Vol.2 Ch.24- The Plan.

"Now then, why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Kaladin?"

In between bites of my new favorite food, I told Remi and Deya about myself. I explained that I was from Syn'nari and I got captured in the jungle some time ago. I told them how old I was and that I escaped during the riot in the market.

However, I didn't tell them that I was the one that caused it or that I could use magic. They seemed like good people, but I figured if they knew I could use magic, they might try and use me. Of course, I didn't think they would do that kind of stuff, but giving them unnecessary information about myself seems like a mistake. After all, I've barely known these people for a few hours.

"So you are from Syn'nari. That's not good," Remi commented.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because sending you back into the lower city isn't feasible, so we can't take you through the ports. There is a wanted board for runaway slaves, and you are probably already on it, so going back to the lower city will get you caught instantly. "

"Not to mention getting a fake slave collar in time would be difficult. It normally takes us weeks to make a fake," Deya chimed in.

That is… very bad. I feel so close yet so far from going home.

"What does a slave collar do?"

"A lot of things, actually," Remi said. "For starters, they disrupt the flow of someone's mana, which means they can't cast spells or use any kind of mana body enhancement. And depending on the type of collar, they can even bind a person to their master, forcing them to obey their commands while also taking away the slave's ability to harm themselves or their master."

"Different kinds?"

"Yes, not every slave collar has the ability to force obedience. Most of them just disrupt the flow of mana. Slave collars used to be rare, but the Dwarves over at the Kingdom of Krunbar figured out how to make blood iron wire. Now you don't need those giant hunks of metal to disrupt someone's mana. You can just give someone a wristband made with the wires that's just as effective as the collar for half the price. But you need a Vampire's Blood Magic to be able to form the master-servant contract."

"Damn Dwarves… they just had to go and make the lives of these bastards easier," Deya groaned.

Remi's eyes shined for a second as he pinched Deya in the side. "Language, Deya, we are in the presence of a child." Remin scolded with a grin. "But it's not all that bad if you ask me, by flooding the market with more slave collars, we have been able to make more fakes now. It might just be a blessing in disguise."

Wow, wow, wow. This is going too fast and I'm too tired and hungry to be keeping up with all this information. But this is crucial information, so I need to ask these questions,

"What do Vampires have to do with anything, and why are fake collars a good thing?"

Deya patted my head to my question, "Aren't you just a bundle of questions?"

"Are you even following along? Sorry, I forgot who I am talking to…"

I sighed. Did they just remember now all of a sudden that I'm a kid? Just answer the damn questions, son.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to glare at me so hard… but to answer your questions, Vampire Blood Magic is needed to turn a slave collar from just a mana scrambler into one of obedience. Also, don't ask me how it works because I have no idea."

Remi took a deep breath and began his seminar. "So a slave collar with Vampire Blood Magic is called an Obedience Collar while a standard mana disruption one is just a slave collar. And why are fake collars a good thing? Because checking them without a vampire is dangerous. The only way somebody knows if a collar works is by putting it on themselves. And most people aren't crazy enough to start putting random slave collars on. Because if you put an Obedience Collar on by accident, you are bound to whoever the last master was, and you can't take it off. If you try to take it off, you die. Only two types of people are not affected by slave or Obedience collars: Beastmen and vampires. So having fakes put on people means people won't think twice about a slave being a slave. Got it?"

"Understood."

So Beastmen and vampires are immune to the collar's effects? Why is that, I wonder?

Remi raised his eyebrows at me, but I paid him no mind. Well, now I'm even more glad that I don't have one of those on. But if a vampire is needed… Why didn't my old master just force one on me? Meh, their loss is my gain.

I graciously licked my bowl clean, and Deeya just giggled. "Let me go get you another bowl."

