Six

Anna shivered, and hugged her knees to her chest. She had spent an uncomfortable night in the wagon, huddled against Marielle. She had awakened not long after sunrise, and spent the next few hours jostled by the wagon's passage over the rough terrain.

Around midday, the wagons came to a halt. Hovering just a few feet off the ground was a wooden galley, floating in the air like a boat on the water. A large hatch had been opened in the side of the airship, creating a gangplank up into the darkness of the hold.

The dwarf in charge of the caravan climbed down off the wagon seat, and crossed over to a tall, thin man dressed in a hooded gray robe. Anna watched as the two talked for a few minutes, and she saw the robed man pass a large leather pouch to the dwarf. The dwarf reached into the pouch, and pulled out several small items. Anna couldn't make out the details, but something in the dwarf's hand reflected the sunlight.

The dwarf was apparently happy with what the robed man had given him, bowed, and turned back toward the wagons. He began shouting orders, and the warriors escorting the wagons drew their weapons. The dwarf walked from wagon to wagon, unlocking the cage doors, and the warriors began herding the prisoners toward the galley.

Anna heard the other people in the wagon whispering, and heard somebody mention "Questor of Dis". Anna looked up at Marielle. "What's happening?"

Marielle looked down at Anna, a strained smile on her face, but she didn't answer.

The dwarf came over to their wagon and unlocked the door. For the first time since the villagers were taken, he spoke in Throalic. "Out." His voice was rough and accented. When the captives hesitated, it took on a sharp, commanding edge. "Move!"

The captives obeyed. The threat of violence, embodied by the armed guards, added to the feeling of barely controlled panic. Outside the wagon, the line of prisoners was being marched up the gangplank.

A wiry young man with sandy hair broke from the line and started running toward the nearby trees. One of the guards moved to intercept him, and clubbed him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. The young man fell, and the guard -- an olive skinned human with greasy black hair and scruffy beard -- kicked the youth twice in the stomach for good measure. After the runner stopped struggling, the guard, with the help of a brawny ork, dragged the youth to the ship, dragged him up the gangplank and dumped him into the hold.

Anna clutched at Marielle's leg and whimpered, unable to look away. The older girl rested her hand between Anna's shoulders, pressing her close. "I know you're afraid, Anna. But do what they say, stay calm, and everything will be all right."

Cowed by the treatment of the young man who had tried to escape, the rest of the captives were easily herded toward the galley. The robed man watched them walk up the gangplank. As Anna passed him, she looked up and saw the fine features of an elf.

His gaze met Anna's, and she pressed herself even harder against Marielle's leg. There was no warmth in his expression. The fear and suffering of the captives left no mark on his face.

The wood of the gangplank was smooth and cool on Anna's bare feet. Still holding on to Marielle's tunic, she entered the galley's hold. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the hold, she could see dozens of people huddled on the floor, many of them shackled together. The air was rank with the smell of sweat, waste, and despair.

Marielle hesitated just inside the entrance of the galley, overwhelmed. Two guards stood just inside as well, one a dwarf in dirty brown leathers, the other a greasy haired human with a whip. The dwarf growled something unintelligible, grabbed Marielle by the arm, and shoved her toward the mass of prisoners at the front of the galley.

The sudden movement pulled Anna off balance and she fell. She cried out in fear as she lost her grip on Marielle's tunic. The sound drew a cruel laugh from the dwarf.

Marielle turned, her fear forgotten in the flush of anger at her younger cousin's treatment. The human guard noticed the movement, and pressed the whip in his hand against her breast. It was a casual gesture, but the implied threat was more than enough to keep Marielle from moving.

Anna scrambled to her feet and come face to face with the dwarf. She froze in terror, staring the guard in the eye. A vertical scar ran down the left side of his face, and the eye on that side was clouded over. The dwarf grinned a wolf's grin, and snapped his head forward, chomping his teeth closed with a loud click. Anna quickly backed a couple steps away, pressing her fists to her mouth in an effort to keep from shrieking.

The dwarf laughed again, and appraised the young elf girl. Anna didn't like the look in his good eye. She felt like a something on display in a market stall. The dwarf said something that drew a rough laugh from the human.

Marielle, red with fury, ducked under the human's outstretched arm, and slapped the dwarf's face. The dwarf growled and backhanded her, sending her sprawling to the floor. The human began beating her with the coiled whip, shouting at her in his foreign language.

Terrified for her cousin, Anna threw herself between Marielle and the human. She wept, yelling, "I'm sorry! It's my fault! Don't hurt Marielle, please!" The whip came down several times, its stinging lashes tearing at her nightdress and opening welts on her back.

After half a dozen blows, a troll stuck his head inside the hold and yelled something at the guards. The dwarf answered back, and the troll barked an order. The human stopped beating Marielle and Anna, roughly dragged them to their feet, and pushed them toward the bow.

Marielle moved as far from the guards as she could, and dropped to the floor. Anna wrapped her arms around Marielle's waist and buried her face against her tunic, sobbing. The older girl stroked her hair and made soothing sounds.

They sat that way as the rest of the captives were loaded into the hold. After about fifteen minutes, the hatch was closed. Only the dim glow of three light crystals anchored to the ceiling kept total darkness at bay. Anna could hear people moving around on the deck overhead, and before long she felt the galley start to rise into the air.

"Marielle?"

"Yes, Anna?"

"How is momma going to find us now?"

The older girl was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Anna, I don't know."

Anna snuggled closer to her cousin as the airship turned south, skirting the eastern edge of the Tylon Mountains.