Legends of Belariath

Salina Kyle

Magic Bonds Part 3

Some time right before dawn, they threw my naked bloody body back into the slave pit. It felt like I was lying in acid. Somewhere during the torture, Magi Thorns decided I might be more cooperative if I couldn’t see. In my pain-clouded mind, I imagined I looked like fresh ground hamburger. Heavy footfall came running up in the darkness.

“By all that’s holy,” Kruls whispered, as he knelt down at my side.

“I must look really bad,” I whispered hoarsely trying to give him a weak smile.

“Please don’t die, Caprie,” he moaned as he tried to pick me up without hurting me. Of course it didn’t matter what he did. In my condition, even breathing brought great pain.

“Are we in the corner?” I whispered, “He took my eyes, Kruls.” The Minotaur muttered in what was probably his native language.

“I’m afraid to pick you up,” he said.

“I can’t die, Kruls,” I whispered, “At least nothing out here can kill me… I’m not sure if it’s the bands or me… Please take me to the corner. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.” As gently as he could, Kruls picked up my disfigured body to carry me to our corner.

“I want to get you some water, but I’m afraid to leave you like this,” he growled in a voice full of rage. My hand went out to find him. My broken fingers seemed to scream as he took my hand.

“No one can kill me out here, Kruls,” I moaned, “I need water… Please…”

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said, standing, “There’s a well next to the guards station. We slaves aren’t supposed to use it but I’ll kill them all to get you the water. Please don’t die.” The last he added softly as he was hurrying away. I doubted he thought I could hear him.

After he’d moved out of my hearing, another presence shuffled up to my side.

“Why’d they do this to you?” Gagus asked in a whisper of horror. I must’ve really looked bad.

“Its’ because of what I am,” I whispered, “They did this to try to force me to give up something that’d make them to powerful for anyone to fight…”

“Get away from her!” Kruls roared as he ran up to our spot. I could feel the Halfling cringing at my side.

“Its’ okay, Kruls,” I said as loud as I could, “He hasn’t done anything to me. Please don’t hurt him.” Kruls knelt down at my side gently lifting my shoulders so I could take a mouth full of cool water.

“She wouldn’t be this way if she hadn’t helped Corakin,” Kruls growled, “She saved his life and it drained her of life energy. That was bad enough but when she healed his legs it took all of the energy she had left. Thorns knew she was weak and tortured her. You can see what he’s done. The evil bastard burned her eyes out to make her weaker.” We all fell silent for a moment. Gagus cleared his throat a couple of times.

“But I don’t understand,” the Halfling said in confusion. “Why would you help someone who wanted you as a slave?” I started to answer but a wave of pain took my breath away. My desperate face turned to my friend in silent plea. Kruls tore a piece of cloth from his tattered loincloth to wet with a little water. He tried to wipe the blood from my cheeks.

“She has a code of honor… I must admit… I don’t even understand,” the Minotaur said. “She feels she has to help those in trouble. Friend or foe.”

“I still don’t get it,” Gagus said, moving around. “I don’t understand this either but I want to stay alive.” Kruls gasped in surprise.

“What’s going on, Kruls?” I asked wishing I could see. It began to sink in my sight might not come back even though the other wounds would heal a lot faster then Kruls would believe.

“It can’t be,” my friend gasped in astonishment. I could hear Gagus moving away from us. “It is...” Kruls was picking up my shoulders to hold something to my lips.

“It’s a potion of healing, Caprie. It’ll heal your wounds, and bring back your sight.” The potion tasted great as compared with the stuff I’d been putting in my mouth. A wave of comforting release spread out from my stomach racing over my body. The heat of agony from all the torture melted into cool relief, more so, as my eyes cleared to show me the face of a very concerned Minotaur.

“What was that you gave me?” I gasped, but didn’t get an answer. Kruls threw his arms around me in a crushing embrace. I had to push him back a little so I could take a breath. He visibly got a hold of his emotions but it was a little late. I got the feeling Kruls felt more then just friendship toward me. Pulling away from me, he seemed a little surprised about his reaction as well.

“It was a potion of healing,” he said, staring at the ground. “It healed all of your wounds...”

“Not everything,” I said with a heavy sigh, “I’m still going to be weak from the power drain. Thorns took my clothing, the creep.” Kruls looked around for a few moments trying to think of something, but we didn’t need to worry. Gagus came running up to us and tossed down a bundle of some sort on the ground next to me. As he raced away, I picked up a bundle of clothes. They were dirty, and threadbare but I gladly pulled them over the fading bruises. The low leather boots just barely fit my feet.

“Why is Grousl giving us all of this?” Kruls asked in concern, “What is he going to want in return? I’m not letting him touch you.” My eyes went in the direction the Halfling had gone. At the entrance to the mine, a huge shadow was disappearing into the tunnel and I knew it wasn’t Grousl giving me the help.

“Somehow, I don’t think Grousl is going to ask for anything,” I said, “We’ll know soon enough. We’d better try to get some rest.” I noticed the shackles weren’t glowing anymore.

“Are you going to able to work?” he asked in apprehension. My mind took a hard look at how weak I was.

“I’ll be able to work,” I said, “but it’s going to be hard, and I’ll be to weak at the end of the day. You’ll have to carry me to here, but I’ll make the day... I think.” On that cheerful note, Kruls wrapped his arms around me so we could get a bit of rest.

