This is the second Seuen short story.

Seuen short story 2

Seuen tried to get as much sleep as he could while the wagon slogged along the road, managing to hit every bump along the way. He was sore and tired, unable to fall asleep for the last seven hours both due to his wooden prison jostling around and the fact that he had just been kidnapped. He wasn’t sure if the whole thing had been planned or if these slavers had just lucked out with his capture. Either way, it wasn’t going to be long until his father sent people to look for him and hunted these mongrels down like the vermin they were; or he made his escape. Seuen was still sure that he could find some way out of this whole mess.

He looked again at the others in the wooden crate with him. They were all Veleren’s in age ranges from ten years to Seuen guessed seventy. He hadn’t met too many Veleren’s in his life, nor had his teachers taught him about how long they lived for. He just knew it wasn’t as long as Aensien’s or Perditions, both living for over a hundred or two hundred years. Seuen himself was still very young, but unlike the Perditions, matured very quickly. That was something he did share with the Veleren’s, at least.

By his count, there were twelve Veleren’s in the cage with him, most of them men. They all had ragged clothing and looked like the commoners he would see walking around the marketplace. They were packed in the corner opposite of Seuen, having moved there after the slavers had thrown him inside. They seemed to be afraid of him, and Seuen believed they were fearful because the Veleren farmers on the Barrier Forest border usually didn’t have much contact with other races in Caldiria, or other Veleren’s even. They mostly kept to themselves outside of some light trading within their own communities. They must have been easy prey for the slavers.

Still, if the farmlands, which were leagues from his homeland to the north such a simpler target, why would these ruffians trouble themselves and try and kidnap him?

The convoy came to a sudden halt, sending Seuen flying to the floor face first. He could hear muffled shouting from outside. He pressed his ear against the wall only for a hard fist to slam against it from the other side.

“We are coming up to a checkpoint. If any of you make a sound, you will regret it.”

Seuen heard another voice. “Why don’t we just muzzle them?”

“Because that won't keep them quiet. Besides, we are trying to maintain a low profile. For all the Aensiens believe, this is a weapon and livestock shipment.”

“And if they find out?”

“We kill them.” The walls rattled once more. “And we are not afraid of killing some of you off if you try and call for help. We don’t need to bring you all to YellowCreek Crossroads.”

Seuen narrowed his eyes.  I bet they are just saying that to get us to keep our mouths shut. I doubt they would actually risk killing people off when it means them coin.  But as he looked across the wooden crate, he could see the fear in everyone’s eyes as they huddled together. They believed the slaver's words without question as they quivered in the dim light.

The wagon came to a stop, and Seuen put his ear to the side to try and hear what was being said. The voices were muffled and sounded far away, but he could just make them out.

“Hold up. We need to inspect your cargo.”

Seuen heard Xelna’s voice. “We are transporting goods to Anchorhead.”

“We still need to inspect things.”

“Of course, right this way. You will find nothing but some aquasmith weaponry that is to be traded in for some Anchorhead flame swords. We are working in accordance with his majesty.”

The voices faded away. Seuen guessed that there was more in this caravan than the slaves—stolen weapons that they could show off to the border guards in an attempt to trick them.  This is just sickening.

A few moments later, the voices returned. “And what is in this crate?”

Xelna’s voice responded. “Oh, that? Just some livestock and food we brought with us from the homeland.”

One of the Velerens let out a hacking cough. Everyone looked at the man with terrified eyes, and a few moments of agonized silence passed.

Eventually, the guard outside asked. “It sounds like there is more than livestock inside.”

“Yes, well, we have one of our associates inside to keep the creatures happy and from trying to break out. They are Yaskerion bulls, very temperamental. But the poor, poor lad caught a cold on our way out here, and well, it’s best if he stays in there with the animals. I don’t want to risk you all getting infected.”

“Umm, well. Sure. You are free to move along.”

The cart started to move once more. Seuen sighed, wishing that the guards would have checked inside and done something to free him. Still, even so, that might have gotten them killed.

