Chapter 1

Emilia

A shiver racks up my spine, making me jerk violently in the cold and damp cell I’m currently huddled in.

All around me are other cells, filled with other women that are around my age or younger. I tuck my legs up to my chest and wrap my arms tightly around them. It’s the only way I’ve found that conserves body heat while I’m stuck down here.

Atlanta isn’t typically a frigid climate, but the orcs have dug these cells so far into the ground that it feels perpetually cold all of the time. Not to mention that the only reprieve from the cold concrete floors is a small cot that is chained to the wall with barely any padding to it.

In my cell, I have four other women with me.

All of them are older teenagers, and it makes me feel like I have a personal responsibility for them. I hate to see them wasting away in the same cell as me. They all have such vibrant lives ahead of them, it’s a shame that they’re stuck here instead.

I’ve tried to escape a few times in the past, all of which I’ve been caught and beaten badly for. The scars that still litter my skin are stark reminders of how horrible the orcs who cage us are and their barbaric ways of treating humans who have no choice but to let them.

Next to me, one of the older girls shifts in her sleep and presses her cold body into mine. I untangle my arm from around my leg and wrap it around her, pulling her into me while she shivers.

I need to get these girls out of here, if only to save them before they’re sold off to a brothel or worse. It’s a common practice at this base to do so. Travelers are welcomed to browse our cells and choose which women to trade goods for.

It’s disgusting and archaic and makes my stomach turn each time I see a hulking figure wandering down here and staring into our cells with hunger-filled eyes.

I hate orcs.

I tense when the door across from my cell opens. Women in the other cells around me shift quietly, all of us waiting with anticipated breaths for whoever is chosen next to be beaten or otherwise.

It isn’t uncommon for orcs to come down here and do so at random. Most of them want to take out their aggression anyway, and what better way to do that than on an unsuspecting human who has no chance at fighting back?

I tighten my hold around the girl at my side and eye the other three in my cell.

If they try to take any one of them, I’ll fight tooth and nail. I don’t care if it causes me to lose a few teeth in the process. It’s better that than letting these poor girls suffer like I have.

A whimper from across the way carries over the quiet, making me tense. Heavy footsteps descend the stairs leading down here and stop just as they reach the landing.

A dark laugh breaks through the tense silence.

“Well, now. Which one of you shall I pick first?”

None of us say anything. All of us hope that the orc coming to collect a prize will either not notice us in the dark or move on to find something more enticing. I don’t know how good an orc’s vision is in the dark, but he wastes no time in heading directly for my cell.

Fuck.

I glance over at the girls huddled on the other side where the cot is mounted. Their figures are hard to see in the poor lighting, but I can tell by their hunched over bodies that they’re trying to appear as small as possible.

I untangle myself from the girl at my side and tuck her back into the corner. She barely breathes, already having awoken from the orc’s dreadful voice.

I stand slowly, fisting my hands at my sides.

“Well, look at this,” he says, unlatching our cell and swinging the door wide open. “Already waiting for us to come collect you?”

I grit my teeth at his taunting tone. He knows just as well as I do that none of us have a choice in this. Especially with him being three times my size.

More footsteps descend down the stairs and into the dank cellar, making a shiver rack up my body again. More? Are they coming to collect others too?

I feel sick. How many travelers have asked for us to be sold to them? And what exactly are we even worth?

Most likely a few gold pieces and some fine woven cloth, if I have to guess. But certainly not worth enough for a human life, that’s for sure. We are more than simple bargaining chips, but drilling that into any of these barbarians’ heads is impossible.

They’ll never see us like that.

A rough hand grabs me by the throat, dragging me away from the corner of the cell. I shriek and claw at the hand, hoping that by doing so, I’ll be enough of a hassle to piss him off and let me go.

Sometimes, if we make enough of a racket, they don’t bother trying to bring us up to present us to the merchants or travelers. Deeming us to be not worth the hassle at that point.

To them, no amount of finery or gold is worth a woman scratching the shit out of their eyes.

“Silence, you wench,” the orc grumbles at me, dragging me further out of the cell and into the main walkway.

The orcs behind him come up to flank him, a flash of rope appearing in one of their hands. I scream again and kick my legs out to try and nail any of them in the crotch. It’s my only defense against their timbering heights and brutish strength.

The hand tightens around my throat, successfully cutting off my airway and making stars dance in my vision. I feel my limbs begin to weaken.

It’s so unfair how easily they are able to overpower us. What are we but simple prey to an apex predator?

Rope is fastened around me as well as a rag stuffed into my mouth to silence me. The scar that stretches above my lip tugs uncomfortably at how wide my jaw has to unhinge to support the rag.

I cough, dragging in a few precious breaths before I’m dragged down the walkway and up the steps leading up to the base above.

Fuck. They’re finally selling me off.

I try to strain my head back to see over my shoulder but I’m quickly jerked back around before I can get a good look at the girls in my cell. I’m praying that they’re only taking me and leaving them alone for the time being.

I can’t bear to watch them get sold alongside me. It would break my heart.

I dig my feet into the soil as I’m paraded through the base. A few orcs look my way and snicker as they see me. I’m a bit infamous around here for being a troublemaker. Especially since I’ve tried to escape more than once.

I made it pretty far last time. Maybe while they’re bartering with the traveler who they’re planning on selling me to, I can sneak away and make a break for it.

I’ll have to come back for the other girls. I won’t be able to stomach leaving them behind while I get to finally roam free.

“Sir,” the orc next to me drops me at the feet of another sizable orc. “I have what you asked for.”

I grunt and slowly roll onto my side, wincing when my ribs needle from the pain of being thrown to abruptly.

“Excellent.”

I recognize the voice immediately. It’s the leader of the base. I have no idea what his name is, nor do I care to find out. All I know is that he’s a massive asshole bent on torturing us humans.

I’m lifted off of the ground by the leader. He holds me upright at an awkward angle, forcing my back to strain.

“You’ll do nicely as a trade for the merchants that are arriving soon.” 

He smirks at me.

A chill runs through me. I hope to the gods that they aren’t other orcs. Sometimes we have other travelers that come through here. It’s rare, but it does happen.

Please let it be one of them instead…

I’m thrown unceremoniously back down onto the ground again.

“See to it that she’s brought out when the merchants arrive. We can’t let our fellow orcs wait.”

No…

Tears sting at the corners of my eyes.

No, no, no…

“Yes, sir.”

Hands pull me up again, righting me onto my feet. Hysteria overtakes me, causing me to careen sideways and knock myself into the orc who’d dragged me from my cell.

He lets out a surprised grunt, toppling back away from me into another set of orcs that were crowding around the leader.

“You bitch!” He slaps me the second he rights himself.

I choke out a muffled groan, surprised by the sudden shock of pain.

“Behave, or I’ll skin the other girls in your cell and roast them over the firepit tonight.”

Tears leak down my cheeks. I turn to stare at him, my face on fire from where his hand had made contact.

He grins at me, his teeth large and crooked. It’s a terrifying display.

“I’m in the mood for some human meat. So you better behave or I’ll be putting that on the menu tonight.”

The orcs around us chatter with laughter, making me sink into myself out of self-preservation.

I hate this. I’m never going to escape their cruelty.

As I’m led towards the brig where they keep those that they plan on selling, I feel myself start to shake.

Only one question rattles around in my mind.

Who are they selling me to?