3

The journey following that night went much the same as the others previous. The party traveled by day in the cart and stopped for the night for rest. In the morning they would do it all over again, and it carried on like this for three days.

Finally, Lord Darius allowed them to buy passage for a Coach to ride the Winds. The traveling went quicker when they rode the Winds. That didn't make Ares feel any better, nor did it help Lord Darius' uneasiness.

The man was constantly paranoid that someone was tailing them, trying to get the Heir back to her territory, but there never was anyone.

One night, Ares tried to contact someone on a psychic thread. It didn't matter who responded, just so long as she could get help. Maybe, she thought, she could get a hold of her family. Of her brother, of her cousin... was that too far? Was she too late?

She tried to not think like that.

She called out on every thread she could hold. She couldn't go below her sapphire jewel.

With her jewel being away from her and not around her neck, she felt disconnected from it, and awkward. She feared the distance hindered her powers and craft abilities. And that was something dangerous for a young witch among thieves.

However, on the night she tried for contact, the younger Warlord noticed her concentration and studied her psychic aura, seeing what she was doing.

She had somehow managed to block the call for help from the men's minds, stopping him from hearing anything she might be saying.

So when he confirmed the links she was attempting to make, he strode over to her, furious at her devious plan, and back-handed her across the face. She flew to the ground, landing hard on her chest.

She groaned in pain.

"Stupid bitch!" Roselv yelled in fury. "How dare you try to contact! Do you think we're unaware of what you do! We know everything! That is why you will never get away and will never be free." he seethed. He stared murder into her body. She never bothered to turn her head to face him. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of causing her to cry, or for him to know he was causing her much pain.

Her head throbbed. She hoped she didn't have a concussion.

Roselv looked back down on her in disgust and raised his arm as if to strike her again, but then thought better of it. He felt Darius' presence close by. He didn't need to incur that Old Relic's wrath now. So he stomped away, muttering vivid curses.

Ares never got up.

Another three day's journey on the Winds settled them at the Landing Web at Raej, where the Slave Auctions were held.

Ares woke that morning with utter despair. She seemed so lifeless, that Darius almost pitied her. Once the Coach landed and the shield dropped, the door opened and the sun poured into the dimly lit cabin. The bright light hurt the girl's swollen eyes.

The men pushed her out of the Coach, while Roselv went to register for the sales.

Ares hadn't seen where Darius went. She was too preoccupied with trying to manage a way out. So she decided it was now or never.

As a last resort, she pushed away from one of the men that held her and used a blast of power to knock out the other, making a mad dash for the Coach. She had been working on the bindings on her legs for an hour now and had managed to loosen it up enough to slip one foot out.

Ares was able to make it to the steps of the Coach before a bolt of power was thrown for her head.

Instead of meeting its' mark, the power hit her on the back; between the shoulder blades. She flew forward and landed inside the Coach, her feet hanging on the stairs. She coughed, having the wind knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe for several moments and writhed on the floor. Then Lord Roselv walked over, obviously furious, and yanked her head up by pulling her hair.

"I thought we made it clear to you that you were not to try such a stunt again." he hissed into her ear. She only gasped for air, trying to regain the pressure she had in her lungs.

With that, Roselv snarled in raged frustration and threw her head back down. She only barely stopped it from hitting the floor.

"Lord Roselv." The brown haired Warlord turned upon hearing his name to see the stern old man standing a few feet away with an Auction Official. He leaned on his cane heavily and had a dismayed look about his face.

"Bring the girl. We are cleared for sales." Before the man turned to lead with the official, he gave Roselv a look that told the younger man that he shouldn't argue.

So he narrowed his eyes and turned, clearly aggravated and hauled the gasping girl up by an arm. His grip had bruising force as he grabbed her other arm and pushed/pulled her in the direction the other men had gone.

Once they made it into the main building and were shown the way to the cells for slaves, the Official left to resume his duties elsewhere, leaving the two Warlords with the girl.

Lord Darius still had his dismayed expression as he leaned towards Roselv and said very quietly, "Do what you need to humble this child."

Roselv grinned at that. He waited until Darius left the cell, before stringing the girl's arms up to the ropes that were connected to posts on either wall. Then he materialized his whip with Craft and rotated his wrist. He grinned at the girl, who finally raised her eyes to fearfully look at him.

"You have caused me great trouble and embarrassment." he said grimly, but the grin never left his face.

He raised his arm, pulling the whip back, readying it for a strike.

But before he could land it, the girl reacted. She had been building her strength, waiting for the moment to attack. She let a burst of power careen to the man in front of her. The expression on her face was something distant, as if she were in a different place and her eyes held a certain feral quality. It was very unnerving.

The burst of Sapphire energy crashed on the Warlord, causing him to fly backward into the bars of the door. He groaned as he steadied himself. He had been unprepared for the assault and now felt it in his gut the most. He clenched his teeth, riding out the pain. All the while, he glared death in the girl's direction, ignoring her haunting eyes.

A few minutes later, Roselv had composed himself, more or less, and took a step away from the door. He bared his teeth and glared at her.

"Bitch." he snarled. "You will pay for that."

As he said this, he raised his arm again and this time, the girl didn't do anything to react. So when the lash snapped on her shoulder, it was almost as if she was jolted back to her body. She gasped at first, as if surprised, and then her eyes raced for a moment, looking around. However, once the second lash had struck, she cried out in pain. The third strike proved to be even worse, when it contacted with her stomach. Then she screamed.

Roselv's grin returned at the sound.

Thank you so very much to my reviewers! I have had only nice things said about this story and am grateful that someone has read this.

I'll try to remind myself to update, because I find myself going on my computer less and less.

Thank you again!

Ackie