The Slave World Abductions Ch. 04

The Slave World Abductions

A Fanfiction

Part Four

by The Preve

Based upon characters and concepts created by Roxy Rex

The Author wishes to convey his thanks to Roxy Rex for his permission in writing this story.

I stopped at the Gutted Pig to see Ann. I didn't expect her to have a list. I just wanted a progress report.

"Looking for more?" Ann smirked.

"I got a courier who said the Equinox's expecting more guests. They're ordering a keg of black mead," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"I've got several different brands."

"Mind if I go down to sample the goods?"

"Follow me," she smiled.

A few patrons from yesterday really grinned at that. A session with Ann and surviving was one thing. A second was a rare privilege.

In the cellar she gave me a list of five.

"Wow, you're good."

"I have good stringers and info's flowing better these days. The power scramble's making secrets more difficult to keep."

"Kind of stupid if you're trafficking closed realm slaves."

"People look the other way here, and I don't think the suspect expected the Department to react so quickly."

"Got a point. Some of this scheme smacks of desperation."

"Councilors are nigh untouchable," Ann said, "Lots of power, lots of money."

The list contained three dark elf nobles, a tiefling merchant, and an orc chieftain. Two of the nobles and the merchant had shamans. The other two could have hired them. All of them took losses in the recent war. All of them came into revenue from unknown sources in the past year.

"These are promising leads, thanks."

"My pleasure. Go get 'em Max... but be careful."

"I'll be as careful as I permit myself," I smiled.

I left the Gutted Pig with an "order" for two kegs of black grain mead, to be delivered to Broke Tooth by fall equinox, and knowing grins from the patrons. I returned to the Black Unicorn to examine the ledger.

Most of the list seemed legit in regards to the slaves purchased... on the surface. There were a lot of New Atlanteans listed. I suspected the six weren't the only ones. I made a note to visit the local consulate when I finished. Right now I needed to focus on the six.

I read down the list, and chanted a mnemonic spell to bring up the files stored in my brain. The buyers were Quality, such as it was in the case of some.

Kim O'Brien- final price, 3000 gold sovereigns. I whistled. The equivalent of buying a custom Ferrari here. I suspected her masochistic nature upped her price.

The buyer was Averna Bellam, Duchess of Felldis. I whistled again. This lady was going to be trouble. She was one of the Lilium, very wealthy, very powerful. She kept an estate in the Cassari Province. Of interesting note: she had the largest, most extensive collection of books in Svartalfheim... and Kim was a librarian.

Maria Torres- final price, 1250 gold sovereigns. I'd suspect, from her profile, she'd be insulted at her relatively cheap price compared to Kim. The buyers were the Red Horde Federation, a powerful orc warband. Probably purchased as their camp recreation. They were tough. Extracting her wasn't going to be easy. First I had to locate them, which meant following a trail of burnt and massacred villages. I wasn't looking forward to that.

Lola Pandit- Final price, 2000 gold sovereigns. Pretty good price. The buyer: Amir Rasheed al-Shaharabad, an Ifrit. Trouble again. Ifrits were high caste djinn; very powerful in magic. Another difficult extraction. He kept a palace at the Great Emerald Oasis, Desert of Gold.

Sara Sundstrom- final price 2750 gold sovereigns. The buyer: Farid ibn Hassan ibn Kassir, Sharif of Avarakan. Another Ifrit and Shaharabad's chief rival. They were both vying for council positions. Interesting. Avarakan was the richest and largest city in the Quraq Province, on the edge of the Desert of Gold. Very well placed at a confluence of rivers and trade routes.

And finally the twins: Jill Rosenberg- final price, 2500 gold sovereigns. Jane- thrown in at half price, 1250 gold sovereigns. The buyer: Grunk, the Ogre. Warchief and Warlord-for-life of the Skataris Province, Cold Crack Mountains far to the north. I ground my teeth. Real ogres definitely are not Shrek. I was amazed he had money to pay.

I sat back in the bed and went over the options. Much as I wanted, and believe me, I really wanted to rescue them, the twins were out for the moment. It was late summer here but the far north would already be in winter. The seasons up there were fall, very long winter, two seconds of spring and summer, fall, and very long winter. The winters competed to see if they could top the previous year.

