Janae
For the better part of the two weeks, they had continued by land, on the road west of the Rhoyne. If anything, the river had gotten even wider and on the foggy autumn mornings, it was impossible to even see the other shore. Few traces of civilization were found here, the last decades and the war with Volantis having devastated the landscape. A few brave settlers had ventured here, but Janae knew, she could not expect any help from them. The only other type of person were people like Goranero Sanys, who had given them a cart to ride on, before taking Abbas' ship to Volantis. Rich Volantene slavers, who came here to
The further away they got from Volantis itself, the less outposts of civilization they found, until all that remained was wilderness. Only the road remained, Valyrian craftsmanship and remnant of a time when this entire region had been under the rule of the Freehold. They would be there for long after Janae was gone even, but considering her current chances, that wasn't particularly much, perhaps.
At night, they either spent time in one of the occasional houses that lined the way, either taking over an abandoned building, or having Abbas buying them a place to sleep. At times though, they spent the night outside and they were the nights Janae dreaded the most. During these nights, she was so close to freedom, around her nothing but the empty night. Close to Behara and Harpy, she was reminded over and over why she could not even attempt to flee and yet, it was so temptingly close.
Haar held back during these days of travel, or maybe Ryder held him back, but what she knew was that she hadn't seen the last of the man yet. There were the glares, silent, but effective, with which he looked at her, then at Behara, at Ryder and Harpy and all of them. Abbas wasn't helping, with the alcohol he was giving him, because for all she could tell, the sellsword had a semblance of restraint whenever not drunken, only to lose it completely when touching alcohol.
It was after two weeks that Janae saw what they were travelling towards. It was the first actual bridge over the Rhoyne in this entire time. Clearly built by Valyria, it was long, so long that the only thing marking the other shore in the foggy distance were the small towers and the fires burning in them. As long as it was, it was also narrow, perhaps allowing for not more than two carts to cross it next to each other at the same time.
There were small forts on each side of the bridge and Janae could see figures patrolling on the small, wooden walls on either side. The buildings seemed tacked on, marring the beautiful remnant of Old Valyria with crude craftsmanship. She could not deny that they made it notably easier to defend the structure.
“She expanded”, Bakr remarked, as he and Abbas rode side by side, next to the cart. Ryder and a chained Janae were sitting in the front, with Ryder stirring the cart, while Harpy and Behara were sitting in the back. Haar, finally, was riding behind them. “Seems she's been doing well”, the heavy-weight slaver added.
Abbas rolled his eyes as they saw the bridge in the distance. “Oh, I so hate that girl”, he mumbled. Janae spotted the banners flying above the buildings on each side of it. “That's how you see that this part of Essos has gone to hell since Valyria fell. This is no man's land. No ruler to contest that insolent bitch”
Janae raised an eyebrow. “You seem afraid of a girl, Abbas”, she said and it earned her another vicious glare. She would have chuckled, but after today, she did not dare to provoke him. Not for her own sake, but Behara had been through too much already. To her surprise, he then nodded. “I wouldn't call it fear, but trust me, the sooner we get over with this, the better, for all of us”, he admitted.
This actually gained her curiosity. “What's so bad about her?”, she asked, to which Abbas frowned. “She's the worst sort of a person”, he replied. “A haggler. Someone who doesn't know when to accept a good deal” He sighed. “Instead, she keeps renegotiating, until you have to agree to an outrageous deal”, he growled. “That is the reason we're here today”
“To kill her?”, Janae asked and Abbas chuckled. “Tempting”, he admitted. “But no, we can't do that. Do you recognize the banners up there?” Once more, Janae narrowed her eyes and now, she could make out a round object, grey or silver, on a field of white. “A sellsword company?”, she guessed, to which Abbas nodded. “Those are the Silver Shields”, he explained. “A small group, but staunchly loyal to whomever pays them” A mild frown appeared on his face. “They never got along with Ghiscari”
Janae rolled her eyes. “Well, I wonder why”, she mumbled, causing Abbas to shoot her a dark glare. “It means they will keep us waiting”, he spoke. “It's getting dark, so they will find a reason to let us wait outside their walls until we can speak to the bitch in charge” He pointed to the side and in the underbrush, Janae spotted a path. “Since I know that, we'll spend the night somewhere better, without having to listen to their... humiliations”
He took the lead, with Bakr, the cart and Haar following, as they left the main road and entered the path. This was definitely not part of the Valyrian road, more a crude, overgrown trail and it was only thanks to Goranero's sturdy horses that they were able to make it without issue. About a mile through the path, Janae spotted a wooden building through the half-dead trees.
