Long lost in her slumber, Arilla was unaware of the arms that gently lifted her. Lael looked down at her pale face with a hint of curiosity.
"Who are you exactly…" he touched the back of his hand to her forehead. After checking her temperature, he pulled out a small syringe and carefully pierced it into the back of her neck.
Shortly after he injected the clear liquid into her, she began shivering and turned in his arms seeking warmth. His eyes narrowed as he held her in his arms, giving her the comfort she sought.
When she had calmed down, he gently wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow. Then he walked out of the room still holding her.
He glided through the halls, his movements quiet as he went down the stairs and opened the door.
A chilling wind blew into the inn, sending his white hair fluttering, Arilla's fingers tightly grasped his military jacket. His gaze remained unfaltering, but his arms tightened around Arilla, shielding her from the cold.
The wind soon died down, and he pulled out a large flashlight continuing his journey. Finally, he got to a deserted part of the city. The walls of the houses were crumbling, there was no roofing, dust covered the entire area.
As he moved the flashlight around, he caught a glimpse of bright green through a broken wall. He headed into the rundown house, despite its desolate state, the house was warm. Right in the middle of the living room sat a tree sapling.
Lael crouched beside it, his fingers brushing against the healthy leaves slightly. He gently placed Arilla by the plant, and she frowned at the loss of contact, her fingers still tightly gripping his jacket.
A small smile tilted the corners of his lips as he gently peeled her fingers away. He took out a handkerchief and placed it in her hands which tightened around it. He put down a large canteen beside her and got to his feet.
"I hope we meet again, child." He whispered, flicking off the flashlight, he left as quietly as he arrived.
-------
The sun's golden rays fell on Arilla's sleeping form. Rubbing her eyes, Arilla caused the handkerchief in her hand to brush against her face. Her nose scrunched up in irritation, she sat up and looked around startled.
'I fell asleep!' she turned and saw the sapling, blinking in surprise, she touched the leaves. 'Strange… Where am I?' Her hand went to her side, the cool metal of the gun was still pressed against her skin.
She got to her feet, looking around her fist still clenched around the soft white handkerchief. 'It doesn't hurt anymore!' she lifted her arm, searching for any sign of the yellow bruising on her body. They were all gone, she couldn't feel any aches in her muscles.
Her gaze fell on the canteen beside the sapling. It was similar to the one she had seen with the group. 'Did Jeremy... No, he wanted me sold off.' She shook her head and opened her fist to look at the handkerchief.
'Fancy looking… and clean. Jeremy wouldn't have something like this.' An image of Lael flashed in her mind. Blinking, she decided to put aside her worries and sat on the floor once more.
Her fingers worked quickly to unwrap the makeshift bandages on her feet. They were as good as new, she worked her fingers into her calves, massaging them. 'The muscles are stronger now…Interesting.'
When she had finished assessing her state, she dropped a little bit of water on the plant, then went out to explore.
The wind kicked up, sending a cloud of dust flying toward her. Closing her eyes quickly, she lifted the handkerchief to her face, covering her nose as she waited for the wind to subside. As the dust faded away, a shout reached where she was standing.
Startled, she slipped into one of the more complete houses, and used the somewhat stable stairs to climb to the top. Taking advantage of her energetic state, she stood on the window ledge of the top floor and grasped the edge of the roof pulling herself up.
'Now what's the commotion about.' Hearing the light thudding sounds, she backed away from the edge to avoid being seen. Looking around with narrowed eyes, she tried to catch a glimpse of who might have been shouting.
"It seems I'm still in the city.' She thought, taking note of the smoke rising from the not-so-distant chimneys and the familiar gate.
"Get to work!" came the voice again, a scowl made its way onto Arilla's face as she watched the grumpy man send his whip cracking on the backs of the multiple children. 'Slavery? I should've known…I was going to be sold after all.'
'How could they do this to children?' Holding in her disgust, she moved closer to the edge of the roof, crouching down as she tried to see what they were doing.
The grumpy man held his whip in the air while drinking from what seemed to be a leather bottle. His rugged skinny face was darkened by the sun's heat and what seemed to be coal.
Her eyes shifted to what the children were doing, they held large pieces of rocks as they rhythmically hit the black rocks in front of them. 'They're crushing coal?' folding the handkerchief, she stuffed into her tiny jean pocket.
Sighing, she shielded her eyes, fanning herself with her free hand. She tried to take her mind off the heat when a shadow came over her, blocking the sun. Her body froze, alarm bells rang in her head as she tried to roll away. 'I can't move forward, or I'll fall.' She immediately stopped herself from launching off the roof.
She was lifted by her shirt collar, as though she weighed nothing. She turned her head to meet the gaze of the towering man. His face was covered in scars and a menacing grin was on full display as he observed her.
"Now now don't be so terrified." His grin widened at her shudders. She had not expected to be caught so quickly, she looked into her captors' face hoping that there was some shred of humanity, a chance that she wouldn't have a horrible fate.
"I'm not like those people, as a good and responsible human being, I won't sell you to the brothels… "Arilla's heart sped up as her trembling lessened.
"But you'll have to work hard and earn your keep!" he warned and jumped to the next roof with her, approaching the other kids she had seen working.
Landing on the ground, he tossed her toward the man with a whip, "Stuart! Here's another miner for you."
Finished with his business, he leapt away, leaving behind a petrified Arilla 'What just happened?' The question rang in her mind continually, she was left at the mercy of the slave driver.