Page 4 of Given to the Fae (The Dark Realms #3)

Luckily, he calms down, instead making a show of leering at the females as they line up, as if there’s nothing else going on in his head except fucking them. He behaves like any other virile bull who’s been a slave all his life would.

I follow Bere down the line, pretending to be interested as he looks at their teeth, checks them for lice, feels their skin. I barely see them, their faces a haze of human attributes, rounded ears and naturally dull eyes, thin limbs and unwashed flesh.

‘The Breach will open again in a few minutes,’ Bere mutters to me. ‘But then it’ll be shut for more than a day. I don’t want to get stuck here for that long. Start at the other end and find me two more who look like good breeders.’

I nod and walk down the row. There certainly aren’t many who look healthy enough.

I vaguely notice that one of the females is standing apart from the others.

I look at her properly simply because she isn’t with them.

Her eyes are a dark brown and her matted hair appears as if it might be as well but it’s hard to tell from the layers of grime.

At first glance, she seems the same as the rest, but there’s something about her.

A stillness. She’s not vying for my attention like the females I’ve passed so far.

She isn’t even looking at me. Truth be told, she seems bored.

She stares at hazy mountains in the distance as if she doesn’t care one way or the other that she might be taken from this place.

As I look closer, despite the shapeless rags she wears, I see that she’s a bit thinner than the others and she’s got scars on her arms. The right bicep is bandaged. A recent injury.

I discount choosing her for that reason alone. It means she scraps with the others and will assuredly be a problem. I’ve learned never to turn my back on any of them, but especially not the ones who like to fight. They’re the most deceptive and wiliest in my experience.

I keep my eye on her as I begin inspecting the females on my side of the line. I see that Bere has pulled three of them out already as potentials, and, not looking at them except to ascertain that they aren’t diseased, I pull a couple of them out as well.

I meet Bere in the middle and he looks over the ones I’ve chosen. He points at the last one in the line, the one with the bandage, and gives me a questioning look.

‘Brawler,’ I mutter.

His eyes narrow. ‘I promised a hearty one to the pit fighters. Check her over. Thoroughly . If they take her, they might want to breed her.’

With a sigh, I go back to the beginning of the line. She seems surprised when she notices me in front of her.

‘Open your mouth,’ I sneer.

Her eyes flick quickly to the short, black demon with the green scales and twisted horns that are on the small side. I noticed him walking up earlier. This must be the commander Sio mentioned. I watch him with interest as his lips thin and Sio is suddenly at my side.

‘This one is ill.’

I hear boots thudding in the mud and turn to see Bere stomping my way. I will my eyes not to roll. Why is he so interested in this one?

‘What’s the problem?’

‘They say she’s ill,’ I mutter.

‘She doesn’t look ill. Come forward, female.’ Bere eyes me. ‘Check her.’

I know that tone. The leader of our little band can be quite paranoid.

He’s always inventing little tests for us to show our loyalty to him, making sure we’ll do as he says without question.

Even I, his second in command, am not exempt from his games, so I don’t hesitate in dragging her forward by her dirty hair, but I don’t look at her as I do.

Instead, I watch Sio and his commander. Sure enough, a look I don’t understand passes between them while Bere is staring at her with a gleam in his eye. They’re both oddly tense.

‘You don’t want this one,’ Ogdan begins, but Bere just laughs.

‘I thought this was a trading outpost.’

‘It is,’ Sio says, ‘but this one is...’

‘Ill. Yes, I heard.’ Bere raises his brows, and I look down at the human in front of me.

Her eyes are lowered.

‘You’ve been told twice,’ I spit for the crowd . ‘Do I need to say it again, human?’

Her mouth drops open, and I check her teeth. Finding no decay that would cause me to suspect illness, I move my attention to her skin.

‘She’s dirty, but there are no rashes that I can see,’ I state.

Bere says nothing, and that in itself is telling. He wants more.

‘Take off your clothes.’

She shrugs out of the ragged dress she’s wearing, and it falls to the ground. I barely look at her except to ensure there are no skin lesions or spots to be concerned about, though I find many scars that I try to ignore.

I see Bere’s ice blue eyes flash violet as they travel from her face down to her toes and back up again.

He takes in the evidence of the harsh life this one in particular has lead as a slave and he likes what he sees.