Located on a small clearing was not just an abandoned house, but an entire small farm. A two-story building, a barn and a stable for the horses, all in poor condition but probably good enough to give them shelter for the night. From there on, it all went quickly, as Abbas' decision was clear. They would spend the night there, somewhat protected from the elements, before meeting up with the Silver Shields and their mysterious leader the day after.
While Abbas and Bakr took the farmhouse for themselves, while Ryder and Haar took turns guarding the area. Janae, Behara and Harpy, at last, were chained against the most sturdy pillar in the barn. It was dark in there and even though nobody had entered it in years, there was a heavy air in it. At least it was warm and, as far as Janae was able to tell, free of rats. She had slept worse, despite the chains.
For dinner, Ryder brought them roasted rabbit, freshly hunted, a bland and dry meal. Janae felt hungry even after she gnawed off the meat from the animal's surprisingly sharp and heavy bones, though both, Harpy and Behara seemed to look more miserable than ever in the light of the single torch they had been granted.
“We can't live like this...”, Behara mumbled once more, her gaze showing sheer despair. She had barely eaten over the last two weeks and slowly, it was showing. Pale and thin, she was looking even younger than she actually was. And it was clear to Janae, the girl was not made for what was to come. Her current situation was bad, but the things to come... she had been a slave for many years of her life and she knew, Behara had seen nothing yet.
“We can”, she replied. “We will” To her surprise, Harpy gave her a nod. Though not older than Behara, there was a calmness about her, the look of someone who had seen too much. And so, the girl born into slavery was somehow less panicking at the prospect of returning to it, when compared to the one who had been free her entire life.
“I won't allow them to harm you”, Harpy promised, as she placed her arms around Behara. The other girl hesitated for a moment, before she buried her head in Harpy's shoulder. “I miss Tem”, she mumbled. “And John and Sammy. Do you think they are still looking for us?” Harpy gulped, giving Janae a deep look. Indeed, their chances were bad. Janae had no doubt that John and Temari were looking for them, just like how Harpy was convinced her knight would not give up on her. And yet, Abbas' trick would not make things any easier. No, Janae did not consider a miraculous rescue. If anything, they had to free themselves.
“We have to get out of here”, she spoke. “Once we're over that bridge, it'll be harder. This is the only bridge over the Rhoyne in a hundred miles and we can't take a boat without coin” Harpy nodded. “Do you have an idea?”, she asked, as Behara looked up, suddenly curious. “Can you get us out of here?”, the girl interjected.
This caused Janae to sigh. She knew, Behara was close to breaking down in fear and Harpy, for as strong as she wanted to appear, was a girl of eighteen years. They looked at her as if she had all the answers. She did not tell them that what she actually wanted, more than anything else, was to put a knife into Abbas' face, even if that would mean sealing her own fate. There was not one moment in which she did not regret sparing his life when she escaped, all those years ago. Abbas had meant something to her and she had been too weak to see the master in him. Now Behara was paying the price.
“Whatever it is, we have to figure something out quickly”, Harpy said, as she separated from Behara. Picking up one of the bones from dinner, she tried to jab it into the keyhole of her chains, right where they were connected to Behara's. Unsurprisingly, it did not work and the tip of the bone broke off after a short, frustrating attempt. Harpy sighed, as she glanced at the bone in her hand, before looking up at Janae. “What about Harrington?”
“What about him?”, Janae asked. “You... know him, don't you?” Harpy hesitated for a moment, before she nodded. “I know the name”, she admitted. “He was captain of the city guard under Mullendore. Don't know what brought him here, but he always struck me as upstanding” The word sounded like a slight as she said it. “His brother worked for the Solvers, one of Butterfly's chief enforcers”
“So, they were both working for the same man?”, Janae brought up and Harpy nodded. “Unknowingly, we presume”, she revealed. “But he doesn't seem bad. Not like Haar at least. Do you think he would help us?” Janae had to think about this for a moment, before she shook her head, regretfully. “He is not here for our sake”, she spoke. “Sure, he's not a cruel man, but that doesn't mean he cares for our fate. He has a reason to join Abbas and I doubt he is going to give up on this”
It was in this moment that the door got pushed open. At first, Janae expected Ryder, checking up on them, or maybe Abbas, out for some midnight cruelty. It was worse, though. She could smell Haar before he stepped into the light. His walk was off and the stench clued her in that he had been drinking again. Reeking of alcohol and of worse, he stumbled towards them. Janae put a lot of effort into appearing calm, but both, Harpy and Behara tensed up. The latter did manage a slight, angry glare, but it felt weak and fake, compared to his lecherous grin.
