It was strange to Amelia just how fast this auction was really going. To her, it seemed that the people of the town knew who the slaves were, which ones they wanted, and had the ability to pull the money they needed out of their pockets like they were portals. Vector had already gotten rid of sixteen of the girls, meaning he was currently on number seventeen. Amelia shuddered. She'd be the one up there soon.

"Sold!" Vector yelled. Amelia could picture him pointing towards the person who'd successfully purchased the girl he'd had up there. She listened as she screamed, protesting she did not want to go.

Geez, Amelia thought. She must've gotten a horrible master to scream like that.

"Next!" Vector hollered. His soldiers did as they were told, grabbing the girl that was next in line. Like all the others before her, she struggled to get away and flee. They had all been trying to do that since Amelia had succeeded in escaping that night. It had given them the courage they needed to keep trying.

But so far, that courage was getting them nowhere but Hurtsville.

Amelia listened closely as the people behind her began to yell their prices for the girl Vector had just pulled up on the stand.

"Four fifty!" one yelled.

"Four fifty-one!" another retorted, attempting to defeat his foe.

"Six ninety!"

This guy shut every other bidder up. The crowd instantly went silent, staring at him with crazed looks. Vector, however, was extremely amused. "Anybody going to go higher?" he asked, staring at the crowd below him. When no one answered, he smirked and pointed at the guy who'd yelled the large price. "Guess not. Then sold! Take her to him, boys!"

"No! Let go of me!" the girl yelled. Amelia turned her head away and drowned the next auction out all together. She'd been hearing this for years, and Vector had made a horrid promise to her as soon as he'd nabbed her.

"If I don't get my share of money from you by the time you are sixteen, I shall get my money by beheading you," he'd growled. Those words constantly echoed in Amelia's head. And what was worse was the fact Vector had been waiting until this year for the next time to drag her out for an auction.

For now, she was sixteen years old. It was her last chance to get sold and taken away. Otherwise, she'd be killed.

But in all truth, Amelia was afraid to face both results. She feared death because she was so young, and she had not had much of a life. But because of not having much of a life, she was afraid to keep on living. What if she lived the rest of her life out tortured and beaten every day, for no reason? Then what would be the purpose of going on?

There wouldn't be a purpose.

Suddenly, the crowd began to go wild. Amelia yelped in fear when she was grabbed by her arms, hoisted onto the platform and left to gaze at the crowd with fear in her eyes. She noticed that some of the people were only watching, and she wondered it they were too scared to do anything, or if they were simply too lazy.

It didn't matter anyway. She was never going to get purchased.

I guess this is it. If I don't get picked here, which I know I won't, I'm done for. Amelia did her best to hide her fear. So far, it seemed to be working. No one in the crowd noticed her nervous twitches or her whimpers of caution.

That meant it was safe for Amelia to allow her eyes to wander the crowd. She always did this, in case she somehow managed to spot a familiar face. Not like she thought she ever would, but she had her guesses. And something just felt...different about this place. Like it was destiny or something that she would see someone she knew.

Boy, could she have been more right. It took a few seconds, but soon, Amelia recognized a certain blond in the crowd. A small smile crossed her lips as she squealed on the inside.

Mizael stood in the crowd, just as shocked and happy to see Amelia as she was to see him.

Mizael! I haven't seen him since I was a little kid! Was he...trying to find me all this time? Amelia wondered this as Mizael silenced the crowd. He looked Vector in the eye, giving him a nasty glare that meant nothing but business.

If only that would really freak the mad prince out.

"I shall pay any price you can name, be it gold or be it life, to claim that girl as my own," Mizael said, grabbing his sword and raising it up at Vector's direction. "There is nothing I will not do!"

Vector snickered, amused by the bravery of the next town's local hero. "You'll give up anything to get her?" he asked. Mizael nodded. A small, cocky smile crossed Vector's lips. "Very well. Kill that beloved dragon of yours, and I'll allow her to go. No charge. Of course, if you decline, I'll kill her myself or find someone else."

This was truly a hard decision for Mizael. He went wide-eyed, then looked at the mad prince with his new-found look of terror.

"Kill him?" he echoed the words that had flown from Vector's mouth. "I would never!"

"Well, you are the one who said he'd do anything to get little Amelia here. Isn't that right, Blondie?"

While Mizael was far from amused about that comment, he certainly was not about to let it get under his skin at a time like this. Amelia needed him now. He couldn't let stupid things like that irritate him while he was trying to save his friend.

But what could he do? He loved the dragon as much as he did Amelia, and he cared about them both equally. Killing one was as bad as killing the other! There was no way around death!

How the hell am I supposed to chose between my loyal dragon and my friend? Mizael thought, panicking slightly. Either way will end up with death. How...am I going to do this?

It was at that point that the ground began to shake. Everyone looked around wildly, even Vector, who could feel his panic level rising. Only when a flash of light erupted and revealed Dragluon to be the one that had caused the mini earthquake did the crowd calm down.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" Mizael asked, taking a few steps closer to his dragon.

Dragluon turned and looked at Amelia. He snarled at Vector, then engulfed himself in a bright light. Everyone closed their eyes to block out the light. When they were sure it was gone, they went back to staring. Amelia gasped when she saw the area where Dragluon had just been was empty.

Mizael, apparently, noticed this too. "Dragluon? Dragluon, where have you gone?"

"I have left this realm in order to free the girl, for thy has done nothing to suffer such pain as that."

The whole crowd was stunned. Vector growled, realizing at once Dragluon had left in order to save Amelia, just as he'd said. He narrowed his eyes, then took the rope from Amelia's wrists. "There, take her," he said, tossing her to the ground. Amelia landed hard in the dirt, and Mizael raced to her side. "A promise is a promise. But I will be back, as I got no money nor pleasure out of that."

Mizael snarled and helped Amelia to stand. On one hand, Amelia was okay. That was a good thing. But on the other hand, Dragluon was gone.

Gone. Never to be seen again in their current lives.