoulder length and black, but he'd tied it back neatly. In spite of his seeming refinement however, the expression on his face was just as ferocious as all of the sibla she'd encountered, his cold pale blue eyes seemingly devoid of any emotion. Rachel shivered as the buyer looked at her fellow captives and then at her.

"Might I examine the animals?" he asked.

"Of course, sir," Gifre answered, but Rachel could hear the annoyance in his tone. "Just give me a moment."

From the wall, the slaver took down three ropes with loops at the end before unlocking their cage. "Come!" he commanded. Rachel watched horrified as the boys quickly complied.

"It doesn't help to resist," one of them whispered to her. Rachel felt her stomach drop. She had seen what happened to the ones who fought as well. She'd seen the fear in the boys' eyes as they talked about watching dissenting humans being torn apart. After a moment's hesitation, she followed her fellows' example.

Gifre slipped the noose-like leads around each of their necks and dragged them from the cage, lining them up for his customer to inspect.

Rachel had never felt so exposed as she did under the gaze of the terrifying man standing in front of her, watching as he eyed them all critically. He stepped forward and leaned down to take one of the boys' arms in his hand. His thumb ran over the brand on his shoulder before holding up the boy's limb and squeezing it slightly. The buyer moved on to check his thighs, buttocks, and legs. 

Rachel held her breath. She didn't want him to touch her. She wanted to run. The itchy rope around her throat was the only thing holding her back. She could see Gifre holding the other end of it firmly. If she tried to escape, he could choke her to death. Her heart pounded faster and faster in her head as she waited for the buyer's inevitable approach. But in the end, he did not come to her. Having examined the second of the two boys the sibla man straightened and turned again to the slaver.

"Both males are acceptable," he commented. "But there's not much on the female. She's little more than skin and bones."

"She's young," Gifre countered. "Meat will be nice and tender. I assure you she'll fatten nicely."

"And cost a large sum in the process," the man answered with a slight frown. "What other uses does she have?"

"She's not unattractive," the slaver commented in suggestion. "Might have decent enough bloodlines. Put a male with her and double your investment."

"She is just a child," the man answered scornfully. "It will be years before she can be bred successfully."

Rachel bit her lip and looked down at the ground, trying to hold back her tears as she listened to them casually discuss the horrible possibilities for her fate.

"You girl," the man called out suddenly.

Rachel looked up in surprise.

"What can you do?"

Was he speaking to her? Rachel wondered, as his eyes met hers. Gifre had sworn he would take their tongues if they uttered a word. She didn't answer.

"Can she speak?" The buyer asked, clearly confused by her silence.

"Of course she can," the slaver answered directing an angry glare in her direction. "Answer the man!" He snarled. Rachel cried out in pain at the sharp sting of his hand across her face. She tasted blood where his knuckles had opened her lip.

The buyer frowned slightly. "Hardly necessary," he said. "No need to damage the merchandise."

"Then you are interested?" Gifre asked, his frown of displeasure fading to one of surprise.

The man ignored the question as he bent down again and reached an arm towards her. Rachel shrank back, trying to avoid his touch.

"Hold still," Gifre barked angrily, giving a sharp tug on the rope around her neck. Rachel gagged, panicking as the air disappeared from her lungs. She tried desperately to bring her bound hands to her throat and pull the rope away as it dug into her flesh.

"Shush, shush. It's alright," the buyer soothed, his tone softening as he pushed her arms down gently and used his own hand to loosen the cord around her neck. "Calm down. I just want to look at you." Rachel's whole body tensed in fear as the man took her chin in his hand, turning her head this way and that.

"How much?" he asked.

From the corner of her eye, Rachel saw the slaver don a greasy smile.

"Well she is quite a catch," Gifre answered. "Wild females are quite a commodity and she's only been on the market for one day."

The buyer frowned, releasing his grip with a force that sent Rachel stumbling back.

"Do not play games with me sir," the man said. "I came here for quality meat. I am considering taking the animal off of your hands out of charity."

"But she is not without value live," Gifre answered. "She is a strong country girl. It's certain she can cook, clean, and as I said, she is pretty enough. Some quite enjoy the young ones, even if they can't yet reproduce."

Rachel didn't quite understand his words but could see the buyer looked disgusted with Gifre's suggestion. The slaver ignored his reaction.

