Chapter 6: Two lessons

A full announcement was made and food was distributed to everyone before they were all sent back to their cells.

Rye, already used to the way things were done, waited until the guard that followed them was done with the cells around them before she dared to speak. Directing her question at Shiya when she finally did.

"How-how could they do that? They killed them! Don't they need our blood?" Rye asked with a completely confused look on her face.

"Are you stupid? You have no idea how many humans are currently in the kingdom but you'll find out soon. You're nothing but house pets," Sierra snapped before Shiya could open her mouth to speak.

She was worried about her sister who was still trembling, considering her phobia for blood.

"Also, if you pull what you pulled again before the auction I'll kill you myself," Helen directly told Rye who had an even more confused expression on her face.

"Reds have superior senses. What do you think would have happened to us, if you said whatever it was you were about to say? If you don't know your place, you'll get us killed alongside you," Helen glared at her before looking away.

Rye instantly felt guilty, realizing that in her moment of shock, she really would have said something that would have gotten them killed, if the guards heard it.

Rye wanted to apologize but none of the others paid any attention to her anymore as they all sat in silence, with no idea about how long it would take for night to fall.

Rye was worried but bored out of her mind with nothing to do as she sat on the ground.

Is this how my life is going to be? No? If I find a way to escape, I'll take it, she thought to herself, knowing better than to mumble.

The reds had superior senses but there was nothing that stopped Helen- a Hornel and Shiya and her sister who were Santors having the same.

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Evening came and again, they were all herded out of their cells in groups, and taken directly to the main hall.

The hall was huge and Rye was still wondering what was going on when she saw a couple of more guards appear, with the familiar black hoods on their heads.

They were dressed in black but stood out a little, because of the bright gold color on their sleeves, something that set them apart from everyone else.

"Humans to the left! Others to the right!" One of them stepped out to yell, and this time Rye felt her legs moving the second she heard the order.

It took a couple of minutes but the second it was done, a man Rye recognized stepped through the main entrance and walked straight towards the humans.

"It's the ones that look middle-aged that you need to watch out for," someone whispered from behind her, so low that she almost assumed she somehow heard wrong.

"My name is Bladon, the manager. You're more than I bargained for, which is why I'll have my guards pick a few of you," He began to speak with a friendly smile on his face, with no sign of animosity whatsoever.

Even his teeth were perfect and if not for his red eyes, Rye would have assumed that he was human, and not the monster she knew he was.

"I can assure you that you'll be well taken care of. You'll be given food and clothes in exchange for your blood. Trust me! It's a good offer compared to what some people coming to the auction will do to you,"

"I recently heard that a grade 4 lieutenant tore off a human's ear and ate it when she slipped while carrying his meal," He spoke with the right kind of empathy in his voice.

"He's-he's not lying. I-I heard one of the guards talking about it" someone whispered a couple of steps to Rye's left.

"Isn't it better for us to agree?" another whispered.

"What makes you think that he's any better? Have you forgotten what happened at the bathhouse?"

"If we end up with a good read, our lives might not be so terrible,"

The whispers around Rye were subtle but the longer she listened the more she cringed at the thought that for the rest of her life, she would be treated as a slave.

'Is there no other way?'

"Okay! If you agree step out and everyone else will be stripped and moved into the slave cages for display," he announced in a stern tone, one that was forceful enough to shock most of the humans there, considering it was their first time experiencing such a thing.

" Stripped!"

"Stripped?''

Everyone found it difficult to comprehend as the picture of how they would be auctioned for sale to the highest bidder slowly dawned on them.

Before Rye could think a little more about it, she was shocked to see people slowly step out one after the other.

She was even surprised to see Maddy being part of them.

Yet that wasn't the most shocking thing that happened as she heard Bladon open his mouth to say something that shocked them all to the bone.

"Take your pick!" he said speaking directly to the guards with gold sleeves. " Give the rest to the other guards and if any among them remain give them to the organ donors for the Grade 1 humans. You can even give them to the blood distribution society as a gift, I don't care."

A tall woman, with a proud bearing and a beautiful face instantly opened her mouth to protest.

"What's going on? This was not what was promised!" she spoke up above a whisper, doing her best to look as respectful as she could in the current situation she was in.

But the words had barely left her lips when Bladon, the manager appeared in front of her.

It was too quick for any human to see as Rye's mouth dropped open from the shock of it.

"Strip her! You can share her amongst yourselves for as long as you want. You can even give her to the male humans and watch for fun. If she gets pregnant then the children can be sold in the upcoming auctions," Bladon spoke, staring straight into Regina's glistening eyes.

Her legs trembled and tears pooled in her eyes. She had been on her way to pick up her toddler from preschool where the attack happened.

Her final hope to get someone who could care about her enough to care that she got home safely was completely squashed.

"I-I have a four--" But the words were barely out of the mouth when she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Bladon standing over her with his hand slightly raised, having rendered her unconscious.

At that very moment, Rye learned two lessons. The first was to never trust a vampire and the second was the fact that the moment she got pregnant in the City of Hoyen, was the moment her life would be over.

Regina was picked up and taken away along with everyone else who stepped out willingly to be accepted by the guards.

In their eyes, was a wishful look as they all wished that they had stayed and been auctioned instead.

Something they would have regreted if they stayed in the room and watched the treatment of the rest, who thought that their situation was somewhat better.

The cages were brought in and Rye had to dig her nails into the palm of her hands to keep her sanity as she saw the bit-sized cages and had to strip before entering one.

'Oh God! Am I nothing but a commodity? Something to be sold for money?'

That would have been the least of Rye's worries if there was a way for her to buy herself out of slavery later on.

From what she had seen, humans were treated worse than animals and it was her entire species.

'I have to make it out of here or die trying!'

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"Is Everyone ready?"

"Yes, Klaton! Everyone is ready to depart. I still think this is a trap one that we shouldn't allow ourselves to fall into," Mino, Klaton's second-in-command responded with a slight bow as he watched Klaton tighten a silver dagger along his waist.

"You know why I have to go," Klaton responded, his deep voice eliciting a slight response from Mino who felt a string of sweat pool on his forehead.

Klaton was a leader for a reason but above all his abilities made him stand above the rest. Unlike him who was a Santor with some mind powers, Klaton was the real deal!

"If by chance there's a Yoret has been held at the Slave Tower, it would help a lot to have him join us. We need strong people!" Klaton continued patting his chest a little as he walked out of the poorly lit room, he and Mino had been in.

His strides were long and they matched his tall and sturdy frame. He had just stepped out under the moonlight when the fire lamps being held by the rest of the men waiting for him outside lit up his face.

Every part of his was exquisite, including the gold color of his eyes that lit up in a blaze as he looked around and raised his voice to speak.

"I won't say much," Klaton began wanting to talk about their mission and how every time they left in such a manner, half of them were bound to not make it back.

He opened his mouth to speak again only to pause, a cruel smile flashing across his devilishly handsome face.

"Death to the Reds!" Klaton yelled his voice echoing around, but not past the mechanical sound barriers that had been placed around them.

"OR WE DIE TRYING!" They echoed back. The more than thirty men around him shouted, raising their various weapons with a determined look on their faces.

Mino, who had shouted just as loud, instantly took off running after Klaton the moment he did, as the men around him did the same.

They were in the lower parts of the city of Hoyen, and they were headed to the Slave tower, with black fabrics tied around their mouths, it was clear that they wouldn't be welcomed.