An Encounter at the Auction – 3C-DT

Chapter 3 – Getting Underway (continued)

Kaylen’s group moved all throughout the marketplace, stopping at stalls, and shops, and booths, along the way They picked up a map of the surrounding countryside, and purchased rations consisting of a mix of hard bread, dried fruit, smoked and salted jerky, and cheese. A few of them needed to pick up some extra gear and tools, either to replace things that had worn out, or to supplement their roles in Kaylen’s party. They made sure everyone had a tent and sleeping roll, and even made certain everyone but Ursa had a mount of some form – there simply wasn’t anything big enough for the half-giant – but by that point they were near an unusually noisy section of the market, and that was saying something since the whole place was crowded and boisterous. Kaylen found himself pausing at the edge of a crowd gathered in front of a stage where a pair of teenage boys in drab but clean clothing stood, bound at the wrists. One of them had a small bandage visible on his cheek.

He heard Lyria’s armor clinking as she approached, “You don’t want anything here.” His sister was quick to point out when she noticed him watching the proceedings.

“What’s going on here?” Kaylen asked. “Is that…?”

“A **** auction.” The brown-haired girl confirmed.

“They look pretty young.” Kaylen had never even seen a **** before, at least not that he was conscious of. Though he supposed his old mentor’s indentured servants weren’t much better than slaves.

Lyria sighed, glancing towards where the others were browsing a nearby stall before turning back to her brother. “Do you want a closer look? Do you need to see it for yourself?”

“I think I do.” Kaylen acknowledged.

“Then go ahead, I’ll let the others know where you’ve gone.” Lyria offered, turning to head back to the eclectic group still shopping at a handful of nearby stalls.

Kaylen nodded, and made his way closer through the assembled crowd, towards where the people actually bidding on the auction were standing.

He wasn’t sure how long he watched before he felt a hand on his arm, and looked behind him to see Janel standing there. The kitsune’s dual colored eyes were somewhat haunted as she glanced from his face, to the stage.

“I never liked this place.” Kaylen’s gaze was drawn to Alayni coming up beside Janel. This was the first time he’d seen the halfling without some kind of a smile on her dimpled face.

“Have you been here before?” Janel asked, turning to address the brown-haired halfling.

“I’ve been in the markets loads of times, but I’ve never lingered here, never saw the point.”

“What, halflings don’t approve of slaves or something?” Janel asked with an arched eyebrow, her dual-colored eyes sparkling.

“How would we hold them?” Alayni asked, her cheeky grin returning. “You really think even I’m charming enough to stop a big strong human from just up and leaving if he wanted to? Keeping slaves is too much work for most halflings. My kind are notoriously lazy.” She added self-depricatingly.

The red-haired kitsune chuckled at that, and Kaylen said, “I can see how it might prove more trouble than it’s worth for your people.”

The three of them then turned back to the stage as one of the young men was led away, and the hawker began extolling the ‘selling points’ of the remaining ****. “He’s the son of a tanner, so he’s used to hard work, and can craft or repair high quality leather goods from tack to boots. Is there none here who could make use of such a valuable skill?”

Then the man pointed towards Kaylen, “You there, you look like the mercenary type, maybe you could use an armorer on the road, this **** is fresh and untrained, so the price is low, and if he’s stuck in the wilderness with you, you won’t have to worry about him trying to steal from you or run away while you’re teaching him.”

The dark-haired boy with a dirt-smudged nose and a bandage on his cheek looked frightened, and Kaylen was at a loss, but then Janel caught his attention, and he glanced her way, “You should buy him, Kaylen. Before someone less kind decides to.” She advised.

“What?” Kaylen turned towards her, but the hawker seemed to take that as an encouraging sign.

“Why don’t you come up here, and inspect the merchandise for yourself, young master?” The hawker was waving towards him, gesturing him to come up on the stage.

Kaylen glanced at Alayni, who pointed her chin towards the stage in approval, her brown eyes filled with compassion, and then looked to Janel, who nodded, along with a flicker of movement under her scarf that he assumed was her ears twitching. And so, bolstered by their support, he made his way to the stage and approached the teenage ****. Kaylen noted the boy’s eyes were blue, and his skin seemed fair beneath the grime and bruising, though with a light tan.

“How old are you?” He asked.

“Fifteen.” The boy gave him an odd look, partially fearful, but also allowing himself a glimmer of hope.

“Is what he said right?” Kaylen gestured toward the hawker, who stood nearby, watching them carefully. “Are you skilled with leatherwork?”

“Um, I am. Though I’m still learning.” Came the reply, the boy’s blue eyes downcast.

