An Encounter at the Auction – 3C-EW

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 back 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.

“We shouldn’t be here.” Talindra said, startling Kaylen as he turned to see the silver-haired elf behind him just a few paces in front of Vesili, the half-elf’s face still shadowed by her hood. They both looked uncomfortable, and out of place, and he beckoned them closer, feeling a protective instinct surge up within him. “Elves do not believe in slavery.” Lynn added softly.

The black-haired girl snorted, and both of them glanced her way as Talindra scowled and retorted. “High elves do not believe in slavery.” She insisted.

“Maybe not the village where you grew up.” She pointed and Talindra followed her gaze to see what her violet eyes had observed.

There among the slavers, leaning against a post, was a high elf with silky coppery hair watching the proceedings on the stage with a bored expression.

Talindra gripped her unstrung bow and made a frightening sound low in her throat that was half-way between a hiss and a growl.

“You really didn’t know?” Vesili looked startled. “I’ve been dodging high elf slavers since I was little. I think I’m some kind of special commodity to them since I’m half dark elf.” She explained, examining the ground by her feet as strands of her black hair fell in front of her face.

Kaylen placed a hand on Vesili’s shoulder, and looked closely at their other companion, who seemed to be calming herself down, her eyes closed as she focused on taking deep breaths.

“I did not know.” The archer said at last, opening her eyes to regard Vesili kindly. “I am sorry for my ignorance. I suppose I must learn to let go of some of my preconceptions. I still don’t like slaves.” She added, meeting Kaylen’s gaze once again.

Both Kaylen and Vesili nodded in agreement.

By that point, only one of the young slaves was still on the stage, as the hawker extolled the boy’s ‘selling points’. “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 the bandage on his cheek looked frightened, and Kaylen was at a loss, but then Vesili said, “You could spare him from being purchased by someone cruel.” Drawing his attention so he glanced her way and met her violet gaze.

“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 Talindra, who nodded, the tail of her silver hair bobbing, and then looked to Vesili, whose expressive violet eyes seemed to plead with him. And so, bolstered by their support, he made his way to the stage and approached the teenage boy. 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. Lynn and Vesili 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 his elf and half-elf companions 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 the blond man’s hand.

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

“A mage?!” Gregory’s 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.

“I doubt that will tempt Adept Gallowglass.” Talindra chimed in, seeming to find Danny’s flirtatious display distasteful.

“I can handle this, Lynn.” Kaylen said, stepping forward. This situation was getting complicated, and he was already uncomfortable when it came to the issue of slavery, as were some in his party. But he had a way to get to the bottom of this.

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 Lynn, but after an invisible burst of energy vibrated the air briefly and nothing else happened, most of them aside from Barnus and Vesili 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.”

Talindra made a sound of discomfort, and Kaylen saw she had grown pale at Garion’s admission.

Vesili locked her violet gaze with Talindra’s emerald eyes before turning to face the **** master, “I’ve seen plenty like you in my time, you’re all the same.” She said, her dark eyebrows drawn together in a scowl.

“I’ll handle this, Vesili.” Kaylen said. “That doesn’t sound particularly fair.” He added, turning back to Master Tilk.

“Perhaps we could negotiate a trade?” Tilk offered, having followed Kaylen’s gaze.

“Why would I want that?” Kaylen’s brows drew together.

“I’m not a fucking ****, asshole!” Vesili snarled, her dagger in her hand pointed at the **** master, who held up his hands and backed up a few steps.

“My mistake.” He said simply, glancing between her and Kaylen, as Talindra interposed herself between the slavers and her shorter companion with her own sword drawn. Barnus had his sword in hand as well, but Garion – for his part – kept his hands empty. “You are not in danger from us, lady adventurer, and the Master Mage can vouch for the truth of my words.”

Kaylen blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Your spell is forcing my words to be only truth.” He explained.

“That’s not usually how that spell works.” Kaylen said, looking back at Dinnae. “It should have affected only you.”

“Strange.” Talindra observed, lowering her sword.

“Would you accept six gold doubloons to buy his debt, and transfer it to her?” Kaylen pointed first at Gregory, then at Dinnae.

“I’m not sure that is a fair price, but I’d be willing to accept it.” Tilk agreed in a clear attempt to ease the tension in the room.

“Talindra, Vesili, put your weapons away.” Kaylen instructed, and once both weapons were sheathed, he looked towards Barnus, and the **** master gestured for him to sheath his sword as well. “Would it be more fair if I threw in say, one more doubloon and five silver royals?” Kaylen added after a moment.

Tilk nodded, “That would be generous of you, Master Mage.” He moved 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.

Talindra moved up on Kaylen’s right side, her face an impassive mask. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Vesili beat her to it.

“Thank you, Kaylen.” The half-elf said from his left side. “I’m sorry for, reacting the way I did.”

“You were fine, it was Tilk’s mistake. But, you should thank Lynn too.” Kaylen told her.

Vesili nodded, looking across him to Talindra. “Thank you, Lynn. You’re pretty okay, for a high elf.”

“I may owe you frequent apologies for my misapprehensions.” Talindra admitted.

Kaylen smiled at them both, then 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. He glanced at his two elven companions, who both seemed accepting of his offer.

“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 Talindra to tug down the neckline of Dinnae’s tunic in the back, to expose a small patch of skin between her shoulders. Then 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 the girl’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 the elf woman moved back by his side.

“It burns a little.” Dinnae admitted, rubbing at the spot with one hand.

“That should fade soon enough.” Kaylen assured her.

“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 decided he 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. Both Tilk and Barnus seemed happy to see them go.

Once they were out of general earshot, Vesili addressed Dinnae and her brother. “You will be well taken care of with Kaylen and his party. I will make certain he is fair with you, and I’m sure some of the others will feel similarly.”

“Yes, witnessing these events has been impactful.” Talindra agreed. “You will be safe with us. I wish I could promise more than that.”

“Thank you both.” The tanned girl nodded to both women.

“I will endeavor to be fair.” Kaylen interjected, “And I won’t try to prevent you from paying off your debt; I’ve heard that sometimes happens. Now, 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?”

“Thank you, Master Mage.” 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?”

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

“I don’t want to run with those people anymore.” Gregory answered his sister. “They’re still my friends, but I don’t want their kind of trouble.” Kaylen once again knew he was being compelled to honesty thanks to his spell.

“How long ago did your parents pass?” Talindra asked, her entire demeanor more relaxed now that they were out of the slaver’s office.

“Just about a year.” Gregory told the tall elf girl.

“Must still be fresh then, huh?” Vesili said softly.

“It is.” Dinnae answered, still rubbing at the back of her neck. “But I’ve been busy looking after this idiot.” She added, lightly punching Gregory’s shoulder.

“You won’t have to worry about me. I’ll be good for Aunt Breen and Uncle Dillon.” Gregory promised.

“Well, let me introduce you to the rest of my party.” Kaylen offered, “Then we will deliver your brother to his aunt and uncle before we depart. We’ll also need to get you some gear and supplies for the journey.”

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

Kaylen 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.”