The burns from the hot sand slowly form into blisters as I am dragged along. My hands are tethered my coarse leather that cuts into my wrists, drawing blood every time I fall behind. The linen covering my eyes is soaked with my sweat, but fortunately keeps the blinding sun out of my eyes. My name is Rose and fourteen days ago my village in Asia Minor was sacked. The scent of burning huts still clings in my nostrils and the image of my father giving the men who are now in possession of me money stings. My father saved himself by selling me into slavery. I should be shocked, but he always was a selfish man.
The sharp sting of leather rubbing against my raw flesh makes me wince and cry out in pain.
"Shut up you worthless slave," yells one of the men. I'd tell you what he looks like but I never saw his face, this blindfold has kept me unaware of my surroundings this whole time. I don't know where I'm going, only that I am to serve under the new emperor who has risen to power. No one form my village knows who he is or what he looks like, only that he is cruel and plays games with human lives.
"We'll rest here for the night," the second of my capturers says. "Give the girl some water; she needs to be alive when we arrive in the city. Arcadia is only one more day's travel."
Arcadia. I repeat the word over and over in my head hoping it sparks some thread of familiarity, but I come up empty. It's obviously a desert city since I've been forced to walk on hot sand for this whole journey. My sandals had broken off the second day of this torture and I've been barefoot ever since.
Despite the man saying it was nightfall, I cannot sleep. Even blindfolded I know it is still day time and I can feel the rising temperature and feel the sun's shinning rays hitting my smooth skin. Finally, however, my exhaustion sets in and I begin to feel myself drift off.
I am awoken by the overwhelming desire to throw up. I lift my head tenderly, immediately regretting doing so. It is then that I realize I am on the back of a camel and the motion is what is making me sick. We must have travel through the day even though we were supposed to be resting because I feel the cool breeze of night. I moan quietly, getting the attention of one of the men.
"Give me more water with sleeping leaves, she is waking up and she needs to be unconscious when we reach the city, the emperor wanted to see all this slaves this way."
They have sleeping drugs! Why did they force me to walk the whole way when they could have just knocked me out and not make me suffer.
Rough hands grab my chin, forcing it up and my mouth open. Hot water is shoved down my throat making me feel tired. The last thing I sense before my world goes black is the smell of burnt flesh. The smell is only associated with one city in the world. The City of Light.