Olver awoke suddenly to the sounds of screams outside his window. In a start, he jumped from his cot and ran outside to see what had made the normally stoic towns people lose their minds. Standing outside the orphanage, Olver's eyes found a sight of panic and horror. Some of the houses were burning and the screams of the townsfolk filled the air. Women held their children in their arms as they tried to run from their unknown attackers. Olver stared in confusion to the situation that he had found outside his door. Smoke filled the air and every breath he took set clouds of it gushing into his lungs and making him cough as he stood there staring stupidly at the scene of panic and destruction running before his eyes. To his left the town gates that had protected them for as long as his 15 year old mind could remember hung crookedly off their hinges and every house between there and here seemed to be covered in vines of flame twisting their way to the thatch covered roofs.

Turning to the right he saw the market stalls with their cloth awnings all hanging raggedly as brutish dirty men ran through grabbing everything they could find of value, even food from their winter stores was stolen as Olver stared frozen from the Orphanage doorway. He couldn’t understand why the raiders hadn’t come to the orphanage yet but it was the only building so far untouched by their gluttony. Looking at the wall his hand rested on he saw the rough wood and felt the peeling paint and knew they would save this building for last assuming it to be a poor house with short supplies and few valuables. Silently someone he couldn’t identify snuck up behind him and laid a hand gently on his shoulder. Reacting on instinct Olver yelped and spun around swinging his arm to hit whomever had grabbed him; he stopped himself just in time to avoid hitting his younger sister.

“Olver, what’s going on?” Liza yelled timidly over the noise, staring in fear over the fire and panic filled scene before her eyes as her hand clutched her brothers shoulder tighter and tighter.

“I don’t know.” He said shaking his head and watching the blacksmith’s potbellied figure run towards the town gates armed with a hammer using a pot lid as a shield. “Stay here I’m going to go look.”

“No!” Liza practically shrieked, “Don’t leave me alone!”

“Liza it will be ok just go hide I will be back for you.” He ordered as he pushed her back into the Greenhart Orphanage where they had both lived since their mom died in a raid, Olver ran off in the direction of the town gates. Before he made it to the gates he saw armed men running into the houses around him. Almost tripping, Olver stumbled to a stop and stared down at the body he had almost tripped on, that of the school teacher for the town, Mrs. Darnby. Memories filled his head as tears filled his eyes and he thought back to her giving him and Liza candy and extra help in class feeling sorry for the only kids living in the orphanage. There had been no one in town that the Town Council felt could properly take the two in when their mother died in a raid when he was five. They had been sent up the steep hill to live in the run down orphanage as the few who could handle children in the town were considered too old. Mrs. Darnby had been one of those few and had tried to make it up to the two children ever since in little ways.

Out of no where Olver felt something hit his head, then an intense pain rolling through his head and felt himself to be falling through the blackness filling his thoughts. For awhile he knew nothing more.

Liza was still in the orphanage trying to find a place to hide when she heard the front door crack down the middle and burst open as four ragged dirty men came pouring through the jagged new opening. Spotting the girl standing gaping at them from near one of the door leading to a separate bedroom. Slowly the 4 split up each coming down one of the aisles between desks and the bookshelves, she and Olver had decorated the room with many bookshelves both of them being of a scholarly bent both of them spending the money the town gave them for items of play to buy books though Olver also enjoyed playing outside and could also be found buying sugar treats from the baker, he could happily spend days making his way through book after book, trying to box Liza in as she backed silently up against the wall that was trapping her.

“Don’ be afeard none, poppet.” The man walking down the close hallway in front of her told her as he avoided a stack of books Olver had forgotten to put back on the shelves the night before. He was walking slowly down the aisle trying not to spook the girl into running. Liza whimpered as her eyes traveled quickly between the four dirt-caked men. “We won’t hurt you any.”

Getting close enough and seeing her attention on his comrade the ragged man to her right threw himself at her pinning her to the floor and grabbing her wildly waving hands as his fellows rushed up to pin her legs.

“Gotcha, wench!” One of them stated rudely slapping her across the face to stop her shrill screams. Turning to his fellows he ordered, “Tie her hands and bring her with us pretty thing like her would fetch a fair price in Denos.” He watched his arms crossed as his men tied up the girl and stuffed a rag in her mouth.

