Brian Pratt - Fires of prophesy

“You think so?” Tersa asks.

“Yeah, only magic could make the clouds react like that,” she explains.

They look back to Al-Kur and watch as the clouds intensify over the town and then suddenly seem to descend to the ground in one spot. After a couple minutes, the clouds begin dissipating and everything returns to normal.

“Hope they’re alright,” Tersa says, worried for her brother.

“Those two can take care of themselves,” Scar assures her.

“I hope so,” she says as she watches Al-Kur slowly disappear in the distance. “I hope so.”

The days since the fall of the City of Light have blurred together until he no longer knows how long it’s been since it all began. His butt has finally stopped aching from sitting on the seat in the wagon and the sore on his leg from the manacle around his ankle is beginning to toughen up and become a callus. His is but one of several wagons loaded with slaves.

Miko stares numbly out at the water of the ocean as the wagon he’s in continues its journey. To where, he doesn’t know nor care anymore. He was sure that James would’ve found him by now, but day after day of hope unfulfilled has left him doubting if he would come at all. After all he’s only one boy and a street rat at that. Hardly worth risking one’s life for. Why did he think James would even bother coming after him?

His arm still throbs from where he got cut by a fellow slave back in the city of Azzac. It was during the night after they arrived at the city and been placed in holding pens with other slaves. During their journey, as they came to different cities, they would stop off at the local magistrate’s building and some slaves would be taken off or others added. Often the ones who were added were those who had been sentenced by the courts for some heinous crime and were on their way to wherever their sentence decreed.

It was during one such stop the day before their arrival at Azzac that they acquired an individual who took an immediate disliking to Miko. When the man was put in the wagon, he sat across from Miko. The chain from the manacle on his foot was secured to the same eye ring in the bed of the wagon that Miko’s was.

Miko disliked the looks of him from the beginning, he was missing two fingers on his right hand and a scar ran across one eye that was white and obviously blinded. His hair was greasy and dirty, many of his teeth were missing and those that remained were crooked and beginning to turn black. He began to refer to him as Black Tooth, but only in his mind.

Black Tooth kept staring at Miko after the wagon began rolling and then he said something to him. When Miko failed to respond he began to grow agitated. One of the other slaves in the wagon, who had been riding with Miko for a while, said something to him.

Black Tooth turned to Miko and said something else before a crooked smile played across his face, which did anything but put him at ease. The rest of that day, Black Tooth kept staring at him and by the end of the day, Miko was feeling very uncomfortable and worried.

When the slave caravan stopped for the night, they unloaded the slaves and had them all settle in close together for the night, with several slavers armed with crossbows standing watch over them. Their legs were manacled together but their hands were kept free. One by one, they were marched away from camp where they were allowed to answer nature’s call and then returned to the others.

Miko was relieved that Black Tooth was nowhere near his place. He did catch him glancing over at him from where he was sitting on the other side of the group. Each time he did, a chill would run through Miko and his nerves would start getting the better of him.

In the morning, when he woke up, many slaves were talking among themselves and pointing off the road to the east. Miko gets up and looks to see a wall of fog off in the distance. No one there speaks his language so he’s left to his own imagination as to why they’re so excited about it.

Once more led to the edge of camp, Miko takes care of nature’s business and then is brought back to the wagon where his manacles are once again secured to the eye ring in the bed of the wagon. Black Tooth is seated on his side of the wagon with two others between them, much to Miko’s relief.

All that day they continue riding under the blazing hot sun, Miko is surprised at just how dark he’s becoming from the sun. Near nightfall, he sees a large city appearing on the horizon ahead of them. One of the other’s in the wagon says ‘Azzac’ to him as the man points to it.

Miko gazes at the approaching city and wonders if this will be the end of the line for him, where he will truly become a slave. With apprehension, he watches the city grow closer until finally they pass through the gates.

They roll on through the city for awhile until they arrive at a large compound where the wagon stops and they’re removed from the wagon. Feet still manacled, they’re led into the building and divided into two holding pens where their manacles are removed.

Miko is the second to enter the pen and he watches with dread as Black Tooth is ushered into his pen behind him. When Black Tooth sees him there, he breaks into the smile that sets Miko’s nerves on edge.

Trying to put as much distance between them as possible, Miko moves to a far corner and settles down there. He watches Black Tooth as he goes over to several guys in the corner and begins talking to them. From the way they’re acting, it doesn’t look to him like the others know him at all.

The only time when Miko leaves his corner is when they’re fed and when he has to use the slop bucket. It’s not long after they’re fed that the light begins to fade with the coming of night. The slaves in the pens begin settling down to get what sleep they can.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Miko is awakened when someone grabs him. Startled, he tries to break free but the man only laughs. Black Tooth! Frantic now, Miko struggles harder and strikes out with his elbow, catching Black Tooth in the side.

Black Tooth’s grip loosens slightly but it’s enough for Miko to wriggle away from him. In his haste to get away, Miko trips over a sleeping slave who cries out in protest.

In the dim light filtering in through the windows, he sees Black Tooth begin approaching him, something held in his hand, glinting in the dim light. Miko starts hollering “Help! Guards!”

Black Tooth says something and then rushes toward him.

Miko keeps hollering as he tries to get away from Black Tooth. The other men in the pen realize what’s going on and quickly move to the edge to get out of harm’s way. Some begin calling out and before you know it, the whole area is in a roar with words and cheers, none of which Miko understands.

A door opens and light fills the pens from several torches brought in by the guards to see what the commotion is about.

Black Tooth continues chasing him around the pen as the guards enter the holding area, and when Miko gets close to the men at the side, one of them trips him. Falling to the floor, Miko quickly rolls on his back and sees Black Tooth right on top of him.

The knife held in his hand strikes down, opening up a long cut on his left forearm.

Suddenly, the door to the pen is opened and guards rush in and grab Black Tooth before he can strike again. They immobilize his arm and remove the knife from his hand. They holler to others and as they take Black Tooth out of the pen. Two slavers come in with a wooden block and set it on the floor outside of the pen.

They take Black Tooth to it and lay his right arm, the one that held the knife, across the top of it as one of the guards draws his sword. With a quick motion, he severs Black Tooth’s hand from his arm.