Everything was chaos and confusion as Fiora ran behind her father, ducking between buildings. She was awoken from deep sleep by the sound of screaming, barely even able to get on clothing before her father burst into her room and dragged her out to escape. A thin veil of smoke hung heavy in the air, making it harder to breath than it already was. They arrived early in the morning, just as the village was starting to wake up. Bandits, raiders, although they weren’t acting quite like what she had expected.

  Only a handful of buildings were on fire, there didn’t appear to be much looting going on beyond the quick and opportunistic, and, so far, nobody had been killed. They had been grabbing people, rounding them up and dragging them toward the middle of the village. Fiora had no idea how many of them there were, or if they could manage to escape, but Emil was determined to get his daughter to safety as he held tightly to her hand while leading her.

  The two of them kept low, trying to stay out of sight and on the move as they made for the outskirts of the village. The nearest exit point they saw was being patrolled by a few raiders on horseback, so they tried to go around and find a new point to leave from. It was hard to keep track of how many they were up against, but Fiora estimated is a few dozen at least.

  They hunkered down between two buildings for a moment as Emil desperately tried to come up with a plan that would see them to safety. He spoke in a low voice, trying to assure Fiora that they would be fine.

  “All we have to do is find a way to get into the forest. From there, we can hide in the trees until it’s all over. We’ll be fine, Fiora, just stay close to me.”

  She agreed completely with that plan, and for more reasons than her dad had come up with. She was certain that if they got into the forest, she could lead them to Daegal’s territory, and that he could help them. Daegal might not have wanted anyone other than her to know about him, but she hoped that he would make an exception for her father, especially given the situation.

  Emil slowly emerged from between the buildings, checking both ways to make sure there were no raiders around. With his checks complete, he moved, leading his daughter toward where he thought they might find safety. They occasionally saw another resident of the village running for cover, and while the desire to try and help them was there, the reality of the situation didn’t allow for such considerations.

  The two of them continued to seek their own safety, moving quickly toward a break in the buildings that would lead to a straight shot into the woods. However, as they came to a corner of the road, they nearly ran into a trio of raiders who were searching for anyone trying to hide or escape. They all smiled viciously as they saw Emil and Fiora.

  “We got another pair of sneaks over here!” the one in front said loudly as he began to advance on them.

  “Go!” Emil shouted as he pushed Fiora into a run in the opposite direction.

  This started a chase as the raiders hunted them down as they ran. The two of them moved with panicked urgency, taking sharp turns and darting through the gaps between buildings in an effort to lose their pursuers. However, no matter what they tried, they couldn’t manage to lose the raiders who were trailing just behind them the whole way. It all came to a head when one of the bandits who was patrolling around the village on a horse joined the chase, heading them off at a corner as they skidded to a stop to try and change directions.

  The need to turn also allowed the three that were in pursuit to catch up to them now, and they snagged Emil by the back of his shirt first, making sure that he wouldn’t be able to get away easily. He realized this as well and abandoned the idea of escaping. Emil pushed Fiora ahead as he turned and punched the nearest man in the face before grappling with them to hold them back. He wasn’t the most physically adept, but he could distract for a few seconds at least.

  “Run, Fiora!” Emil shouted to his daughter as he struggled to hold the bandits at bay.

  The idea of leaving her father behind tore at her soul, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do against these men by herself. She needed to get to the woods and find Daegal. She ran, tears in her eyes as she tried to escape without her father. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get very far before one of the men caught up with her, his hand snagging her by her hair.

  She yelped with pain as the man tugged hard on her scalp to bring her back. “Where do you think you’re going, beautiful?” he said with a vile tone to his voice.

  Fiora couldn’t escape his grip like this, so she tried going on the offensive instead. She turned and threw a knee up into the groin of her assailant. The blow landed, but it was apparently off the mark as he only groaned and staggered a little instead of releasing her. He pulled her down, throwing her into the dirt with a huff.

  “Feisty bitch,” he sneered at her. She tried to get up, but he was quick to get on top of her, holding her down beneath his weight. “Maybe you need to be taught a little respect.” His rotten breath smelled foul as he whispered in her ear before sniffing at her hair.

  Panic sprang up inside her as she clawed at the ground to try and get away to no avail. Emil watched the man straddle his daughter with impotent rage as he was being held down by the other two that had been chasing them.

  “Get the hell off her you bastard!” he screamed out, only to receive a punch to the face that left his nose bloodied.

  Before things could progress any further, the one on the horse trotted up between the two groups, looking down at his compatriot who was laying on top of Fiora.

  “The fuck are you doing, Alaric?” He spoke in an annoyed tone more than with any concern over the situation itself.

  “Just trying to have a little fun,” he replied, nonplussed by the question.

  “We’re getting paid extra for virgins, you idiot. I’m not risking a potential pay cut just so you can fuck around. Go to a brothel if you want to get your dick wet, but we have a job to do. Get off the damn girl and bring her to the others.” There was a finality in his voice as he spoke down to his subordinate who grumbled but acquiesced.

