The Darkest Dawn

Chapitre 6

The trio cleaned the camp to the best of their abilities. Lucien assisted Audie when he started lagging behind, the younger man's curly hair falling over his shoulder and hiding his face. They walked past sundown and well into the night. The three men crossed a grassy plain before reaching a quaint town. At first, Darius was aggressively reluctant at the idea of entering a town. Lucien convinced him otherwise, describing the town as purely slave run. Besides, they needed the supplies.

Cautiously walking down the dirt street, Lucien lead the trio. There were no suspicious glances pointed their way. Here, the trio blended in with the rest of the slaves, heads bent down with despair etched expressions. He spotted the general store and swiftly shoved Audie and Darius in. The store had mainly barren shelves with few necessities and such. Épiluire was a logging town, so the only overstocked shelves was the tools aisle which stored axes, torches, log hooks, chains and ropes. There was a slave leaning over the counter next to a door. He didn't have any distinguishing features, a bland face with chalk textured earthy hair. Lucian self consciously touched his own hair, feeling it was similar to the store manager. He shook his head, now was not the time to be thinking about that.

"Welcome strangers. You do not look like you're from around here. Did your master send you?" The slave asked.

"Yes. We are in need of a few things. We'll go check the shelves." Lucien replied. Darius, uninterested in what the two french men were talking about, disappeared in between aisles. Lucian tapped the counter, waiting for Darius to grab what they needed.

"Is your master looking for anymore slaves? I have a nice young male down in the basement. Perhaps you'd like a peek?" The store manager mumbled, trying to sell something that he obviously has had no luck getting rid of. Lucien paused. Darius returned with a few supplies.

"Darius. There's a slave for sell in the basement." Lucien muttered in english. Darius' eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"How old and how much?" He replied sharply.

Lucien turned back to the confused store manager and repeated the question to him in french. The slave looked relieved yet still on edge. He said, "He looks about ten and is on sale for fifteen euros." Lucien felt great pressure in his chest plummet to his stomach. How damaged does a slave have to be to be at the most wanted age yet to have a sale price so low?

Lucien and Darius headed down the stairs through the door, following the store manager. The slave lit up the dark basement and illuminated exactly how damaged one must be to be on sale for a ridiculously low price. In the back corner of the musky and large space was a mat. On the mat was a little boy. At first, all Lucien noticed was the beauty of a future personal slave. The boy had a thick abundance of hair like the night sky with hints of starlight framing his small thin face. His face was pale as snow, holding a haunted look to it. The boy's features looked as if an artist carefully sculpted the likeness of a gothic portrait, perfect little round lips with a feminine round nose and almond icy eyes. Lucien stepped closer and realized how bad the situation was. The little boy's neck was lined with one long straight bruise mixed with rub burns; the discoloration was black, red and purple. He was horribly malnourished, spindly limbs with jutting bones sprouting from the white rags he wore. He looked half dead already and Lucien felt his chest compress yet again.

"By God...." Darius hissed, dangerous anger contorting his face.

Sensing Darius' wrath imminent on the store manager, Lucien stepped in front of Darius and pressed fifteen euros into the slave's hands. "For your sake, I sincerely hope you weren't the one who did this to him." Lucien whispered in french. Terror flashed upon the poor slave's face. He took a key and hurriedly twisted it in the lock holding the young boy captive. Lucien lead the boy upstairs, examining his dull expression. Darius grabbed Audie, stealing the supplies they had intended to buy before the store manager noticed anything amiss.