Remi and I just sat in awkward silence not knowing what to say to each other. Finally, he was the one that broke the silence,

"So, how you holding up, kid? You seem pretty tough for someone who's only seven. Most kids your age are crying and begging for mommy or daddy, not asking how slave collars work. How did you even make it out of the lower city, I know you said there was a riot, but we didn't have one planned till tomorrow?"

Planned riot, what?

"I'm okay. As long as I'm not in chains anymore, I'll be fine. And what do you mean by a planned riot? I just escaped as soon as I had an opening, and Sorn saved me and got me into the upper city."

"Ahh, Sorn got a hold of you? That's good. Well, I mean, it's good that he saved you, not that Sorn got enslaved again…" Remi trailed off as he scratched the back of his head.

"But yeah, fights break out all the time in the lower city, so we purposely plan stuff like that so that we can sneak slaves out easier. The shi—… scum hole that is the lower city makes getting slaves out both easier on some levels and very difficult on others. Like how the city officials have the Dagins in their back pockets, so we can't even pay enough money to use the ports."

I rubbed my temples and groaned. So close yet so far…

I looked around the small room we were in. It was cool down here in these man-made tunnels, and the walls were cleared out using earth magic. I wonder…

"Why are you guys down here? Wouldn't it be safer in the lower city?"

"Absolutely not. You know, stay in the shadows of the giant to hide from the monsters? Being in the upper city makes us less likely to be found. People in the lower city would rat us out for the bounty in a heartbeat anyway. And the guards down there can just kick any door down they please. By spreading our bases out amongst the upper city, we can avoid all that trouble. It's harder for the authorities to raid a store here than it is down there."

I see… hide in plain sight. That's as valid a strategy as any.

Deya walked back in with another hot bowl of porridge and told me to eat slowly again. She plopped down on the bed next to me and asked out loud. "So what are we gonna do? He is from Syn'nari, but we won't be able to get him there through the port."

"I don't know. I only handle some of the logistics. Bell is the one who gets to decide these types of things."

"Do you think we could see if she would send him to The Vast Barrens?" Deya suggested.

"Doubtful. After all, the Dark Elves don't like outsiders, and we have no contacts in The Vast Barrens. Even if he has Dark Elf blood and we had a contact, there is a good chance they wouldn't accept him. I heard only the Shadow Clan interact with the outside world frequently, and they are all pretty much in the north in Luminar. Besides sending him, there might be a worse fate than death. I heard that Dark Elves eat—"

Eat what?

"Remi, please! Just stop... talking." Deya looked like she was about to blow a gasket. "Don't believe in all that weird stuff. People like you are why the Dark Elves don't like outsiders, I've been to The Barrens, and they are very nice people."

"You're able to say that because you are an Elf…"

"Anyways, we can just ask Kaladin himself. Kaladin, what would you like to do?"

Mmm… if they can't get me out to sea, I suppose the next best place would be The Vast Barrens. Since I'm part of the Shadow Clan, I won't have any relatives there, but Dad did say he visited.

I'm sure I can find help in the land of the Dark Elves, I might only be a half-blooded Dark Elf, but somebody has to be able to help me. Even if they do turn me away, I'll be free to get home on my own. As long as I'm nowhere near this place, that's all that matters.

"I'd like to—"

"It doesn't matter what the boy wants. The plan has always been to get the new slaves out of the city as fast as possible and send them north. We can not allocate resources just for the sake of a single child," a raspy voice interrupted me. The voice seemed somewhat feminine but matching it to the figure in front of me was difficult.

A Dragonkin with ice blue scales wearing a set of full plate armor walked in. Her green reptilian eyes bored into me like daggers. She had two maces strapped to her belt and had a set of long curving horns on her head. I've only seen a male Dragonkin before, and that was the guard on the ship. Do females have horns like Dragons?

She switched to speaking Human before going on a tirade. "You imbeciles! What are you doing talking about such things with a child you just met? Can you not think for yourselves and wonder how this child even got here?"

"But Sorn—" Deya spoke.