  “Killjoy,” he mumbled low enough that only Fiora heard. To her immense relief he did get off her, but that wasn’t the end of their troubles. They had been caught, and now their fate was unknown as the raiders dragged them to their feet and began to herd them toward the center of the village.

  Fiora was trying to figure out how to get out of this situation, but Emil was despondent, beating himself up over his failure to protect her.

  “I’m sorry, Fiora,” Emil muttered, eyes downcast.

  Fiora tried to put on a brave face and reassure him. “It will be alright, Dad. We can still find a way out of this.” She didn’t know how much she believed her own words, but she had to hold out hope that they could find a way to slip out of the grasp of these, evidently, slavers, if the conversation they had was any indication. The only thing Fiora could do was listen to the raiders talk amongst themselves in the vain hope that she could gain any useful information.

  “Don’t know why we gotta bend over backward for those freaks. They weird me out with all those robes and strange smells they have on them.”

  “They pay well, that’s why,” the one on the horse answered. “Now shut up and do your job so we can get our money and relax for the rest of the year.”

  “Ehh, they still freak me out. I swear there’s something wrong with that lot.”

  “What part of ‘shut up’ didn’t you understand?”

  There were a few more grumbles, but that was it for conversation; not that it would have mattered since they had arrived at their destination. Most of the village had been found, captured, and rounded up together. The men were kept separate from the women and children, and under heavier guard as the watchful eyes of the slavers were trained on them for any sign of rebellion. Fiora wondered if she might be able to use that to her advantage in some way, but their situation wasn’t great, and she couldn’t see any easy way out of this.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  At a brief glance, it appeared that the nearly the entire village had been rounded up, and now they were all waiting to find out what their fate would be. The slavers, either thinking they got everyone or simply satisfied with those that they did, began to move people. The two separate groups were herded, sometimes quite roughly to make sure nobody stepped out of line, toward the edge of the village now. It became clear why as their captors had several large carriages with cages on the back.

  Many of the woman and children were crying and panicked at the sight of the cages, evidently coming to the realization that they were going to be sold. The men were getting antsy too, fidgeting and slowly getting more riled up either with indignation or concern for their families. The slavers reacted accordingly and brandished weapons, spoke in elevated voices, and shoved anyone who looked like they were starting to step out of line.

  The one riding the horse that Fiora saw earlier pulled around and shouted an order. “Load the woman and children first! They’re worth the most, so make sure they’re secure.”

  And so began the dreaded process as they started grabbing people and pushing them up into the cage. The struggle the woman put up, if any, was pitiful and easily managed by the slavers who simply forced any who were hesitant forward. Some of the mothers who were with children simply focused on keeping them close, trying not to get separated.

  Fiora was looking for a way to escape, trying to figure out just how she could make it to the forest and beg Daegal for help. This, however, backfired on her as she wasn’t paying enough attention to her captures, and one of them grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the cage. She was caught off guard, and started digging in her heels as a reaction, the man simply tugged harder, pulling her off balance again as she began to panic now.

  “Gah, stop struggling!” the man said as he gave another tug before switching to pushing her into the cage.

  “Fiora!” Emil noticed his daughter was being forced into the cage now, and he lost what restraint he had left.

  Breaking from the group, he slipped between two of the raiders as they were dealing with others, making a straight shot for his daughter. A commotion kicked off at that point as both the raiders and the villagers reacted to Emil breaking from the group. The villagers became rowdier, thinking that this was an attempt to fight back, while the slavers did their best to ensure that such thoughts were squashed, as were any attempts to follow Emil.

  Emil nearly made it to Fiora, but he was cut off when the horse rider drove his beast between them, cutting him off. He ground to a halt, and the rider introduced him to the bottom of his boot as he kicked Emil in the chest, sending him to the ground. Emil was then pinned beneath two more of the raiders who had chased him down as the rider dismounted.

  “Well, seems we have a would-be hero,” he said mockingly before kicking Emil in the side of his body, eliciting a grunt of pain. “You know, people like you are always a pain in the ass. You might be worth money, but you aren’t worth that much money.” That insinuation sent a chill cold as the grave up Fiora’s spine.

  The soft rasp of a sword sliding out of a scabbard was a herald of doom. “I think you’d be more valuable as an example to the rest of your people of what happens when you decide to play the hero.”

  Fiora felt her heart sink into her stomach. She threw herself against the man that was in the way of the door to the cage, clawing at his face as she fought to get to her father.

  “Dad!” She screamed so loud that her voice cracked. The slaver that she had been struggling against, growled with discomfort as she struggled and fought with him. He eventually had enough, and he grabbed her roughly before throwing her full force into the cage, sending her tumbling over those who had been put in before her.

  “Damn bitch!” the man cursed as he slammed the door closed and locked it, rubbing his face from all the claw marks that were starting to redden.

  Fiora scrambled back to her feet and rushed to the bars of the cage, pressing against them as if she could manage to squeeze through with enough pressure. She saw that the slavers had pulled Emil onto his knees, making him bend over so his head was sticking out in position for an execution.

  “No! Let him go you bastards! DAD!” She reached through the bars of the cage in a futile attempt at getting to him. Tears were already streaming down her face as she watched everything happen in almost slow motion as the one with the sword stepped up beside.

