A/N: Ok so Kathryn was in a rough spot when we last left her. Now its the next day. Alice is "shopping" with Magnus. Let's got back to Kathryn and the day her fate changed. Im releasing two chapters today. One is Kathryn the other is Alice. Same scene. This is the type of character work I sometimes like to do to get deeper into understanding everyone's mindset. Whether or not I use their pov, it def informs how I write them from an alternate pov. In knowing their thoughts I can better describe their actions from the outside (facial expressions, body gestures, tone etc) even if my narrator isnt reliable hehe. In this case? If i finish the book I might keep both povs here? Not sure. Anyway here goes!

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Chapter Four

Katheryn

    Waking from a fitful sleep I could feel the puffiness of my tired eyes and wondered how noticeable it might be. If the slavers would berate me for it. But looking at my fellow captives it didn't seem that they faired any better in attempting to get rest, We all looked exhausted and terrified.

    "Coffee!"

The shout rang out through the hall as the slavers began to appear, banging on the bars of our cages with metal batons to wake their captives. Shivers traveled along the length of my skin in anticipation of new suffering.  I did my best to keep my eyes lowered as the door to our cell was opened and an overseer entered, handing us each a new paper cup and pouring a thick black, brew.

I could only imagine they were hoping to wake their merchandise up enough that we might appear lively for potential buyers. The drink was so bitter I could barely manage to swallow it, my empty stomach looking to reject the concoction, but I didn't want to find out what they might do to any who refused to finish their portion.

I'd promised Mama I would be obedient. Do anything I could to prolong my life. I saw the knives and guns our captors carried. The batons already stained with blood. I forced the reminder of my cup down in one quick gulp, watching as all the other girls around me did the same with grimaces on their faces. At least the drink was warm. Once the liquid settled my stomach felt somewhat fuller with a heat that helped relieve the chill still running through the rest of my body.

    It was not long before the slavers came back again, taking our cups and checking to ensure that the trough they had given us as a privy was not yet full.

    "Look alive all of you," the slaver in charge of our group shouted. The doors will be open to buyers any minute now.  If you want to find yourself fetching a good price and leaving with a new master I'd suggest you make yourselves as attractive as possible. Those who are not sold here today after the auction will not like the future that awaits them I assure you of that."

I didn't doubt the truth to his words.

    An alarm screamed out moments later, pounding in our ears as the metal doors to the barn scratched open on all sides and sunlight flooded the previously darkened building. The buyers came streaming in droves, surveying the cages of terrified humans all around and I watched as my fellow captives retreated towards the back of the cage, crowding together in terror as if we could somehow hide from our fate. I couldn't bring myself to join them. Instead, I remained still, watching the commotion of the market and doing my best to observe what I could.

Hundreds of sibla men and women were now crowding the warehouse, their chatter quickly mixing with the shouts of the slavers as they advertised their wares. But with our cage set towards the back of the building, it seemed as if our overseers had intended to keep us separated from the others.

The sibla who came to our cage all appeared significantly wealthier by the look of their clothing, still most only gave us passing glances, writing down notes on the metal clipboards they carried. Eventually, I realized there wasn't much more I might learn from watching the proceedings, finally taking a seat with the rest of my fellow prisoners towards the back of the cage.

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     It was maybe an hour after the doors of the warehouse opened when I saw her. A human woman beside one of the sibla.

    "Grayskin," one of the girls beside me commented when she saw where my gaze fell.

    I looked at the unfamiliar face in confusion. "What?" I asked.

    "Traitors to humankind," the girl answered. "Men and women who do not merely serve their masters, but revel in the job. They buy their happiness on the misfortune of the rest of us. Look how old she is! Must have done some horrible things to make it this long."

    My eyes focused on the small woman as she and her master went from cage to cage. It certainly did seem as if she was well cared for and the girl beside me was correct about her age. The woman might have been as old as 50 or 60? Her dress was fine, nearly as fine in quality as the clothes worn by her master. It was hard to imagine why any sibla would dress a slave so. And her gate. The human walked like a free woman. Head held high, chest out.