"Sorn is a fool and has never followed the rules! He may be on our side, but we can not trust the boy. Does it not make you worry that the day before our planned riot, one just so happened to appear? And that a random child was the only one who made it out? This is far too suspicious. He could be a spy," the Dragonkin said forcefully. She seemed to keep one eye trained on me at all times, so I averted my gaze and stared at the floor.

"He has been starved and had a nasty broken nose," Remi interjected.

"How can you both be so naive? Do you believe this city's officials are above abusing a child to smoke us out? Preying on the weak is what they do! And using our own weakness against us is something they have tried in the past!" she shouted.

The Dragonkin took a deep breath and steadied her anger. "Refrain from speaking to the child any more than you have to and keep a close eye on him. He is not to leave the safe house under any circumstances. I shall place him in the next convoy leaving in a few days. If he makes any moves to escape or contact the outside, he is to be killed immediately, for the sake of all the others we have worked so hard to save. Do you both understand me?" she hissed.

Dreya and Remi cast their eyes downwards as a whirlwind of emotions pelted them. They both gave meek nods of understanding. I felt terrible for them, but I agreed with the Dragonkin. It was refreshing having someone doubt me. I'm sure if someone like her wasn't around, this place wouldn't have lasted this long. And if I were in her position, I'd probably feel the same way about some random kid showing up the way I did.

After all, my timing seems to have been way too perfect to be a mere coincidence to these people. And now I'm glad I did withhold what information I did. If a half-blooded Elf child that could use magic and speak both Elvish and the Human language showed up randomly, I probably wouldn't have received the same kind of treatment. I would most definitely be considered to be a possible threat. I mean I was supposed to be one right now. Hiding my abilities and skills is my biggest trump card.

The Dragonkin gave me one final appraisal and walked out of the room. "Uh, sorry about that, Kaladin. Bell can be very intense sometimes. She didn't mean to frighten you," Deya said meekly.

"It's okay."

Perhaps she took me, averting my eyes as if I was frightened? She might be projecting, though. These two seem like they are more shaken about it than I.

"Well, that's good. I really am sorry, though," Deya took my now empty bowl of porridge and scratched her head awkwardly. "You must be tired after such a long day, huh? Let's get you washed up properly and a nice warm bed so you can get some sleep. How does that sound, Kaladin?"

"I'd like that, thanks, Miss Deya."

Deya gave me a warm smile, and Remi said his goodbyes. She led me to a washroom so I could clean myself off thoroughly. Although I was already wearing fresh clothes, having my body cleaned all the way felt nice.

I probably smell rancid, so I was surprised the two tolerated me for so long. I mean, Remi did wipe me down, and I did get sprayed down by a water cannon yesterday, but it wasn't enough to remove weeks' worth of grime out of my long hair. One of the guards even warmed up the water a bit for me with fire magic.

After cleansing myself of filth, Deya escorted me to my bed so I could get some sleep. The bed was in a barracks-type room, but I couldn't care less. I was just looking forward to sleeping on something that wasn't the ground or another slave.

After some good food and a bath along with the fatigue of the last few hours, it took me no time at all to fall asleep.

—

A few days have passed by in the safehouse. I can't be sure precisely many days it's been, but I have gone to sleep and woken up five times. I've gotten used to the little community that's formed down here. Deya has been having me help her do miscellaneous things around the place like wash clothes or help serve food.

I could tell she wanted me to relax, but she was ordered to keep an eye on me, so I didn't mind the simple tasks. I've never been one to lounge about anyways, so giving me something to do a few hours a day helped curb the boredom. In my free time, I just practiced my mana control and slept.

I didn't talk to anyone besides Deya since I've only seen Remi a few times since the first day. The other children here are much younger than me and so attached to their parents they probably don't even know I exist. And the few who are around my age have clearly had it rough and don't speak to anyone.

