The tension in the wagon had grown as the days passed.
Lira felt it in the way the slave traders glanced at her. It was as if they were calculating her worth. Their eyes lingered too long on her belongings, sometimes at her body. Each glance made her feel more uncomfortable and anxious.
She hadn't missed the way they whispered to each other when they thought she wasn't paying attention.
Lira had found out that the third night would be when they made their move.
The first night, she had pretended to be extremely exhausted. She let them think she had succumbed to sleep, her body rested against the side of the wagon. But she hadn't truly closed her eyes.
She had stayed alert, noting their movements as they took turns sleeping and steering the wagon through the forest at night so they could get to their destination quicker.
By the second day, she convinced them that she was well enough to help with the driving it too, pretending it was a way to thank them for helping her and a way to ease their burden. Her suggestion had been met with suspicion, but the wiry trader, eager for rest, agreed.
That night, while the traders slept, she tied a carrot to a rope and dangled it in front of the donkeys, letting their simple desires keep them and the wagon moving. With the traders deep in sleep, Lira turned her attention to their belongings.
She found a small crate that they had tried to hide beneath layers of cloth. Inside were weapons, slave tools, and other supplies.
Among the items were a pair of sleek daggers, their blades gleaming even in the dim lantern light. She took them, slipping them into her tunic.
They had no fragment attached to them. But they had to do better that her single dagger.
When turning to get back to her seat, she stumbled upon a small pouch of rodent poison. She tucked it into her bag, unsure of how she might use it but unwilling to leave it behind.
As she returned to her spot in the wagon, her plan set in motion. She wouldn't wait for their attack. She'd be ready.
By the third night, the traders could barely contain themselves. Lira pretended to sleep, her breathing steady as she lay curled in the back of the wagon. Her new daggers were hidden beneath her blanket.
The wiry trader approached first, walking slowly towards her. He crouched beside her, and unlocked the iron cuffs in his hand. The bearded trader stood a few feet away, his lantern lighting up the area for them to see.
Just as the wiry trader reached for her wrist, Lira's eyes snapped open.
"What are you doing?" she asked coldly.
The trader moved back in surprise, dropping the cuffs. "What the... how are you awake?"
"I never sleep when I'm in the company of snakes," Lira said, rising to her feet with a quick motion.
The bearded trader growled. "You've got a sharp tongue, girl. But you're not as clever as you think you are."
Lira smirked, her hand slipping under the blanket to grip one of the daggers. "You're welcome to test that theory."
The wiry trader lunged at her, his hands reaching for her throat. Lira sidestepped, bringing her knee up to his stomach with enough force to send him rolling on the floor.
She turned to face the bearded trader, her dagger had an intimidating shine in the lantern light.
"You think you can take both of us with those injuries of yours?" the bearded trader sneered, drawing a short sword.
"I think you're not as smart as you look," Lira shot back.
The wiry trader recovered quickly, regaining his composure, he pulled out a knife from his belt. The two men circled her like wolves.
Lira's mind raced. She couldn't overpower them, not in her current state. Her injuries were still healing, and every movement sent a lot of pain through her body.
But she had speed and cunning on her side.
The bearded trader lunged first. Lira ducked, spinning to the side and slashing at his arm. The dagger left a shallow cut, but it was enough to make him curse and pull back.
The wiry trader came next, his knife aimed for her ribs. Lira twisted away to dodge, sending a jolt of pain throughout her body. Gritting her teeth in pain, she kicked out, striking his knee and sending him off balance.
Seeing her chance, Lira jump out of the cart and ran into the forest. The traders cursed loudly and gave chase, their lanterns wobbling in the darkness as they chased after her.
The forest was dark and hard to navigate through. Lira had not light source therefore she would often trip or stumble into something. Behind her, the traders kept on giving chase.
"Stop running, girl!" the bearded trader shouted. "You're only making this worse for yourself!"
Lira didn't answer. She couldn't afford to. Her focus was on the path ahead, hoping to find a way to loose them.
But hope wasn't enough to outrun pain.
Her leg, the one with the deepest cut, gave out beneath her. She stumbled, falling hard against a large tree. The bark scraped her back, and she bit her lips to prevent the cry of pain.
The traders closed the distance between them. The wiry trader grinned wickedly, his knife glinting. "End of the line, girly."
Lira's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She tightened her grip on her daggers, her mind racing to find a way out.
The bearded trader raised his sword, pointing it at her chest. "Any last words?"
Lira smirked despite the pain. "Just one question."
The traders hesitated. They didn't want on revealing anything about themselves as they did not plan on killing her, just knocking her out, she was now part of their goods after all.
"What makes you think you've already won?" Lira asked, her voice low.
The wiry trader scoffed. "You're cornered, injured, and outnumbered. What else is there to think?"
Lira's smirk widened. "Plenty."
Before the traders could react, the wiry man doubled over, coughing violently. Blood splattered onto the forest floor as he clutched his stomach, his knife falling from his hand.
The bearded trader stared in shock. "What... what did you do?"
Lira tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, nothing much. You just had some pretty strong rat poison."
The bearded traders' eyes widened as he fell to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground as he began coughing up blood as well. His face twisted in fury and fear as he glared at Lira.
"You…" he choked out. "What did you do to us?"
Lira chuckled softly, her back still pressed against the tree. "I just leveled the playing field."