Journey of a Girl

The Auction: Chapter Five

They stared at each other, silently daring the other to speak first.

Credence had nothing to say to him, nor did she care to hear his voice.

The rope around her wrists was rubbing her skin to sore redness, but John made no move to free her.

She squirmed in her seat, impatience and hate mixing inside of her. When she could no longer stand the stifling quiet she gave a heavy sigh.

"The last time I saw you, your hands were around my throat."

John tilted his head, measuring her with suspicion.

"Now we're in a carriage," he said. "Time heals all, I suppose."

"Time...or someone else's command." She paused before asking, "Are you going to kill me?"

"I would like to," came the blunt reply. "I would find much pleasure in hurting you for what you did to me. But my master would see you to him intact."

"Your master," Credence spat. "What a good dog you are."

John turned to the carriage walls, but he had little more to look at than fabric lining.

"I thought you were dead," Credence admitted.

"I'm not. No thanks to you."

"You understand why I had to do it."

John turned back to her, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. "How did you break the spell over the cabin?"

Credence shrugged. "I'm powerful."

"Ah, yes. The little witch with strong blood. You certainly fared well against the towns, didn't you?"

"I would have escaped."

John snorted. "You don't have the faintest notion what they would have done to you there. You should be on your knees thanking me for sparing you such a fate."

"Sparing me? You're going to give me over to the Collector for a pat on the head."

"You've grown a lot cheekier. Influence of that old hag, I suspect. Shame what happened to her. He was not quick when he dealt vengeance there."

Credence felt no pity for Lilith. 

"You'll do well to stifle that quarrelsome nature," he continued. "Try such cheek with my master and he'll make sure it's the last time."

"Or maybe I'll marry him and become your queen." She smiled when John paled. "That old hag told me everything."

Tension filled the carriage. Credence's words meant nothing to her, for she had no intention of marrying the Collector.

Fear flashed in John's eyes.

"When you marry him, you will be my queen," he said quietly. "And I will serve you as faithfully as I serve my master. I hope you will remember who saved you from a miserable fate."

From his pocket he withdrew the contract that designated Credence as his property.

"Disgusting," he muttered. "I'll never understand humans." He studied the writing and clucked his tongue, then tore the page into several pieces and dropped them onto the carriage floor. "You're lucky I was there to guard you."

"Guard me? You saw everything then?"

"Not everything. But I knew where you were. I was always nearby."

Credence scoffed. "You don't know a damn thing about what happened in the school."

"I saw what became of it."