But anyone who has spoken to me has been very kind. Well, besides Bell the Dragonkin. I can tell she very much does not trust me at all. But I don't plan on giving her any reason to doubt my allegiance. If these people were going to get me out of my current situation, I was more than happy to be a good little boy.

I just finished my morning routine of serving breakfast and eating my own food when Remi, who was accompanied by Bell approached me. Remi had a complicated look on his face when he sat down. "Uh—uh, good morning, Kaladin. How are you today?" Remi stammered out.

"Just another day, Mr. Remi," I responded while shrugging my shoulders.

Remi clearly had something to say to me, so I wish he would just go out and say it. He didn't seem like the type of guy who had any kind of filter in a conversation. Even Bell had a hard-to-describe look. It was already difficult trying to understand the facial cues of a 6-foot tall bipedal lizard person, especially when I was bad at it in the first place. I can at least tell if she is just scowling at me or eyeing me up and down all the time.

Finally, Remi gathered himself enough to ask me,

"You say you are from Syn'nari, right? So what village were you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Owlkirk. A village at the southern portion of the second largest island, why?"

As soon as I said the name of my village, Remi winced, and Bell looked away. Remi seemed even more conflicted now, but Bell urged him on."You should tell the boy. He deserves to know."

"I know… I know it's just—whatever. You're a pretty tough kid, Kaladin. I mean, just look at you, your nose is healing rapidly, and it's only been six days."

True, while concentrating on my mana control, I have been actively attempting to speed up the healing of my broken nose. With all this spare time, I've managed to knock off days off the healing process.

Of course, this only works on injuries like a broken nose. Nothing seems to work no matter how much time and mana I dedicate to trying to heal the pain in my ears or chest. But what about my village do I deserve to know exactly?

"If you do not tell the boy, I will," Bell said firmly.

"Going soft on him, Bell?" Remi asked, deflecting her statement.

"No—no—no, I'm not. Perhaps I was too harsh on the child. He has been agreeable during his stay here, so perhaps I was just being too paranoid. Besides, I do not doubt that he is from this village. Therefore we should tell him what we have learned," Bell said defensively.

Remi sighed, "Listen, Kaladin, there isn't a good way to say this, so I'll just say it. Your village was attacked last month."

Okay…

"What happened? Do you know anything else?"

"I don't know how much damage was done. I know the village defended itself but to what extent, I can't be sure. All I managed to piece together was that a large group of bandits attacked the village. The bandits are a rogue band of excommunicated templar knights from the Holy Kingdom of Arotal."

"They call themselves the Chapter of Despair. Their leader is a very gruesome man. He was the former captain of a chapter before he murdered an Exarch, taking over the group and forming the new renegade chapter. They deal heavily with the slave trade along with supplying top-notch mercenaries for corrupt nobility. They are a powerful group of elite soldiers bound only by their greed. The Adventurers guild has given them a threat level of one hundred and twenty," Bell said seriously.

…

…

This is not what I wanted to hear. If the village was attacked, then Mom and Dad were definitely part of the defensive. Even Grandpa would have been active in the fighting.

But they are so strong… surely they are okay, right? If anyone can defend themselves, it has to be Mom and Dad; I'm sure they are fine… but Padraic and his family, are they okay? And if they were busy fighting, then they might not find Cerila in time. No, no, no, I can't think like this. She will be fine. I put everything I had in that spell, so I know it worked but what if…

"Kaladin!" Deya shouted while hugging me tightly.

"What…" I petered out before I even finished my words.

The words got stuck in my throat, and I felt the warm streak of tears running down my face. Huh, when did I start crying?

I tried wiping the tears from my face, but they just kept flowing out of me. I wasn't sobbing like I usually did when I cried, but the tears kept on coming. The ball in the back of my throat just kept getting larger, making it impossible to form words. Deya tried wiping away the tears while Remi looked around awkwardly, and Bell examined the grain of wood on the table with her claws.

"It's going to be okay, Kaladin. I'm sure your family is safe and waiting for you to come home…" Deya said softly.

