Chapter 18: Delf Ears
The scream brought Yumiko’s senses on alert. The Market district was by all accounts one of the busiest parts of the outer ring, but not a single person could be bothered about the female Lycan slave whose screams echoed through the air.
Yumiko had walked through the market district with no clear direction. The Free Cities weren’t really known to her, much of it had changed since the last time she was here. She had spoken to Mudgob earlier for information that would help find her sister, but the goblin wasn’t much help.
The Lycan was on the ground with some bags lying around. Their owner, a high elf, held a whip, using it to express her frustration.
"You wretched dog. I told you to be careful when handling those bags." She shouted as she whipped the Lycan.
The Lycan’s attempt to plead fell on delf ears. The scene drew the attention of bystanders, including Yumiko but no one intervened. The high elf was a noble, and the Lycan was her slave. By law, whatever she did to her slave was justified.
The law was established centuries ago by humans, and even with them gone, some of their laws remained, of which many parties benefited.
The whip came down again. The Lycan no longer pleaded. She had used her arms to shield her face, hoping it would end. Her screams, a cry for help, had only served to enrage her master.
Yumiko knew the feeling of being helpless, unable to do anything. She wanted to help, to stop the elf, but her feet wouldn’t move. This had happened before, in the forest, with the bear. She had crouched in the tree and watched Julius run and fall. She told herself she was being careful, that a smart Nekari would not rush against a beast three times her size.
That was the excuse she used to fuel her guilt when she watched Julius that night.
While that was true, it wasn’t the only reason she stayed up in the tree. She was afraid. And the same fear held her now.
Her tail had gone still behind her. Her ears were flat and her chest went tight as her claws sank into her palm. She stood near the group of people who had gathered to witness the spectacle. For some of them it was entertainment; for others, it was cruel.
Her hand found her necklace, a thin chain with a pendant. She had always reached for it when she was afraid. The accessory belonged to Hannah, her older sister.
She had been sixteen. Old enough to understand who those men were and what the collar meant. She remembered running after the carriage, but not fast enough to stop it. And even if she could, she wasn’t strong enough to stop them.
Hannah had been nineteen. She had used the last moment they had together to pass the necklace, with a promise that they would find each other before they took her away. Her parents claimed it was for the best, but Yumiko knew better. They sold their child to pay their debts, and she would never forgive them.
That was a few years ago. She left as soon as she was old enough to travel, and the trail led her to this region. She did not have to wonder what her sister had gone through. She had just watched a piece of it.
The whip stopped.
The elf was finished or bored, the way you set something down when your arm tires. She uttered some harsh words before walking away. The Lycan rose without being told and lifted the bags she had dropped earlier and followed.
They passed close. The Lycan’s eyes came up once and met Yumiko’s.
There was nothing in them. Not a plea or hope. Only the resigned silence of someone who had learned that hope didn’t change anything.
And then she was gone.
Yumiko stood a while longer. Her feet worked now. She turned and went back the way she came, toward the street where the inn was located. Her resolve to find her sister and get information was gone. She would try some other time.
The market went on with its business. The scene was not new to them, and wasting time meant losing money. Their voices carried through the district. Yumiko tuned away the sounds as she walked back to the inn.
The day would come to an end soon. Exhaustion was creeping up on her.
