When it started to get light the next morning I could finally see the extent of the damage to the camp. More than a quarter of the tents had been damaged. Of those, maybe a third were completely unusable, just piles of ash.

  I saw a few of the dead dragonettes laying ignored on the ground. They were very dark, mostly black with some brown. Some of them had dark red or orange stripes along their backs. It looked like they did have short legs, like lizards. Their bodies were thicker between their front and back legs, with thinner necks and even thinner tails. Their wings were more bat-like, however.

  There were also several piles of dead bodies. Human bodies.

  Someone clubbed me in the back of the head, making me see stars for a while and causing a lump to form. I turned to see the group of soldiers who had just passed behind me, laughing at what their friend had done. I glared at them, but that only made them laugh even harder.

  Some of them were angry, however. In fact, there were a lot of angry people throughout the camp, especially those who seemed to be in charge. There was a great deal of yelling going on as groups were trying to clean up the mess. Not all of the messes were caused by the fires. The remains of the previous night’s dinner were strewn all over the place, as if a stampede had trampled through.

  Many people glared at me when they caught my eye, as if I had caused this, somehow.

  I kept waiting for someone to come and check on me, give me food, yell at me or anything, but I guess everyone was too busy. I checked my leg injury myself, which was very awkward since it was on the back of my thigh, and I had to pull my pants down part way. When I took the wrap off the wound was no longer bleeding. In fact, it felt like it had closed over under the scab, but it was still very sore. It seemed like my quick healing was working but wasn’t finished yet.

  When I felt the need to relieve my bowels, I discovered a covered chamber pot within reach, though there was absolutely no privacy. Good thing no one cared to watch me. I had never used one, but I quickly learned how. I had grown up using an outhouse or covered hole.

  The day quickly turned warm, with the sun shining brightly. My thirst continued to increase throughout the day.

  I continued to watch the distant trees looking for Fin or Lil. Several times I thought I saw them, but when I looked closer it seemed my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I knew they were out there. And I was pretty sure they knew I was captured and not dead.

  Several meals had passed but still no one came to check on me.

  Around the time of the evening meal I saw a small group of soldiers coming toward me. One was definitely in charge, a big guy in a nicer uniform with bulging muscles. His hair was bright orange, not a natural color, so he was probably a mage. If he had body forging like my dad, he could likely tear my arms off if he wanted to.

  He had an angry scowl plastered on his face.

  They stopped and glared down at me. I just looked up at them from my seated position, too weak to want to get up. One of the soldiers grabbed my shoulders and jerked me up from the ground.

  “Gku sbang tel ouwux? Iblyyli sbang ilfiaie ocna tel owuki fika oiwie?” He jabbed his fingers into my chest on every other word.

  There’s going to be a bruise there when this is over.

  I could only stare at him, dumbly.

  “Alisiix ac arco ilfiaie sbang!” He yelled at me, a little spittal hitting me in the face.

  “I can’t understand you,” I said. “I don’t speak your language.”

  One of the aides near him started talking to him. Hopefully he was translating. The big man nodded.

  “You spy Landria army?” the aide asked.

  “No.” I shook my head.

  “Army come here?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t know anything.”

  “Why here come you?”

  “I was hungry. I had no food.”

  “You send Ieuniiwiokukidesu?” he asked, pointing at a dead dragonette. I guess that last word was what they called them.

  I shook my head again. “No, I don’t know what they are.”

  He talked to the commander some more. Finally, he said to me, “You lie. Hunger, say truth.”

  They turned to leave, with the commander pushing through to lead the way again.

  I yelled at them before they were too far away. “Pease, I’m just a kid. I know nothing. Can I have a little food and water?”

  They just ignored me and walked away.

  That evening I was ignored by most everyone, except for the taunts a few soldiers felt obligated to throw my way. Later, the night turned colder, but I was too weak and tired to miss out on sleep this time. So I just curled up in a fetal position and slept.

  I didn’t wake up until the sun was shining in my face. It was already high in the sky, so I must have slept a long time.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The camp looked much better, with the destruction mostly cleaned away. Looking around, I didn’t see many of the dead bodies any more, monster or human. Someone must have been busy into the night. In fact, the camp seemed pretty calm when compared to the day before.

  I got up and stretched, but I was immediately dizzy so I had to sit down again. I desperately needed something to eat and drink. Especially water. My lips were getting chapped, and I could feel a sunburn on my face.

  I looked around for Fin and Lil again, but didn’t see them. I really didn’t expect to. I wanted them to run far away. There was no way they could deal with this army. But I also didn’t think they could survive long without help.

  The rest of the day I just lay on the ground and tried to keep my bare skin away from the sun. There was nothing else I could really do.

  That evening the group of soldiers came back. There were fewer this time, but among them was the orange headed commander and the aide who could sort of translate.

  Again they made me stand up, even though it made me dizzy. I had so little strength left, two of the soldiers had to hold me up.

  “Speak truth or die,” the translator said right up front.

  “I speak the truth,” I promised.

  “You spy?”

  “No, I’m not a spy.”