Cerila…please…I'm so sorry…I…ah…

After a few moments, I finally got myself back under control. I wiped away the final remnants of my tears."Thanks… Deya."

She just smiled at me warmly while Bell cleared her throat. "I hate to ask you after this but—"

"Bell?! Is this really the time to be asking questions?" Deya snapped back.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of waiting. He ships out for the Kingdom of Luminar with the others tomorrow. Now Kaladin, can you tell me about the person who took you?"

"Uh well… he is a Human man around his late forties, short brown hair. He seemed strong and was well built. His accent also made it seem like he wasn't from Ostela. He used a shortsword and wore a brown overcoat… that's all I know."

Bell grumbled. "That is not enough information. It doesn't sound like him… is there anything else? Anything at all that might help identify him."

"Well, not really about him, but he had a female Vampire partner. I believe her name was Jessine. She was the one that tracked me down and captured me. She seemed like a servant to the man who enslaved me."

Bell's eyes went wide, and she let out an involuntary gasp. Deya, who was sitting next to me, went rigid, and Remi went pale. "Are you sure about that? You are confident that there was a Vampire amongst those who captured you?" Bell asked in a low tone. I nodded.

"We have to get him out of here! Can we push up the departure time to today?" Deya asked frantically.

"No, the collars won't come in till the morning… to think it really might be him," Remi said with a shaky voice.

"What's wrong? I don't understand…" I said.

Everybody was acting so differently all of a sudden.

Bell gave me a serious look. "The description of the leader of the rogue chapter is hazy and shrouded in mystery. He has many descriptions. Some don't even believe him to be Human. Others think he is dead, and the group pretends he lives. After all, if the leader of your group had the power to kill an Exarch, then most wouldn't want to fight against such a strong opponent. Other than that, almost nothing is known about the leader of the Chapter of Despair. But one thing is constant, the right-hand woman of the chapter is a Vampire. So if what you say is true… then most likely the man who took you was Alnwar Strongfold, the leader of this group. Although the descriptions don't match up, especially the weapon type, but anything is possible."

"It should be fine, right? So I got away, and I wasn't followed. Sorn even double-checked."

"Hopefully," Bell said before switching to Human. "We are increasing security for the next two days. Warn the other safehouses as well, Remi. We must keep to the schedule so let's move as fast as possible, you two."

Both Deya and Remi nodded. "Can you help me clean up breakfast, Kaladin?" Deya asked me kindly.

Although I helped Deya clean up after breakfast, my mind still wandered to bad places. I felt dread well up inside of me as I thought about my home and family.

Please be okay, everyone. I'll be home soon.

—

Today was the day of my extraction from this accursed city. The number of guards had been beefed up since my talks with Bell yesterday. I didn't know anything about the group that enslaved me, so I didn't even think to mention it.

I thought it was a lone group of slavers that just got lucky in capturing me, but I guess not. To think a rogue chapter from the Holy Kingdom of Arotal would be running wild, causing so many problems. They even had a threat level of one hundred and nine, which is a threat to towns or villages.

The Holy Kingdom sits at the southernmost point of Amoth, the other continent. It's apparently a harsh land of freezing cold winters that sees little sunlight, but they have an abundance of natural resources. I know they are a religious nation given the name, but I know little about the country. They also played a part in the downfall of Emperor Talgan, but that was almost two millennia ago.

All the slaves who had been in the underground safehouse have gathered in a single room. Remi and Deya were walking around fitting different kinds of slave collars onto them. Some were the traditional thick iron collars, while others were more subtle bands of metal. A few even looked more like cloth garments than something made of metal, but all of them were blood-red in color.

Finally, Remi and Deya both approached me together. "Hey, Kaladin. Are you ready?" Remi asked me with a smile.

I felt a small smile form on my face. I couldn't lie…I was somewhat excited to be free, even if I was heading in the opposite direction of home. "Yeah, I'm ready to be free," I told him.