“What’s your name?”

“Gregory. Gregory Thatcher.”

“Well, Gregory, you might have a new master today.”

Kaylen turned to the hawker in his colorful vest decorated with cheap jewelry, “Shall we negotiate price?” He asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

“Certainly.” The hawker motioned for a pair of slavers who escorted Gregory off the stage, with Kaylen following. Alayni and Janel caught up with him on the way to a low warehouse style building that contained cages with at least a dozen other slaves, one of which was being brought out towards the stage as they passed.

Kaylen’s group was led into a small room where a large man wearing expensive jewelry all over his body waited behind a desk. “Ah, an adventurer. We don’t sell many slaves to your type.” He stood up, taking in Kaylen and the two women following him. He was a little overweight, but his arms showed strength, even if his clothing spoke of luxuries, as did his well-maintained blonde hair. “So you want to buy the tanner boy?”

“Your hawker said he could repair armor, tack, and other kit.” Kaylen explained. “He also said I could get a good deal due to him being untrained.” A quick glance showed that the blue-eyed boy was despondent, resigned to his fate, it seemed. But another glance at the stocky halfling and willowy kitsune behind him reminded Kaylen what they had said before he’d gone up on stage, and he resolved to improve the boy’s fortunes, as much as he was able. Maybe the adolescent boy would grow to appreciate traveling amongst a band of five attractive women.

The richly adorned **** master sorted through a stack of papers, then stepped forward with a single scroll in hand, and offered his free hand to Kaylen. “Garion Tilk.” He said, introducing himself.

“Adept Kaylen Gallowglass.” Kaylen shook his hand.

“Oh, a mage adventurer.” Garion grinned widely, flashing a gold tooth.

“A mage?!” Gregory’s blue eyes widened in alarm.

But before Kaylen could respond, the door to the room burst open and a dark-haired young woman stumbled in followed immediately after by a burly slaver trying to grab her.

“Master adventurer, please!” The lightly tanned woman beseeched Kaylen, as the slaver who’d chased her into the room finally caught ahold of her arm. “I’m a much more skilled artisan than my brother, let me pay his debt!”

“Danny, don’t, he’s a mage!” Gregory warned.

The woman’s eyes widened, but she did not back down. She had the same blue eyes as her brother, Kaylen noticed, and her tan was a shade darker.

“You can let her go, Barnus.” Master Tilk said. “I don’t think we’re in any danger from this girl, Danny is it?”

The slaver, Barnus, released the girl’s arm. She huffed, and stepped right in front of Kaylen. “Master mage.”

“Adept.” Kaylen corrected.

The girl, Danny, blinked but nodded, “Adept, please. I wish to serve in my brother’s place to repay his debt. I promise I will serve you better, and… I’m sure you’d find my company more pleasing.” She looked down at her plain attire, consisting of somewhat stained brown tunic over a green dress and mud-spattered black shoes, but still attempted a pose to show off her figure.

“Damn, Kaylen.” Alayni interjected, “You’re either the luckiest mage alive, or far more cunning than I gave you credit for.”

Startled, Kaylen turned to the curly-haired halfling. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on, big guy; this is one heck of a coincidence considering your party composition. If I didn’t know better I’d say you somehow planned this.” She gestured from him to the blue-eyed girl and back.

Kaylen sighed, this situation was getting complicated, and he was already uncomfortable when it came to the issue of slavery, though at least the brown-eyed woman didn’t seem upset by this ‘coincidence’. But he still had to figure out exactly what was going on with this girl and her brother, and Alayni’s comments were only confusing the siblings and the slavers alike.

So, he brought his staff forward, and tapped it on the ground three times while uttering a harsh incantation. Nearly everyone in the room flinched back or reached for their weapons, including Janel, but after an invisible burst of energy vibrated the air briefly and nothing else happened, everyone but the slaver enforcer, Barnus, seemed to relax slightly.

“What is your name, girl?” Kaylen asked in his most authoritative tone, pointing at Danny.

“Dinnae Thatcher.” She responded immediately, her blue eyes widening at her compelled response.

“Why is your brother being sold as a ****?” Kaylen continued grilling the brown-haired girl.

“He was caught stealing on a prank, and he owes a lot of money, so the judge said he had to be indentured to pay off his debt.” She was still a little alarmed at the way Kaylen’s spell **** the words from her.

Kaylen turned back to Garion. “How much is his debt?” He asked, observing that the blonde man’s hand was still resting uneasily on the hilt of his curved sword.

