Interest flickered through his emerald eyes until the smoke dissipated. Then as his gaze fell, he flinched.
Deep chocolate eyes pierced his soul as if reading it aloud, making his heart skip a beat uneasily. They then broke eye-contact when the girl was shoved back into the group of new slaves by the surrounding sentries. This drew his attention to the large, blackened wings protruding from her backside.
Eventually, the winged girl melted into the crowd of guards and slaves, as though a forgotten dream. Clenching onto his pickaxe, Kalani grimly tried to shake off the momentary fear.
'It was just a coincidence… It has to be.
...
After many hours, the armed patrols finally announced today's work was over. Even though not one cheer resounded, the slaves' relieved expressions were enough to tell.
Back in their prison, some slowly crawled forward into the corners, hunched against the rocky walls or carved crevices. Others hoped—hands clasped to their gods above—that time would have mercy on them, so their weary bodies could rest for a while longer.
A girl was then dragged in by her black wings through the barred prison door. Her captor shoved her inside, and the girl stumbled forward into the midst of other weary slaves.
But no one paid heed, as this was a common sight among new slaves. Yet unlike the others who fell listless or into despair, her gaze remained firm—like a breath of fresh air.
Yet Kalani witnessed none of this. He was currently blindfolded, and the guards behind him twisted his arm painfully as they pushed him forward.
No one talked. Only the shuffling of dusty footsteps accompanied them.
Then Kalani raised his blindfolded face. The once stuffy air was now replaced with a wild and fresh one. Wind danced across his face, and the scent of fresh grass and timber was carried to him.
"Tweep... tweep!" the crisp notes of a bird creeped into Kalani's ears. A sigh escaped his lips as he let the memories of his home overlap with the wildlife here.
'Pine, fresh grass… this… air,' Kalani mused before halting his thoughts. He then shook himself out of his sentimentality. It appeared this morning's dream had affected him more than he had realized. To think this forest reminded him of home…
"Greetings, Warden!" a gruff voice beside him shouted. Kalani stiffened, not daring to raise his lowered head.
"Good work, gentlemen," a woman's voice replied—soft but seductively low. Then, the voice called out to Kalani, "Good morning, Kal~… How are you feeling?"
Even when cold fingertips caressed his face, Kalani dared not move.
A light sigh lingered in the air above his head. "Oh dear, you look worse than a month ago. You wouldn't be like this if I could help it." He caught a hint of sorrow in her words, but Kalani knew better than to trust her.
She was a snake through and through.
"Alright, I get it. It's okay if you are still uncomfortable with my offer. I'm willing to be patient with you for as long as you need," her voice continued softly. "Still, don't keep me waiting for too long."
Kalani didn't bother to correct the contradiction in her words. He learned a long time ago that he could never win.
"Send him there," she muttered to someone before the rough hands dragged Kalani somewhere. Sweet fragrance of hay wafted up to his nose before all went black.
By the time Kalani's emerald eyes had fluttered open, the sun's light made him squint.
'The blindfold is finally off...' he thought as he licked his chapped lips. His body was still being dragged against the stony ground by guards.
A floral fragrance lingered by his nose, and when his sight adjusted, Kalani finally understood why. Snowy-white flowers dotted the garden landscape, spreading their reach far and wide. Meanwhile, tall, trimmed shrubbery could barely be seen in the distance.
'Well maintained,' he mumbled inwardly. 'Guessing it is at a mansion this time.' As he thought this, the group reached a small shed, which didn't look too shabby. Although once the door opened, a musty smell greeted him in full force.
They then pulled Kalani into the shed full of cages, large enough for only one person.
Already several children were present in this place, huddled and shivering in fright. But the guards didn't care and tossed Kalani into a random cage. The impact of their push caused Kalani to grimace in the cage as they locked him in. Out of the corner of his eye, one guard's face seemed pixelated.
As if they couldn't wait to get out, the guards quickly left, giving the children here a feeling of relief. Yet that didn't last long as the shed's door burst open with several more guards dragging in a male teenager, who was being whipped by a chubby man, his clothes indicating he was a wealthy aristocrat.
"How dare you! Urgh..." the man was yelling before the pungent smell hit him, making him gag. He hastily escaped to fresh air and looked back with a glare.
In spite of the whippings, the strapping young teenager grinned cheekily and gave the chubby man the middle finger, which drove the person mad. However, the aristocrat couldn't come in and was already running late, so he had to bear with it.
Similar to Kalani, the teenager was thrown roughly into the cage, slamming into the bars before the guards locked him in and left.
The young man groaned but still curled his lips into a wry smile.
"You are a masochist aren't you, Lucas..." a girl with a snake tail said, loudly enough for the teenager to hear.
The young man's dark-chestnut eyes glanced over at the girl, and he spoke with a warmer, broad grin, "Masochist? No. Optimist with bad luck? Absolutely."
Kalani stayed still, not trying to gain the guy's attention. But there was only one problem… His cage was right next to Lucas, and Kalani could feel a headache coming his way.
As expected, Lucas instantly discovered Kalani. "Hey Mute! Long time no see!" he waved enthusiastically, as if to get Kalani's attention.
'I wish it was longer...' Kalani thought with a small grimace, but Kalani still nodded his head to Lucas to show he had heard, wishing the guy would let him off now.
However, he had underestimated the chatterbox. "What have you been up to?" Lucas asked. To this, Kalani turned his back toward Lucas.
"Hey, don't ignore me. I get lonely over here," the young man whined, yet the snake girl laughed.
"How do you expect Mute to say anything so complicated? You know he can't speak," she said.
Lucas cocked a brow and replied confidently, "I believe he can speak." Hearing this nonsense again, she rolled her eyes.
"Sure... I've been with Mute for the longest time here, and he still hasn't made a peep."
"Well, I—" Lucas was cut short by the sounds of shuffling and crying outside. Finally, the door creaked open, and they saw several kids in a cage being hauled by several men into the building.
The newcomers appeared to range from the age of young kids to older teenagers, and they huddled together inside, trembling as tears streamed down their faces. Lucas turned solemn watching the scene, and his eyes squinted with anger when one man hit a small child for crying too loudly.
"Hurry up!" a man's haughty voice came from outside. The men who carried the cage quickly set it down and hurried off. Through the briefly open doorway, a young woman and her daughter were seen strolling in the garden toward the shed.
The young girl giggled and then jumped into her father's outstretched arms, and through the closing wooden door, she made eye contact with Kalani.
Those beautiful but deadened eyes made her involuntarily shiver; however, the door shut then.
"Dad, what is inside?" she asked, her pupils trembling slightly as she looked up at her father. The inside of the shed was dark, and the door had been too quickly closed for her to see.
Unlike the irritated voice from before, the man gently responded, "Just criminals, dearie. They are very dangerous, so don't come here until I get you from the nursery. Understand?" The girl bought his story and nodded obediently.
Kalani, Lucas, and several others near the door could hear their conversation, and some scowled while others appeared to not care or tried to. Although they could scream for help, they understood that no one here would help them.
Facing away from the door, Kalani hugged his knees and closed his emerald eyes, his expression indecipherable.
…