Quarters, Plan and Freedom

Chapter 17


Part 1 - Quarters

“Welcome! What can I do for you this fine evening?” The finely dressed Baiin man asks Heins at the entrance.

He is an older man, some white strands both in his slicked-back hair and finely trimmed beard. His tired brown eyes look at us with elegance, but I can sense his true emotions when he sees us Avi standing behind Heins.The room smells like old wood, and is lit pleasantly by a beautiful hanging chandelier. Paintings hang along the hallway walls, with the man standing next to some stairs that lead up to the second floor.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am here on a recommendation, I have heard that you have fine slaves. I wish to discuss if you have any for sale,” Heins says with a confident demeanor, still I can hear his heart beat.

“Well of course. Please come into the chamber and I will get the head of the house for you. However, I have to ask you to leave your slaves outside, since they are unchained,” The man requests with a calm, devious expression.

“Oh, but these three are my personal bodyguards. I can assure you that they will not cause trouble,” Heins tries to convince him.

“Hm. Well, that is just our policy, sir. I…” the man says, but gets interrupted by another Baiin man, coming down the stairs.

“Now Lucas, what have I said about being such a goody two-shoes? At this rate you will scare off this fine customer!” the younger man says as he takes the last step down the stairs.

He goes to Heins and reaches out his hands:
“My name is Finn, I am the head of the house in the master's absence. It is a pleasure!”

He seems very energetic as he smiles widely and shakes Heins’ hand with both of his. Looking past Heins, his light brown eyes meet mine. Shivers go down my spine, something is terribly wrong about him, even if his small face and stature shows nothing but hospitality. I can sense Elda get warmer, her breathing strained; the man unsettles her.

“My name is Heins, I hope that I’m not causing too much trouble,” Heins answers and smiles back, keeping his cool.

“Of course not! I am actually quite impressed how well trained these slaves of yours are. Now! Let’s head to the chamber to discuss, shall we?” Finn replies and leads us down the hallway.

The chamber is painted white, with a majestic burning fireplace lighting up the room. In the middle there is a table, with two leather couches on each side and a luxurious carpet underneath. Heins is sitting in one, with us behind him, and Finn in the other, smiling at us.

“So! What kind of business did you have with us tonight?” Finn says while clapping his hand together and smiling.

He really does have a young demeanor, very laid back, completely ignoring the existence of us Avi.

Heins sits straight and clears his throat before he speaks:
“Yes, I would like to inquire about your slaves. I am a new owner of a mine in my village you see, and I need more workers. I am actually here in Haoul to sell the medicine that we produce, but after hearing about your reputation, I had to come see what you had to offer for myself.”

Finn glances to us Avi standing behind Heins with a smirk on his face, before he answers:
“How marvelous! It is truly great that our establishment has reached such a fine young merchant like yourself. So it’s physical labor that you need… Then I would suggest Avi, of course. Luckily for you we have a couple left here in this house. Unfortunately, most of our slaves were transported to Mir territory just a few days ago—still, we have some newcomers, as well as some younger and elderly ones left.”

“I see. I am open to a… wide variety (chuckles awkwardly). Since my business needs both physical labor as well as workers to produce the medicine. My… slaves here, can train and keep the newcomers in check,” Heins replies.

I am impressed with his witty answer, he truly is amazing at improvising.

“How great!” Finn suddenly bursts out, catching all of us off guard. I look over to the sibling and the both are trying hard to keep their cool, I see moisture collect on their foreheads.

“I am truly impressed how well trained these slaves of yours are, I have never heard about them being able to teach new ones,” Finn compliments very energetically.

Maybe that was a mistake, fortunately he doesn't seem suspicious. He slightly glances at me with a smile, I keep staring ahead.

Finn continues:
“Then perhaps you want to browse through our collection. But, before that. I have to ask about your budget, as well for some kind of proof that you have the capital needed. I am very sorry for the inconvenience—not even I can go against some of our master’s policies.”

Finn seems a tad more serious, like he is showing just a little of his true ways.

“I understand. Unfortunately, I have not yet sold my product in the city. Though… I have already found a buyer for tomorrow. Let’s see…” Heins says and pauses to think.I can hear him swallow slowly, breathing out his nose.

He continues:
“How about 450 Rin as a budget for this time?”

Heins didn’t sound as confident as he has been, it is understandable—none of us have any idea of what a reasonable price is. My palms sweat as I try to keep my posture straight and gaze fixed in the air. Not able to hold back, I glance slightly at Finn.He seems even more serious, with his eyebrows frowned and holding his hand over his mouth. We all wait nervously for his answer.

“That is more than I thought… Oh! Apologies, I got lost in thought there. It’s just that I’m worried that we don’t have slaves worth such a price. Nonetheless, if you are fine with quantity over quality, we might have a few that interest you,” Finn replies, realising the tension.

