Kael was asleep in the makeshift shelter he made. It wasn’t bad, but definitely wasn’t the best. I was watching the forest around us for the first time, really taking in everything. The silence after the send off was strange. The birds that flew by, the clouds moving south and the soft breeze. 

I always thought the pain of my parents disowning me was bad… but watching a man simply losing everything he loved was more heartbreaking. Did Kael have close friends? Are they also dead? He acts like he has no one anymore.

Kael was asleep in the makeshift shelter he had constructed. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t the best. I sat on a fallen log, keeping watch over our small camp. For the first time, I truly took in the surrounding forest. The silence after the send-off was strange. Birds flew by, the clouds moved south, and a soft breeze rustled the leaves.

Kael was asleep in the makeshift shelter he had put together. It wasn’t bad, but definitely not the best. I sat at the edge of the camp, my eyes scanning the surrounding forest. For the first time, I really took everything in—the birds that flew by, the clouds drifting south, and the soft breeze rustling the leaves. The silence after the send-off felt strange and heavy.

Unable to sit still any longer, I stood and wandered away from the camp, my curiosity pulling me deeper into the forest. The further I walked, the denser the trees became, their shadows casting long, dark shapes on the ground. I found a small clearing and paused, closing my eyes to listen to the sounds of nature.

That’s when I heard it—a faint rustling, followed by a soft whimper. My eyes snapped open, and I saw a figure crouched behind a tree, partially hidden by the undergrowth. I approached cautiously, my heart racing. “Hello?” I called out, trying to keep my voice calm. “Is someone there?”

A boy stepped out from behind the tree, his eyes wide with fear. He was a tiefling, with dark red skin and small horns curling back from his forehead. He looked no older than fourteen, just a few years younger than me. His clothes were tattered, and he looked as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

“Who are you?” I asked gently, trying not to startle him further. The boy hesitated before answering, his voice barely above a whisper. “My name is Loran.”

“Are you alone, Loran?” I asked, taking a step closer. He nodded, but his eyes darted nervously to the side. “Yes… but I shouldn’t be here. They’ll find me.”

“Who will find you?” I asked. Before Loran could answer, I heard voices approaching—harsh, angry voices. I turned to see a group of men emerging from the trees. They were armed and looked furious.

“There he is!” one of them shouted, pointing at Loran. “And he’s got company.” The men closed in on us, and I stepped protectively in front of Loran. “Who are you? What do you want?”

One of the men, a burly brute with a thick beard, sneered at me. “That tiefling is our property. And now, so are you.” Without warning, they lunged at us. I tried to fight back, but they quickly overpowered me, knocking me to the ground. Loran screamed as they grabbed him, and I struggled to get up, but a boot pressed down on my back, pinning me in place.

“Let him go!” I shouted, my voice muffled by the dirt. The bearded man laughed. “You’ve got spirit, kid. But you’re coming with us.”

They tied my hands behind my back and forced me to my feet. Loran was already bound, his eyes filled with terror. We were marched through the forest. The men pushing us along roughly whenever we slowed down.

“Where are you taking us?” I demanded, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “To Wesrid,” one of the men replied. “There’s a buyer there who pays good money for tiefling slaves. And you… well, you’re just a bonus.”

My mind raced. I had to find a way out of this. For both Loran and me. I glanced at Loran, who was walking beside me, his head bowed in defeat. I had to keep him talking, keep his spirits up.

“Loran,” I whispered, “do you know a way to escape?” He shook his head, his eyes welling up with tears. “I’ve tried before. They always catch me.”

“We’ll find a way,” I promised, even though I had no idea how. “We just have to stay strong.” As we continued our forced march, I tried to take note of our surroundings, looking for any opportunity to escape. The forest was thick, and the men seemed confident that we wouldn’t be able to get far if we tried to run. But I refused to give up hope.

After what felt like hours, we reached a small, rundown cabin in the middle of the forest. The men shoved us inside, and I stumbled, falling to my knees. They locked the door behind us, and I could hear them talking outside, their voices muffled.

Loran sank to the floor, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. I crawled over to him, awkwardly, due to my bound hands. “Hey,” I said softly, trying to comfort him. “We’re going to get out of this, okay? I promise.”

He looked up at me, his eyes full of despair. “How? They’ll kill us if we try to escape.” I took a deep breath, trying to muster as much confidence as I could. “We’ll find a way. We just have to be smart about it.”

Just then, the door creaked open, and one of the men stepped inside. He grabbed Loran by the arm, pulling him to his feet. “Time to go, tiefling. Your buyer is waiting.”

“No!” I shouted, struggling to my feet. “Leave him alone!” The man backhanded me across the face, sending me sprawling to the ground. “Stay out of this, kid. You’re next.”

As they dragged Loran out of the cabin, I felt a surge of desperation. I had to do something, anything, to stop this. But with my hands tied and my body aching from the earlier beating, I felt utterly helpless.

Lying there on the cabin floor, I realized that Kael would wake up and find me missing. I could only hope that he would be able to track us down before it was too late. For now, all I could do was wait and pray for a miracle.