CHAPTER 3

Zazuza walked for a bit and then sprinted as if her life depended on it.

"What. In.Hydra's.Name.Was.That?!"

She thought to herself, running chaotically.

"Who even is he?! I've known him for all these years and now? Now it's for nothing!" she tripped on

a tree root and fell.

"Wake up! Did you hear that, too?" a strange voice said nearby.

"Darn! Someone heard me..." Zazuza dropped down and waited for the bandits to pass.

" Do you see anything?"

"No, what do you think it was?"

"Probably a cat or something."

" Thank the Hydra they left." She sighed in relief, and when they left to the camp she started to

crawl, very carefully.

" Darn why does this stuff keep happening to me." Suddenly she felt a strong stomp on her hand and

she let out a yell.

" You were wrong, gents. It wasn't a cat, but a sneaky, slithering, snake. " all she saw was how sly

the smile on the thief's face.

" Well done, Lit! It's good we took you with us tonight, after all!" Two men pinned Zazuza down and

gagged her.

" I'll get the rope!" one of the men said, excitedly.

"Sure." Lit replied. "We'll take her with us to the market, three towns from here."

" Why go through all that trouble? Why not just sell her to the next town?" one of the men asked.

"Because she's a Hydra, someone's bound to ask about her around. But if we play it safe, we'll make

some good money on the side."

"How do you even know that?"

"It's all in the clothes, see the pattern? The geometric shapes mimic snake skin." Lit answered.

One man started the fire, and they all began to drink by it, singing merry songs and talking about

how they'll earn cash off their new slave.

„Lek, go give her some water, she needs to be in high energy tomorrow," Lit said.

„Yes, sir."

Zazuza was struggling to escape but stopped when she heard one of the men approaching.

„Hello, darling. I see you're all tied up. Get it?" he took off the gag and Zazuza spat out the awful taste.

„Here you go, sweetie." He grabbed her face and pulled her chin up while pouring water from a flask. Due to his incompetence or ill intent, some water got up Zazuza's nose and she began to choke.

„You know, Lit said that he doesn't expect to get too much for such a common face. But I can see your true potential. There's nothing a nice dress and make-up can't fix." He began to stroke her hair and Zazuza bit his hand.

„Aah!" Lek screamed.

„What was that? Are you having problems with the prisoner?"Lit asked.

„No, sir! I just stubbed my toe, is all. It's very dark, sir."

„Watch yourself."

Lek's expression turned sour, and he covered Zazuza's mouth with the gag.

He grabbed the metal flask and slapped her hard across the face while letting the flask drop by her feet.

„Oh no! I dropped the flask! How clumsy of me!" Lek yelled. „Found it!"

„As I said, nothing a little make-up can't fix."

Zazuza kicked the flask into the tree and it made a loud hard noise as it kept bumping into objects.

„Lek! What are you doing?" Lit asked.

„All is fine, sir. No need to worry about me."

„Go get the flask and stop messing around. Did the prisoner drink, yet?"

„Not yet, sir. I'm on it, sir." Lek said, sycophantically. He then turned to Zazuza , grabbed her hair, and told her:

„Listen here, I will return, and when I return you will obey, or else you won't see daylight."