Dragon's Key

Chapter 8: Choices

The next morning, Gwen was awoken by Marigold calling her name. Gwen felt exhausted. The events of the previous day were still fresh in her mind. She did not feel capable of facing the boys after what she had said the previous evening.

"How am I supposed to face them, Marigold?" Gwen asked. "They didn't show any remorse or regret after killing."

"No one gets used to killing," Marigold explained. "They just get better at compartmentalizing."

Gwen thought about that answer for a few moments.

"I cannot speak for the bounty hunters, but Max was a wreck for a week the first time he was forced to kill someone. You also have to think about all of the people that those bandits have killed in the past."

Somewhat convinced, Gwen left the tent. She apologized to Tristan for how she had acted the night before and the group got ready to leave. They rode for 4 days without incident, passing the occasional band of travelers or caravan of merchants. The incident with the bandits started to fade from Gwen's mind. When they had a chance, in the evenings, Gabriel would hunt for deer or turkey so that the group had fresh meat to eat. This allowed them to better conserve their food rations.

On the fifth day, the forest ended and was replaced with fields of crops. Gwen could not identify what the crops were, although she had not paid much attention to what crops looked like in the ground before. A village was visible a few miles ahead.

As the group approached the town, Gwen noticed people working the fields surrounding the village.

Walking into the village center, Gwen saw what appeared to be a slave auction. A man stood in front of a building with people whose hands were bound. There were mainly adult men, but there were also women and children. All of them had glazed over eyes.

One specific slave caught Gwen's attention. She appeared to be thirteen or fourteen and had modern clothes.

"Guys, I think that she is from my world," Gwen stated, pointing.

"And?" Gabriel asked.

"Look at how young she is. She is younger than us. I think that we should save her," Gwen stated. "I know we can't free them all, but can we at least rescue one little girl?"

"She is young, I hate to imagine her fate," Max responded.

"Max, do you have enough money to buy her freedom?" Gwen asked, her eyes pleading.

Max walked through the crowd and raised his hand, pointing toward the girl. "Six gold coins," he called.

After some haggling with the auctioneer, Max purchased the girl. Max cut the rope binding her hands and walked with her back to the group.

"You're free now. Here is your paperwork," Gwen said, reaching out with the paperwork that Max had just handed her.

The girl did not reach out to take it. She did not seem to react to anything.

"What is wrong with her?" Gwen asked.

"They drug slaves so that they are passive and easier to handle while being transported and sold," Gabriel remarked. "Bring your new friend and let us get out of this town."

Gwen took the girl by the hand and led her out of through the crowd and down the street to the outskirts of the town.

"It was a good thing you did, Gwen," Tristan remarked.

"So, we freed one person. So what? There are thousands more just like her throughout the kingdom," Gabriel said. "This is the exact type of thing that got Father killed!"

"What happened to your father?" Gwen asked.

"Nothing that concerns you," Gabriel snapped.

"They have been through enough with us, what would telling them hurt?" Tristan said.

"We can talk about this once we are alone," Gabriel said, finishing the conversation. "Let us find an inn. We can't camp on the farmland, and we will not get past it before nightfall."

The group arrived at the inn and were able to reserve two rooms and a place in the stable for their horses. The group congregated in the room for the boys. The girl sitting next to Gwen on one bed and the brothers sitting on the opposite bed. Max sat in a chair with Marigold sitting on his shoulder.

"It should take about an hour or two for the drug to leave her system," Gabriel stated. "She will come out of her daze slowly."

"So, about our situation," Tristan started. "Do you want to be the one to tell them, Gabriel?"

Gabriel thought for a few moments before beginning.

"Our father was a noble of New Roanoke. Despite being raised as nobles, our father always taught us to be kind and fair to everyone. Our father was a strong opponent of slavery. He felt that people all deserved to be treated with the same amount of respect and dignity. He would often buy freedom for whole groups of slaves at auctions. Two years ago, our father was making headway within the Committee of Nobles when he suddenly died. Our uncle, who supports slavery, was then made the head of the family. When we tried to push back, we were disinherited and left with only our two horses, armor, and a small pouch of coins."

"What about your mother?" Gwen inquired.

"She died in childbirth. Gabriel never got to meet her," Tristan answered.

"Now you should take the girl to your room. I do not think that having her surrounded by people as she regains herself is the best idea," Max suggested.

"Mari, why don't you keep her company while she waits?" Max suggested.