Chapter 51: A dragon’s slave

POV Rebecca

I whispered softly to myself as I slowly showed my fellow slave how to properly sew. He followed my every move closely, for it was likely his only chance to have a better life. A damp wind blew down the tunnel followed by the roar of a displeased wyrmling. "Stupid animal!"

A crack of a whip followed cries of anguish as the wyrmling laid his fury into the poor slave. I knew from experience how painful the whips were, not even the Queen's favor spared me its loving embrace. The crisscross of scars across my back, arms, and legs were testament to that. I silently prayed the poor soul would quickly black out, the pain would end sooner when the wyrmling grew bored.

"Thank you miss, it's… a great kindness you're showing me." He whispered as he followed my movements. I nodded and continued to work as the screams grew louder. The screams suddenly cut short and a hot sticky liquid hit my back. I started to shudder as a great many around me did.

I glanced at the elf's back to see it covered in fresh blood. I swallowed the rock in my throat and continued showing the elf how to sew. The truly useful slaves, those that did their job well at least had a chance of not being killed for fun… but the random urges of a wyrmling were anybody's guess.

One of the slave drivers walked near, a humanoid covered in scales with the head and tail of a dragon. Everyone shied away from him and the bloody whip he carried. The Dragonborn stopped behind me, but I ignored him and continued to show the elf I was with how to sew.

Suddenly the Dragonborn's clawed hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. It's toothy grin and hot breath greeted me. I started to shake uncontrollably as his clawed hand tore a large hole in my shirt. His coarse tongue flicked across my chest as his beady, lust filled eyes flicked back to mine. "The Queen wants to see you slave, we're going to clean your sorry hide."

He shoved me away from the elf. I stumbled and fell but quickly jumped to my feet as the Dragonborn reached for his whip. I scurried out of the damp, torch lit tunnels. Following the path until the sunlight kissed my pale emaciated form once more. I treasured it for a brief moment. The crack of the whip at my heels made me run once more.

I looked around and saw the hundreds of slaves digging another cavern into the hillside not far away. More tended the distant fields, corn and potato to feed the thousands of slaves. I ran towards the nearest stream, the stream was used for almost anything. Along the banks hundreds worked and toiled. Those near the banks washed and strained the clothes of the thousands of slaves while those further in cleaned the tools and meager kitchen supplies us slaves used.

The Dragonborn that had followed me gestured for me to clean myself before grabbing a female orc that had been drying a pan. She cried out in alarm as the Dragonborn threw her to the ground. "Go or join her."

I didn't have to be told twice, I quickly stripped off the tattered rags I wore and waded into the stream with several others that were cleaning. A male tiefling that had overheard the Dragonborn passed me a bar of soap and started scrubbing the grime from my back like I was some other pot to be washed. "I am sorry human."

I nodded my thanks to the tiefling and quickly dunked underwater before hurrying back to shore. I made my way out of the river quickly, but mostly untouched clothes like mine were always stolen, so I grabbed the nearest set of clothes that wasn't completely covered in grime and donned those. I waited near the Dragonborn that had brought me here silently.

I wanted to avert my eyes, but I couldn't… this place… what it did to every poor soul. I would burn these memories into my mind. One day, when my captors paid me no heed I'd escape. But these people deserve to be remembered, they deserve to be saved.

The Dragonborn was truly disgusting, what this orc was being forced to endure, the ravishing of her dignity and body was an all too common sight. But the profane levels I watched, as in his lust he clawed strips of flesh from her bone, sunk his claws into her as he pleasured himself upon her. I shuddered, whispering a soft prayer for the poor orc.

The Dragonborn finished and left the orc twitching in the sand, blood oozed from dozens of new cuts across her body. She was little more than a corpse, her eyes rolled back into her skull as she started convulsing. But this was all too common… some slaves just started dragging her towards the river and threw her in.

The Dragonborn shoved me quickly to the palace with a sadistic smile. I jogged, trying to keep ahead of the crass and uncaring embrace of the whip snapping at my back. The Dragonborn cackled with glee as he chased me through the slave fields. I struggled for breath, searching for any hope of respite, every step felt like trudging closer to the peak of Everest. Onwards I ran, toward the distant palace and whatever foul mood the Queen was in today.