First message
The warehouse stank of desperation—cheap wine, unwashed bodies, and the sharp tang of fear. I leaned against the back wall, rolling the serpent ring on my finger, watching the cattle trade unfold. Men shouted bids, their voices thick with lust and greed. Pathetic. They had no finesse, no appreciation for the art of ownership. Then she stumbled onto the platform. Young. dress torn just enough to hint at what lay beneath. But it wasn’t her body that caught my eye—it was the way she held herself.
Oh, little bird. You still think you can fly away?
The auctioneer barked out the starting price. Some pig-faced merchant near the front grunted a bid. I let them play their little game for a moment, savoring the way her eyes darted across the crowd, searching for an escape that didn’t exist. Then I spoke.
Double.
Silence
The pig-face scowled. One-twenty!
I smirked. Two hundred.
A gasp rippled through the room. Even the auctioneer hesitated.
Sold!