Fourth Vector Ch. 11

At that moment, one of the slave tenders worked his way close to her pen. He was carrying a small tray of water, filled to the brim with little cups and offered to all the slaves every hour due to the sun's heat. Besides their daily meal, it was one of those things that she looked forward to the most, her throat always dry and parched under the heat of the sun.

"Water," croaked the tender as he tossed the cup through the metal bars at Kat. Half of it ended up splashing her clothes while the rest of it spilled against the ground. A little kindness would have killed them and little things like throwing the water cups at them were subtle reminders of their status in the Andalucian world at the very bottom of the rung. Grabbing the cup, she downed what remained in one drop, tossing it back on the ground next to her when it was empty. The cup always went too quickly and today looked to be another scorching day.

"I doubt I'm going to make it throughout the day," whispered a quiet, feminine voice to her left. Kat turned to look at the woman slouched down beside her, her cup now empty as she struggled to get the last drop into her mouth.

"We'll have more water in the hour, Lara," said Kat while sliding closer to the woman. She reached out to hold the woman's hand, finding it too warm to the touch and slightly clammy. Casting her gaze over to Lara, she found her eyes devoid of much spark and her color pale.

"You know I had a family once? With sons, tall sons," said Lara quietly. "They're all gone now."

Kat nodded her head quietly, preferring to pet her hand for some measure of comfort. Lara had been circling the drain now for days. At first, she had been a friend to Kat when she was first brought to Andalucia, being one of the women on theSwordfish. They were brought to the slave city of Methusa and sold together to theNumratha. Kat knew the real reason why they had been sold so quickly and together. Lara had been an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. No doubt, they were to have been sold for the harem of the clan chief.

However as the days went on, the heat and the gravity of the situation seemed to get to Lara. Kat didn't ask her too many questions, knowing she still struggled with seeing her entire family killed before her very eyes. Kat wasn't sure if Lara was just at the stage of willingly giving up or if it was the elements that caused her current condition, but she was sure death might be a mercy for someone who had lost so much. Surely that would be better than being the concubine for some warring clan lord.

In any matter, it was a better alternative than if the Swabians had realized who Kat was. She shuddered to think of what might have happened if they knew her true identity. She'd probably have been shipped back to Swabia for a personal execution by the emperor himself in that case. It was a cruel sense of irony that she found herself even relieved to be a slave. At least she was alive.

"Why do they beat their drums?" asked Lara. "Is it time for supper?"

Kat pulled the woman closer to her and gently stroked her head. "Yes, Lara. Time for supper. They'll be bringing food around for us soon."

Lara's eyes glazed over as a brief look of insanity took hold on her face. "Just tell them not to overcook the chicken."

"I will," said Kat with a heavy gulp.

The sounds of the war drums grew louder and soon the camp of theNumratha was just about empty save for the old, the women, and the children. The slave tenders never left either, so as to block a possible escape from those that wished to be free. Although from what Kat could tell, escapes never really succeeded. Too weak to get far enough away, escapees were either killed on the spot or sent directly to the mines, a death sentence in everything but name.

At this point, perhaps death would be a mercy? Kat hated to think like that, but the thoughts kept slipping into her brain when she least expected them. Every time she tried to picture what a future would look like to her, she remembered the conversation she had with Vera about her experience as a whore. Even though Vera eventually made it to Sorella, what hope would Kat have? Especially if Jack wasn't here to rescue her?

Once again, she found herself thinking about Jack and wondering if he would come find her. Did he even know if she was alive? Did he care enough to attempt a rescue? That kiss they shared before she left seemed to indicate he cared. But would he come all this way just for her? Just to free her from slavery?

At that moment, something clicked for Kat. She wished she had access to her pack and her journal, desperately wanting to read the lines of prophecy once more. Her brain sparked with recognition.

The freer of slaves will bring light.

Could it be? Was Andalucia the key to that passage?

Kat smiled for the first time in days as hope raced through her body. It was so simple and so easy. And worst of all, it had been right in front of her all this time. Prophecy was never wrong, and if that was the case, if she was right about Jack, perhaps he would rescue her after all.

Kat's attention turned back to the mountains where the beating of war drums eased up for a few minutes, allowing other sounds to filter through. It allowed her to just pick up the sound of something else beyond the drums, a steady crackle that she sought to identify. It came in bursts, loud enough to echo throughout the mountains, but still faint enough for her to struggle with what it was.

Gunfire.

It had to be Jack. That sound she heard was gunfire. The only thing that fired that rapidly were the Javan weapons. They were close, so very close to her current position that Kat could have jumped with happiness if only she had the energy. She smiled once again and bit her lip, so thankful that it could have only been Jack that would come this far away just to get her.

"What is that sound? Fireworks?" asked Lara to her side.

Kat nodded eagerly. "Yes, Lara. Beautiful fireworks. We're going to be saved."

Lara sighed weakly. "Not a moment too soon," she whispered.

Her happiness would not last long. There was a commotion in the camp as several of the slave tenders were pulled aside by the personal guards of the clan chief. Kat watched with interest as they repeatedly gestured back to the pens, and she felt alarmed when several of the guards started to point in her direction. Fear started to grip her. Did they know that Jack was after her? That she was the cause of all of this war?

That group soon dissolved as several of the tenders headed her direction and started to open her pen. Two of them slipped inside and Kat closed her eyes, praying it wasn't her they were after. Unfortunately, she felt their rough hands enclose under her arms and yank her to her feet.

"What are you doing with me?" she asked weakly as one of the guards stepped directly in front of her while wearing a cruel smile. At his waist, was an ugly curved sword that looked especially vicious.

"This is the one. Let's go!" he said quickly.

"Go? Go where?" asked Kat.

The guard leered at her. "You, pretty thing, have been sold to the high clan king of Andalucia. It's time to go!"