“He owed five gold doubloons, I bought him for four, but if you purchased him, the remaining debt would transfer to you.” Tilk also seemed somewhat surprised by the words he’d spoken, making Kaylen curious, but he had to deal with this situation first.

“Can she sell herself to take on his debt?”

The **** master merely nodded.

“Would that change the price?”

“Typically yes. Female slaves always fetch higher prices.”

Janel chuckled, and shook her head. Alayni, meanwhile, simply rolled her eyes at Garion’s admission.

But Kaylen ignored them for the moment, responding directly to Master Tilk. “Typically? That hardly sounds fair.”

“Well, the…” Tilk stopped, and bit his lip.

“It’s because of sex.” The brown-haired halfling said. “Many men are willing to pay more expecting to be able to have sex with their slaves, even if it’s not always legal.”

“Why would it sometimes be legal, and sometimes not?” Kaylen asked, confused, as he turned to look at the short curvy woman.

“Because she’d be indentured, rather than a life ****.” It was Tilk who responded. “A debtor who becomes indentured does not lose the right to consent.”

“Yet, you still wanted to charge me more for her?”

“Master Mage, it’s just a way to gain more profit, we don’t encourage people to break the law.” Barnus responded.

The **** master sighed. “We don’t see it as unethical to gain a bit more coin because people might make assumptions.” He admitted. “But your spell is forcing us to be entirely factual.”

“You seem surprised?” Janel mused, watching Kaylen’s reaction.

Kaylen blinked at the kitsune, then turned first to the **** master, then to Dinnae. “That’s uh… not usually how that spell works.” He admitted. “It should have affected only you.”

“In that case, I’ll pay you six gold doubloons to buy his debt, and transfer it to her.” He pointed first at Gregory, then at Dinnae.

“It’s not unreasonable to charge a little more for our time and trouble in transferring the debt if nothing else.” Tilk explained, trying another tact.

“What would be a fair price to handle that transaction, then?”

Tilk looked torn, but finally said, “Well, two doubloons isn’t much profit. I would have asked for six doubloons for the boy, and increased the price to eight or nine for an adult female, but seven would still be fair, transferring the debt doesn’t cost us anything.”

“An upcharge of thirty-three percent for something you admitted costs you nothing?” Alayni asked, both eyebrows raised incredulously.

“It’s fine, Alayni.” Kaylen interjected. “How does seven doubloons, and five silver royals sound?”

“That would be generous of you, Master Mage.” Tilk said with a gracious bow, glancing at the halfling before moving back behind his desk and began writing out a contract, meanwhile, Dinnae had moved to where her brother still sat on the ground, and began speaking with him in a low tone.

“Your magic is a little scary.” Janel observed as she approached Kaylen on his left side.

“I think it’s affecting everyone in the room.” Alayni added as Kaylen looked between them.

“Well, as I said, it was meant to be a targeted spell.” Kaylen repeated. “I probably just put a little too much effort into it.” Both the kitsune and halfling seemed to accept his explanation, and if the spell was affecting them too, it meant they were being truthful, even if they didn’t speak.

“I want you to know, I think you’re doing the right thing.” Janel continued, “But I hope you aren’t planning on taking her up on her offer.”

“I wouldn’t **** her.” Kaylen assured the red-head. “I’d want to be sure her intention was genuine and not simply an appeal to save her brother.”

“Alright.” Janel didn’t look happy about it but it sounded like she accepted it.

Alayni sighed. “Just keep your priorities straight, for all our sakes.” She told him.

But then Kaylen turned his attention back to the **** master.

“Here’s the contract.” Tilk came back around the desk and presented the sheets of parchment for Kaylen to review, complete with their agreed price at the bottom. “We have a branding wand we can use to transfer the **** mark, or if you are familiar with the marking spell, we can let you place your own mark on the girl.”

“I know the spell.” Kaylen replied, as Tilk waved Dinnae and her brother forward, with Barnus standing close at hand. Both his companions stayed at his sides, showing their solidarity despite whatever misgivings they might have had.

“First, I’ll need you to sign here, Miss Thatcher, indicating you are taking on your brother’s debt, and agreeing to servitude in his place.” Tilk handed the girl a quill, and she took a moment to scan the scroll before signing her name in a tidy scrawl.

“And I’ll need you to sign here, after you pay the agreed amount.” Tilk indicated the spot in the contract, and Kaylen counted out the coin and gave it to the **** master before accepting a quill that was handed to him. He signed where he was prompted on every copy of the form, then rolled up one set and slipped it into his scroll case before turning back to face his new ****.

