The World Soul

Chapter 11

Lyra didn't know how many days had passed when the slavers finally moved them out of the room. The only way to mark time in that dark place was when their captors came to bring them food and swap out the slop buckets for relatively cleaner ones.

And for pleasure as well. The pretty blonde girl had quickly become the favorite of the slavers. Whatever fears Yallo had about lowering Lyra's value as a slave evidently did not extend to her, because every day the men dragged her into the light and used her in full view of the rest of them. The blonde girl didn't even struggle anymore, she just lay there like a dead thing while they violated her. The rest of the time she just lay there hollow eyed and stared off into nothing. She had not said a word in days.

When the door opened and the light spilled in, Lyra thought another session of horror was to come, but this time it was Yallo and the dwarf who stood there. "Everyone up and out." He said, "It's high time you lot were done eating all my food and stinking up my chamber. Line up and come out one by one. You're heading off."

Two of his men entered the room and began beating them about the head and arms with thin black sticks. "Get up, you sorry lot! Are you deaf or just lazy?" One rapped Lyra across the wrist and she shot to her feet with a cry of pain. He smacked her across the back of her legs. "Get moving!"

Lyra joined the other faeries in a line and they all slowly shuffled out of the darkness. As each person entered the next room, a pair of bronze manacles were placed tightly over their wrists and locked with a key. The others had ropes tied around their midsections to bind their wings to their bodies to keep them from flying.

They were led out in silent single file through a hallway, into a common room filled with tables and stocked plentifully with bottles of drink, and out the heavy wooden door to the outside. Lyra expected to see the pale ghost light of the World Soul but instead it was dark. They were deep beneath the roots of the tree, a dark tangle of twisting wood blotted out whatever light was shining down from above.

Other eyes were on them as the slavers spurred them on. Skinny, hollow faced faeries and nixies huddled in the shadows, watching them with crazed eyes, babbling to themselves words they alone understood. Other figures darted away into the darkness at their approach. The place stank of death and decay, but even that was a relief compared to the stench of the dark room Lyra had been locked in until now.

There were the Keepers as well, the naked lunatic faeries who painted themselves all in brown and shaved away all the hair on their bodies. They moved in around the slaves, much to the chagrin of the slavers, who cursed at them and warned them off with clubs.

"Earthbound!" One of the Keepers came within inches of Lyra's face. When he opened his mouth she saw his teeth had been filed into sharp fangs. "You desecrate this sacred place!"

"Back off." One of the slavers poked a club at him. "Go on, get out of here."

"You will be judged, Earthbound!" The Keeper shouted as he was pushed away. Your flesh will burn until it is black! I have seen this!"

"Fucking Keepers." The slaver who had chased him off muttered. He caught sight of Lyra looking at him. "What are you stopping for, scum? Keep moving." Lyra kept walking, careful to keep her eyes pointed down.

They came out of the tangle of roots to a train of wagons loaded with wooden cages being pulled by rats. Most of the cages were empty, but the largest one in front carried a brightly plumed bird crammed in so tight it couldn't move its wings. The slavers split the captives up into groups and directed them to their cages. Lyra was taken to the very last wagon in the line and told to get in. The blonde girl was pushed in after her.