  “Landria army coming?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just a kid.”

  “Why come you?”

  “Only food.”

  They started talking among themselves. I was so lightheaded by this point, I don’t know what happened until someone slapped me across the face. When I looked up the commander was gone. Just the translator and the two guards holding me up remained.

  “You wish life?”

  “Yes, I wish to live.”

  “Choose, slave or die?”

  I just looked at them. I kind of expected them to kill me. Afterall I was a thief and had been caught. But were they offering to let me live if I became a slave? It seemed like it, but I was having a hard time concentrating.

  “I’ll become a slave,” I offered. “I just need food and water.”

  He nodded his head to the two holding me. They set me down and one of them pulled out a key and released my feet from their shackles. Then they picked me up again and carried me to a medium sized tent. There were no beds or cots inside, but there were various piles of blankets on the ground. They laid me down on one of them. They again put shackles on me, but I wasn’t chained to a stake this time. I’d worry about that later.

  After a little while someone came in with a plate of food and a mug of something, which they put on the ground by me. It didn’t take me long before I was snarfing down the food but when I took a big drink from the mug I nearly gagged and spit it out. It was beer, not water as I had been expecting. But I was desperate for liquid so I drank it. But I had to force myself to sip at it, even though I was parched with thirst.

  By the time I was finished, I was feeling both better and worse. But that’s all I got, so I soon went to sleep for the night.

  The next morning someone kicked me awake. It was dawn but the sun hadn’t risen above the mountains yet so it was dark in the tent.

  “Aipihe sni ac.” It was a man’s voice.

  I sat up, but wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Aipihe arna,” he said more forcefully. Then he reached down and grabbed my shirt at the shoulder and yanked up on it. I got the message, so I stood up. At least I wasn’t as dizzy this time.

  He turned and walked out of the tent, so I followed. Or I tried to, until my foot reached the end of the chain attached to my back foot, causing me to tumble to the ground. He poked his head back in the tent and saw me trying to get up again.

  “Ailaili ilu! Diki yski ate iueueki arna.”

  I quickly got back up. I had to remember to take smaller steps with these on. I followed him as well as I could. He led me to a wash tub, next to which was a large pile of dirty dishes. The bowls and plates were made of a thin metal of some kind. The mugs and utensils were either metal or wood.

  Actually, there were several tubs nearby. He kneeled by one and gestured to mine, saying, “Sbang ulili tiq.”

  Then he picked up a dish and started washing it using one of the rags next to the tub, so I did the same. He nodded. The water was very cold, and there was no soap. But I could do this. I knew how to wash dishes. A woman came and started washing dishes in the third tub. She didn’t say anything to me, but she did glance at me once in a while.

  As they washed he made a pile on a cloth next to them, so that’s what I did. I will admit they cleaned three for every one I did. But I was trying to scrub them well.

  “Sbang yski ate iewuki iaoip, iaoip,” he said, as he stood up and pulled the corners of his cloth together and then picked it up. The woman picked up her pile as well, so I got up to do the same, when he shook his head and pointed to my small pile.

  “Iaoip, iaoip, ” he said again, as they turned to take their clean dishes away. I think I understood. My pile was too small. I needed to finish more. The sun had come up, and I was sure that breakfast was to be served soon.

  So I got busy, trying to wash a little faster.

  Another woman much larger came over and yelled at me. “Oaiafr xena? Ani gku sbang fi rla? Diki yski ngal kkioisaedesu arna!”

  She grabbed the back of my hair near my neck and yanked up. “Hay! Ouch!” I yelled. “What was that for?” It felt like she wanted to rip my hair out.

  I looked up at her and glared. She whacked my head with the wooden spoon she was holding, and said, “Iaoip!” then turned and stomped away.

  “I’m hurrying, iaoip,” I echoed. I was beginning to hate that word.

  I was much faster after that, so it only took another 10 minutes to finish the remaining pile of dishes. I pulled up on the corners of the cloth, as I had seen the other do, then picked them all up. I wasn’t sure where to go next, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that they were needed where the food for breakfast was being served.

  When I arrived, the large lady who had yelled at me, probably the head cook, pointed at an empty table and said, “Bag fyx tet.” So that’s where I placed them. However, a bunch of them soon fell on the ground. I guess I wasn’t careful enough. That earned me another tongue lashing and whack on the head with a spoon. which was covered in mush.

  I really needed a bath in the river. After cleaning my hair out, I looked around. There was a long line of soldiers getting their food. I wanted to eat so I figured I would get in line myself.

  “Ercikr xuzaidesu!” a soldier yelled, as he shoved me roughly to the ground. “Sbang ikuiksia ate hiuo lomoghii diki gku mni.” He pointed at a group of people sitting off to the side.

  When I looked, I could see the two who had washed dishes with me, plus a bunch of others, none of whom looked like soldiers.

  More slaves?

  Most of them were now laughing at me, along with many of the soldiers in the line. Another soldier stepped near and kicked me in the gut, knocking the air from me and sent me rolling.

  This day couldn’t get any worse, right?