After they traveled for fifteen minutes, the cart came to a sudden halt. The other Velerens huddled together in the other corner of the crate. Seuen pressed his ear against the wall, wondering if the guards had wised up and come to save him. Instead, the wall was swung open by a massive red skinned Perdition with a Veleren standing behind him and Xelna. She pushed Seuen to the side and stepped inside, whip in hand.

“Ok, which one of you mongrels was it?”

She walked past Seuen into the middle of the room. “No one wants to speak up? That is fine.” Xelna flexed the whip in her hand. “I can live with that.” She looked at the slavers still standing outside the cell. “Grab the little girl and take her outside. She isn’t worth much anyways.”

A young man cried out, “No, she didn’t do anything.”

Xelna looked at the man. “Oh, and do you care to tell me who did?”

The man shrank back down, looking at the floor. Xelna stared at him for a few moments before saying, “If you don’t have the courage to tell me, then we will just take the young girl anyways.”

Seuen stood up and said, “It was me. I was trying to call for help.”

Xelna turned around and looked at him, a smile on her face. “Think hard about what you are saying, princeling. Do you really want to stick up for this trash?”

Seuen gulped. “What do you expect? You took me from my home. I am going to get out of here one way or another.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Take him out and teach him some respect. And take the girl as well.”

The Veleren who had objected before spoke up again. “But. . .”

Xelna cut him off. “I don’t care who tried to alert the Aensien’s at this point. If you want to see your daughter again, you will stay silent.”

The man looked at the floor as Xelna took the young girl’s arm and dragged her away. The Perdition gripped Seuen’s shoulder and forced him out of the crate. After they were out, Xelna told the other slaver, “Close the door.” The man nodded and shut the cell.

Seuen was then dragged thirty yards away from the carven before being forced to a stop. There Xelna shoved the young girl into the dirt. Seuen cried out, “Don’t hurt her.”

Xelna just smiled as she flexed her whip.

Sweat beat down Seuen’s face. He couldn’t watch this. Without thinking, he yelled out, “I will take whatever punishment you are going to inflict onto her.”

Xelna laughed. “I can’t have you damaged. You are too valuable. Let me ask you, why do you think I brought you out here to be punished if I can’t strike you?” There was a moment of silence, and then Xelna said, “Give me your best guess, little princeling.”

“I don’t know?” Seuen said as he shrugged.

Xelna handed him her whip. “You are going to beat this Veleren runt into an inch of her life.”

“And if I won’t?”

Xelna moved so she was breathing down his neck. “Then, I will let my associates deal with you. My protection only goes so far.”

“I can live with that.”

“Oh, sure, sure. But did I also mention you would lose access to our water supplies for the rest of the trip?” Seuen started at her. “A young Aensien like you, slowly withering away, why that would be a sight to behold.” Seuen bit his tongue. “We do have such a long journey still ahead of us as well. Are you sure you can make it with such little of your, ahem, life blood?”

Seuen looked at the frightened little girl. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to hurt her, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be forced to dry up. His people needed water to survive. Who knew how long this trek was going to last—days, weeks? He wasn’t sure he could withstand that kind of pain.

Xelna was tapping her foot, waiting for him to make his decision. Looking at the ground, he said, “I am not going to hurt her.”

Xelna spat in front of him. “I am disappointed.” She directed her attention to the Perdition holding Seuen. “Hold him and make sure he keeps his eyes open. I want him to see this.” The giant nodded his head and, with two arms, immobilized Seuen, and the other two pried, his eyes open. Xelna then started to strike the young girl over and over. To the young Veleren’s credit, she didn’t cry out in pain, but tears did run down her cheeks.

After two full minutes, it was over. Xelna stood up and said, “That is enough. Put them back into the cage. We need to get moving towards Yellowcreek Crossroads and unload this cargo.”

The Perdition let go of Seuen and moved into Xelna’s face. “We need to talk about who gets to keep the Aensien.”

