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Fen thought she would be given another bucket of water. Instead, Azra was waiting for them.
"I can take her from here, Mohar. She needs proper attendance. She's been purchased for the night," Azra said.
Purchased. Fen was covered in blood, every part of her hurting, and now they would send her out to some rich asshole like a common prostitute? She kept the disgust from her face and tried to think clearly.
She could fuck a stranger, and when his or her guard was down, she would find a way to escape. She could die trying to get free, but it would be better than dying in the arena for their sport.
Fen followed Azra up from the cells and into apartments that must've been used by Nektos. They weren't as lavishly furnished as the house she had been to the night before, but they were still opulent with beautifully painted walls and shining dark wooden furniture.
Azra showed her to a bathing chamber where a steaming pool awaited. "You will scrub every single part of yourself thoroughly and quickly. I will be sending in a maidservant to help you dress and fix your hair and makeup."
Fen pulled off the filthy remains of her clothes. "Can I ask who I've been bought by?"
"No. You are to give this person pleasure, if that's possible, and then leave. I will come back and escort you soon, so don't waste time," Azra replied and left her.
Fen considered trying to escape but dismissed the idea. The arena grounds had too many guards, and she doubted Azra would be dumb enough to leave the apartments with no one watching her.
Fen stepped into the warm water, and she wanted to start crying. She had been hungry for so long that she could ignore the dull gnawing in her gut. She had missed being warm and clean, so maybe fucking some old rich buyer would be worth it just for the bath.
Until a few weeks ago, Fen never would've imagined someone treating a seiðr with such disrespect. If she ever did get back to Midgard, she would hunt the raiders that took her down and blood eagle them.
You need to figure out how to get back to Midgard first.
Fen ducked her head under the water and let out the scream she had been holding since she was taken in Visby. She would need all of the wisdom, magic, and strength she had learned over the years if she was going to survive.
* * *
Fen had never been more uncomfortable in her life. Thedressshe had been given was made of a gauzy blue material that was all but see-through. She had been given a cloak to cover herself up on the journey from the arena, but she thought it was more to hide goods that people didn't pay for than to keep her dignity.
The maidservant had painted her face and braided and pinned her hair in a style that seemed popular with the Sand and Sky people. She looked like a whore, so Azra had deemed it perfect.
Azra herself escorted her in a litter, carried by four warriors. She looked pissed off, as she always did.
"What is this city called?" Fen asked, looking out of the small holes in the wooden door at the darkening streets.
"Ankhara. It is the greatest and most beautiful city in the world," Azra replied with a touch of pride.
"You were born here? I didn't know they took slaves amongst their own people." Fen expected her to lash out, but she didn't. She only looked sad.
"They don't. I was given to Nektos by my father to pay off his debt."
That explained a lot. Azra wouldn't run because she had nowhere to run to. She was helping her family.
"Nektos seems to value you."
"If I please him, he might let me go." Azra shrugged. "Something for you to think about. Your performance in the arena today got a lot of attention from many rich patrons. If you make this patron happy tonight, it might be the last time you have to step on those horrible bloody sands. I won't lie and say that you could earn your freedom. In Ankhara, people like you from Geb have no social standing even if you were free. Get a powerful patron to buy you. You will have a better standard of life and a longer one."
Fen nodded. "Do they let free slaves of Geb go home through the Sky Bridge?"
"Sky Bridge… Oh, the Gates of Horus. No, not that I have ever seen," Azra replied.
Fen didn't ask any more questions after that. Her mind was trying to process what she had learned.
Fen had heard rumors that those bought by the Sand and Sky people were never seen again, but she'd held a small hope that they were lies.
No slaves ever went home.Fen straightened her shoulders.You will just have to be the first.
They were met by two tall guards dressed in black and gold armor. The long-nosed head of a dragon was pressed in gold on their chest pieces, unlike the cat Fen had seen on the arena guards. Did they have dragons here? Fen could only imagine.
