Arat stared at the old man for a few more seconds, he noticed that the brown-haired man and Fernand, saw what had happened. Without minding them, he started nibbling at the dry piece of bread covered by mold.
Eating the unappetizing bread, the last bit of moisture in his already parched mouth, a result of chewing through the ropes last night disappeared. His throat burned with thirst, but the others had already drunk, and no one had any water left after they all drank from the wooden cup the middle-aged man had passed around.
The only way I can drink water now is that I jump over theses fences and kill all the guards and drink from that leather waterskin.
Like I can do that. Arat said to himself bitterly .
Guess I'll just have to wait until nightfall and see if I can force them to give me something to eat. Or I can ask this guy Fernand, maybe he will give me a way to make that creepy bastard give me some water.
Arat tried to approach Fernand in order to talk to him but since everyone had more or less finished eating their eyes were now mostly fixed on him, wary that he might leap at them and slit their throats to eat them, especially now that he hadn't been fed.
He picked a small pebble from the ground and tossed it toward Fernand to get his attention. The man kept his calm expression and turned his head toward him. His gray-green eyes settled on Arat as he scooted closer, dragging himself across the ground while seated.
"What is it?"
Arat glanced around to see if the others were looking or not, seeing a few of them staring, he hesitated.
"Don't mind them, they already know we are talking."
Fernand said softly, his voice gentle. He tilted his head slightly backward, indicating who he was referring to.
"I need some water, but that bastard doesn't give me any."
"That's normal, devil or not, they treat us all the same. They will do this to all of us in first three days, except from a cup of water in the morning and night they don't give us anything, so we don't have the strength to even think about escaping."
Arat nodded toward his wound.
"I haven't eaten for sometime, and now I'm injured and have lost a lot of blood. If they keep this up, I won't have enough strength to do anything to help you."
Fernand understood the unspoken message:
If you don't help me get food and water, there will be no escape. He twitched the end of his stylish mustache and thought for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Arat.
"First, why did they catch you? No one buys a half-devil as a slave."
Arat paused, considering his answer.
If I tell him I'm worth 100 Birn, I can't trust him not to turn me over to the church for a reward. I have to fabricate something, it shouldn't involve that much money, and not related to me, I can just say that they want something I have.
"Some people have placed a reward of ten Birn for me to be handed to them alive. although these guys don't know that its not for me, but the items I had."
"You had? I guess, these guys took your items with themselves then."
Arat nodded his head as a yes.
Fernand sighed.
"Here is what you are gonna do. pretend you are sleeping and you don't make any moves as if you are unconscious."
"How does that help me get something to eat?"
"Once they wanna disturb food at the night, you keep staying still, then they will get worried and give you some food. They want to hand you to the ones who put a reward on your head alive after all."
"I see…"
Arat said, then followed the man's instructions and laid on the ground keeping his eyes shot, with out rolling or even moving his hand, from time to time his growling stomach hurt, but after enduring it for about half an hour it the pain started to decline. This continued till the time for the food distribution came.
Fernand, observed the four man coming near the fences, just like before two carried food and water other two guarded them with spears and the two other guards remained outside their weapons ready to be drawn the moment something went wrong.
Mackenzie moved ahead and saw Arat on the ground, seemingly sleeping, he past by him and started giving the others food, at this moment Arat who's body really went numb in some parts due to not moving even a bit, clearly heard the sounds of foot steps wooden gate fences getting opened and water being poured inside a cup.
He was counting seconds till they would notice him, the seconds went on and nothing happened, he heard the foot steps getting more near to him, who was in the way of the gates.
Wait, it didn't work? They are leaving? No I can't let this happen even if they beat me for it I have to forcefully do something.
Just as he was thinking about what to do, the middle aged man held Mackenzie's shoulder who was walking ahead of him with an empty straw basket. Once Mackenzie felt his hand forcefully stopping him he turned his back to look at the man. the middle aged man pointed at Arat who laid motionless on the ground with his head.
Mackenzie who knew what the man meant, shook his hand off his shoulder and looked at the brown haired man who was busy eating his piece of bread.
"Hey, you"
The brown haired man raised his head, looking at the thin man's face with his full.
"Since when did he fall sleep?"
The brown haired man swallowed the bread and responded
"Just about an hour after he woke up. He hasn't moved since then."
He then kept eating his meal as if he didn't care even if Arat was dead or alive. The middle aged man looked at Mackenzie with worried eyes, MacKenzie did the same. After exchanging looks, Mackenzie put the straw basket on the ground and approaching Arat to wake him up.
His gaze fell upon his long bloody nails, remembering how the child threw his claws at him like a wild animal, he paused and looked at the people around, he then took the spear from one of the guards standing behind him and hit Arat's arm with it a few times.
Arat who was happily awaiting to eat and drink kept playing the role of a corpse and remained silent without any response. Mackenzie then looked at the brown haired man as he was struggling to rip apart a piece of the bread, and pointed his spear at him. Commanding him with a loud voice.
"Wake him up, check if he is still alive."
The brown-haired man continued to stare into Mackenzie's narrow blue eyes. Something about the man's facial features made him appear both ridiculous and repulsive at the same time. Feigning a bit of fear, he slowly approached Arat and shook him a few times. Arat half-opened his green eyes and whispered something.
By now, everyone was watching the scene, waiting to see what would happen next, the brown-haired man leaned in closer to Arat's face, covered by the iron mask to hear what he was saying better, Arat's throat was so dry that his hoarse whisper sounded natural.
"Water," Arat rasped.
The brow haired man looked back at Mackenzie who was waiting to hear what the half demon child wanted to say with his spear pointed at Arat.
"He's asking for water."
The brown haired man said.
The middle aged man poured a cup of water from his leather waterskin and handed it to the brown haired man, he had no intention of getting near Arat, devils were known for being tricky and launching surprise attacks.
Bringing the cup Around Arat's mouth, the brown haired man watched as Arat's eyes suddenly snapped open. Arat grabbed the cup from him, lifted his mask slightly, and drank while still lying down. After finishing, he looked at the middle-aged man and repeated in a weak, raspy voice
"Water."
After drinking two more cups, Arat regained enough strength to sit up properly. He gave the cup back to the middle aged man with his own hands.
"Thank you mister."
The middle aged man, visibly startled, quickly took the cup, he exited the prison area with Mackenzie and the guards. Once Arat sat up and the group had left, the crowd's attention toward Arat faded over time, as they stopped watching. Arat bowed his head at Fernand as a gesture of gratitude. Fernand returned the gesture, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.