She waved her hands dismissively. “All in good time. All in good time.”

Seuen looked at them.  Why would they be arguing over who gets me?

Xelna changed the tone in her voice, becoming fierce. “Now get them back into the cage already. We are behind schedule.”

Seuen was forced back into the cell with the young Veleren, who ran to her father after being throw inside. Seuen turned to see the door slammed shut in his face. Moments later, the caravan started to move once more. Seuen slowly sank to the floor, feeling defeated. He had done the right thing, but at what cost?  I just hope that Yellowcreek Crossroads is as far as I have to go. That is just a couple more days from here. I think I can last that long.

He sighed and tried to find a comfortable sitting position to drift off. If he was going to obtain any rest, it was going to be now. But before Seuen could fall asleep, he was shaken back awake.

“Excuse me.”

He looked up to see the young Veleren who had spoken out before. He had dark black hair that came down to his shoulders and green eyes. His clothing was tattered, and Seuen could see fresh scars on his arms. “My daughter said you tried to keep her from being hurt and are going to be suffering for it like the rest of us. I wanted to thank you. You didn’t have to try and sacrifice yourself for us.”

Seuen just nodded his head. He was happy that the Veleren’s wanted to talk to him now, but all he wanted to do was rest. After a few more minutes, he found himself fast asleep.

***

Later that night, Seuen awoke to the sound of splashing water. He stood up and could smell fresh water nearby; they had to be crossing a river. He stood up, instinctively to find the rushing water just outside the crate. It had only been ten hours, and Seuen already felt desperate for the liquid gold to rush into his veins. Just getting to the crossroads was going to be rough. He forced himself to sit down, his arms jittery as the convoy continued to move through the creek.

Seuen then noticed the other prisoners. They were no longer huddling in the other corner of the crate hiding from him, now staying spread out and seemingly relaxed. Even as he stood up, they did not scatter. Seuen sighed, happy that his cellmates were no longer terrified of him. Still, he wasn’t sure he was ready to talk with them himself. Seuen hadn’t that much experience with the other races of Caldiria, and the one time he did was with one of the small Xiros, the little furry people that lived deep in the Barrier Forest. He had been on a trip to the marketplace with his father when a fight broke out between a Xiros and an aquasmith. The brawl ended in the smith being beaten alive before the guards could intervene.

Suddenly the young Veleren girl ran up to Seuen. “Hey. Are you alright?”

Seuen nodded his head rapidly.

“Really? You looked like my uncle when he came down with a case of Hivenititis.”

Seuen sighed. “I don’t know what that means.”

She shrugged. “I am not really sure myself. I just know my uncle was in bed and sick a lot, and my parents wouldn’t let me see him.”

“Hmm.”

“So, are you ok?”

Seuen shook his head. “I won’t be.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No.”

“And why is that?”

He looked at her. In some weird way, the girl reminded him of Ien. “My people need water to survive.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“My people need it more than others. Water is in my blood, and I am going to dry up without it.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound very good.”

“Look, this isn’t something I want to talk about.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

Seuen nodded his head. “Yes. I can last quite a few days without water; it is just excruciating. It helps that I am stuck in here and away from the sun.”

“Why is that?”

Her father walked up. “Tess. That is enough. You shouldn’t pester the Aensien. This isn’t like back home where we knew everyone.”

“I was just trying to be friendly after he tried to help me. He is hurting, daddy.”

“We all are.” He led Tess away.

“No, really.”

“Hush now, do you want those monsters to hear you?”

Seuen sighed.  The sooner we get to the crossroads, the better.

He could not find any sleep that night between the rocking of the wagon, his worsening condition, and his cellmates snoring. Never in his life had he heard a living creature make such noise when trying to sleep. At one point, one of the slavers outside even banged on the side of the cell, yelling “shut up.”

The next day and night, Seuen slept. However, when he awoke, he was in pain, his limbs on fire. He looked at the hole in the sky, seeing the first rays of morning, instead wishing for rain. Today at least, they would be at the crossroads, and this madness should be at an end. He should be able to have his nourishing life blood.