"Look," Gifre said, "there are many who will be interested and eager to pay a good price. That's all I'm saying"

"Yet you were willing to put her in a lot with the food stock, in spite of the fact that she is clearly a poor specimen for such purposes at present," the man answered irritably. "She is nervous, weak and spindly."

"400 gold notes," the slaver said.

"Ha!" the buyer scoffed. "For the female alone? You're mad. No one would pay such a price for a scrawny feeder animal."

The slaver only shrugged.

"I'll take the first two for 800 and give you another 200 for the girl," the man said. "That's a generous allotment on the males. I guess each of their live weights to be at least 5 pounds under your estimate but I will not ask you to verify it. As for the female, it will take me months to finish her off for slaughter and you know it."

"250," Gifre countered.

The man frowned, pursing his lips together in thought as he stared at Rachel again. She shrunk in on herself as much as possible, wishing desperately that she could flee his gaze.

"That's my final offer," the slaver prompted. "You want her or not?"

"Fine," the man said, pulling out a wad of bills from his jacket pocket and handing it to Gifre.

The slaver smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you sir," he said, but as he flipped through the notes his smile faded

"That is only a deposit," the man answered, a hint of a smug grin playing on his own face. "You'll get the rest when I return for my purchases."

The slaver eyed the man for a moment and then nodded reluctantly, pocketing the money and pulling out a notepad and pen. "And how would you like them?" he asked.

"Process the males. Standard cuts," the man answered.

"Hands and feet?"

The man nodded.

"Organs?"

"Hearts and livers. The buyer requested the testicles as well. Do as you wish with the rest of the offal."

The slaver nodded again as he wrote his notes.

"As for the girl, I'd like her properly washed and clothed. She looks sickly and I cannot have her expire along the way home."

"I've only got the rags she came in," the slaver answered.

The man sighed. "That will have to do," he said. "But have her fed. I will already have to significantly increase my stock's provisions to accommodate a young thin creature like her. The least you could do is give me one free meal."

"I'll make sure she eats," the slaver said, grabbing Rachel's neck in his hand. "Enough to last a day or two. Even if I have to shove it down her throat. We have a special blend of feed that helps fatten em right up."

The man eyed Rachel as she cringed under the slaver's rough grip. For a moment she thought she saw a slight flicker of sympathy on his face, but then he turned his attention back to Gifre and nodded.

"I will be back tomorrow afternoon," he said. "Is that sufficient time to complete the order? I was hoping to return home before nightfall and I have a bit of a ride to reach my estate."

"It shouldn't be a problem," the slaver answered. "We'll get started before the day's out."

"I appreciate that greatly," the man said. "I will see you tomorrow then." And with that, Rachel watched the man turn and leave.

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As soon as the door closed behind the buyer Gifre called for his assistants.

"I have work to do in town before dark," he said. "The two males need butchering. Bleed them out and start processing the carcasses."

Even through the haze of terror clouding her thoughts, Rachel could see the displeasure in their faces.

"Come on boss," Brethan complained. I was gonna to meet my girl tonight. Shop is supposed to close in half an hour."

"Well I guess you best work quickly," Gifre answered. "The customer will be back to collect the meat tomorrow afternoon and it has to be packaged by then but we have a new shipment scheduled in the morning. Gotta get it done tonight." Here," he said, pressing his notes into Ren's hands.  "This is the order."

"What are we supposed do with the girl?" Brethan asked with a frowned as he looked at the sheet of paper.

"He wants her alive and fed. No need to put too much into her. It's the owner's job to fatten em up once they sell, not ours. A half plate of the mix should be enough to feed her. Give her a good scrubbing and keep her chained back here. I'll find some clothes for her later."

"Got it boss. Ren grabbed the boys' leads in his hand while Brethan took Rachel's.

"I'll help you finish up when I get back," Gifre said. "And I'll tell Duran we're staying late tonight. He can ready the water for scalding once he's finished feeding the rest of the stock."

Ren nodded, but his friend's expression remained sullen.

"Come on girl," Brethan grumbled, giving a hard yank at the rope around her neck. Rachel gagged and hurried to keep up.

So yeah...things really don't look good for these kids now :-/ Impressions? What do you think of this buyer? He's meant to appear a bit different from the other silba we have seen thus far. What are your thoughts? I'd LOVE to hear them;-) As always, thanks so much for reading! Now on to chapter 7...next fri ;-)