He went to the cell the children were first put in. The bodies of dead children were still there, and the carcasses beckoned to him. They would last him several weeks. He ate one corpse and put the rest into a deep freezer. He lay down to rest, knowing that his job was done; another of his kind would continue the breaking tomorrow.

The night passed peacefully, a deathly silence pervading the room. He woke up exactly at 5 A.M. and went to check on the children. Most were rocking back and forth, crying to themselves. More were dead, having committed suicide overnight. One was lying on its back, wide-eyed, apparently in shock.

He went into the cells of the dead children, and kicked them hard to make sure they were dead. He smiled his mirthless smile as he picked up their bodies easily, as a child would pick up a rag doll. A few of the sobbing children stopped crying, and their mouths opened in silent screams that they kept bottled inside themselves lest they were killed. As he reached the cell of the child in shock, he noticed its frozen features. It was not in shock. It was dead.

It was amazing, he mused as he went to freeze the corpses, how these surviving children, after going through so much horror, still hung onto their life. Such optimism, they had.

He went back to the cells. The children were still there, sobbing less than they had before. "Shut up," he said, his voice harsher than a desert and colder than ice. It was a voice enough to chill even the bravest creature in the universe, and only he had it.

"Stand up," he ordered, and each child obeyed immediately. He opened the cells. "Form two straight lines and anyone who is even a millimeter out of place will go through eternal torture." The order was followed immediately.

"Follow me." He led the children through a hall, down a street, and through a large, ornately carved wooden door. And as he opened the door, he smiled to himself, for these children would bring him much money- these children, more than any others he had caught, were literally the cream of the crop, and they would sell as such.

He was in luck today. One of the nobility was out looking for slaves, and nobility were always careless with their money. He walked over to the man, recognizing him as a very familiar face. "Why, Prion, what a surprise," he said smoothly.

"Ah, Emerson, a pleasure meeting you, as always. What goods have you for me today?" replied Prion, equally smoothly, though with more pomposity.

"A very good catch, fresh, and better than most I have ever caught."

"How nice. May I have the pleasure of seeing them?"

"Certainly. Follow me." Emerson led Prion to the children who were silently shaking with fear. Prion inspected each of them thoroughly, checking for mental abilities as well as physical strength.

"You were right. They are a good catch. I'll take the lot."

"Very good. That will be 13,000 Lyres, please."

Prion handed over the money and led the children away to his abode.

Emerson walked back to his home considerably richer.