He put his hands into his lap and tried to block out the pain as the carven continued onward, his fingers tapping on the floor beside him. But as the seconds passed, his pain intensified to the point he couldn’t stand it. He stood up and started to pace around; his blood was boiling.  I have to get out of here. I can’t take this.

He needed to know how much longer he had to wait. He started to look for any crack in the walls that would allow him to see outside, even though he didn’t know his surroundings. He had never been this far away from his home. Still, he had to do something to try and occupy his mind. But he did ten laps off the cell and found nothing but the hole in the ceiling. The Veleren’s were starting to look at him like he was crazy like they had on that first day.

Seuen forced himself to sit down, his arms shaking. It will just be a few more hours. It has to be. What else could it be? They said they need me alive, so they wouldn’t let this go on for too long.  He looked around.  How long have I been waiting? Minutes? An hour? I just need something to last me to the crossroads.

He found himself pounding on the side of the cell. “Please give me something. Make the pain stop.”

He only heard laughter from the other side. “Sit down and shut up. Don’t make us come in there.”

Seuen hit his head on the side of the wall over and over. He thought he could hold out, but now he wasn’t sure. The pain was getting to him. He looked up at the sky, praying for the sky to open up and let a downpour of rain to fall on his skin. But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Did I make the wrong choice?

“Hey.”

Seuen jumped out of his skin at Tess’s voice.

She backed away. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Seuen tried to compose himself but couldn’t keep his left arm from shaking. “It isn’t you. I just. . . What we talked about before. Things are getting to me.”

She pushed forth her boots; Seuen hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t wearing them. He then noticed there was water inside them. It was murky and disgusting looking but still was liquid. “I saved some of my breakfast after I saw how you have been doing. Snuck it past the guards.”

He did his best to slowly reach for the boots. He didn’t want to frighten the girl.

He then showered himself in the murky liquid. It was disgusting, and he could taste the dirt from the girl's boots, but it helped Seuen none the less. He took a deep sigh. “Thank you.”

“I thought you were going to drink it.”

“When I have gone this long without hydration, it is just better to absorb it through my skin.”

He could tell she still didn’t understand. “Weird. Does that-“

“Tess.” Her father walked over. “What are you doing?”

“I was helping out the. . .” She paused. “What is your name?”

“Seuen.”

“Seuen for his help before.”

“That is nice, but I don’t want you to get us in trouble. You can talk to him but don’t help him. Do you understand?”

“But dad, he helped me.”

He pulled her by the arm. “He isn’t worth it. No matter what he has done.”

Seuen narrowed his eyes at the man.  I tried to save your daughter, and you still won’t lift a finger to help me?

He sat down and crossed his arms. Hopefully, they would be at the crossroads soon so he wouldn’t have to deal with that pain again. Oh, what was he saying? He didn’t want to be there that fast and risk being sold off. He had to think of something, so he could escape before Xelna had her way with him.

Trouble was he didn’t know how long until they reached their destination, only that if they were traveling on time that it would be sometime today.  What can I do, though? It isn’t like they are going to let us walk out of here. And these people don’t want to help me.

He sighed. There just had to be a way out of this mess; he wasn’t going to let himself be sold off to some crazed person.  The only thing I can think of that is in my favor is these slavers don’t want me harmed in the conventional manner. If I can get away, they may not give chase.  He lowered his head.  No, I need to make sure they won’t chase me. If I just run, they will chase me down.

Hmm, I need to do something to make them fear that if they chase me, I will become severely hurt or die. That will keep them from following me.

The wagon came to a halt, and from outside the walls, Seuen could hear shouting. The others pressed their ears against the walls trying to discern what was going on. Seuen sat back, waiting to know what was going on. There was some silence, and then knocking on the side of the cell, it was Xelna’s voice. “I hope you are all ready. We are at Yellowcreek Crossroads. Keep your yap’s shut while we enter town, and this process will go smoothly.”