Voices of Humanity

Chapter Forty Seven

One by one the days passed and I remained unmolested in my isolation. Since I had been shown Dreda and Hattie's suffering, bearing witness to the latter's execution, the guards ignored me. I was left in abject solitude aside from infrequent visits by two sibla guards, one in the morning, one in the evening, who came to deliver meals. My captors were waiting to get through the rest, dragging out my suffering by leaving me for last.

    I stopped trying to keep track of passing time. My reprieve from Magnus's request had long expired and it was clear he was not coming back for me. Dreda's efforts to take on all suffering for herself had been futile, only serving to cause her more pain. The thought filled me with even more shame and guilt as I prayed she'd finally found release in death. I only wished my captors would concede to putting me out of my misery as well.

     Surrounded by monotonous nothingness it was all the more jarring when I next saw a group of unfamiliar sibla guards gathering near my cell one evening.

    "What are they doing keeping this one," I heard one of the men asked. "She's one of the Dulane slaves ain't she? Thought we'd already dealt with those monsters. "

    My ears immediately honed in on their conversation, hoping I might at least be given some hint as to the date of my impending execution.

    "It's complicated," came the answer from another. "Some of the humans insisted that one was the instigator of the whole attack. Others claim she betrayed them all."

    My stomach churned at the comment. Were not both things true? It was my leadership that had brought them to rebellion and then I'd left them to face the consequences. The first guard turned to me, a scowl on his face.

    "Not sure why it matters," he commented. "Seems the simplest way to resolve this is to put a bullet through her skull. These humans are all beyond rehabilitation."

    I couldn't even disagree with his words. I didn't understand how I still lived.

    "That one has protection, the other man answered. "An important man claims she belongs to him and had no involvement in the revolt. He is petitioning for her release to his estate."

    Magnus. Was it possible his words still kept me safe? "Three days", that's what he'd negotiated and at least a month had passed now. There had been no sign of rescue. I'd assumed they were merely biding their time in torturing me for my crimes. Nothing else made sense.

    "Why the hell would anyone want to salvage one who was party to a full on revolt?" the first man asked with contempt as he came closer to my prison, eyeing me critically. "Can't trust humans to not get ideas. We'd be doing him a favor to put her down."

    I froze, breath held as he reached for the gun on his hip.

    "Hey!" the other shouted in warning. "Do that and you'll lose your job. Commander was very clear about our orders. If we cause any permanent damage to that one without his command, we'll be out on our asses. Just let her rot. It's only a matter of time before red tape makes her owner abandon his aims and we can see her destroyed like the rest."

    I curled in on myself as much as my chains would allow as the first guard spit in my direction.

    "You are filth," he snarled. "I look forward to the day you suffer for what you did, human. Lost a couple of good men in the fight to put down the havoc you spread."
   
Of course I didn't answer. Nothing could make them see me as anything other than a monster and of course, they were right to hate. I had indeed caused the slaughter of so many sibla. My reasoning wouldn't matter to them, especially if they had lost comrades.