31
- Is he gone? - A sweet voice asked in the midst of all the darkness we were.
- I think so Luna... Kathy! We should wait a little longer?- Another female voice a little more distant answered.
- Let's wait a little longer...- Kathy advised with dread in her voice.
- I think you are right... and who is the new pornes that arrived today? What is your name?
- Are you talking to me? - I asked a little confused by not knowing for sure whether I was the first or the second pallaki that was delivered to them that day.
- Of course we are talking to you! Tell me... what is your name? - Luna's voice sounded deeply curious and interested in my answer.
- My name is Kristma de Ca. I mean... Kristma de Douléia.
- Wow! - Several voices whispered around me.
- Are you from Douléia? How did you get here? - Another voice that was closer to me asked.
- I was handed over by my former master in exchange for the life of a crew... Because of a delivery boy of roses that my old master treated with coarse... I think that's why...
- She must be talking about Roses...
- Yep Alumy... Kristma ! Roses is a cunning spy... the one who find him in Muddy Port it's almost certain that you will not escape from Captain Rubi...
- Is this the name of the captain of this boat?
- Not exactly... like... the name Captain Ruby is the code name that that all the bosses of any ship carrying pornes uses...
- Pearl... how do you know all this? - A fragile and delicate voice echoed from afar inside the cell.
- I've always been a pornes in the East City brothels... and when you live in the alleys and suburbs of the East City you learn a lot more than you'd like...
- What's your name? - I asked interested in the history hided in that voice.
- My name is Lux... Lux de Agnoia.
- How did you get here?
- Well Kris... can I call you that?
- Of course!
- I ended up here because of a bet... I am what they call itinerant pornes... I migrate among the brothels in the east city. This last time I migrated to a brothel in the noblest part of town until my old master's donkey bet me on a card game against Captain Ruby... and the rest of the story you might guess... I've been here two weeks...
- Aren't you scared? This place is...
- You came from Douléia and you should have a good life as a pallaki... I was pornes, I was born pornes and I will always be a pornes... when you are born with this caste on your back you get used to places like this...
- I'll never get used to... - Kathy's voice interrupted our dialogue- If I could I would throw myself into the sea and join the mermaids! It would be so much nicer to eat raw fish all day than to be auctioned off like a goat on display...
- But look on the bright side... at least we have food! - Alumy tried to comfort the sadness expressed in Kathy's words.
- That is the minimum!
- Kathy! How did you get here? - Alumy asked with such intense innocence that it was practically palpable.
- That's a long story girls!
- We have two whole days to listen!
- Don't even remind us Alumy! - Pearl replied audibly irritated.
- Girls! Stop fighting...- Another female voice has emerged in the sea of voices around me.
- Okay! Kris! You still want to know my story?
- If you want to tell me...
- I came from the middle lands...
-How? Are you one of the Northern runaways? - Pearl's voice seemed too shocked to believe what Kathy had said.
- I am not a fugitive from the Northern Nation... my parents are! I was born in the Middle lands... I was a very curious girl... when I met with Roses I thought he was flirting with me until he invited me to a picnic at midnight. I was so naive... the picnic was a trap. He doped me and when I woke up I was already on board this ship.
- I imagine that you want to return to your home soon... - Alumy reflected with compassion.
- I wish it every day... My parents must be very worried about me...
- I'm sorry Kathy... - I said.
- You don't have to feel sorry for me! I'm going to run away from this situation and go home! There are many routes to the Midlands... as soon as I get the chance I'm out of here!
- If I were you I wouldn't count on this luck... - Luna's voice seemed colder than a stone of ice- I used to think so too when I was lowered to pornes by my former master... I tried to run away? Being beaten and captured several times I gave up and learned to see the good side of being a pornes...
- Is there a bright side?
- Of course! We don't need to be an ornament at parties... or to have our our bodies borrowed for another stinking old man...
- I don't see many advantages in being a pornes... - Kathy replied- We live in fear all the time! We take the blame for everything that happens to us or around us...
- If only the Amazons came back...
- But they are coming back... - Kathy whispered to us.
- This is not possible...
- While I was in the middle lands I could see with my own eyes some amazons clearing the blue forest! They were forming an army... as I recall...
- That's impossible! All the amazons were killed! None was spared!
- The aunt of an old friend of mine was... - I replied without thinking much about the consequences of my act.
- How? - Some girls whispered.
- A friend of mine once told me that her mother was killed along with the other amazons... and that her aunt swore to protect my friend in case something happened to her... and it's been a few days since she disappeared...
- Did she have anything with the amazon symbol? - Kathy asked looking like you're interested.
- Yes! She had a bracelet with the Amazons symbol on it...
- So she's one of Brigya's protégés!
- Who is Bridya? - Pearl's voice sounded more frightened than curious when asking that question.
- Bridya is the supreme general of the Amazons... is she who is responsible for the attacks and rebellions of the colonies of Mor reproduction...
- Until she to desappear after the execution of the four hundred Amazons... - Another female voice among us added.
- Girls! Silence... I hear some steps coming down the stairs!
An atmosphere of fear spread in the cell and began to float a little higher above our heads.
Steadfast and lofty steps began to become more and more audible as the seconds passed and silence reigned over all of us.
Slowly the cell door was opened and more steps broke through the floor and began to echo in various directions.
- What were you girls talking about?
It was Captain Ruby, the voice steps and the cold, rustic way of speaking were hers. Just as Fire had alerted the captain came to examine us.
- What happened? Does no one here want to tell me what is going on?
In response to those Inquiries we all remain silent. A cold, calculated silence that contained far more answers than any word anyone ever dared to say to that woman.
- All right... I'm not gonna get in the middle of all this girl talk... I have more important things to do today... there's a new auction to be organized by me and I need to check the quality of my merchandise before delivering them to my other comrades...
Again no one dared utter a word and amid that absurdly monotonous and frightening silence the captain's feet began to shake once more.
Each step was slow and wandered between us. Sometimes her steps were clearly close to me, other times they echoed very far away and in a very few times the captain's feet strayed at a distance not so far but also not so close to me, until finally she stopped near me.
- Fire, Roses and Brian! Come here immediately!
Some minutes passed and some hurried sound coming from various shoes and boots striking the ground came through the door to the place where I was.
- Look at this pornes... what do you see?
- My salary? - Fire's voice played.
- Not you idiot! Tell me what you see in these pornes?
- A profit opportunity? - A vaguely familiar voice deduced with enough uncertainty.
- Wrong answer! You know what I see? I see a waste of time! Look at this body! This hair and this skin... by the memory of my father! Her skin is too dark! We won't even get a piece of copper for her!
- What will we gonna do, captain?
- Throw her into the sea... she serves better as fish food than as a pornes!
- But captain… we haven't even reached Andrismus yet... what if she gets a good price?