“G'evening, ladies”, he said. “Y'all had a nice one?” He chuckled, as Janae narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”, she asked, as Haar hesitated for a moment. “Well, what could a man want from such lovelies on a night like this?”, he asked, genuinely surprised she would even ask this. “It is cold and the wine can only warm me so much” With this, he looked at Behara, who instantly froze in terror.
Janae exchanged a glance with Harpy and finally, she spotted all the fear in her dark eyes she hat expected to see there throughout the last months. “Wh...”, Behara gasped, as Haar chuckled. “I'm gonna be real with you, me and Abbas, it's not working out”, he admitted. “I'll leave him once we're past that bridge, but I know that man well enough and I know I can't expect a thing from him. Figures, he owes me a taste of the wares before I go”
Harpy closed her eyes, now openly shivering, while Behara let out a panicked gasp, as Haar approached them. “I'll be gentle”, the drunken man growled, in a tone that made it clear he would be anything but. And yet, in his hands, he held something that gained her curiosity. It was a key, likely their key to freedom. “Now, you and I are going to take a little walk”, he chuckled, as he approached Behara. “And the rest of you is going to sit here and you will be silent, or I'll break her neck”
That was enough. Without even thinking, Janae jumped up and straight at Haar. The sellsword surprised her by seeing that coming, as he took a step back, letting her swing at nothing but thin air. In return, just as her fist was past him, he jumped forward, his punch pressing the air out of her lungs. He moved faster than she expected from a drunken man and as her vision blurred, the stench that came from him was downright nauseating.
She staggered back, sinking onto her back and clenching her aching stomach. Haar's punch had come with more strength than he should have and through blurring vision, she saw him approaching the terrified Behara. The girl tried to crawl away, but the chains that connected her neck with Harpy's and Janae's prevented this, as Janae was too stunned to move, while Harpy... she did nothing. Sitting there, her eyes closed, she was shivering, heavily biting down onto her lip, likely to prevent herself from stuttering and sobbing in fear as Behara did.
Janae herself gasped something, or tried to at least, but she merely managed to produce a gurgling tone. She spat out, noticing that blood had mixed with her saliva. This was not good... Behara's scream caused her to snap out of the stunned state she had been in, but the pain still paralyzed her. Breathing became harder and she was pretty certain that Haar's brutal punch had broken a rib.
The sellsword had grabbed the girl by the slave collar around her neck, trying to open it with his key. To her credit, Behara was struggling, but there was only so much a starving girl could do against a ruthlessly determined man twice her weight. Tears shot into Janae's eyes, as she, once more, tried to stand up in vain. And Harpy...
“You don't have to take her”, Harpy's voice cut through the barn and something about it caused even the drunken Haar to hesitate. She opened her eyes and slowly rose from the ground. There were tears of fear in them and she was shivering. Clearly, she was terrified, beyond that even and her hands were shivering, not with the cold rage that threatened to overcome Janae, but with actual panic. And yet, her voice was clear, smooth, commanding and so unlike the scared girl that stood in front of the hulking sellsword.
“And why not?”, Haar growled. Harpy took a deep breath, blinking briefly, and then she smiled. It was fake, of course, but she managed to make it seem convincing enough. “Because she is a child”, she replied. “Just look at her” The man did as he was told to and a lecherous grin formed on his face. Behara meanwhile was still struggling under his grip, yet he ignored her weak punches against his upper arm. “Looks old enough to me”, he replied.
Harpy shook her head. “That is not what I mean”, she clarified, as she took a step towards him. “She is a child and she is scared” The sellsword shrugged, but she continued without giving him the chance to speak. Her smile was still there, even if it was hard for her to hide the disgust, as she gently moved closer. “She will kick and scream. Do you think you will enjoy this? No... you do not need a child”
Janae caught up to what Harpy was suggesting the same moment as Haar did. “Harpy, no!”, she barked, as she jumped up. Once more, Haar was faster than he had any right to be. Dropping Behara to the ground, he spun around, his knee violently hitting Janae's waist. She screamed and a sharp, terrible pain made it barely possible to stand. As she fell onto the hard ground of the barn, Behara crawled to her side.