Tilk brandished his wand over Gregory’s arm, causing a mark that had been magically imprinted on his skin to slowly fade. Then he stepped away as Dinnae stood forward, facing Kaylen with a brave but nervous expression.

“Where would you like the mark?” Kaylen asked, feeling somewhat charitable, and he noted Janel nod briefly in approval.

“Somewhere it won’t be seen.” Dinnae responded, still compelled to honesty by Kaylen’s spell.

“It has to be somewhat accessible so it can be checked. I assume you wouldn’t want to be unnecessarily exposed every time someone might need to check it, so where would you like me to place the mark that you would be moderately comfortable being checked on a semi-regular basis?”

Dinnae sighed, and turned slightly away from Kaylen, pulling her hair over her shoulder to expose the back of her neck. “Maybe here, just above my shoulder blades, where it can be checked without removing my tunic, but won’t be easy to spot when my hair is down?”

Kaylen drew his own wand, and gestured for Janel to tug down the neckline of Dinnae’s tunic in the back, to expose a small patch of skin between her shoulders. Janel gave Kaylen a grateful nod as he very carefully chanted the incantation for the personal mark spell, while tracing patterns in the air with his wand, and after a moment of this, his personal sigil appeared on Dinnae’s back, a few inches down from the base of her neck, but a little above the space directly between her shoulder blades.

“It is done.” He announced, and Janel examined the mark curiously.

“No redness or anything. Plus your mark is very intricate and elegant.” She turned her dual-colored eyes back on Kaylen.

“It burns a little.” Dinnae admitted, rubbing at the spot with one hand as she turned back to face the three of them.

“That should fade soon enough.” Kaylen assured her, smiling at Janel’s compliment.

“Mine burned more than a little.” Gregory muttered, seemingly reassured by Kaylen’s spell being less intrusive than the magic that had been used on him, though he still glowered impotently at the mage who now owned his sister. It was clear he felt a desire to help her avoid losing her freedom, while knowing full well there was nothing he could do.

Kaylen was at a momentary loss for words, but didn’t wish to linger here, so he gestured for the two siblings to follow him, as the five of them made their way outside. Neither Tilk nor Barnus seemed inclined to follow.

Once they were out of general earshot, Alayni addressed Dinnae and her brother. “I think you’re going to appreciate your time with us. I can’t lie and suggest you’re for certain going to enjoy it, but I think you’ll find it much less arduous than you might fear.”

“Literally can’t lie.” Janel pointed out, glancing at Kaylen.

He took the hint, and concentrated for a moment, dismissing the lingering spell, though he honestly hadn’t expected it to last as long as it had. That was another abnormal occurrence to reflect on later. “If there is something you must do before we leave, I will allow you to do it. Is there someone who will take care of your brother while you are traveling with me?” He asked.

Dinnae nodded. “We’re supposed to be staying with my mother’s brother since our parents passing. Gregory kept running off to mess around with other boys his age, but I think he’s learned his lesson, and won’t run with them anymore, isn’t that right?”

“Of course not.” Gregory answered. “You think I haven’t learned my lesson? I want nothing to do with them anymore.”

“Then let’s go get you introduced to the rest of the party. I’m sure they’ll all love you.” Alayni said, but then glanced at Kaylen as if surprised by something she’d said, or perhaps surprised by what she’d been able to say. Maybe she wasn’t certain every member of their party would love Dinnae.

“It’s good that you still have family to look after you.” Janel offered the brown-haired boy. “Why did you come and they didn’t?” She asked of his sister, who was still rubbing at the back of her neck.

The blue-eyed girl sighed, and looked bitter. “I’m sure they had their reasons. But they still care about us. They’ll be happy to have you back.”

“He really must have ticked off the wrong person.” Janel responded. “Theft isn’t usually punished by indentured servitude, especially for minors.”

Kaylen got the impression the kitsune was speaking from experience on that one. He wondered how many times she’d run afoul of the law in her own youth.

“Yeah well, nobles can be pricks, and my brother isn’t always very prudent.” Dinnae said with a shrug.

Kaylen nodded, “Well, once you’ve met the party we will deliver your brother to his uncle, we’ll also need to get you some gear and supplies for the journey before we’re ready to depart.”

“Of course, Master Mage.” Dinnae said demurely.

Kaylen sighed. “I’m only an Adept, and if you must call me Master due to the whole indenture situation, I’d prefer you use my name, Kaylen Gallowglass.”

“Yes, um… Master Kaylen.” She replied.

“Better.” Kaylen nodded, then gestured to the market square ahead of them, where he could see Ursa standing near the fountain, the half-giant looking bored. “Now let’s get going.”