It didn't matter if they were sending me further away from home. If they couldn't get me out of this city, then I probably couldn't get myself out. According to the information I got from Bell, the Kingdom of Luminar was a budding nation that was built on the corpse of the Old Empire. They actively accepted everyone, regardless of race or background, to become citizens and encouraged people to migrate to their kingdom.

Although they had ties to the City-States, they wouldn't actively extradite escaped slaves back to the City-States, making it a haven for escaped slaves. From there, I could gain passage on a ship back to Syn'nari.

"Listen, I'm sorry about this but we couldn't get you a fake collar in time. We didn't plan on saving any kids in the last riot, so we only have collars meant for adults. But we managed to get a real one that would fit you. But, of course, it isn't an Obedience Collar. We had someone double-check it for you."

"Who checked it?" I asked curiously.

"I did," Deya said with a wide smile.

Wait, what? Did she really do that?

"But why? Isn't that dangerous?" I complained.

"It's fine, don't worry about me. Just focus on staying safe and getting home, okay? Your parents must be worried sick," Deya told me with a kind smile.

I could only nod at her warm words. Thank you so much, Deya. You are far too kind.

Remi knelt and began to fix the collar onto my neck. "Now this is going to feel kinda weird, and I'm sorry I'm putting you back into chains, but it has to be done. Gotta look the part, right?" Remi gave a nervous chuckle.

"It's okay. Whatever has to be done," I reassured him.

Finally, the collar was latched, and I felt my mana rush to the center of my chest. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force my mana to my fingertips. I feel almost naked without mana.

I've gotten so used to having it that I've completely forgotten what it was like not to have mana. My mana control has improved so much that I could even sleep while enhancing my body with mana, allowing me to recover faster.

It was like my mana was trapped in my chest, I even attempted to create a small Fireball, but I couldn't get the mana to form a spell core. It wasn't the same feeling when I purposely retracted my mana for physical training either.

Remi gave me a wry smile. "Yeah, it's a funny feeling, right? For me, it feels like my mana turns into mist, and I can't make it solid again. I'm not a fan." Remi stood up and patted me on the shoulder. "Well, this is goodbye, kid. Stay strong out there, and don't let anyone squash your dreams. Get home to your family safely. And don't ever come back to this city. You don't owe Deya or me anything."

"Bye-bye, Kaladin. Travel safely." Deya

"Goodbye, Mr. Remi and Miss Deya. Thank you for helping me so much. I won't ever forget you or your kindness." I waved them goodbye as we departed into the tunnel.

—-

Bell wanted me to be by her side. She said if guards were looking for me, they would check the slaves at the back more thoroughly than at the front. And since I had no family or anyone to cling to it would be more realistic for me to be with her.

If it came down to anything, I was to act as her slave, but she assured me I probably wouldn't have to do that. The plan was simple: all of us were being transported as laborers for the clothing store company Silver Fox Clothing to move to a store in City State Sandervile in the east.

It's a good cover story, and I don't see too many faults with it. A clothing store would be more likely to hire young slaves and women over strong, able-bodied men. If it worked before, it will probably again, at least that's what I'm telling myself.

We approached where the secret door to the shop should be. Bell slid a section of the stone wall away, revealing a lever. After pulling the lever, the same thunk sound of the door's mechanism opening bounced off the tunnel's walls.

The door swung open, and standing in the door frame was a Human man. He looked bewildered to see the passageway open up before him. Bell and he had a staring contest for a few seconds, both of them not wanting to make the first move.

The man was armed with a two-handed longsword wearing a steel half-plate gorget and pauldrons with some chainmail. The purple tabard falling down to his crotch probably looked good once upon a time, but now it was a relic of its former self. A scratched-out insignia of two fully armored knights crossing swords against each other was on the tabard.

My heart sank as an all too familiar voice called out. "Yo, Marx, did you find any…thing… oh."