The passes were closed by now. Plus you had dragons, manticores, basilisks, gryphons, spiders, unicorns, etc. Too difficult right now. I'd be no use to the girls if I got my ass eaten before I even got close.

I had to cross my fingers and hope the girls could endure 'til next year. Maybe Grunk wouldn't tire of them and decide they were better as a main course. I did a forecast spell just in case. I'm not a seer, as I mentioned earlier, but forecasting helps in planning. The results indicated a 50/50 chance of survival. Even odds. I'd have to live with that.

Kim was closest. Cassari province was right next to Slave World, a couple days horse ride. Relatively easy too; mostly grasslands, farms, and plantations. Yeah, Kim first. I ate dinner, set a spell for early rise, and went to bed.

****

The next morning, I ate breakfast, packed, and checked out. My first destination was the Alfheim consulate near the edge of the city. First, a little glamour to prevent recognition, and some code spells to get in.

The consul was young, at least he looked that way. It's difficult guessing an elf's age, light or dark.

"Greetings sir, how may I help you?"

"I'm Agent number (such and such, you only use names with people you work with). I need you to send this to D.I.I.L.E," I handed him the ledger, "Priority direct to the Director (the Old Lady). Suspected sentient trafficking from closed realms."

"Sigh, why am I not surprised. I'll get it out right away. Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, I'd like a schedule of caravans leaving Cassari. Destination: Desert of Gold."

"I'll be a second."

The consul took the ledger to postal, then came back with a schedule.

"Up to date as of Ninth Day."

"Thank you. Good morrow consul," I tipped my hat.

"Good morrow to you sir, and good luck on your endeavors."

I left the consulate; next stop: the horse traders quarter in the Sixth.

One has to be careful buying horses in Svartalfheim. Caveat emptor, remember? It's not just about getting tricked into buying a broken down nag with glamour on it.

There's unicorns with taming spells that wear off, soon as you get out of the city. You get thrown, trampled to jelly, gored, and eaten.

There's kelpies, who'll dash off to the nearest lake or river, drown the rider (who can't jump off 'cause he's magically glued to its back), and eat him.

Dire horses who'll drag you off to the Infernal realm. Glamoured manticores and gryphons. Plus the usual gifting tricks.

Horse buying is basically casting dice. You have to recognize the clues. That, plus own a good scrying glass or oculus.

The trick is to ignore the dealers with horses that looked too good. The ones with the obvious nags are for the bargain hunters. Avoid the starved looking ones with big teeth. Thracian horses, Diomedes breed. Buy one of those and it won't be starved looking for long.

I was looking for one with stamina for long distance, and speed to outrun bandits. I found a tiefling trader, reasonably honest as Slave World allowed.

"I just came into a good batch of coursers. We had some trouble recently. It got fixed so there was a draw down. A bunch of warhorses became surplus and I scored some cheap."

They were big and strong-looking, didn't look glamoured. The oculus showed no disguise, and my personal wards didn't go off. I picked a nice looking chestnut for ten gold.

"I can throw in the saddle and stirrups for free."

"Nah, I'll give you three silver." Nice try bastard.

"Four."

"Three and two coppers."

"Deal." Spit and shake.

I hitched my gear to the saddle, rode him around a few times to get him used to me, and then rode out the city gates, headed east. I kept one hand free, near my gun, just in case. The horse was the real deal, though.

I kept to the main road. It's best. Inns and taverns lay along the way. It's generally dangerous to sleep in the rough on Svartalflheim. Only the best, toughest, and deadliest travel at night. I'm all three but I didn't want to expend my weaponry on extraneous bogies.

I came across the first inn after an uneventful day. The sun was low. A check revealed nothing about the inn, but the area around it emitted a malevolent aura. A curse then; not on the inn but in the general area. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers.

The proprietors were a married gnome couple. "Got in just in time, you did," the Matron, a big-nosed elder said, "The stables are safe and warded too."

I made sure of my horse, stabled with a bag of oats, then paid for a room and food. I made the usual checks. The inn and stables were heavily warded. Me and the other guests were shut in for the night.

I ate and went to bed early. I was tired. A noise woke me later. Something large, snorting, and shuffling outside the inn. I sensed a strong malevolence. It snorted and shuffled like a pig, which it was... sort of.

