Crux Of The Scheme

"He isn't one of them." The man's cold eyes traced over me, teeth still bared.

"How can you know?" A feminine voice rang out, and I turned to see. A woman about his age with fiery red locks and ears like a rabbit spoke through parched lips. Her pale face and uneven tone suggested illness, but not so much that she couldn't speak. "Just be quiet. They yell at us when we speak in Xiben."

'Speak in what? They are just speaking…whatever language is spoken around here.'

I didn't know what it was called. Common? It sounded the same as the earthly language I knew.

"Greetings," I bowed, voice hushed, "I am Raven. Indeed, I am not one of your captors."

The pale green locks of the wolf man flung wild across his shoulders as he leaped forward, chains straining with a clang against the bars. His knuckles went white as he gripped the iron, veins taut up his arms.

"You. You speak Xiben." Hushed whispers filled the room, and his eyes narrowed, "Humans don't speak Xiben. Who taught you?"

I raised an eyebrow, careful not to miss the flash of hope in his eyes. He seemed to think I might be there to save them, sent by a beast folk who had taught me the language. I wasn't, but he didn't need to know that. 

'I can use this.'

"We don't have time. I hope you can trust from my ability to speak Xiben that I have come to assist you. Tell me, how is it you arrived here?"

The wolfman cocked his head. "Raven, was it?"

I nodded, shooting him a characteristic grin. He frowned, considering things. 

"I'm Don Hua. That is my wife, Yue Hua." He gestured to the bunny girl, "Among the people here are a few members from other tribes, and my youngest daughter." At the mention of her his face crumpled, and as I followed his gaze I found out why. She was one of the sickest down here, only days from death. You could smell it in the air. 

"We ended up here during one of YOUR bloody crusades," He continued, eyes burrowing through me, "Same story as the rest. Now they have us working as servants to the gladiators before they ship us off somewhere else."

My heart skipped a beat. "Servants?"

He crossed his arms, falling back into a sitting position. "Only my wife and the other kids. Don't want to let someone out who could actually fight back. Cowards."

I considered what to say for a moment. If they served food, this was my opportunity. All the cards were on my table, so long as I could convince them to trust me. But could I ensure they would do exactly as I said? I didn't want to leave the crux of my plan in the hands of ill prisoners. Not without insurance, of course. Who could I use?

The strongest desires in the room. I could feel them. Despite Don Hua's willingness to talk, it wasn't his feelings that permeated me with a suffocating grief.

It was Yue Hua's.

I approached Yue Hua and knelt before her. Our eyes met, separated only by the cage bars. Magic trickled from within me, slithering over and undoing her heart string by string. With instrumental precision I tugged and plucked, watching the growing emotion in her eyes. A mother's love; all she wanted was for her daughter to survive. She'd tear apart cities for it, give her life time and time again.

This was who I should make a deal with. I cut to the chase. I sensed in her wisdom she understood what my intentions were. Or maybe this was the empathy of beast people, those with senses more akin to animals.

"I will save your daughter and all of these people. In return, you will do exactly as I say to these men, each face along the left," I unfolded the sheet of paper in my bag, sliding a finger across the first column of men I needed to be poisoned. I slipped the paper through the bars and pulled out the vial of Hecklben's Right Eye.

"A few drops on some food before they go out to fight. Ensure they eat it and do not become suspicious. Can I entrust you to hide this? And can you do exactly as I say?"

Yue Hua's expression, once dull and hopeless gained a blush of possibility as I spoke.

"And…if I did. You would save her? My Bia?"

Bia. So that was the poor girl's name.

"This will be our gospel," I replied, trembling with that same rushing sensation. Power swept through the air and the beast folk could feel it, fidgeting in their cages, hackles raised. Don Hua looked especially uneasy.

"Wait, Yue, I don't know-" He began, but she wasn't listening. All her attention was focused on me, on the truth of my words and the worth of risking her life on it. Whatever she found in me, it must've convinced her.

I outstretched my hand as though asking for a dance.

She took it.

Light pierced the room as a roaring wind kicked furry across the dirty walls. Yue didn't miss a beat, not flinching despite the glaring light show and blasting heat growing between our palms. I gripped tighter, containing a manic laughter bubbling up from the sensations of ecstasy. Her calm, determined expression didn't falter. 

When it ended, Bia let out a ragged cough. Her father, attention turned to her, reached through the bars but couldn't reach her. Each finger stretched as far as possible but remained millimeters shy of the cage beside him. He couldn't even hold his daughter while sick.

Bia. I wonder what you are feeling right now? Lucas often spoke of the strange dreams he had while sick. The way he tossed and turned, sweat-ridden and bound to the bed, unable to escape even in waking. Are you also lost in a nightmare?

"I can hide it, the vial." Yue cut in, heart focused on her daughter but her mind on me, "There are plenty of wounds in this cage. Perfect for stashing small items."

She took the vial from me and tucked it away underneath a loose metal flap.

"The gambling is in one day. One day to prepare your method. I'll be nearby should things go awry."

