across one eye that was white and obviously blinded. His hair was greasy and dirty, many of his teeth were missing and those that remained were crooked and beginning to turn black. He began to refer to him as Black Tooth, but only in his mind.
Black Tooth kept staring at Miko after the wagon began rolling and then he said something to him. When Miko failed to respond he began to grow agitated. One of the other slaves in the wagon, who had been riding with Miko for a while, said something to him.
Black Tooth turned to Miko and said something else before a crooked smile played across his face, which did anything but put him at ease. The rest of that day, Black Tooth kept staring at him and by the end of the day, Miko was feeling very uncomfortable and worried.
When the slave caravan stopped for the night, they unloaded the slaves and had them all settle in close together for the night, with several slavers armed with crossbows standing watch over them. Their legs were manacled together but their hands were kept free. One by one, they were marched away from camp where they were allowed to answer nature’s call and then returned to the others.
Miko was relieved that Black Tooth was nowhere near his place. He did catch him glancing over at him from where he was sitting on the other side of the group. Each time he did, a chill would run through Miko and his nerves would start getting the better of him.
In the morning, when he woke up, many slaves were talking among themselves and pointing off the road to the east. Miko gets up and looks to see a wall of fog off in the distance. No one there speaks his language so he’s left to his own imagination as to why they’re so excited about it.
Once more led to the edge of camp, Miko takes care of nature’s business and then is brought back to the wagon where his manacles are once again secured to the eye ring in the bed of the wagon. Black Tooth is seated on his side of the wagon with two others between them, much to Miko’s relief.
All that day they continue riding under the blazing hot sun, Miko is surprised at just how dark he’s becoming from the sun. Near nightfall, he sees a large city appearing on the horizon ahead of them. One of the other’s in the wagon says ‘Azzac’ to him as the man points to it.
Miko gazes at the approaching city and wonders if this will be the end of the line for him, where he will truly become a slave. With apprehension, he watches the city grow closer until finally they pass through the gates.
They roll on through the city for awhile until they arrive at a large compound where the wagon stops and they’re removed from the wagon. Feet still manacled, they’re led into the building and divided into two holding pens where their manacles are removed.
Miko is the second to enter the pen and he watches with dread as Black Tooth is ushered into his pen behind him. When Black Tooth sees him there, he breaks into the smile that sets Miko’s nerves on edge.
Trying to put as much distance between them as possible, Miko moves to a far corner and settles down there. He watches Black Tooth as he goes over to several guys in the corner and begins talking to them. From the way they’re acting, it doesn’t look to him like the others know him at all.
The only time when Miko leaves his corner is when they’re fed and when he has to use the slop bucket. It’s not long after they’re fed that the light begins to fade with the coming of night. The slaves in the pens begin settling down to get what sleep they can.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Miko is awakened when someone grabs him. Startled, he tries to break free but the man only laughs. Black Tooth! Frantic now, Miko struggles harder and strikes out with his elbow, catching Black Tooth in the side.
Black Tooth’s grip loosens slightly but it’s enough for Miko to wriggle away from him. In his haste to get away, Miko trips over a sleeping slave who cries out in protest.
In the dim light filtering in through the windows, he sees Black Tooth begin approaching him, something held in his hand, glinting in the dim light. Miko starts hollering “Help! Guards!”
Black Tooth says something and then rushes toward him.
Miko keeps hollering as he tries to get away from Black Tooth. The other men in the pen realize what’s going on and quickly move to the edge to get out of harm’s way. Some begin calling out and before you know it, the whole area is in a roar with words and cheers, none of which Miko understands.
A door opens and light fills the pens from several torches brought in by the guards to see what the commotion is about.
Black Tooth continues chasing him around the pen as the guards enter the holding area, and when Miko gets close to the men at the side, one of them trips him. Falling to the floor, Miko quickly rolls on his back and sees Black Tooth right on top of him.
The knife held in his hand strikes down, opening up a long cut on his left forearm.
Suddenly, the door to the pen is opened and guards rush in and grab Black Tooth before he can strike again. They immobilize his arm and remove the knife from his hand. They holler to others and as they take Black Tooth out of the pen. Two slavers come in with a wooden block and set it on the floor outside of the pen.
They take Black Tooth to it and lay his right arm, the one that held the knife, across the top of it as one of the guards draws his sword. With a quick motion, he severs Black Tooth’s hand from his arm.
Black Tooth cries out in pain as his hand falls to the floor and blood begins to spray out of his stump.
One of the guards takes a torch and places it to the stump, cauterizing the wound and stopping the blood flow, which causes Black Tooth to cry out again as his flesh begins to sizzle in the flames. The smell of burnt flesh and hair fills the pen with a nauseating odor.
When the wound is sealed, they throw Black Tooth back into the pen and one of the guards makes an announcement which Miko is unable to understand. But he gets the gist of it, don’t cause trouble or you’ll be punished severely.
Then the guards take the block away and once more leave them in darkness as they file out of the holding area. Once Miko’s eyes become adjusted again to the gloom, he can make out Black Tooth on the ground, holding his stump as he moans in pain. He can’t see, so much as feel the hate for him radiating from Black Tooth.
His own wound seeps blood all night but by morning has stopped and a scab is beginning to form.
That was several days ago, just how many Miko isn’t sure. He’s lost count as every day is the same. He looks down to where Black Tooth still sits and whenever their eyes meet, naked hatred is all he sees reflected in his eyes. He’s sure that given the chance, Black Tooth would kill him. But without his right hand, Miko is confident that he can defend himself against any attack he may try.
A day or so ago, the road turned south as it continues following the coastline. They had rolled into a large city and made their way down to the docks to drop off two slaves while picking up three more. They now number six wagons with sixteen slaves jammed into each.
The ships with their sails gave Miko a moment’s pleasure as he imagines sailing upon the seas in them, like many a story he heard from bards and minstrels. To feel the sea air and the spray of the waves as your ship crashes through them, ah, Miko can only dream. But the dream was to be short lived, for they once more returned to the road and continued on their way, leaving the ships behind them.
Miko looks to the sea as they ride and occasionally can see the ships passing by on their way to who knows where. Ever since being in the port, he’s had a desire to be upon one.
That night, during the wee hours of the morning, Miko is awakened by shouting as guards begin rushing about. He sees a couple of them with crossbows mounting their horses and heading off into the desert. The slaves begin muttering to themselves until a slaver comes over and tells them to be quiet.
Miko lies back down, wondering just what all that was about. In the morning when he awakens and gets back on the wagon, he sees at the edge of the camp, four dead bodies. Slaves that he later comes to understand had tried to make a break for it last night.
Wish one of them had been Black Tooth, he thinks wistfully.
Another couple of days finds them rolling into another port town and heading toward the dock area. Several ships docked there are in the process of loading or unloading cargo. The wagons pull up next to one and a slaver gets down off the lead wagon and walks up the gangplank onto the ship.
Miko is figuring on them transferring more men either to or from the ship. When the slaver comes back to the top of the gangplank, he hollers to the other slavers and they begin removing all the slaves from the wagons who are then led up to the ship. Excited about being on a ship, but apprehensive as well, Miko looks around as he walks up the gangplank and led over to a hatch where he’s led down into the hold.
The hold is a place of stale air and unpleasant odors. They are led over to where eye rings have been secured