Heins slowly breathes out the breath he was holding in, and answers:
“Well yes, how about we come back tomorrow with the money, and we can discuss further?”

“That sounds fantastic! Well then, it has been a pleasure meeting you Heins and you are very welcome back tomorrow. You must be tired, let me show you out!” Finn says, standing up and showing Heins the door.

As Heins stands, Finn meets my gaze one last time, standing next to me. He has a slight smirk and devious eyes.

Part 2 - Plan

Back in our room, Heins crashes down on the bed and sighs loudly.“Ahh! I thought I would start crying,” Heins complains with his face muffled into the pillow.

“Don’t worry, you did great,” I tell him, standing around the bed together with the siblings.

“You’re not the only one that was freaking out, that guy gave me the creeps,” Dima says, shaking off the emotions.

Looking at Elda, she seems down. Kind of pale and quiet, not her usual confident self.

“What’s wrong Elda?” I ask her.

“I don’t know… that guy just seemed familiar to me,” she mutters with worried eyes.

“Familiar? I don’t think we have met him before, and he didn’t seem to know us either,” Dima questions her.

“I just have a bad feeling about him, are we really going back there tomorrow?” Elda asks, shaken up.

Dima walks up to her and puts his hand on her head:
“What’s the matter with you? You’re not usually scared.”

Elda pushes his hand away and scowls at him, more like herself.

“Don’t worry, we’ll go together,” I tell her, trying to make her feel better.

“At least let me bring my spear…” she asks.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Heins answers from the pillow.

“So, let’s take the carriage with us tomorrow morning. Sell the rest of the medicine and then head straight to the slave house. That way we can leave with the Avi right after,” Dima suggests, as we all sit in a circle on the floor.

“What about the ones we can’t buy?” I ask.

A moment of silence, everyone looks to Dima.

He sighs, and answers:
“We can only do so much… Once we have more allies, we can take more chances.”

The atmosphere is heavy. My gut turns at the thought of choosing who we should take with us, and who to leave behind.

“Then let’s take the younger ones first,” Elda says.

We all look at her, and Dima answers:
“What if they are too young to fight? We need others who we can train on our side,” Dima logically argues.

I understand what he means, but I still feel that it’s not right.

“I’m with Elda on this one, we can’t leave children behind,” I argue back.

With our opinions split, everyone looks to Heins.

“What, do I have a say?” he says surprised.

“Of course you do, you’re one of us, aren’t you?” I told him.

My words seem to make him happy, also torn on having to make the decision. After thinking for a moment, he answers:

“I say we take the children.”

In my dream, I am holding the white haired-woman in my marked arms. Her tiny body feels light. Her long strands of hair tangle between my fingers. The emerald-green eyes are staring into mine, having her hand on my cheek. Tears drop down on her bloodied chest, I soon realize that they are mine.

“My Ziak,” the woman calls me, caressing my cheek with her thumb.

“You have a wonderful gift. Truly one of a kind. Don’t let the world turn this beautiful boy towards hate, he is such a sweet boy,” she says, with tears filling her eyes and with a bitter smile.

I cry even more. My jaw hurts from biting down in sorrow.

“Mother, please,” I hear myself say in an unfamiliar voice.

Her eyes fade with every weak breath she takes. Sobbing, I embrace her tightly, feeling her sweet and kind smell.
As her body fell still, I gently lay her down on the forest floor
Bushes rattle from Mir soldiers getting closer. Coming out in the open, they walk around me, breathing heavily.

I can sense their fear. Inside of me there is nothing but rage. My markings burn, lighting up the whole forest with its light. The incredible heat pains me like I’m being burned alive. Still, the only thing I crave is more. Enveloping my whole body with fiery light, I clench my fists as I glare the Mirs down.

Bloody footsteps trail behind me, walking into the large throne hall. Drops of blood and sweat evaporate before hitting the floor from my body's immense heat. Everything burns and aches as I move slowly forward. There is only one thing that I care about, the crowned Mir sitting at the throne in front of me. I stop right in front of him, staring him down.

He stares back into my eyes, with sadness, and says:
“You are no son of mine, monster.”

The last thing I feel is a bitter anger, before I grab his throat.

Part 3 - Freedom

I wake up in sweat, looking at my body in disarray, seeing the markings’ glow fade. I’m confused about where I am, what the hell that dream was. Tears are running down my eyes and I feel a staggering anxiety. Whose dream was that? It was way too real, the pain from burning still lingers across my skin. Starting to panic, my rapid breathing makes me dizzy.

“Iris?! What’s going on?!” Elda grabs my shoulders and looks me in the eyes.

Her face is blurry, waving back and forth.

“Iris, calm down,” Dima says as he puts his hand on my arm.

“Just breathe slowly,” he continues.

I try, taking a deep breath through my nose and then slowly out of my mouth. Trembling, I now feel cold and nauseous. With my vision clearing, I see Heins looking at me from the bed, with worry.