The voice and outfit belonged to the man who had enslaved me, but his face did not match up to what I knew. The man in his mid-forties with short brown hair and brown eyes had been replaced.

The person walked into view was wielding a shortsword in one hand and a bloodied two-handed claymore in the other. He had the appearance of a young man in his prime. His hair was now a dirty blonde, and he had dark green eyes. He looked straight at me with a disgusting smile.

"Long time no see my favorite little item."

My heart dropped into the pits of my stomach as the full blast of his bloodlust bathed me. I could hear the slaves behind me gasp, most of the children began crying, and one of the weaker elderly men just dropped to the floor.

"RUN!" Bell screamed.

The last thing I saw before turning was Bell plowing one of her maces into the first man's head, splattering it against the red textiles.

I was at the mercy of everyone else running down the hallway. Without my mana, I really was just a seven-year-old Elven boy. I was being constantly shoved around, I slammed into the wall and scraped my entire left side on the rock, leaving it bloodied. While running down the hall, my mind raced at a million miles an hour.

Was that him? He seemed completely different from the man before. How did he change his appearance like that? Which one was his real face? And would Bell be okay…

The mob finally reached the iron door, and people began banging on the door, begging to be let back in. The door opened with a whine, and the slaves began flooding into the safe house.

I was one of the last people back in as Deya grabbed me from the crowd and brought me to the side. "What's going on, Kaladin?! Where is Bell? Why is everyone so panicked?" she yelled, the confusion evident on her face.

"Armed men were waiting for us at the entrance. I think… I think they are the Chapter of Despair."

"No! No,no, no! We gotta use the back exit. Let's go. We have to get everyone out of here, hurry!"

Deya swept me up off my feet and sprinted through the safehouse at full speed, dodging, fleeing people that were in her way. About halfway through the compound, we heard an explosion go off from behind us. Deya's face hardened even more as she picked up the pace.

Deya stopped in front of Remi's room and went straight in. Remi was wasting no time and was packing up his things already. Deya let me down while Remi turned to us. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We are under attack. Remi, I need you to take Kaladin and guide the others out through the back! We still have time if we can get to our contact on the surface. We can still get these people to safety."

"Wait, what about you?!" Remi yelled.

"I have to buy time. They already got past Bell and blasted down the door. I can hear them running towards us now."

"But Deya, please, we can go together!"

"We are wasting time! Go Remi and take Kaladin!" Deya barked.

"This can't be how things end! I—I…I never got to tell you," Remi said, defeated.

"It's okay, I already know, Remi. I just wished you said it sooner, you weirdo. Now go make sure our hard work doesn't go to waste and remember this isn't goodbye, just a see you later. So please go. The Keepers need you, Remi, and so does Kaladin."

Deya finished her final words and gave Remi a peck on the forehead. Remi's face turned bright red as he hastily grabbed his thrown-together bugout bag. Remi grabbed my hand as we ran deeper into the safe house together. I looked back only to see Deya smiling, a tear rolling down her face.

The weight of my existence crushed me. These people…I…I did this to them. They tracked me here.

"I don't have the tools to take off your collar. I'm sorry… I know this must be hard, but it's going to be okay," Remi panted out in between breaths.

The underground dwelling medicine man probably didn't get too much cardio in. Perhaps the final wishes of the woman he cares for are spurring him into action. I could only hang my head in silence at his attempt to reassure me.

I felt absolutely terrible inside, this is all my fault… these people, they are going to die because of me. I-I… I'm so sorry.

We reached the backmost portion of the safehouse, the storeroom. I'd been back here a few times to grab supplies for making food but that was about it. I was always accompanied by Deya too… Remi forced his way to the back of the room where a large section of the wall had been opened, revealing a tunnel.

"What's going on?" Remi asked one of the guards.

