The Alpha Queen’s Revenge

Chapter 1

***

“Get up, you filthy maggots!”

A sharp kick to the side woke me up from my slumber, and I bit my lip as pain exploded over my side. I sat up slowly, and the swaying of the ship caused me to feel nauseous instantly. A storm cloud gathered overhead, thick grey clouds swirling in the sky and drifting slowly towards us.

“On your feet, you scullery rats!” a guttural voice said overhead. “Line up on the deck at once. Girls in front, boys behind.”

It took a few seconds for my brain to fully wake up, and when it did, I stood up and took in my surroundings.

We were still at sea, three days out now and with the salty spray of the water becoming a constant nuisance I just couldn’t shake. The swaying of the ship was something I still hadn’t gotten used to, and you would think that three days was enough for someone to get used to it. But when your stomach is filled with moldy old bread and a stale, cold soup for three entire days, you would also feel nauseous for the entire time.

Captain Flynn stood above and watched as we all lined up on the deck, and I squinted my eyes to block out the harsh sunlight. The roar of the waves was deafening, but it was something I had to endure as everyone gathered on deck.

“Right,” he said, clapping his hands together. “I believe you all know why you’re here.”

He was a thin, bald old man who somehow managed to sport a potbelly so round it almost looked like he’s pregnant. His beard was grey and patchy, and it looked ridiculous with the beads sewn into it. He smelled of fish and curry, a testament to the fact that while we were out here starving, he sat in his cabin all day and dined like a king, eating and f*****g until the sun sets.

“We should be arriving at Greysport shortly,” he said. “When we do, I expect each of you to behave accordingly, otherwise you will be tied to the anchor and you go down with it.”

The crew cheered mockingly, and I had to hold back my bitterness as I stared at Captain Flynn’s ugly face. His puffy face was marked with moles, and he looked sickly as he stepped down onto the deck and began to march in front of us.

“Some of you will get sold to rich, noble houses,” he continued. “If you’re lucky, you might get a good master who will feed you well, clothe you appropriately and have you serve in his kitchen as essential members of his household. Others will end up in a tavern, tending to the guests and pleasing them in whichever way they fancy. Others will end up in a brothel, and your big t**s will finally be put to good use.”

He stopped in front of a chubby girl named Silvia who seemed only a little bit younger than me, and a lecherous grin crossed his face as he pulled her dress down and exposed her breasts. The others cheered as he placed his face between her chest and inhaled deeply. Silvia trembled violently, but she didn’t stop him and she bit her lip to remain silent as tears roll down her pudgy cheeks. My blood boiled as I stared at him, and I wished I had a knife so I could slit his throat with it.

“Gods, I might just keep this one for myself,” he said, pulling back to smirk wickedly at her. “Would you like that, girl?”

Silvia continued to tremble, and she said nothing as Flynn slipped his hand under her dress. She was terrified, and the more he tried to get her to speak, the more frightened and quiet she became.

“I asked you a question, girl,” he said. “Are you going to stay here and let me feel your t**s every morning and evening?”

“Leave her alone!”

Everyone turned to look at me, and I knew I’d done something horribly wrong even though I was not exactly sure what it was. I stared blankly at captain Flynn as he glared at me, his eyes ablaze with a rage I’d never seen before. Even Silvia glanced at me in shock, as if I’d just said something blasphemous.

“What did you say?” he asked coldly, his words laced with venom.

“I said leave her alone,” I repeated, ignoring how fast my heart was beating. I stared at him defiantly, and I stood my ground as he made his way towards me slowly.

I smelled the fish and curry before he even reached me. He was much taller than I am, nearly two feet more. My head barely stopped at his chest, and he was a lot wider than I am. But I still reckoned I could take him in a fight if it came to blows.

“Go on then, you little cunt,” he whispered. “Look me in the eyes and say that again.”

“You’re hurting her,” I said defiantly. “And if you’re too blind to see that, then perhaps you should get your eyes checked in Greysport. Either that, or you’re just as stupid as you look.”

A deathly silence settled over the entire ship, and except for the whistling of the wind, the entire world fell silent. Flynn stared at me with a burning rage behind his eyes, and for a moment, he looked like he was going to burst with rage. Up close, I could see the grey flecks in his eyes, and the blemishes on his pale face. He disgusted me, and I wanted him to know that.

For a moment, he looked like he was not going to say anything. He straightened up and turned around, and I thought for a split second that he had actually realised what he was doing was wrong. Who said miracles weren’t real?

But then he turned around suddenly and slammed his fist into my face. The pain blinded me momentarily as I fell to the ground, and blood immediately began to pour from my shattered nose.

“Remember that the next time you think about opening your filthy mouth, you f*****g b***h!” he growled, then kicked me right in the gut. The pain was excruciating, and I gasped for air desperately as I crawled into a fetal position. I could hardly breath, and I felt like something had definitely ruptured inside me. But I relished the pain, and after a few seconds, I welcomed it like an old companion. Pain had been the only thing that remained with me for the last nine years of my life. It was the only thing I could remember, and the only thing I knew was coming for me. Flynn might not know this, but his violence was exactly what I need to remind myself of the life I once lived. In those moments where I felt like I was about to die, I could see a glimpse of my old home, my father’s face as he kissed me for the last time, and the sight of everything I once knew and loved before it all went up in flames.

Literally.

Ever since then, I’d been moved from one slaver to another, sold like an animal so many times that I actually stopped bothering to count. I had worked as a maid, as a seamstress, a jeweller, a handmaiden and more recently, as a nurse for a woman who gave birth to triplets. But I couldn’t stay out of trouble for long, and I always wound up back here, in the clutches of slavers and getting ready to be sold to another master.

“Lock her up below deck,” Flynn said as he stormed away. “Let the cold teach her some manners.”

Powerful hands grabbed hold of me, and I was dragged towards the cell which sat in the middle of the deck. The top was entirely open, and when it rained, the spray of the water fell directly on me. The cold got right into my bones, and by the time we arrived at Greysport, I was trembling like a wet dog and could barely keep my eyes open. I slipped in and out of consciousness, and as the board was set down, different people began to troop onto the deck and look at the slaves they were about to buy. My face was swollen, and I could barely see anything around me. Voices drifted overhead, but I couldn’t even make out what they were saying.

And then, quite suddenly, a dark figure loomed over me as I looked up and saw a silhouette of two men standing above the cell and staring down at me.

“She’s a tough one,” Flynn’s voice cut through the din. “Perhaps your taste would be more suited to another one, your Grace. I have some excellent maidens from Assai, who I know you’ll enjoy.”

“No,” a cold voice said, the sound causing my ears to tremble. “I’ll have this one.”

I looked up slowly, and all I could see was a dark figure with a pair of glowing red eyes. He stared at me for a while, and then he turned around and walked away without another word.

I didn’t know it then, but that was the last time I would ever set foot on a slaver’s ship.

*