  Emil, though, kept as calm as he could, not wanting his daughter to see how frightened he really was. He looked to her as best he could from his position and offered a weak but reassuring smile.

  “It’s okay, Fiora. You’ll be okay, I know you will,” he said with as much strength as he could muster.

  “No... no, no, no, I’m not okay, I’m not, I’m not!” She wept and screamed as she pulled at the bars of the cage, silently and desperately praying to God to not let this happen. Her eyes went wide with terror as the slaver raised his weapon, poised to strike down upon her father’s exposed neck. Then, the whole world was torn asunder.

  An unearthly roar echoed out, causing everyone to flinch and some to even cover their ears. All heads turned to the source, and they saw a creature from their nightmares, towering over the tallest of men as its maw gaped wide, razor teeth gleaming in the morning light as it roared. When finally it closed its maw, the whole village was cast into silence as nobody dared to move a muscle. Daegal had arrived.

  Daegal breathed heavily as he recovered from not only the dead sprint he had done to get to the village, but the immediate roar upon his arrival as well. His eyes were dilated to slits as all four twitched in different direction, taking in the entire scene as he analyzed the situation. Some houses on fire, but it hadn’t spread that far yet. It didn’t appear that anyone was dead, and the smell of blood was minimal, likely only from injuries. He made it in time.

  The amount of relief he felt was immense, but it was quickly buried under the anger he experienced when he finally saw Fiora and the fact that she was in a cage. A deep growl rumbled in his throat as he identified the perpetrators, which was essentially anyone who was holding a weapon. The raiders and villagers stared at Daegal with wide eyed horror.

  “W-What the hell is that thing?” one of the raiders asked in a low voice, not to anyone specifically.

  Daegal knew what he had to do, and he moved toward the cage that contained Fiora. The moment he moved, everything started to unravel into panic. Many of the villagers scattered, more afraid of Daegal than they were of the raiders now, and frankly, the raiders weren’t much better as they lost complete control of the situation. There was no chance they could recapture all of the villagers while contending with Daegal, so the leader jumped back onto their horse and barked orders as he spurred the animal into a gallop away from the village.

  “Take what we already got and meet back at the camp! Scatter and distract it as much as possible until we can get away!”

  That might have worked, if Daegal had been a mindless animal. As it was, he was focused on the singular goal of rescuing Fiora as he broke into another sprint, chasing the wagon that was just starting to get up to speed as the driver frantically cracked the reigns to spur on the horses. The riders who had received their orders from the leader hesitantly tried to divert his attention, swooping in and taking jabs at him to get him to shift his focus. He didn’t let them distract, and the one time a rider tried to place his horse in front of him to alter his path, Daegal dipped his shoulder, and rammed the animal, throwing it off balance and out of the way as it and the rider went to the ground.

  Nobody risked putting themselves in front of Daegal anymore, and he barreled toward the wagon at full speed. He caught up to them just as they were reaching the main road away from town, and reaching out, he grabbed onto the bars of the cage and dug his heels into the dirt. His muscles bulged, his body strained, and his feet dug deep trenches in the ground, but the wagon was slowing. The drag he was putting on the wagon was too great for the pair of horses to overcome as they were slowly and steadily brought to a halt, pawing uselessly at the ground for leverage that wasn’t there.

  After the wagon was halted, Daegal moved to make sure that it wouldn’t be going anywhere. Holding onto the cage with one hand, he reached forward along the side of the wagon and grabbed the wheel on the right. With a quick yank and the sound of splintering wood, the wheel was ripped off the axle, causing the wagon to fall to the side. The prisoners in the cage were tossed around a bit as the wagon was grounded, and Daegal did feel a little bad for the rough landing some of them experienced, but the threat was not over yet, at least not completely.

  The driver was still there, still armed, still a threat, and Daegal would not suffer his presence any longer. He jumped up on top of the cage, crawling over it until he reached the front. The raider who was at the front was off balance along with the cart. He saw Daegal coming, and pure terror filled his expression. His attempt to escape didn’t get very far as Daegal quickly seized him by the throat and hoisted him up into the air above the cage. The man’s feet dangled as he tried to pry the crushing grip of Daegal’s claws off his throat. He only managed to get out a few strangled words as he struggled for breath.

  “God... Mercy...”

  This man, along with his compatriots, tried to take everything from Daegal, again. There was no mercy in his mind at this point, and with a firm squeeze, he crushed the man’s throat and spine with a pronounced crunch, resulting in the rest of the raider’s body going limp. Daegal tossed aside the corpse of the man like it was rotting meat, the body hitting the ground with a thud.

  Daegal steadily started to calm down now that he had secured Fiora’s safety. His heart rate slowed, and he let out a long breath that fogged the air in front of him for a moment. He saved her, and that was wonderful, but now he had another problem to deal with. The villagers, cowering in the cage beneath him, and in the village behind him. He had no idea what he was going to do now. They had seen him, and he knew what that meant. Swallowing his anxiety, he slowly descended the from the top of the cage, hoping that his peaceful days were not behind him.