"Pig demon, figures." We were okay. So long as we stayed inside. It snarled a frustrated sound between a roar and a squeal, and then shuffled off to wreak havoc elsewhere. Nothing else happened that night.

I got up early the next morning, had a wash, and breakfast, and paid the bill.

"You got someone coming for the pig?" I asked, curious.

"We got an exorcist coming at month's end. The pig's some Black Hand apprentice's bog up. Bad for business these demons," the Matron snorted.

The few other guests leaving were in a hurry, obviously. Some had circles under their eyes. Not many take demonic presences well.

The trip down the road was uneventful. I was glad for that. I didn't relax though; relaxation is usually when the bandits hit. There were plenty of trees on either side. I took note of the regular patrols from the nearby villages. A few eyed me warily but made no move otherwise. I suspected between the patrols and the pig demon, banditry was not a going thing in that area.

The chestnut made good progress. The trees thinned out the closer we approached Cassari.

The border gate to Cassari was a stone and mortar arch with a guardhouse. The magistrates weren't too interested in solitary travelers. Just merchants and caravans. The bribes were more substantial.

I rode to a magistrate; a tiefling leaning, bored, against a wall.

"Excuse me, would you happen to know the way to Lady Felldis' estate?"

The tiefling stared back blank-faced. I took a silver and tossed it to her.

She caught it. "Fifty leagues southeast. You can't miss it. Biggest manor in the province."

"Much obliged," I tipped my hat.

The ride through Cassari was kind of boring, actually. Nothing to see at first but endless grass, broken occasionally by thickets and copses of trees.

I maintained a mild state of alertness. Innocuous settings can hide the greatest dangers. Tree copses can hide bandits, slavers, deadly creatures, and fairy rings. Fairy rings are especially dangerous. Beware of tall grass too.

I figured my pace would get me halfway to the estate, before I needed to find shelter. The grassland gave way to small farms and villages.

I found a nice inn in one, named Hind's Haunches. The village and inn were tiefling. Room for one night was a gold and a silver, plus a silver for food, and a complementary lass or lad. I turned down the complement, paid the fee, and stabled the horse.

The room seemed harmless enough at first glance but something was off. A quick scan found dark magic centered on the bed. Another scan uncovered a sopor charm plus a capture spell woven into the blanket.

"Figures, a Tourist Trap."

Pardon if it sounds like a pun but it's literal in this case. Traps like this are all over the realms.

I could have walked out and asked for my money back right there, but tieflings tend to be prickly about refunds. Plus, it's not just the inn. The whole village could be in on the game. 'Sides, I felt like having a little fun.

I went back down the stairs and spoke to the innkeeper.

"On second thought, I think I'll have a lad for the night. How much?"

"Two silver."

I paid. "I'm going to make sure my horse is fed for the night. Back in a few."

Actually it was to secure the horse. If tonight's job was a snatch and/or slavery/robbery/murder, my horse would be included.

It's a simple spell involving heat. The field surrounding the horse makes it red hot to the touch, but doesn't burn it up.

My ride protected, with a bag of oats to eat, I returned to the inn and my room, and waited.

The lad came several hours later, with a tray of venison, rye bread, and a tankard of ale. He was young, probably late teens, early twenties. Close cropped auburn hair, slender build, handsome enough but no Abercrombie and Fitch.

"Just set it on the table, strip, and get in bed, on your belly."

"Yes'm."

I turned to my meal. A few sniffs told me I was going hungry and thirsty tonight. Venison soaked in poppy juice, and in the ale, likely the bread too. These fucks want me zonked.

I turned toward the lad. He was out cold, on the bed. Nice ass. I go both ways, I just don't advertise it.

His service brand was on his left cheek. Pity, the make of the brand meant a homing spell. Even if I freed him, his owners would find him, or another spell would activate, forcing his return. I had nothing on me to break it. Another in a long list of my hate against this place. Still, he had a use.

I cast a glamour spell. Instantly the hair on his head turned dark, followed by his skin. I activated the blanket. It wrapped tight around the lad's body, like a strait jacket, and left only the top of his head visible.

I left the food and ale on the table, uneaten, scattered some clothes about, cloaked myself in shadow, and waited. I made sure to hide my bag first. The story would be the lad came in with the food, found me out cold and wrapped in the blanket, and left.

