4:2 Captives of the Sea Wolf.
The shouts continue for some time. I can't tell what is going on, but the urgency and the sound of heavy things being moved about isn't consistent with something normal happening.
"Do you think we are arriving at a port?" asks one of the girls.
"Ssshh!," says another. "I'm trying to hear what they are saying."
"You can understand their language?" says the first girl.
"A bit. Now shush," replies the second girl.
We wait a few moments. The shouting is less urgent and the sound of heavy things being moved about ceases.
"The ship is preparing for battle," says the second girl. "I don't know if they've sighted a merchant ship to plunder, or if a warship has been sighted. I guess we'll find out soon enough."
We wait patiently. Apart from the occasional shout there is nothing to indicate what is happening outside. Then all hell lets loose. The sound of cannon fire roars out. The ship judders several times and the sound of explosions turn our world into chaos. I've no idea whether our ship has been hit or whether it is the pirates' guns which we can hear. The smell of sulphur and smoke manages to override the stench of our prison. Then there is the sound of people fighting on the decks above us. A steady sound of pistols firing and swords clashing.
The battle lasts for about twenty minutes before suddenly stopping. We've no idea who has won. The silence doesn't last long before we hear men approaching our cell. Men carrying torches unlock our cell door and unfasten the chain attached to the floor. I notice they don't remove our shackles and the four of us are still linked by the ankle chain. We are herded on deck and made to stand with the other captives on the main deck. There are dead bodies all around us which a group of men are throwing into the sea one by one. A small group of surviving pirates are clustered by the ship's rail on the rear deck. For the first time I see the larger ship which attacked this vessel. It's about twice the size of this one and colourfully painted. I don't recognise the huge flag it is flying.
"Thirty six prisoners in the cells below," says a sailor to the well dressed man who seems to be in charge. "Eight males of varying ages and twenty eight females … all young. Nine of the crew surrendered."
I instantly recognise the sailor … Gloss! He looks in my direction but he doesn't recognise me. I look around my fellow captives in case there are any tributes among them. I can't see everyone from my current position and the ankle chain prevents me from moving.
"Good," says the well dressed man. "Search the hold for treasure and have the captives transferred to the Sea Wolf. We should make a good profit from this haul."
My brief hope that this was a rescue are dashed. This is nothing more than one pirate stealing from another pirate. I'm clearly not the only captive who had hoped this was a rescue. We are taken across to the larger ship in groups. The man called it the Sea Wolf. I only have a few moments to take in the view before being made to climb down a ladder into a large hold that goes to the lowest deck. It is cleaner than the previous ship but it is still a prison. There are already other captives held down here and the space is nearly full. We are crammed together, which means we have only just enough space to sit. Our ankle chain is replaced by a new one linking all the captives. The ladder is removed and hatch through which we entered is closed. Fortunately the hatch has a grill which admits enough light and air to make our prison bearable. Less than an hour later the ship starts to move. We are on our way to wherever we are going.
I look around me and recognise one of the captives. She was already on board the Sea Wolf.
"Johanna?" I call.
Johanna look in my direction in response to her name but like Gloss earlier, she doesn't recognise me.
"Do I know you?" Johanna asks.
"It's Katniss. Don't you recognise me?"
"I don't know anyone by that name. I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
I don't continue our conversation. She can't tell that she's inside a simulation and there isn't much we can do while we are locked up like this anyway.
A meal of sorts arrives, if you can call a cupped handful of slop a meal. A bucket of water is passed along the line and we take it in turns to drink from the dipper. It's not hygienic but it's that or going without.
It must be near dawn when the ship slows and eventually stops. The sounds of people moving about on deck, as well as something brushing against the side of the ship, suggests we have docked. If we have, then nobody is in a rush to unload us. Finally, an hour or two later, the common chain is unfastened from the bulkhead and we are marched onto the deck. From there we are moved onto the dockside. The short ankle chains make it impossible to do more than shuffle, but one of the captives decides to try and make a run for it anyway. He gets all of ten metres before being caught. We are all made to watch while he is punished for his error. If anyone else harboured intentions of trying to flee, then those ideas are quickly discarded.
There's no sign of Gloss among the men who shepherd us in a long line along the road. By now the sun has risen above the horizon, hinting at a hot and sweltering day ahead. A few of the local citizens are up early and stop to watch us shuffle along. Most look bored at the sight, as though a long line of captives heading for the slave markets is an everyday event. I look at the people as we pass in case any are tributes, but I don't see anyone I recognise. We are marched single file along several streets which progressively get narrower and the buildings less well maintained.
When we left the dockside there were about sixty of us in total, but by the time we reach a compound, which is clearly our destination, I realise there are only twelve left in my group. I was too busy watching my surroundings to notice the line had been split up. I can only assume we have been given to different slave traders to sell. I look for Johanna, but she is not in my group.
The three girls who shared my cell on the first pirate's ship are with me. Then a chill runs through my bones despite the warmth of our surroundings. I realise all twelve of us are young women between sixteen and twenty years of age. Several possibilities about what will happen to us run through my mind … none of them pleasant.
We enter the compound and are locked into a gigantic cage, large enough to house fifty. There aren't any other captives here at the moment and we have the place to ourselves. Nobody tells us what is going on. Once we are securely locked in the guards leave us. A solitary man is our only overseer and he looks more like a clerk than a soldier.
We sit and wait for something to happen. I can't see much beyond the interior of the compound wall. The tops of a few nearby buildings are visible, as are some grander buildings farther away. Those could be temples or palaces. The whole place is overshadowed by a range of nearby mountains that seem like a solid barrier stretching as far as the eye can see. On top of a nearby promontory stands a large castle.
"Do you know where we are?" I ask my fellow captives.
"This city goes by several names. My people call it Beelzebub," says one girl. "The cursed city. That must be Saracen's Rock over there with the castle on it. Home of the tyrant emperor, Plutonius. I hope his soul rots in …"
"Ssshh!" says another girl. "They cut out the tongues of those who speak ill of Plutonius, fourth emperor of the House of Heavensbee."
I nearly choke at the name the girl just spoke. This sounds just like the sort of stunt Plutarch Heavensbee would pull as Head Gamemaker. But the girls are deadly serious and none of them see anything odd about the tyrant emperor's name. To them, this whole situation is very very real.