Slaves of Sorrom (Completed)

23

Tunisa

"Fire! There's fire!" The guard's face contorts in pure panic, alarming every people inside the grand hall.

You can never be too ready, that's what people usually say and that is what Stavros' face is showing right now.

I was not directly looking at him but from my peripheral I could see how he turned red, as anger rose from within him and what's worst? I'm still seated on his god forsaken hell of a lap.

"Superior" I tried to shake him from his burning trance. I could see he has already formulated things in his mind.

It wasn't minutes until the smoke entered the enclosed space and started suffocating the air.

From the platform, I have witnessed how the festivity died down and easily turned to fright.

"Go" He told me in a voice ever so low and dangerous while he pointed to the approaching guards who are leading the exit.

Stavros let me go at that instance and joined his brothers. Rushing to meet with them are the high ranking guards as they began to swiftly press with the situation.

Anger mixed with confusion painted their faces, I have to look away before they caught me staring.

The smoke feels like poison to the lungs. I know the fire would happen but Lazaro didn't inform me that it would be this big or has the situation gone out of hand?

Outside, the first thing I noticed was the high flames coming from the distant huts where the children are staying.

Once they put out the fire they will see skeletons turned to dust.

No one knows the struggle the faction went through to collect the piled up dead bodies that were left decaying near the river, for the monsters of the lake to consume...Dead bodies of our fellow slaves who died at the grand hall proclaiming their name.

Yes, what they'll see and find are the bodies of evidence trapped inside the hut, where everyone believes the children are caged and burnt alive.

It was inhuman of us to use their bodies to be the sacrificial burnt offering, the consequence of doing this was the long term guilt of our conscience. But rather than be eaten by the crocodiles, their bodies has been the tools of escape for the children.

Someday, when we all meet in that place of afterlife, I will tell everything to them.

As we walk further and further away from the fire I saw Bodiya and Fara appeared out of nowhere.

My heart rate accelerated as they come closer to me, careful not to catch anyone's attention I began walking nearer to them as well.

When they were only a foot away, Fara spoke "They are free now" and with those words my heart released half of the needles pierced in it for so long.

And all we could reply to each other was a discreet smile, while I separated ways with them and join where the clustered wives, mistresses and royal whores are going.

***

Stavros

Half of the children we own were burned alive.

Half of the future slaves were turned to ashes mixed with the burnt hut. Some bones survived, bones we can give to the parents once they come back to visit their children.

"The origin of fire..." Estevan is discussing with one of the guards who was able to witness the last minute horror of the fire.

"A metal holding of a torch was found at the area" The guard responded