“Stay out of this, ya cunt!”, Haar snapped at her, before he turned back to Harpy, who was staring at the other two women, with widely opened eyes. Janae just barely managed to shake her head, pleading her to stop, begging her to stop. Perhaps for the first time, she noticed what the captivity had done to her. The stress of the journey, the hardships... just a few months ago, she would have overpowered Haar with ease, especially now. But as it was, his strength alone was the deciding factor. “Now, what are you suggesting?”
Harpy smirked at him. “You need someone who does not scream”, she spoke. “Or kick, or bite. Someone who will make you enjoy this” With this, she stopped right in front of him, presenting her chained neck. “Spare her and I will make it worth your time” And at last, Behara realized what Harpy was suggesting. “N... No”, she mumbled, but Janae held her back with one hand, the other clenched onto her aching guts.
Haar only briefly glanced at her, before turning back to Harpy. “Well, if you're going to be that way”, he spoke, as he opened her chains. For a moment, the girl stretched in her newfound freedom, but then, Haar savagely grabbed her by the hair. “I'll enjoy this”, he told her, as he pushed her to the ground. “But you probably won't”
For just a moment, fear was clearly seen on Harpy's eyes, as Haar dragged her towards the barn door her had entered through. Now, she was struggling, perhaps finally realizing just how bad it would be to take Behara's position. But lying on her back, grabbed by the hair, there was little she could do. He was loud, she was loud and all Janae could hope for was that someone would come and see them, put an end to this, before the worst could happen. Feeling the pain slowly getting better, she got up at last, still on shaky feet, but able to intervene.
With Harpy lying on the back and him dragging her towards the door, Haar glanced over his shoulder. “You stay where you are!”, he growled, his words a drunken slur. “Or else I will...!” The rest of his words ended in a bellowing scream of pain, as Harpy pushed the sharpened bone she had kept from dinner into the soft flesh of his calf. Instantly, he let go of her and she used the opportunity to embed the bone completely in it.
She jumped up, still in fear and nothing else, as he reached for his weapon. In his drunken rage, he reached for the wrong side and Harpy was quicker, pulling the dagger from his belt and grabbing it with both hands. The sellsword stumbled a step towards her, raising his fist, as she pushed forward. The blade entered Haar's body below the navel.
Groaning in agony, his eyes widened and Janae noticed a shift in expressions. His rage turned to sudden fear. In return, Harpy had been terrified just until moments ago, but now, Janae saw a dark, determined fury in her gaze, as she pushed the dagger into Haar's body, all the way to the hilt. For a moment, her eyes widened and they were united in shock, as she let go of the weapon. The man stumbled backwards, still in disbelief, before he collapsed.
For a moment, there was only silence, interrupted by Haar's last, desperate gasps, as the dagger in his stomach was slowly killing him. It was a painful death and still too good for Abbas' hound. Harpy, however, slowly dragged herself back to Janae and Behara. There, she went on all fours, as tears poured down her cheeks.
Janae was there. Pulling her and Behara into a hug, she pressed her forehead against Harpy's. “Are you okay?”, she asked and the younger woman nodded. “I... will be”, she gasped. “You?” Janae even managed to give her a smile. “Was that your plan?”, she asked, to which Harpy shook her head. “I took the opportunity”, she merely said. “And he had it coming”
“You were going to...”, Behara began, as Harpy pulled her into a close hug. “I promised”, she whispered. “Now, come on, let's get that key. We have to...” She was interrupted by the dreaded sound of heavy boots, running towards the barn. Just a second later, Ryder crashed through the doorway. He stopped, as he saw the scenery, staring in shock at Haar, who had stopped moving by now. And behind him, Abbas entered the building.
“What the fuck?”, the slaver snapped. Ryder had knelt down next to Haar, before shaking his head. The sellsword stared at Janae and she was not sure if she saw displeasure, anger or fear in his gaze. Perhaps a mixture of all three. “What happened!”, Abbas yelled. “Who did this?” With the three women huddled so closely together, Janae knew, it had to be hard for him to realize the truth, that Harpy had killed him. In self defence, yes, but she doubted Abbas would care much for that. What mattered was that one of his men, no matter how useless of a drunkard Haar had been, was dead now.
Deep down, Janae felt something different. Harpy had been willing to sacrifice herself for Behara, a girl who was as close as family to Janae. Perhaps she could, perhaps she should return the favour. Taking the blame. What would Abbas do to her? What at worse, that he wouldn't do either way? She looked at Harpy and the young woman realized what was going through her head. Subtly, she shook her head, placing a hand on her lips...
[Take the blame] [Tell the truth] [Say nothing]