    "You better hope to stay clear of that one if you can manage it," another one of the girls beside me whispered. "She's likely crueler than her master. The gray skins always are. It takes quite a bit for the sibla to trust a human being with their slaves. If she has any say over his stock she is no doubt a particularly nasty creature. It's horrific. I've heard of humans so eager to please their masters that they are willing to beat a pregnant woman to the point of death. Ones who will take up a knife and gleefully volunteer to whip, skin, brand, and any other cruel punishment they can devise, all to please their owner and preserve their own status and life.

    I stared at the older woman again. She didn't look evil. Her eyes were cold perhaps, but I could see something else behind them. Something almost kind. Throughout my life people had praised me as one who was a good judge of character. I couldn't quite imagine this woman with a bloody whip in hand. Then again, this was the sibla world. Maybe here even those who looked kind became monsters to survive.

    "Shit! They're coming this way."

It seemed the girl beside me was right. I watched as the sibla and his human companion turned towards us and as the woman's gaze came to rest intently upon me, I felt my body go cold. There was something about her expression that was too intense. Her eyes seemed to penetrate my very thoughts.

I watched as the human woman gained the attention of her master, whispering words I could not make out from so far away, her hand cupped around her mouth so as to make any attempts to read her lips impossible. My heart beat faster as they began to walk decidedly towards our cage. Towards me!

The others around me backed away from the approaching pair, but I did not. Though my heart pounded furiously in my chest, I knew that if this woman and her master chose to take me there was nothing I could do to prevent it.  Even if I were to try to hide, the slaver would only drag me forward again. There was no escape. This was the fate I had chosen willingly.

I thought of my little brother's smile. Of Lydia's big brown eyes. I was doing this for them. So they could live as long as I had. Maybe they would be lucky. Maybe our family would not be asked to make such a sacrifice again...

"That one," the sibla man said as he and his human arrived at our cage. His long grey finger pointed directly at me. "How much?"

I bit the inner edge of my lip trying to maintain a neutral expression and hold back tears as I kept my eyes down.

"One of the best I've got today," I heard my captor reply. "Decent breeding stock I'd say, and if you want her for meat, won't take much to bring her weight up a bit."

Bile rose in my throat, my bound hands clenching to keep from retching at his words.

"The price." The buyer demanded again. I could hear the impatience in his voice.

"Oh she's not for sale before the auction," came the answer. "None of these ones are. I'd guess the starting bid for that one will be at least 400, but she'll fetch a higher price than that. These are the premium breeders we have here today. Gotta wait your turn for a chance at them like all the rest."

With a quick glance up, I saw the buyer frown.

"Let's at least see her, Magnus."

I was shocked to hear the human beside the buyer speak.

"It is worth examining the girl."

I braced myself, expecting the man to strike his slave for her insolence as he frowned deeply. Grayskin or not, I didn't want to see him hit the older woman. But I was amazed to see instead that the sibla man only nodded his head in response to the human's word.

"As you wish, Alice," he agreed. "But be quick about it. There are others I was hoping to examine as well."

Shock nearly replaced my fear. I couldn't imagine a sibla man taking orders from a human. It appeared my fellow captives might have been right after all. This man clearly cared for the human at his side. Why else would he do so unless she was more sibla than human herself?

"Might we examine the animal more closely before the auction begins," the buyer asked, addressing my captor again.

The slaver nodded, though I could see he was just as confused by the man's behavior with his slave as I was. Taking a lead rope from the wall beside our cage he unlocked the door and slipped it in a loop around my throat. I didn't dare resist, following obediently before our overseer might pull on my neck, standing entirely still as my potential buyer eyed me up and down.

"As you can see she is already well filled out," the slaver commented, poking at my stomach and thighs with his baton. "She's  young too. Nice and tender. Even slaughtering as is would bring a sizable yield of meat. We have skilled butchers, on sight for a minimal fee if that's what you were looking for. Our men can process and package in bulk if you plan on purchasing a few. Or if you'd like her live, A month of cage feeding and she would make for quite a prize. You might even double your money with the yield. 

