Vera

I enter the room and scan my surroundings. My Master sits in the chair behind his desk, with Maya sitting on a pillow on the floor by the left wall. Niaka and Artemia sit across from his desk. I almost broke when I saw Artemia. What are they even doing here? Do they want to see my punishment being dealt first hand? Niaka gives me a shit-eating grin and says, “Hello, little rose, long time no see.”

My Master waves his hand to the empty spot near Maya. “Sit, girl,” he demands. “I have wonderful news for the two of you. From this day forward, you will be the commander’s whores. The commander and his right hand came today to sample you and have decided to make the purchase,” he says casually.

My heart spasms in my chest. I can't go back to Lythra. My mother will kill me the moment she knows I’m alive. I start pleading, “Master, please, I am begging you to reconsider. I’ll work extra hard.” He storms over to me and shouts in my face, “Quiet! It is already done.” I try again, “Please, I’m begging—” Before I could finish my sentence, he raises his hand to strike my face. I close my eyes and wait for the blow to land, but it never does.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, they're not your property anymore, and I don't take kindly to those who damage what is mine,” Niaka whispers, far closer than he was a second ago. I open my eyes just as Niaka releases his arm. “Y-y-yes, of course, commander. My deepest apologies,” he stutters, eyes wide with fear.

“Fantastic. Now, if there is nothing else, I would like my purchases wrapped in cloaks and ready to go,” he says while clasping his hands behind his back, donning his infuriating smile again. My Master, or rather ex-master, calls for two cloaks over the communications system. Cloaked, Niaka ushers us out of the building. The warm, damp Pyrese air hits my face. It has been seven years since I last saw anything other than the four walls of the whore house. I suppress my urge to cry. I will not break in front of Niaka. I will not give him the satisfaction.

Well, at least I get to see the night sky one more time before my mother tries to kill me again, and this time she’ll make sure the deed is done properly. I catch Niaka staring at me, and I move closer to Maya. A shuttle stops in front of us, and the doors slide open. “Get in; we don't have all night,” Niaka says while climbing in himself. Maya and I take the seats farthest away from Niaka and Artemia next to the window. The shuttle doors slide closed, and we zoom up into the sky.

I take a peek out the window and see the small Pyrese town I’ve existed in for the past seven years because I certainly didn’t live here. I see the block-style houses and the people going about their daily lives. So free and probably not on their way to getting murdered by their mother a second time. A tear rolls down my mask, and I sniff a little. A puff of black smoke forms in the seat in front of us, and in a matter of milliseconds, Niaka appears out of the smoke, staring right at us. How is that even possible? I thought his divine blessing was poisonous skin. How can he teleport as well? Then again, he did call it a divine curse.

He reaches out and catches my tear before it falls. He smears it across his lower lip and licks it off. “Mmm, sweet,” he purrs, and just as quickly as he appears, he teleports back to his seat.

Artemia sighs and murmurs, “Can you not be so fucking creepy, brother? They’re probably scared enough as it is.” Niaka just shrugs and looks out of the window.

We arrive at our destination a few minutes later. The destination in question is a standard Draakin militant spaceship. Again, Niaka herds us into the ship, all the way to the ship's bridge. The interior is what you would expect of a Draakin ship, all smooth corners with slick black metal. Very minimalistic. There are two men on the bridge, and Niaka gestures for them to come closer.

One of them has a kind face and seems to be from Erta, with golden freckled skin and short curly blonde hair. Two white horns slightly curving backwards peeking from his luscious curls. I glance at the second man walking toward us. For a moment, I am shocked thoughtless—it’s Cain. He managed to get even more muscular and tall. His straight black hair has grown far past his shoulders. His brown eyes meet mine narrowing in suspicion.

“Cal, Cain, meet… these two. They are about to make us some serious money,” Niaka gloats. My knees buckle a bit, and I cling to Maya. They are probably going to sell us to my mother. After everything I’ve endured, I’m going to go back to square one. I really didn't want to break down in front of everyone, but I couldn't help it. It was all too much. Violent sobs overtake my body; Maya is the only thing keeping me upright.