"If they do, our deal is off. I know." Yue nodded, aware of the stakes. "They often have me bring them food. It will be easy. I will not disappoint."

None of the other beast people had bothered to chime in, either too wary or too ill. Upon receiving the support of Yue and Don, however, the tension directed towards me faded. It seems these parents are the de facto leaders of the group.

"We are out of time." I declared, heading back towards the ladder. "Succeed and I will be true to my promise." I looked towards Yue, "As I am sure you can tell."

Followed by Yue's determined gaze, I retreated from the hatch and wound back through the hallways. With the night at my back, I returned to Yiriel's Apothecary to rest and prepare. On the way, I considered what I learned. 

'So that's how they did it.'

One unknown factor, though I had my suspicions, was where all the money came from. To loan out one hundred gold meant you had to be capable of risking one hundred gold or more. Letting betting folk borrow gold meant sweetening the pot. The more cash people could borrow, the more greedy and desperate they would become. Once they fell into the trap, the ring ensured the majority of losses, plummeting them into slavery. Not everyone lost, of course. Some had to be paid. If everyone fell into that trap word would get around. No money would be made. 

Knowing that, how did they make those large payments to the few that did win? I'd received one hundred gold on paper, so where did it come from? Some basic extrapolations made me believe one hundred gold could buy a large house upfront. There was no way a single human slave would be worth that much. It was not the case that the people gambling, poor as they were, ever spent that much. I'd considered the possibility the amount didn't exist, and that anyone who bet that high was few enough they could keep up the lie. After tonight, however, I realized that wasn't the case. 

No. They did have the money written on paper; every single coin. They obtained that money to 'give away' by trading in a special kind of merchandise; enslaved beast people.

With the difficulty of acquiring them and all the fees and labor associated with sneaking them into the kingdom, it added up. There were bound to be noblemen across the Myther Dominion who would pay a pretty penny to receive an elegant woman with bunny ears. That must have been why the procession from the other day, the knights riding back to the capital, bore no spoils. All their luggage had taken a different route because it was illegal. They had humanoid baggage and created a parade behind the facade of religion to distract from it. If it had been legal they would've shown them off. Confetti along the streets and champagne popping. But they didn't.

The more time I spent here, the more I realized how corrupt this place was. How deep did things go? Was this the crux of the black market or only the beginning?

Could beast people alone account for all of that money? If not...what other secrets were being hidden?

I'd have to ask Yiriel, but first I needed to ensure the plan went through. My life of freedom was on the line after all. 

***

"Why not just save us? Why bargain our lives away?" Don began, still rattled from the events of earlier. A human mage had approached them, with magic strong enough to see in the dark and to do whatever had just occurred. The piercing lights and angered winds made Don think the world was ending. The Tothied didn't use magic, but they had a strong sixth sense. That power was dark without question, a terrible scheme of complete control. The person using it, however, was not nearly as blackened.

A strange figure calling themselves Raven. With the features of a young man but a gaze far older. Pale skin like someone who had never worked the land, but a worn face like one who had seen a thousand battles. Don knew magic couldn't supplement language. It proved a cheap imitation. Yet, Raven had spoken their tongue perfectly. Who taught him? Why did he use such dark magic?

So many questions left unanswered.

"Calm yourself, Don. All of you be at peace." Yue spoke, quiet but firm in their dirt prison. All whispers hushed to hear her speak. Yue had been a priestess in their homeland, one who had dedicated her life to the ways of the Tothied patron, Xejhuan. She held respect throughout the village but had lost much of her liveliness upon captivity due to worry for their daughter. Don felt hope as he gazed upon the woman he loved, seeing a vestige of the person she had been.

"I can sense Raven. All his intentions," She continued, staring down at her palm "His word is true. So long as I fulfill my end of the bargain, so will he."

"Are you sure, Yue? If they catch you-"

Yue waved her hand, eyeing her husband with a furious gaze. Both her red rabbits' ears twitched, displeased.

"Have you forgotten, Don? Where it is we are? If I do not try our daughter will die. All living things die, but it is against the will of Xejhuan that I should live while my progeny perishes."

"I- you are right, Yue." Don hung his head. "I feared for you. But she comes first. Our Bie comes first." He eked out a meek smile, one that his wife returned. "To all of you; fulfill your duties well and have hope. If Yue believes in this stranger, then so will I."

The strongest of the beast folk had the right to command the rest, but it went deeper than that. While some might condemn a society built on such a strict hierarchy, for the sensitive and aware Tothied the structure went deeper. It meant more than subservience; it provided trust, guidance, and purpose. Purpose to serve, challenge, or mimic, all directed toward a leader. It encouraged the strength of future generations to overcome those who came before. This idea of prosperity and continuity was foundational to God Xejhuan when he created the Tothied.

In light of this tradition, all other captives nodded at Yue and Don's words. If they believed, so would they.

All were filled with an inkling of hope, that one day they might see the rivers and valleys of home again.