"As soon as we heard the news, we opened the back passage and sent a few men to clear it out. They should have sent a runner with the all-clear by now…"

The guard's final words were like a trigger. The ominous feeling began to settle in as we gazed into the abyss of the dark passageway. It felt like minutes rolled by, but it must have only been a few seconds as a single set of footsteps could be heard. They were just walking toward us, taking their time. I began to sweat as a familiar feeling settled in, I've been through this before…

"We gotta go! We can't go this way!" I shouted at Remi, who gave me a look of confusion.

"Kaladin? What's gotten into you?!"

"There has to be another way! She is coming. I know she is! Please, we have to go now!" I pleaded.

Before Remi could ask me anything, he too, heard the footsteps. Both he and the guard looked down the passage. For a fraction of a second, we all saw a streak of crimson red. It looked like a pair of eyes had blinked.

By the time I could turn to run, I already felt her dreaded presence right behind me. I barely managed two steps as I thought my right leg give out. I yelped in pain and crashed to the floor with a roll. I grabbed my leg and looked at the sizable gash that had separated my calf muscles. My leg was going numb from the pain. People screamed as I looked up only to see the guard holding his throat, blood gushing out of it like a fountain.

Jessine was standing in the doorway and had the tip of her rapier pressed against Remi's throat, pinning him to the wall. I watched in horror as she slowly pushed the blade into his throat. Although the tip must have been razor-sharp, Jessine took her time. Remi was already choking on his own blood as his face contorted into an expression of terror.

A voice rang out from the entrance. "My oh my, look at all this money," the man I presumed to be Alnwar Strongfold said while striding into the room.

He was covered in blood and had that same nasty smile plastered onto his face, although he had a set of three claw marks running down his face. Our eyes met, and his smile grew as he walked toward me, shaking the blood off his swords. Everyone else had already huddled up against the walls of the storeroom, trying their best to avoid the bloodlust emanating from Alnwar and Jessine.

"Look at you and how far you got. I knew going through all this hassle was going to be worth it. You executed the plan perfectly!" Alnwar said, crouching down in front of me and patting my head. "I mean, just take a look at all these bounties you helped me catch! Not to mention the bounties on all the members of this little group. Man, when I picked you up back in that jungle, I knew you would be the very best, haha!" A

Alnwar stood up and sighed. "However, you did technically escape, so I do have to punish you with something…mmm.," he scratched the stubble on his chin as he took stock of the entire room.

I, too, looked around the room. I looked at the faces of the people I've spent the last six days with. And they were all looking right at me. Their resentful glares were boring into my soul as if they were blaming me for all of this.

I… I didn't do this on purpose! I'm sorry! I didn't want any of this to happen! I JUST WANTED TO GO HOME!

I looked back at Remi only to see the light from his swirling eyes vanish. He was watching me in his final moments, although I didn't see what his face looked like before.

Alnwar must have been watching me as he chuckled. "Well, that's something! I guess watching everyone around you die might do the trick. Of course, I can't kill the other merchandise. It would go against the whole purpose of this plan! Maybe I'll just have you watch me kill that High Elf when I'm done later… now that's a thought."

He looked over to Jessine."Make sure you heal his nose and those scratches all the way, I can't be having my most prized possession looking like this. Also, when you heal the leg make sure you do it just enough so he can walk but not run, don't want him getting out a second time."

"Yes, sir."

Jessine walked over to me and hoisted me up with little effort. She held me with a single arm as she sank her fangs into the flesh of my neck. I felt the burning pain as my nose and leg began to heal, but I stopped feeling the pain after a few seconds.

My mind went numb as the realization began to set in. I had not only doomed myself but everyone else here. Deya…Remi… even Bell died because of me. I really had betrayed everyone in the end.

I'm going to be a slave forever. I could only watch as the kindness of those around me turned to scorn. I feel dead. I wish I was dead. Hopefully, I won't wake up again after this.

My vision began to fade. The last thing I saw was the look of disgust and horror on everyone's faces.