The Forsaken Hero

I blinked in the bright sunlight, finally getting a chance to look outside the cage. Three of the slavers were in the wagon, unlocking and unloading the other prisoners. The wagon was on a hard-packed dirt road within a thick forest, filled with all sorts of unfamiliar foliage. I gaped in shock at the trees, some of which had trunks dozens of feet wide and canopies hundreds of feet tall. The slaver who had uncovered my cage shoved a grimy key in the lock, opening it just enough to reach his hand through. He grasped at the chain tying me to the cage and jerked it hard, slamming my head into the bars.

I groaned, but my horns protected me from the worst of it. Even so, a painful tremor coursed along their length, reminding me of just how sensitive they were. While I was still recovering, the man jerked me outside, barking something in an unknown language. I stumbled, legs weak from disuse, but managed to retain my footing. Good thing too, because he headed to the back of the wagon with no intention to see if I could keep up. The wagon floor was rough and splintered, biting into my bare feet, but I ignored the pain and kept up, leaving bloody prints in the wood with every step. Most of the other cages were empty, their occupants already unloaded from the wagon.

The slaver jumped off the wagon, falling four or so feet to the ground with a grunt. I hesitated at the lip, but he yanked the chain, pulling me off. I yelped and hit the ground hard, lying there stunned for a moment, but he callously began walking again, dragging me behind.

A massive four-story warehouse hid amid the trees off the side of the road. It was constructed of stone and wood, with small windows lined up vertically every ten feet. Two enormous doors yawned open at the ground level, revealing a massive room that must have taken up the entirety of the first floor. Hundreds of cages built partitions and passageways throughout the room, some stacked two or three high. Most of them were occupied by some creature or another, almost all humanoid. The majority were people with animal body parts, like wolf ears or horse legs. A few seemed exactly like humans except for their unnatural gracefulness and pointed ears, reminding me of elves from the stories of Earth.

Once inside, the first thing to hit me was the smell. A fetid mixture of dust, sweat, and feces swirled around in visible eddies, assaulting my senses and constricting my throat. I gagged, tears springing to my eyes, as my newly enhanced nose made it all the more potent.

The slaver didn’t seem too affected by it, navigating through the maze of cages without pause. He descended an aisle near the back wall and stopped before an empty cage. The other slaves nearby looked at me with interest, but they almost universally scowled after getting a good look. My skin crawled under the unrestrained hostility, and I flinched as a large slave with the face and claws of a lion spat, the spittle flying out of the cage and striking my face.

”Filthblood,” he snarled, eyes flashing with disgust. Although the word was unfamiliar, it seemed to be in a language I recognized, which was a relief. At least the gods hadn’t sent me here without the knowledge to communicate with anyone.

My slaver slapped the lion man’s cage, shutting him up. Without a glance backward, he opened the empty cage and looked at me expectantly. I trembled at the promised violence in his expression and swiftly stepped into the bars. He unlocked the tether, freeing me from the chain but leaving the collar on, and slammed the door, locking it.

Through the lines of cages, I could see a few more slaves brought into the warehouse. Once all were locked away, the slavers shut the warehouse doors, plunging the room into darkness. A few small windows near the ceiling leaked trickles of sunlight, but that only distracted my eyes, which immediately adjusted for the dark. Even so, the light of the sun was a comfort, and I soon began to miss the breeze that drafted through the tarp on the wagon.

After a moment of silence, the drone of hushed conversation filled the room. To my delight, I was able to understand about half the words, mostly coming from the animal-human hybrids. The topic of conversation was the new arrivals, although that soon piddled off into regular complaints about the state of life here. Those who were the thinnest were the first to fall quiet, their eyelids dropping to cover their dull, empty eyes. Eventually, almost everyone retreated into themselves, and an oppressive silence smothered the warehouse.

After a while, I gathered my courage and took a deep breath. ”Were are we?” I asked timidly.

A morbid cackle echoed around the warehouse, filled with derisive hatred. My tail stiffened at the horrid noise, which finally slowed as the laugh turned into a series of hacking coughs.

”Where are we?” a twisted voice asked once it had recovered. ”What an absurd question, especially for a slave. Where we are going, on the other hand, is a much more pressing concern.”

I ducked my head at the venomous words, but the voice kept speaking. It came from a few rows down, although I couldn’t see which cage.

”From the sound of it, you’re rather young, so you might get let off with an easy house job. But, you’re also a girl, so... heh heh heh...”

I squeezed my eyes shut as he broke into laughter. As vile as he was, the slave confirmed my fears. Had this fate chased me even to another world? Surely, the church, or whoever was waiting to receive us, would find me. I was one of their heroes, right?

A bright light illuminated the room, shutting the voice up and drawing pained hisses from the other slaves. I squinted until my eyes adjusted, wonder driving any sense of despair away. The source was a large crystal fixed to the ceiling with chains, like a primitive chandelier. Harsh white light streamed from its rough facets as though by magic, with no sign of wiring or use of technology. Well, considering the world, it probably was magic.

I was so taken with my first magical experience that I nearly missed the shrieking creak as the door opened. It revealed a stairwell going to the upper levels, on which a woman descended. She swaggered arrogantly, with unkempt hair and wearing a thin, indecent nightdress, which exposed most of her breasts and legs. I shivered as her gaze lashed around the warehouse, zeroing in on us newcomers. The drowsiness in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a cruel indifference. Looking us up and down, she uttered a phrase several sentences long. Although I didn’t understand, she repeated the same thing in several languages. Finally, a match.

”My name is Kaitlyn, although I don’t want to hear that precious name uttered with you’re filthy lips. In fact, I only have one rule here: Don’t let me know you exist. As fresh slaves, I’m sure you’re all rather upset about your circumstances, but I couldn’t care less. You’ll all be leaving here in a bit, so don’t get too comfortable.”

Without another word, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. A few seconds later, the light winked out and returned us to the filthy darkness.