Chapter Twelve
1091 Words
"Let me go....let me go" I muffled trying to move my body from side to side. Slowly trying to open my eyes, I gave another try to stretch my arms or legs. Closing my eyes again, I took a deep breath. I could hear the sound of my ribs cracking as I was breathing. The taste of blood in my mouth wanted to make me puke out everything. I inhaled sharply as my back hit something.
We were moving.
Where was I?
My eyes flew open as I remembered everything. How someone gave me a note, how I was in a tavern and how three guys have attacked me. I looked down at my purple hands, tied together with a rope. Everything else looked dark. I began to move my hands looking for the small knife I had kept with me, just near my thigh. Another sharp pain hit my chest as I bent down to look for the knife.
I let out a sigh of relief finding the knife. I had no idea what they had in mind, whether they wanted to kill me and sell my body parts or they wanted to sell me away. Nothing sounded good to me. The cart was continuously moving but it wasn't alone. I could hear more clopping beside it. More than one horse was accompanying the cart. How many times have I been moved or were they the three men who took different vehicles?
A sudden jerk made me fall forward. The cart had stopped and there were more sounds of jostling and people moving around. I could hear screams outside, with some loud bangs.
*Thud*
*Thud*
Something had fallen.
I placed the knife in between my hand and started to cut off the rope as quickly as possible but a sharp glare fell on me and I squinted my eyes trying to see who it was.
Instead of keeping the knife between my hands, I thrust it forward and felt it slice a piece of cloth and skin of the man standing in front of me.
"Stop Fleur"
He knew my name.
My body was pulled out and without knowing what was happening to it, I rushed to the side and started puking.
Glancing to my side, I see blood dripping from a hand, a rather big hand. My head was pounding and I could only open half of my right eye. It was swollen and sore. Panting and adjusting my view to the darkness around me, I looked at the man who had just rescued me.
Three bodies were lying around his feet, but it didn't bother him at all. The blood was making me more pukish but I had nothing more to spit out. My chest was hurting along with my scratched throat now. I tried not to cough as I got up and stood in front of him.
"It has been long"
My Uncle said in a bland tone. He wasn't even looking at me. His gaze was at the sky as he was tying a cotton cloth around his bleeding hand. I wanted to apologize to him for attacking him but it seemed like it didn't bother him much.
"Why?" It was the only thing I could ask him.
From the stories my mother had told me about my relatives, my uncle was someone I should stay away from. He was in a business that was not socially accepted and neither legal. It was dangerous. When my father brought my mother to this kingdom, she had broken all ties with him. She had told me that he also didn't want to visit them and neither should he. When the day comes, to choose a thief over my uncle, I should rather feel much safer with the thief.
I didn't know if he was aware that my mother had run away or that my father had been killed last night. He must have been aware of my whereabouts, why else he would come to save me?
"Your parents owe me a debt"
If I had more energy, I would have jumped up. The chill in his voice made my heart pound harder against my chest.
My mother never talked about any debts, and only mentioned him once. What was he talking about?
He threw my bag and cardigan on me and scuffed me. Their long stare of his moved from top to down on my body.
"Do you know what your mother used to do?"
There were again no emotions in his voice which was making me more scared by every second. I knew that my mother was a dancer and that this profession wasn't one to gain respect from people of higher status. But it had never made me look at her differently. I had always loved her and respected her irrespective of what she did. If I had some energy I would have shoved him back.
I glared back at him, "What do you mean?" I was finding it tough to speak through with each word.
"Your Mother, who has been an Angel to you", he chuckled but it wasn't out of happiness, it was much more ironic, "the one who seemed to be a Saint to you, and from your looks, it seems your father hasn't told you", he leaned closer to me and smiled.
From close, his big dark eyes seemed nerve-wracking. His teeth had more of a yellow layer above it and he was reeking of alcohol.
"Your Mother worked for me, in the Brothel"
This time I didn't wait and put all my energy into shoving him back. It didn't make much difference but how dare he accuse my mother of something so heinous and low. My Mother used to be a dancer but she won't sell...she won't....he was just lying to me.
Till she won't come in front of me and agree to the same I wouldn't believe him, even if he was my so-called uncle. He placed one of his big hands over my head and pushed me back to the ground.
My knees had no more strength to stick a landing and I just rolled on the ground, till my back met the wheel of the chariot and a sudden pain made me cry.
"You ...you are..." Before I could complete my sentence, he had picked me up with my hair and had started dragging me towards another ride.
"Where are you taking me?" I managed to say as I was yet again pushed inside.
"To pay your debts"
- Writer
