surprise attack
1013 Words
The wagon had been shaking violently for two straight hours when it suddenly jerked to a stop.
BANG!
The back doors were ripped open from the outside. Blinding sunlight flooded in and I had to squint.
Bald Andru stood there, whip in hand, jerking his chin at us.
"Get out! Anyone drags their feet, I'll chop their legs off!"
I dragged the chain on my ankles and climbed down.
In front of me was a huge plaza, but the air stank of money and cruelty.
The Slave Market.
Iron cages were packed side by side. Haggling, sales pitches, and crying all blended together into one messy roar.
Guards herded my group into a corner to get us ready for the auction block.
I looked over at Lily.
The kid was white as paper, both hands clutching her shirt tight.
They pushed us up onto a high platform. A crowd swarmed in to inspect the new merchandise. Buyers made me spin in place, some squeezing my arms, others pinching my shoulders.
Almost everyone who'd come in our wagon had already been sold. Only a few of us were left, me included.
When I first arrived I was terrified of being bought. Now I regretted that. If nobody bought me, I'd get sent back to the camp and who knows what would happen there. Besides, it'd probably be easier to escape from a buyer.
So I took a deep breath and flashed the biggest, toothiest grin I could at a fat man staring at me.
The second he saw it, his face went pale. He stumbled back a few steps, shaking his head like crazy.
"No way! This girl smiles too creepy. I'm not buying!"
Then he scurried off.
I just stood there frozen. I honestly wanted to cry. Shouldn't have smiled. I'd scared off the last person even looking at me. My spot was suddenly empty while everyone else's was packed with buyers.
Right when I was at my most hopeless, an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the market gate.
BOOM!!!
A cloud of smoke and dust sent several guards flying.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! PROTECT THE GOODS, NOW!" the dark-skinned captain screamed.
Less than three seconds later, a squad in black steel armor charged in like ghosts, long swords in hand.
On their shields was a lion with a broken wing.
The place instantly fell into chaos. Swords clashed. Blood sprayed.
Buyers and sellers scattered like a kicked beehive.
The black-armored fighters quickly cut down the nearby guards, and a full brawl exploded.
Thick smoke blinded everything.
In that chaos, Andru panicked and backed up, tripped on a rock, and tumbled right at my feet.
The cord around his neck holding the shackle keys snapped and the whole ring flew straight toward me.
Perfect timing.
I snatched the keys in a flash, jammed one into the lock on my ankle.
Click!
The heavy chain fell away. I was free.
I glanced over and saw Andru clutching his bald head, scrambling to get up.
Thinking about the watery slop from yesterday and the club he'd cracked against the original owner's skull, my blood boiled.
I grabbed a broken piece of wood nearby and slammed it straight into the back of his neck.
THWACK!
Andru's eyes rolled back and he face-planted, out cold.
"That's for you, bastard!"
I quickly rifled through his pockets, swiped all his gold and silver coins, plus the small dagger from his belt, and stuffed everything into my shirt. Looting successful.
But looking at the empty shackles in my hand, I suddenly jolted and looked around.
"Where's Lily?!"
How was a ten-year-old supposed to survive this mess? I was scared out of my mind myself, but leaving her here, the conscience of the man inside me wouldn't allow it.
I gritted my teeth and turned, charging back toward where I'd last seen her.
Smoke and flames billowed everywhere. The crowd trampled each other trying to escape.
I dodged fallen bodies while shouting at the top of my lungs.
"Lily! Where are you?!"
My voice was completely swallowed by the screaming around me.
I ran to the iron cage where we'd stood before.
It was empty now. The bars had been cut clean through by some incredible force.
I looked around frantically. Not far off, through the smoke, I saw several black-armored figures escorting a small shape, moving fast.
The distance was too far and the smoke too thick. I couldn't tell if it was her.
"Stop! You slave brat!"
A market guard had spotted my broken chain. He roared and charged at me with a long spear.
Seeing that gleaming spearhead coming at me, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
I dodged to the side on instinct. Almost got a new hole punched in me.
I didn't hesitate. I spun around and ran as fast as these legs could carry me, straight into a filthy little alley across the way.
Things were spiraling out of control. If I hung around looking for her, I'd lose my own life right after Andru.
If I can't find her, I can't find her. I can't even save myself, how am I supposed to protect anyone else. But I hope that small figure was Lily.
"Huff... huff... I... I can't run anymore..."
I slumped against a damp stone wall in a hidden corner of the alley, panting like a water buffalo.
Once I caught a scrap of breath, I looked around to make sure no one had followed.
It was a dead end. Just a few rotten wooden crates and piles of rubble.
Safe, for now. I let out a sigh of relief, sat down hard on the ground, and reached inside my shirt to pull out the spoils I'd just taken from bald Andru.
First, the dagger from his belt. I pulled it from its leather sheath. The blade was about a handspan long. A bit old, with a few scratches, but the edge was still razor sharp.
Next, I pulled out a small leather pouch and poured all the coins into my palm.
- Writer