Calmer, with everyone sitting around me on the floor, I try to speak:
“Thank you, I just had another dream, but it wasn’t mine. It was the dying white-haired woman again. The person who I was in my dream, Ziak, was holding her as she died—it was his mother. Then… he… fought a bunch of Mir, with his marking burning like I’ve never felt before. The pain was horrible…”

“Do you mean the same Ziak that you asked me and Björn about?” Heins asks, confused.

“Yes. Sorry Heins, I still haven't told you everything. It’s a dream I’ve had before, one that I had when I… died, and came to this world,” I try to explain.

“Nevermind that now Iris, just, we are here for you,” Dima tells me.

His words mean a lot to me, but I have to get everything off my chest:
“Another thing. Ziak came to a throne room. There was a Mir man there, crowned like a king. He said that I was no son of his, before I… Ziak killed him.”

“A king? I didn’t know the Mir had a king,” Dima says, confused.

“They still do, you guys didn’t know?” Heins asks us, looking at us all.

“You truly don’t know much about the world, huh? The king presides in the Mir capital, called Afirr, it’s up north in the cold mountains in the Mir territory,” Heins explains.

“So… the king's dead then?” Elda asks.

“We don’t know that, stupid,” Dima bickers to her.

“Shut up nerd,” she snaps back.

I chuckle a bit from their pointless bickering, somehow it eases the anxiety.

“Thank you guys, really,” I tell them.

“You guys ready?” Dima asks us, as we are ready to leave the Inn.

Everyone nods and Dima looks to me:
“Iris?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I tell him.

Taking the carriage, which is loaded once again with our belongings, we head to the remedy shop. After a quick visit, Heins has a full coin purse as he walks out the doors where we all are waiting for him. Next is our last shop, the slave house.

Heins knocks on the doubledoor with us three behind him. I still feel anxiety, feeling across my hip for my missing blade. That dream really shook me, why did it have to be today?Lucas, the fine dressed man finally opens the door:
“Welcome, we have been waiting for you. Please come into the chamber and the head will be right with you.”

Heins sits on the leather couch, when Finn comes through the door.

“Ah! Finally! It is a pleasure to see you again. I hope your business went well,” Finn says with a wide smile.

“Thank you, it did! I have the money with me as promised,” Heins replies as he stands to shake Finn's hand.

“Excellent! Then shall we get straight to it? Please follow me to the cells,” Finn answers and shows us out the door.

My heart thumps, walking down the hallway. As Finn puts his keys into the cellar door I swallow down my dry throat. Behind the door, there is a dark staircase leading down, only lit by weak burning candles. With each step, the nervousness staggers. Coming into the cell room, three Mir are posted outside the metal bars. They glance at us with their rough faces, armored and muscled. I was not prepared to see Mir here, it caught us off guard. We should have felt their presence, maybe the thick stone walls hindered our senses.

“Oh! Don’t worry about them, they are just our hired hands,” Finn says and laughs.

I think he sensed our nervousness. Still, something feels wrong, the way the Mir glare at us tells me they have bad intentions.
Sweat runs down my forehead, my skin tingling from the unpleasant atmosphere. I look around, that’s when I see them. In the cell close to the staircase, there are two Avi, chained to the wall. One woman and one man, both with their heads tilted down. The sight turns my stomach, disgusted about their condition. Rage grows inside of me, as Finn interrupts my thoughts:

“Well! Here we are.”

Finn has walked down to the end of the room, with all of us on the other side. That’s when we hear the door behind us close, and lock…

The sound echoes down to the cellar. My body heats, knowing what’s coming.

The three Mir walks between us and Finn, with menacing expressions. The siblings and I get ready, we know what is about to happen. Only Heins is standing defensively in front of us, looking at Finn in confusion.

“What is going on?” Heins asks, scared.

“I’m terribly sorry, I have not been completely honest with you. You see, those Avi of yours are actually our property. I don’t know how they ended up in your possession, honestly I do not care. All I know is that those Avi are the ones that escaped from our master, Erich Balovic. I saw the girl myself here in Haoul as they were bought, of this I am sure. They also match the description that Erich told me himself,” Finn explains, dropping his joyful act.

This is his true self, his eyes are cold and his face emotionless. He gives out a malicious presence, filled with bloodlust.

Elda's face turns pale as she realizes who he is, so do Dima and I upon hearing Erich’s name. How could we have been so stupid?

“But, I am a kind man. If you just leave us the Avi and walk away, we won’t have to resort to anything… rash,” Finn threatens.

I see Heins swallow, his hands trembling. He looks at me, with teary eyes. I look back. I don’t want him to get hurt because of us, so I just nod, and smile back.

Heins’ face hardens, more sure, as he turns and scowls back at Finn.
“Never," Heins answers.