The Lord's Redemption

The journey to Velmorea

“Should I sell you back to Zeres?” The sound of his voice seemed to startle her as she jumped. “You seem rather interested in him.”

Meredith pressed her lips together, feeling a sudden shortage of air as her new owner invaded her space. They were still in Dintletown, waiting for the carriage, and she had taken the time to watch Zeres pack away his gold. She was still finding it hard to accept the truth that she was now a slave—a property that had been sold to the man standing next to her.

The thought of running away suddenly crossed her mind, and she began to nurture it. She had never wanted to be sold as a slave, and now that she was one, she could not remain so. All she had to do was run—far away from this man, Zeres, and her parents. Then no one would ever try to make her a slave again.

A loud ‘clank’ drew her attention, and she looked up at her new owner, who now had a long chain in his hand. As confusion appeared on her face, Ezekiel explained, “Zeres gave me this. He said I should chain you with it so you don’t run away.” He shrugged.

Meredith was beside herself with shock. A chain? Just when she had thought of running away? She watched as Ezekiel bent down to lock the chain around her ankles. The chain was long enough to let her walk, but that was all. If she made an attempt to run, she would end up falling flat on her face.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t try to run away, but Zeres insisted I use it. He says slaves are unpredictable,” said Ezekiel as he finished locking the chains. He stood up and met her shocked and angered eyes, and of all things, he raised his hand and patted her head. “Don’t try to run away, slave. I paid a large amount to have you. I own you now, and I hate losing my things.”

Gone was the man who had smiled as he gave away his gold coins for a slave. The man before her was a slave owner. He wasn’t just telling her—he was warning her, and his eyes held promises that it would not end well for her if she tried, or even thought of, running away.

Meredith gulped, withdrawing her gaze from his and looking down at the chain that bound her legs. She was a slave now, bound and owned by her master. It was a hard pill to swallow.

“Hungry?” Ezekiel asked, still patting her hair. “You look weak. When last did you eat?”

Her last meal had been the porridge at her parents’ house on the night they decided to sell her. Since then, not even a drop of water had touched her tongue, but Meredith stubbornly shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Ezekiel nodded. “We depart immediately. Velmorea is a long ride from here, and we have wasted enough time already. The carriage is waiting outside.” With that, the Lord began to walk away, leaving Meredith to follow behind him. And follow she did, albeit with much difficulty due to the chains.

Under the inky black sky and bright moon, a magnificent carriage stood, with two horses to pull it and two coachmen to guide it. Meredith had never been in a carriage before, as all her movements were done on foot, but she had always dreamed of entering one—especially on those nights when her feet were sore from walking for many hours. Entering this magnificent carriage would have been a dream come true for her.

She watched a coachman open the door for Ezekiel to climb in, but before she could follow him, the carriage door was shut, and she stood there, staring blankly at the wooden surface.

“The Lord wants you to ride outside,” came the coachman’s simple explanation, which still managed to confuse Meredith greatly. How was she supposed to ride outside when there was no seat? Or would she be riding with the coachmen?

Her question was soon answered when the other coachman came with a rope, bound her hands, and tied the ends of it to the back of the carriage. There was no seat for her. She was going to walk the distance from Dintletown to Velmorea while being tied to the carriage.

Meredith watched them without question. After all, she was now a slave. From the little she had heard about slaves, they were subjected to the worst kinds of treatment known to mankind. The fortunate slaves died quickly, while the unfortunate ones lived long enough to be tortured even more.

She could only pray that she would be one of the fortunate slaves.

With tears streaming down her face, Meredith began to move with the carriage along the smooth and rocky paths. Each time the horses moved, she was pulled and dragged, and a few times, she even fell. But she stood up immediately because if she didn’t, she would be dragged like a rag doll. The only mercy she had was that the carriage moved at a pace her chains would allow. She did not know whether that was done to make it easier for her or to add to her misery.

A familiar emotion began to brew in her chest again—the same emotion she had felt on that stage when her dress was being ripped. It was hatred. She had felt it for her parents then, and now she felt it for her master. She hated her parents who sold her, and she hated the man who bought her and had her tied to the back of his carriage.

But there was nothing she could do with this hatred except allow it to strengthen her arms and legs—for now.