"As for breeding, she is clearly of fertile age. Wild stock is quite valuable for such purposes as I'm sure you well know. Especially with one so young and healthy. Obedient for a wild thing. Not unattractive either. Many will be interested in her."

I blinked back tears as the man so casually enumerated the horrible possibilities I might face that very day, the sick feeling in my stomach overwhelming me again.

"And what is her origin?" the human woman asked.

I could see the slaver was just as surprised as I was to hear her voice, this time clearly addressing my captor as if she had a right to. Surely her master would punish her for speaking so boldly. But instead, the buyer narrowed his eyes at the slaver's incredulous expression.

"You will answer the human," he said. "Alice acts as consult on all of my purchases today."

The slaver frowned. "I don't take orders from animals," he answered.

Amazingly, I could see the buyer grow even more impatient at the response, but the human beside him seemed unconcerned.

"It's fine, Master," she said quietly, putting a hand on the man's arm to calm him. " Just ask him if I might speak to her."

The sibla man continued to look exceedingly disgruntled, but he nodded to the woman at his side.

My thoughts were racing. Who was this human that she could have so much control over her master? Was what the other girls said the truth? Was she a grayskin? So much devoted to the sibla that her owner accepted her as one of his own?

"Will you permit my slave to put questions to the animal and inspect her properly?" Magnus asked the slaver.

I watched as the slaver's eyes narrowed slightly, his mouth pursed in thought. It was obvious he wanted to deny the request on principle, but even I could see how well-dressed the sibla and his slave were. Clearly, he had money.

"As you wish sir," my captor answered finally, gesturing towards me and letting my lead fall. He stepped on it with his foot to ensure I couldn't run, but allowed the human woman to approach.

The old woman walked towards me, examining my body as carefully as her master had done. I flinched as she reached out and took hold of my arm, turning it this way and that, squeezing my flesh.

"She is indeed of a healthy weight," the woman commented to her master. The buyer nodded. My stomach dropped.

Letting my arm fall she stood there in front of me, her grey eyes staring intently. A blush of humiliation crept into my cheeks and I lowered my gaze even further. I was ashamed of my nakedness. My complete and utter helplessness.

"How did you come to be here?" The woman asked me, repeating the question she had put to the slaver.

"I was traded," I answered quietly, knowing I had no choice but to reply.

"You mean you were sold?" the woman pressed.

    I didn't correct her though I felt a new frustration building inside of me at her implication. The idea that my loved ones had willingly sent me away for profit.

"By whom?"

I thought of my mother and father. Of their sobs as I agreed to sacrifice myself. No one had sold me. I had acted of my own free will and this woman would know it. Even if it was my last act on earth I would not sacrifice my pride.

"I volunteered," I answered, my gaze meeting the woman's now. Whatever horrors she and her master might subject me to didn't matter. Not as long as I could remember for whose sake I was suffering. I would willingly endure any torture to keep my family from more pain.

"You volunteered?" the woman repeated, but her voice did not sound as if she questioned the answer. In fact, I was almost certain I heard a note of awe in her tone.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said, my confidence growing. "My family was selected to relinquish one of their children to the sibla slavers. It is the arrangement that keeps our village safe and fed. I was the eldest and could not allow my siblings to go in my stead so I volunteered."

I held her gaze without fear now. I wanted her to know that I was prepared to face the consequences of my sacrifice willingly. But strangely enough, I detected no anger in the woman's gaze. In fact, I was sure I could almost see some sort of compassion radiating from her, though she maintained a neutral expression.

"What is your name, child," the woman asked.

"Kathryn."

The woman's eyes stayed locked with mine a moment longer before she turned back to her master. "I am finished here," she said.

The sibla man nodded. "Come then, Alice," he said. "There are a few more animals I wish to see before the bidding begins. "

"Of course, Master," the woman answered, following after her owner without a backward glance.

"Wonder what sort of freak show that was," the slaver commented as he picked up my lead once again. "A human slave commanding her master," he shook his head. " I would have seen that animal beaten beyond recognition for such insolence."

I let the slaver push me back behind bars with his other captives, keeping my own thoughts to myself. Still, his question echoed my own. Who was this mysterious human who could control her master so?