“Great divine, Niaka, what did you do to them?” the Ertan man asks, seeming concerned.

“Really, Cal? Why do you always assume I am at fault when someone is hysterically crying?” Niaka retorts with irritation.

Cain, signs, You do seem to have that effect on people… It’s been a while since the last time I saw Cain sign but it seems I have not lost that particular skill.

“And probably because it is your fault. He was being a total creep again,” Artemia comments.

Cal looks at me with concern and says, “It’s okay. We aren't going to hurt you.”

“Yeah, and I’m supposed to believe you, when—” I start sobbing again. Unable to finish my sentence, I just gesture at Niaka.

A look of pure annoyance crosses his face, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. “For divine’s sake, Artemia, just do the spell. Her wailing is giving me a headache.”

Artemia starts weaving black glowing symbols in the air, speaking a language I’ve never heard before. The symbols snake toward Maya and me and wrap around our wrists. There is a brief pressure followed by a popping sound and loud clanking sounds from the floor. We look down—two sets of wrist cuffs are lying at our feet. One has a light blue glow and the other a bright golden glow.

“What is that?” Maya asks with a shaky voice, speaking up for the first time.

Niaka snatches them up and holds them closer to inspect them. He explains with pure glee and excitement, “These are your soul cuffs. Or were, at least. They put these on children intended to be slaves who haven't received their divine blessings yet, to dampen their power when they do receive them. But what most people don't know is if the child is strong enough to make it to adulthood, the cuffs receive the same divine blessing as the child, making these extremely rare and even more expensive when made into a weapon or charm. I’ll get at least ten times more for them than I paid for you. That vermin of a man didn't even know what he had.”

I can't believe all of this is for our cuffs.

“I don't understand, so we are not to be yours?” Maya asks with a more steady voice.

Niaka gives her a dark look and says, undignified, “Of course not. I do not condone slavery of any kind, and once I sell these, I’ll be going back to pay your old master a visit.”

Hope lights up Maya’s face. “What will you do with us then?”

Niaka, already bored with the direction the conversation is going, turns his focus onto a screen on the wall and says dismissively, “Oh, you’re free women now and all that. Just tell Cal where we can drop you off, and we’ll be on our way.”

My fear and terror from earlier turn into pure hot rage. I storm toward Niaka and shout in his face, “CUFFS? FUCKING CUFFS? For years you’ve known I was there. For years you could have come to take your precious cuffs and free me. Still, you and Artemia left me there to suffer!” He cringes away from me, seeming slightly startled.

“Niaka, what is she talking about?” Artemia asks, very confused.

Niaka looks at me like I am a wild animal running through the local market and says slowly something akin to concern lacing his words but I can’t be sure, “I have no idea. She has clearly lost her mind. Maybe we should take this one to a healing facility. The years of abuse most likely took a toll on her sanity.”

I can't believe he’s cracking jokes again. He's a monster. Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my skull. I shut my eyes and clench my head with both hands. The pain disappears as suddenly as it arrived. I straighten my back and take a deep breath. I feel invincible, like I can bend the whole world to my will. I can feel the energy of everyone in this room and know I can bend their blood, flesh, and bones into any form I see fit. Just like babies have the inherent knowledge of taking their first breath, so do I have the knowledge to use this power within me.

I step closer to Niaka with a small smile on my lips and snarl, “Fuck you,” as I take off my mask.

His eyes widen and his nostrils flare as he growls, “I don't know what sick game—”

I push a fraction of my power into him, cutting off his sentence, and he flies toward the other side of the bridge. His head hits the screen first and makes a satisfying cracking sound. All that incredible power descends deeper into me, to a place I can't reach. Darkness clouds my vision, and I sink to the floor. I happily embrace the blissful nothingness that claims me.