They came a couple of hours later and checked the bed. They were two tieflings.

"You get his feet," one, a tall guy, said.

"How much you think he'll fetch?" asked the shorter one.

"About 125 gold probably. He looks strong, and dark-skinned humans are in season these days."

"His horse should fetch a fair price. Hmmph, he's lighter than I expected."

"Probably that coat he wore. I want it for myself."

"I don't see it."

"We'll search later."

I silently watched them take "me" out of the room. The glamour would run out by morning. I set a timer and decided to sleep 'til early morning.

At cock's crow plus timer, I came down the stairs ready for battle. The innkeeper was shocked. Several guests and a lass sweeping the floor didn't notice. They weren't in on it.

"Damn good sleep!" I boomed. "I commend your service."

"Uh, ahem, yes. I thank you. Uh, cough! Uh, so you enjoyed a good night... I take it?"

"The best I've had in a long while. Your lad performed excellently. Your ale was a bit sour, however. Perhaps you should check your... why innkeeper. You seem a bit ill. Is your health in order?"

"Right, uh, yes! No, I mean I'm fine. So, uh, how may I help you now?"

The innkeeper's eyes were shifty, looking at someone behind me. Of course, I knew the tall tiefling approached my back with a knife. That was a very well polished silver pitcher behind the innkeeper. Just like a mirror. Pretty expensive for this place; probably stolen from an earlier victim or bought with slave money.

I drew a knife and I drew my gun. The former went into the tiefling's throat. The latter went into the innkeeper's face.

Once again the innkeeper was shocked. "What's that thing?"

I shot his ear. The bullet went into the wall, with parts of tiefling ear. The report got everyone's attention.

"The customer service here is appalling."

The smaller tiefling was smart and stayed put.

"You! Lass!" I called to the sweeper, "Any other guests and servants?"

"Some sleepers upstairs," she gulped. "The servants' just me and Colin."

"Get 'em all down here with their packs. Scoot."

She scampered up the stairs. I turned to the short tiefling. "You! Sit!"

He moved to a table. "Uh uh, on the floor, flat on your belly, hands on your head. You move, I hole your skull."

The tiefling was very compliant. The patrons, a human and a couple of light elves, watched with varying degrees of shock and curiosity. The innkeeper clutched his ruined ear, a look of pain and horror on his face.

"Your money chest. Get it out."

He knelt and opened a panel on the floor. Tieflings always kept their wealth close. Also, extra weapons. I put a bullet through his hand when he went for the knife next to the money box.

"The next one goes in your head."

"You mud bred piece of human trash!" he snarled.

"You worthless piece of shit slaver. And me, a guest. Your service will not go well for your rating in the Baedeker guide."

The money chest contained the month's proceeds, and whatever profit from the sale of selected guests and their goods presumably.

A group including two humans, two dark elves, and three dwarves, plus the lass, and a very groggy lad, Colin, filed into the lobby. The guests' mood wasn't good. Some had weapons out.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked one of the elves with considerable petulance.

"You're all here to get your refunds, including penalties, and check out," I smiled, staring at the innkeeper.

"What's this about? I heard a gun," one of the humans. Obviously from one of the modern realms.

"Seems the innkeeper and his two accomplices are running a snatch scheme. I don't know if some of you were on his list but I'm closing his business."

"Bor's balls!" snorted a dwarf. "A bloody tourist trap!"

Angry mutters erupted among the guests. No one liked these places.

I distributed refunds to the guests, plus a bit extra for food, clothing, and travel. The extra money lightened the mood considerably.

"All right, everyone clear out. The village might be in on the scheme. Put as much distance between this place and your bodies as possible."

The guests didn't need to be told twice, and there were a few thank yous besides.

I turned to the two servants. "Indentured or slave?" I asked the lass.

"Indentured," she answered.

"Contract."

She showed me the tattoo on her right shoulder. I took a bag, filled it with ten gold and ten silver and tossed it to her.

"Severance pay. Come over here."

She was reluctant. The innkeeper glared at her with black hate.

"Don't be scared of him. Come here, and you," I turned to the innkeeper, "Head down or I take my knife and start cutting. Show me your tatt, lass."

I took some glamour and smeared it on her tattoo. "Should last a couple of days."

"Thank ye, sir."