The day did turn out to be really rough. I had very little strength so pulling the carts took me longer then it had been. That gave the overseer plenty of reason to whip me. Kruls tried to protect me but only got himself punished and threats of putting him in the punishment box. We didn’t want that to happen especially with my strength basically gone. The other slaves knew I was too weak to fight. They knew and someone was willing to give them a chance at me.

The Overseer came up to where Kruls and I were resting to tell the Minotaur his strength was required to right an overturned cart. I started to follow them but the two-headed giant ordered me to get back to work. The carts were a little behind getting back to the shaft due to my slow speed. Neither of us wanted to be parted still we had no real choice in the matter. I watched Kruls disappear down the tunnel then headed back to where the two carts were waiting for me. As I reached for the harness, two trolls and an orc came out of the semidarkness.

“Glad to see you in one piece, female,” the orc hissed, rubbing his hands together. “Your bull-boy is going to be really busy for a while, but you don’t have to worry about it. We’ll keep you company. Won’t we, boys?” The trolls laughed in agreement blocking me from retreating back into the tunnel. Just as they started to grab my arms a deep growl rumbled into the tiny space. We all turned expecting to see an enraged Kruls. My eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Corakin glaring at them with death in his glowing eyes.

“We’re sorry, Corakin,” the orc said in a hurry. “You can have her first. We just ask for a little time to enjoy her when you’re done.” The giant troll stepped forward to stand over my trembling body.

‘So much for gratitude,’ I thought, as I looked up into his dark eyes. After a moment of staring into my eyes, he reached down to catch my shoulder dragging me to my watery legs. Of the four of us, I didn’t know who was more confused, the would-be rapists or me.

“Know this,” Corakin growled, as he glared at them, “The female is under my protection. Touch her, and if Kruls doesn’t kill you, I will. Now leave this place.” After another confused moment, the trolls and orc ran from us. My body collapsed to the rocky floor, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting up for a while. He seemed to know it too. The giant troll crouched down beside me looking at my face intently.

“You knew what would happen to you,” he stated, scratching his leg. “Why’d you help me? What’d you want to gain? Do you think I owe you my life for what you did? Well?”

“You don’t owe me anything, Corakin,” I said wearily, “I don’t want anything from you. I rescued you because no one else was going to even try. I healed your legs because I’d given you my word I’d save you. Without legs, everything I did to save your life wouldn’t mean a thing.” Our eyes were locked tight as he measured what I’d said.

“You saved me because you felt you had to,” the troll said in a slow voice. “You knew you’d suffer for saving me but you helped me anyway. You say I don’t owe you anything, is that what you’re telling me?”

“I want nothing from you, Corakin,” I stated, as I pulled myself up on the cart. “I’ve got to get these carts straightened up or the overseer is going to get really mad at me. The last thing I need right now is to be placed in the punishment box. If you’ll excuse me.” I put the harness on, and put all my energy into moving the heavy metal. The troll walked by me without a second look. Shaking my head, I set my mind to the task at hand.

As the day went on, I found the other slaves were taking great pains to stay away from me. It was obvious Corakin’s threat had gotten around to everyone. Even the overseer struck me fewer times. Kruls noticed the change in everybody’s attitude and didn’t like it. We sat in our corner eating our supper watching how the trolls that normally leered at me were taking great pains to not look in our direction.

“Thorns has to know by now what Corakin has said,” I said in a soft voice.

“Now he’s going to know you’ve got two protectors in the pit,” my friend answered, shaking his great head. “I never would’ve thought Corakin would have anything like honor.”

“Then you think he meant what he said to those guys,” I replied trying to feel out my friend’s opinion of the troll.

“They all think he meant it,” the Minotaur said gesturing to the yard of slaves. “That’ll be enough for Thorns.” I hadn’t mentioned Corakin was the one to give us the potion and clothes for me and not Grousl. For a guy that wanted to use me as a slave and rape me, the troll’s change of attitude was a bit hard to believe.

“Then again, who are we to judge honor,” I said in a soft voice. Kruls looked over at me and shook his head in distress. If I had two protectors then Thorns would know breaking my spirit as he’d originally planned to happen in his hellhole was now unlikely. My eyes met Kruls’ worried gaze. After it became clear no one was going to gather for my nightly ‘rape’, Kruls insisted we should forget about it. I wasn’t anxious to have sex with the Minotaur, but it’d be one more thing to tell Thorns my situation had gone the opposite of what the evil man had wanted.

“This is going to get a lot worse,” Kruls said in a soft voice, as his arms wrapped around me. Still exhausted from the torture, I rubbed my face into his furry neck with a sigh.

“We’ll make it through together,” I mumbled in a near sleep tone. Kruls pulled me closer snuffing at my dirty hair.

“I love you, Caprie,” he said in the softest whisper, and his words only barely reached my mind. I drifted off to sleep feeling safe, even a little happier then I’d felt in a long while.

The days passed one into another, as my body took time to replenish the energy the magic had taken from me. We found I was something every other slave wanted to stay clear of. Gagus took to hanging around me when his master was too busy to protect him. No one wanted to make me mad. It was kind of amusing to watch Gagus play a trick on a slave then run up to me for protection. I found the little guy had more to him then his talents of sex. He had a ready knowledge of history and religion for the surrounding area. He even gave me some information about Thorns and the mage’s holdings I thought might help me if Kruls and I got away from this pit. Still, my worried thoughts circled around the fear of Thorns’ next attempt to take my power. Who would he try to kill the next time?

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