'Why did it have to be them?' she thought, frustration gnawing at her.
Naisha knew escape wasn't an option—not now. Not with them.
The Mad Clan. They were led by Gorvex, notorious for his brutal, barbaric ways. He didn't just catch slaves; he broke them. The Mad Clan was one of the strongest, most feared groups of slave hunters in the region.
A few minutes later, the captors had rounded up most of the villagers, herding them like cattle.
Gorvex approached Naisha on horseback, his cold eyes fixed on her. "Who is your chief?" he asked.
Naisha only glared up at him, defiance burning in her eyes.
"Where are the other verdant villagers hiding?" he pressed.
She didn't flinch. Silence was her only answer.
Suddenly, one of Gorvex's men stepped forward and slapped her across the face with brutal force, nearly knocking her to the ground. "You speak when the boss asks!" he barked.
The other villagers tried to rise and help Naisha, but before they could get to their feet, knives were pressed against their necks.
The villagers watched in helplessness, fear and worry etched on their faces as they glanced at Naisha. Their hands were tied tight, and their bodies were too weak to resist. They were unable to do anything but lower their heads in submission as they gritted their teeth in anger.
Gorvex smirked as he nodded to his men, signaling them to grab Ken. He knew exactly where to hit Naisha—right where it hurt the most.
A member of the Mad Clan yanked Ken backward by his hair, and pointed a knife at his throat, threatening to kill him.
Naisha's rage flared. Her body tensed, straining against her bonds. She pushed herself to stand, despite the restraints holding her down.
"Don't you dare touch my brother!" she spat. "Or I'll kill you!"
She didn't care that she was outmatched. She didn't care that she had no chance of winning.
She kept fighting, her eyes wild and fury, as two of Gorvex's men tried to force her down.
But then, without warning, a brutal punch slammed into her stomach, stealing her breath in an instant.
The impact sent her crashing to her knees, pain exploding in her gut. She gasped for air, but it wouldn't come.
As she struggled, one of the men raised his boot to kick her.
"Stop!" Mother Venice cut through the tension. Her face twisted in defiance, despite being tied up like the rest.
"I am the chief," she continued. "We don't know where the others are. And frankly, you should know why we don't."
Her gaze locked onto Gorvex, unflinching. "You're the one who should have figured it out by now."
Gorvex looked around at the village and saw that the homes were merely tents.
The lives with the Verdant ID were nomadic. Whenever they successfully defended their village from slave hunters, they would quickly move to a distant place to avoid being attacked again.
Over time, they moved from place to place, so their homes were just tents—easily dismantled and reassembled.
"Hmm..." Gorvex didn't respond further or ask any more questions.
A while later, more of Gorvex's men arrived, dragging a few more captives behind them.
Among them was Naisha's aunt.
Naisha's heart skipped a beat when she saw her lying on the ground, but her eyes quickly searched for Ran among the prisoners. Her breath caught when she didn't see him.
As her aunt was led toward her, she asked anxiously, "Are you okay, Auntie?"
She struggled to push herself up from the ground and sit. As she settled, a cough escaped her. Once she could breathe more steadily, she forced herself to ask, "Where is Ran?"
"We were caught, but I told Ran to run into the forest. I blocked the ones chasing us and bought him some time," her aunt replied.
Relief washed over Naisha for a moment. But it was quickly followed by a surge of worry. The forest was no safe place, especially for someone as young and vulnerable as him.
Gorvex's voice sliced through the tense air as he commanded ten of his men, "Separate the elderly. Kill them, then bring the weapons you took from them and follow us."
To them. the elderly were nothing but dead weight—useless mouths to feed and a burden to them.
Mother Venice was among them.
"No!" the villagers cried in horror. But they were helpless, bound and powerless.
As the barbaric men rose to leave, they yanked the villagers to their feet, dragging them along like cattle.
The villagers were tied together in a cruel rope, their bodies pulled forward whether they could walk or not.
The twelve elders, separated from the group, knelt in the dirt. They had already accepted what was coming.
Naisha, bound with the others, struggled to resist. She dug her heels into the ground, trying to stop them from dragging her and her people.
But her strength was fading, her body wracked with pain from the beating they had given her. And no matter how hard she fought, she was too weak.
Her body gave in, and she was dragged along, powerless to do anything.
Naisha's eyes met Mother Venice's from across the distance, and the old woman smiled—a soft, beautiful smile that broke Naisha's heart.
"I'm so proud of what you've become, Naisha," Mother Venice said.
Tears streamed down Naisha's face as the meaning of those words hit her.
Mother Venice had raised her after her parents died, becoming the only mother Naisha had ever known. And now, Naisha felt helpless, devastated that she couldn't save her.
In the blink of an eye, Naisha's people had been captured by Gorvex.
***
"He... Help."
"He... Help," the voice repeated, weak and trembling.
Chayil slowly stirred awake, groggy and disoriented, still hugging the pillar in his cell. He yawned, stretching his arms lazily.
"Uhm…what?" he muttered, half-asleep.
But the second his eyes landed on the man calling out to him, they snapped wide open. He bolted to his feet.
The man, dressed in clothes similar to Mother Venice's people, staggered, an arrow buried deep in his chest. Blood soaked through his shirt, dripping to the floor. He could barely stand.
Without hesitation, Chayil unlocked his cell and rushed to him, catching the man before he collapsed.
"What the hell is going on?" Chayil asked.
The man coughed, wincing in pain. "Please… save them," he gasped.