The men left after some time, their voices fading as they moved on to check the other cages.
I glanced down at the ropes around my wrists. They were loose enough for me to remove, but should I do it now?
If they reported this incident to their boss, he might figure out what I was trying to pull. He didn't strike me as entirely stupid, which made the risk all the greater.
Hopefully, that's not the case.
Barely a minute had passed since they left when I felt a sharp poke on my back, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
Whipping around in alarm, I came face-to-face with someone unexpected, someone familiar.
It was the girl who had been downing drinks like a champion at Lyaeus's winery.
"Drink girl?" I blurted, the name escaping before I could think better of it.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Weird way of calling me out, but okay?"
Her dark brown hair was matted with soot and dried leaves, but somehow, it still managed to look captivating as it cascaded down her back. Her dark brown skin contrasted sharply with her bright green eyes, which seemed to glow with intensity, making her striking even in such grim circumstances.
"Name's Divena Benoe. It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too. My name is Louie Aldene. And also, was that your pawn shop?"
"Yup, the best one around."
Her eyes turned into crescents as she smiled, a teasing glint shining in her bright green gaze.
"Man, Aion and Lyaeus would lose their minds if they knew you got kidnapped this quickly."
She might've been laughing at my expense, but she did it with such effortless grace that I couldn't even bring myself to be mad at her.
"Do you know them well?" I asked cautiously.
"Hmm, yes, I do," she replied, her tone light. "That's why I was sent after you, to make sure you and the kid are okay."
I blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean 'sent after me'? They can do that?"
She sighed, shaking her head with exaggerated disappointment. "Come on, use your big boy brain. How do you think you're still alive, even though everyone else around you didn't make it? There's a reason for everything."
She had a point. It didn't make sense that Aerin and I were the only ones to survive while others perished. There had to be more to it.
"Anyways, I need to go."
She punched the cage, and it opened up as if it was never locked.
"Can you help me too?"
She looked at me for a moment, then smiled, her eyes wrinkling in the corners.
"Nope. I want to see how you will get out of here on your own. The way they talked about you made my expectations go through the roof. I need to know if you match it or not."
Well, isn't she just amazing?
"Then can you at least stay with Aerin till I come back, please? We somehow came here with the store. It is in the middle of a clearing somewhere in the forest."
"Sure, I can do that."
She stepped out of the cage with an effortless grace, stretching her arms above her head as if this were just another casual day.
Then, without warning, she pivoted on her heel and delivered a single, powerful kick to the wall.
The force of it was astounding. A deafening crack echoed through the room as the wall crumbled under the impact, leaving a jagged hole behind.
Evening sunlight streamed through the opening, casting her figure in a golden glow.
I blinked, dumbfounded.
An exit towards freedom.
But before I could try to kick the cage open, as she did, the boss and his minions came running through the door.
The boss's eyes landed on Divena, his face twisting with rage as his skin flushed red.
"Catch her alive!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the room.
Divena turned to me briefly, her lips curling into an enigmatic smile.
"Hopefully, I'll see you soon, Louie. Don't disappoint me again."
Again?
What did she mean by that? I don't even know her well enough to have disappointed her in the first place.
Before I could ask, she leapt through the hole she'd created, disappearing into the blinding sunlight. Several of the minions immediately scrambled to follow her, their footsteps fading as they gave chase.
The boss ran to the opening, leaning forward to observe the commotion outside. He lingered for a few seconds, then turned sharply, his burning gaze landing squarely on me.
"You know her."
It was not a question.
"Yes, we are from the same town."
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked back towards the hole.
"Are you also one of the Apostles?"
I didn't think I would hear this term so soon.
"Nope."
"Hmm, seems like I've caught a big fish today."
He didn't seem to believe me.
Before going, he changed my rope and tightened it so that I wouldn't even be able to move a finger without hurting myself. I might seriously get a friction burn this time around.
He made his minion standby in the room, thinking she would come back to save me. A fool, really. She could've easily saved me if she wanted to. She just didn't.
At least Aerin will be alright.
The sun had already set, and the moonlight covered the entire room. I suddenly got the need to question how she kicked open a hole in the wall in just one try, but it needs to wait.
Eventually, the boss came back. He was carrying a lantern and counting the number of cages there were in the room.
"Get them out and put them in the carriages."
Guess this is it for me. I'll try to run away during the carriage ride.
They slowly, one by one, got everyone out of the carriage.... Except for me.
"You must be wondering why you're not included in this, right?" the boss said, his tone dripping with condescension.
Damn right I was. Now tell me your plan without me even asking, like the stereotypical villain you probably are.
But, of course, he didn't. Instead, he simply smirked and turned on his heel, leaving the room without another word.
I was left behind with the two minions who had caught me, their presence not exactly reassuring.
"What's going on?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual despite the growing unease.
"You don't need to know about it," one of them snapped, his tone dismissive.
What do you mean I don't need to know about it?!
This body is mine! Well, I'm occupying it right now, so it's mine. And I absolutely have the right to know what you're planning to do with it.
"Can't you at least give me a little hint?" I tried, hoping to bait something useful out of them.
One of the minions paused, his face scrunching up as if he were actually considering it. Then an ugly grin spread across his face.
Goddamn, I didn't need to see that.
"As the boss told you before, boys like you are in high demand. We can make a fortune off you," one of the minions sneered, his tone casual, as if discussing the price of livestock.
"And what about the others?" I asked, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.
"They're just slaves. You don't need to think too hard about them," he said dismissively, waving a hand like their lives were meaningless.
"Maybe they'll get sold. Maybe their organs will get harvested. Who knows?"
The casual cruelty of his words sent a wave of nausea through me. These people weren't even treating the others as human beings.
I've read about this kind of heartless thinking in books and articles before, but seeing it happen right in front of me was a whole different kind of horror. Disgust and anger churned inside me, almost enough to override my fear.
Before I could react further, their boss appeared silently, his presence looming over me like a shadow. Without a word, he unlocked the cage, his movements deliberate.
Then, with zero warning, he hurled a sack straight at my face, hitting my nose dead-on.
The pain made my eyes water, but I barely had time to register it before his cold voice cut through the air.
"Get ready, or I'll have to dress you myself."