All four men cocked their ears as they heard a shrill horn call echo over the town. “That’s the signal Captains ready to leave.” All four men pounded quickly out of the now broken down building running back to the gates they had entered not more then an hour earlier dragging the girl unsympathetically behind them by a rope tied just tight enough to choke her if she fought their capture to hard.

Taking her to the group just outside the gates and stepping over the bodies of the two men that had been guarding them before they fell, they threw the young girl down at the feet of their leader hoping he would see that they had a good reason for being late as they were catching this last morsel all men were supposed to have been out of the gate as soon as the horn stopped calling as it meant they couldn’t stay in the area safely any longer.

Leaning down the man who had organized the raid against this isolated forest town grabbed the young girl by the chin. He let go quickly and slapped her when she tried to bite him. “Feisty little thing aren’t you?” he asked with a laugh. “Good job boys she will catch a pretty penny with her looks and that spirit. Throw her in with the other prisoners and tie her to their string so she can’t escape so she can’t run.”

He watched them closely as they carried out his order to make sure they didn’t mess it up and when they were finished he called out, “Alright men lets head out.” Watching the men walk into the trees heading south back to the camp they had put up the night before he waited till they were all away from the town then looking back he gave a grim smile before following them. Catching up with them he walked till he could watch the prisoners stumbling along in the middle of his men. Of the 50 men he had brought he hadn’t lost a single one and had caught 20 prisoners leaving the town devastated in his wake he did not believe there was any left alive but there could have been some hiding under floor boards or something. His bosses would be quite happy with the turnout the men and women he had caught should make a fortune on the slave block one was even a blacksmith and those sold very high for their skills or just their muscles.

Once more noticing the girl he smiled maybe he would ask if she could be his reward for this job. He didn’t know why he had been asked to attack this village but as he wasn’t the kind to ask too many questions it didn’t matter as much to him as the possibly of the reward he was going to ask for.

“Sir!” one of the men said running up to walk next to him.

“What is it man, don’t keep me waiting around?”

“The forerunners have made it to the camp and are getting everything set up for the prisoners they say that everything is just how we left it including the wagons.”

“Good” the captain said and hurried his steps so he would be in camp before the prisoners got there.

The Captain supervised everything his men did from untying the prisoners one at a time and thrusting them into the wagon that they had covered with an iron cage to transport the prisoners, to making sure that they relocked it behind each prisoner as they thrust them into the heavy cage. The cart itself was pulled by a team of six horses as nothing else could move the added weight of the prisoners and the cage.

Watching the line slowly dwindling as his men slowly moved the prisoners into the cage his attention wandered slightly to the journey back to Denos and his master. He had served this master for many years and the profits it brought both of them was well worth the unfortunate fate of his previous master which he had helped bring about.

Hearing an alarming grunt from the line of prisoners the Captain swung his attention back to the line just in time for his still turning head to collide with the big fist that had been swinging his way. The men that had been standing near him watched as their Captain collapsed under the blow his long blonde hair falling into the mud around them as the blacksmith started to run for the edge of the camp.

Staggering to his feet clutching the side of his head the Captain tried to focus on the big man who was almost out of his camp now. The Captain gestured to his best spear thrower and the man knowing what he wanted flipped his spear so the point was facing behind him and tossed it at the fleeing man. It flew in a perfect arc seeming almost to float gracefully through the air until it collided solidly with the back of the man’s head bringing him down at once. With another gesture several burly men jumped forward and roughly tied the unfortunate up and drag him back to the captain.

“I may not be able to kill you, slave.” He said slowly, “but by the end of today you will regret that you ever laid hands on me.” Turning to his men he said “Whip him shackle his legs and tie him by the wrists to the back of the wagon where he can look the people he tried to abandon in the eye while they all still head for the block.” With an almost shouted emphasis on the last words he turned and headed for the wagon that carried his things he was almost positive that he had something for a headache in there. By the gods the man packed a wallop that’s for sure.