Clearly whatever deal he’s made with the pit fighters is not the only reason he wants this one, and I decide to ensure I have a reason to be away from our camp this evening, so that I don’t have to listen to what will likely be a night she won’t forget for the worst reasons.

He licks his lips, and I force my eyes to her face, pretending I’m still examining her, though it’s clear she’s not suffering from some malady as they insist. I wonder why these skin merchants don’t want to part with this one.

If the scars are anything to go by, she’s very badly behaved. They should be happy to get rid of her.

But no one mentions this fact, not even Bere.

‘Has she been bred?’ Bere asks.

‘Not this one. But there are a few from the ones you’ve already picked who?—’

‘Do it,’ Bere interrupts, ignoring the orc completely as he looks at me.

I know what he wants, and, again, hesitation will doom not only me, so I kick her legs apart and thrust my hand between them, my fingers parting her and delving into her entrance.

Her loud gasp has me wincing internally as she rises high on her toes, her eyes flying to mine with the sort of expression I don’t usually see on seasoned slaves. Her shock, horror, and surprise are plain to see.

I mutter the conjure I learned before I came to the Dark Realms simply to ingratiate myself with Bere.

He’s the only one of his men who knows I have an affinity with magick, so as far as everyone else is concerned, I learned this trick from a healer and it requires no special talent but knowledge of the human female form.

The girl’s face scrunches and a small cry of pain passes her lips as the magick winds through her. But then her expression turns into almost a look of triumph.

I see both Ogdan and Sio startle at her cry and yet another momentous look I don’t understand passes between them. No one moves, no one seems to breathe.

It’s as if everyone is waiting for something to happen. The very air is pregnant with it. But nothing does except that the conjure I’ve used gives me the information I need in the form of pins and needles in my palm.

‘She’s fertile, but she needs to put on weight,’ I murmur. ‘Breeding with the right bull won’t take long once she’s healthy enough.’

The girl is staring at Ogdan, her eyes wide, and he takes a step back, visibly relaxing with a small snort. Sio does the same. Her face pales and she appears stunned. Perhaps she is anxious about leaving The Barrack after all.

‘The healer told me she was ill earlier,’ Ogdan mutters with a shrug, ‘but if you want her, take her.’

Bere makes a noise of derision. ‘I’m not sure I do. She seems quite intractable now that I see her properly.’

He turns away and moves on. I realize my hands are still on the female in front of me and I remove them, though not as quickly as I’d like to, conscious of eyes still on me. To anyone watching, my movements will appear languid and my countenance, bored.

Bere, Ogdan, and Sio move on down the line to finalize the trades, but I find myself watching the girl.

She’s staring straight ahead. She looks shaken to the very core.

I find myself wanting to ask what I’m missing, but I give myself a mental shake.

This slave and her sad little life have nothing to do with me.

I have a job to do and those I care about are counting on me.

I turn and leave her to join the others.

‘The bulls you have are thin and weak. The two I brought are worth three of them. And,’ he scoffs, ‘these females... All of them need a proper healer and to be cleaned up before I can take them anywhere near a respectable town to auction. Like as not, I’ll be arrested for mistreatment of breeding-age females if I even step into the Fifth Circle! ’

Ogdan straightens at the perceived slight to his merchandise.

‘The females here are all clean where it counts. None of them have disease, and some have been bred before. Aye, the ones you’ve brought seem like passable stock, it’s true, but only one of them has the marks of young-bearing, whereas many of mine have proved themselves fertile more than once. ’

Bere shrugs. ‘I want four females for my two, plus three bulls.’

‘That’s a bad deal,’ Sio snorts, glancing at the females we’ve brought to trade. ‘That one,’ he points at Tori, ‘perhaps. But that one,’ he gestures at the older one. ‘She’s well past her prime. She likely only has one pregnancy left in her and she’ll probably die in the birth.’

Bere shakes his head. ‘She’s younger in years than she looks, and she’s birthed five hearty bulls.

She’s an asset to any master, and you know she’ll sell well out here in the higher Circles even if it’s just for domestic tasks.

I propose three females, three of your smaller bulls, and,’ he leans in closer, ‘I’ll take that last female. If you like.’

Ogdan chuckles. ‘That’s still four females. Two is fair for what you’ve brought.’

Bere snorts. ‘Two? You’re having a laugh. Three.’

The short demon shrugs. ‘Best I can do is two.’