Early the next morning the Captain woke all the men in the camp by rapping his broadsword on the bars of the wagon he was standing next to. “Time to go, boys and girls.” He yelled with a malicious sneer directed at the people staring at him in fear in most cases. The exception was the strange dark girl whose eyes never left his face something about her gaze made him uncomfortable but it was not the openly hostile glare of the battered man standing at the rear of the wagon. It was more as if this girl saw everything about him knew all his secrets all his misdeeds and yet still did not fear him.

Shrugging uncomfortably the muscular captain climbed aboard his big dun horse and rode to the front of the column signaling for the wagons to get moving. A day and a half of travel later the column broke up as they approached the city most of the men faded into the underbrush to get into the city from different directions. Staying with the wagon the captain looked back briefly at the battered blacksmith still chained to the back of the wagon. The night before the man perhaps knowing that it was hopeless to try to escape himself again had instead used his wrist chains to break the lock on the cage and released all the prisoners. His band had caught them easily and without harm to either side but one thing still bothered him. The girl had not tried to run she hadn’t even glanced at the open door of the cage as if she knew they would all be caught before they could get anywhere.

Forcing his mind away from the strange girl he looked ahead at the metropolis of Denos home of the local Prince, breeding ground of the underworld of thieves and slavers. Several tall buildings caught his eye and he recognized one as the Prince’s palace. It was said that the palace was once modeled after the home of an ancient Prince but that every time they had tried to build it up farther then a couple stories the top ones would simply collapse without warning.

An hour later having delivered the wagon to his master’s servants at the warehouse he took the papers they had handed him up the street a ways to where his master lived in a large stone house on the edge of town.

Pounding on the front gate he waited as the elderly servant opened the door and escorted him into his master’s presence where he immediately sank to his knees. Holding the papers above his head he kept his eyes on the interlinking patterns of the rug as the manservant, Jefferies took the papers and handed them to his master.

“You have done well, Jamail.” His master’s raspy voice said from somewhere in front of him. “These will bring a very good price on the block. Especially the girl if the reports are only half true.”

He started to open his mouth to protest and then snapped his teeth shut remembering what had happened the last time he questioned his master.

“Ah, you wished her for yourself?” the shadowy figure laughed as he thought this over. “No she is far too valuable unspoiled. You will have to find someone else for your little….. Pursuits.”

“As you wish, Master.”

“You may go.” Came the negligent reply as the folder was thrown carelessly down on the desk and the man behind it disappeared through a door behind him.

Back in Greenhart

Olver felt himself being swept away from the comfort of the close darkness around him, sitting up he put his hand to his head trying to steady himself while he looked around. He was in the room at the orphanage on his bed, well that was normal waking up but why did his head hurt so much and where were all the other kids there were only a few occupying the beds around him. Looking for his sister he was startled to find she was not in her bed from the small window on the other side of the room he knew it was after curfew for them she should be in her bed but wasn’t!

Jumping up Olver ran for the room of the woman that ran this place, Miss Bolt. Throwing open her door, he stared, she wasn’t there either! Now he was getting really scared. Suddenly the memory of what happened came back to him in a rush and he groaned loudly and slowly slipped down the door jam which he had been clinging to.

“Oh my!” someone said behind him and he heard footsteps and the tap-tap of a cane as the old widow that lived outside town came to stand over him. Looking up he saw that she was looking pretty ragged her clothes were always neat and orderly but now her shawl was crooked and hanging off one shoulder as if she had been leaning down a lot and hadn’t had time to fix it yet and her dress showed signs of being ripped at the hems many times over. “Now, young man, you really shouldn’t be out of bed you took quite a blow.”

“Where is my sister?” Olver asked bleakly staring down at the floor trying to hide his tears from this irascible old woman.

Cady stared down at the boy she had always given a hard time, not because she didn’t like him, she did, and she just didn’t want him feeling sorry for himself. She couldn’t figure out how to tell him what had happened. There was no way to put it delicately she decided suddenly. “Young man- Olver, this is very hard to tell you but your sister was dragged away when those barbarians left… they took her with them.”

She watched silently as the young man crumpled to the floor and started weeping wishing she was young enough to get down on her knees and hold him, but she knew very well if she got down on that floor there was no way she was getting up, not without help anyway.

“H-how l-l-long?” he stammered out when he could speak and noticed she was still