It was a few days later when I met with the detective who had found the girl, and another couple more before I could get into position to meet her or her owners. The concept of slavery was nothing new in this part of the world, but it still didn’t sit well with me, which likely is what spurred me to action. And if this went as simply as possible, then there should be no worries about getting this girl a new life... that is a decent sized “If.”

I had learned they used her in an inn that one could… procure services of an illicit fashion if you had the coin. This made me all the more sick, those poor people who had to live this life…

“Hello sir, what can I get you?” a sharp voice broke me from my thoughts.

I looked up from the table I had been sitting at and met the eyes of the girl. She was likely about my age or a little younger, thatches of blonde hair streamed from her head, her face was stained with mud and the traces of old bruises, and her eyes were a dead and muted hazel.

“Yeah, I’m going to need whatever the house special is, a room for the night, and a few minutes of your time. I’m in the business for information.” I spoke slowly and clearly. It was a force of habit when I saw people who were bruised, the assumption had always been that they don’t listen too well.

The girl smiled slightly and rushed off to complete the tasks I’d given her. I had hoped she wouldn’t be too resistant to my questions when she came back, but I also hoped she would be honest with me regardless as to what she thought I wanted to hear.

She came back moments later with a tray of foods, a key dangling from her wrist, and a timer on her arm.

“The going rate is 2 silvers per minute for talking, should things escalate, the cost of an evening is thirty gold.” She said, not meeting my eyes at this point.

“Then please, sit. I’d be happy to have you for a few minutes, give you some time to calm down and chill out. You answer my questions honestly and I’ll buy your time for an hour. Not in the bedroom, but here on the floor.” I said, picking up a loaf of bread and ripping it open.

The girl nodded and sat herself down, still putting on the welcoming hostess act while her shivering betrayed her real feelings. Maybe it was just me, but I could see the skittishness in her frame rocking her back and forth. I wondered what she had been through that my presence scared her.

“I’m looking for a girl, probably around your age. Father sold her off to pay debts, she’s been a slave for about six or seven years, anybody come to mind?” I jumped right in.

The girl shook her head at first but then stopped. “There’s a few girls like that sir.”

“I can imagine…” I muttered.

“In this establishment, there’s three girls who fit the bill, counting myself.” She said, her eyes shifting about as if she were thinking she’d sold them out.

“I need one whose mother passed but have living elders. Maybe one who was talking with a nosy guy a while back?” I prodded further.

The girl nodded, seeming to answer each condition as I spoke.

“Who on this payroll is worth three thousand as a slave?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up with a brief glimmer of hope. “Only myself and the high priced girls.”

“Well kid, this might be your lucky day. I’ve been sent on a quixotic crusade to free a girl for her grandparents and set her up with a new life. If you’re actually the girl I’ve been looking for, we can wrap this up in no time. If, however, you’re lying to me… well, let’s just say you wouldn’t like that.” I left the menace in the last part just to make sure the girl wasn’t playing me.

The girl recoiled a little, a look of fear crossing her face momentarily and then a look of resignation to whatever pains were coming plastered itself over it. She nodded, her stiff actions saying she was waiting for me to call her a liar and beat her, and her arms shifting to grasp the others in a hug.

“How often do you get to sleep without someone doing what they want with you beforehand?” I asked, letting my voice soften.

“I don’t know what you mean, sir.” She responded stoically.

“I mean, how often do you get to sleep in a comfortable bed without somebody forcing your face into the pillows and shaking the damn thing before letting you cry yourself to sleep?” I tried to both spell it out for her as well as keep things from getting graphic.

“You mean how many nights am I not another man’s whore.” She looked at me, the hope dying and the mask I had seen when she first spoke clamping itself back down on her fragile features.

“If we’re being indelicate, sure. I was going to offer to buy your services for the night and let you get the rest I imagine you quite need. I wouldn’t be laying a finger on you, save to help you get washed if this place has running water.” I suggested, again making myself seem less threatening.

“Like I said, it’s thirty gold for the evening.” She said in a deadpan voice, her distrust of me was evident.

I sighed, “If you’re going to be like that, fine. I imagine sixty gold should cover the meal, room, and your fees?”

The girl nodded, stopped, and corrected herself. “Forty-five gold should cover it.”

I grinned, “Then count the last fifteen as yours. I’m not going to pitch a fit.”

I passed her the gold, watched her face light up, and she rushed off to present the fees to the tavern owner. I broke off a bit from the chunk of cheese on the tray before me, crammed it into the butt end of the bread, and munched happily at how well things seemed to be going for once.

About five minutes later, the girl and the man I assumed was the tavern owner came back to the table.

“Ya can’t hav’er tonight.” The man said without preamble.

“I’ll triple the rate.” I said, keeping cool.

“You ain’t getting’ her for less than a thousn’d boy.” The tavern keeper said, his voice implying his doubt of my ability to cover that.

“If that’s the case, I’ll buy her off of you right now. Two thousand, opening offer.” I said, trying to relax a bit in the chair I occupied.

“Four.” He countered, obviously not wanting to let go.

“Two and a half.” I replied lazily.

“Three and a half.”

“Three.”

The man looked a little irked, but then nodded. “Three is reasonable. I’ll sell her to your for three thousand.”

I pulled out a sack of gold and slid it to the man. “Get me the license and we’ll be on our way right now.”

Both the girl and the man looked at me as if I was crazy, but then the man accepted the gold and rushed off. Eventually coming back he held a parchment and a stamp. I pulled out a stamp I had gotten crafted for my hunter’s paperwork for larger jobs and applied it to the parchment next to the man’s. This signified that I owned the girl.

“Well, miss, let’s go. I’d like to get things moving along right quick.” I said, standing. As I did so, I grabbed the paper and the girl’s arm, and we moved out into the dusk-lit city.

The girl eventually recovered her wits, “What about the room you booked?”

I looked to her face and chose my words carefully, “It was a ruse. And it plays to our benefit for a while. As you can see, this contract states that the previous owner inherits the slave should the current owner perish, which is unfortunate if they end up suffering a heart attack in the middle of the night at the very establishment they bought the slave at. Sound familiar?”

She turned pale and covered her mouth.

“Thought so. Anyway, I’ve rented the local hunter’s safe house. Should be a change of clothing there for each of us, a nice hot bath, and a route out of the city for tomorrow morning.” I said and started strutting down the side alleys I knew would lead me to where I needed to be, dragging my new charge along behind me.

“Are you even going to ask my name?” the girl questioned me after a few minutes.

“Wasn’t really part of the plan. See, I’m kind of a jerk. That means I don’t rightly care. You’re welcome to share if you feel you have to though.” I replied as callously as I could.

“You know, you seem to be developing some issues with what kind of a person you really are. You were almost pleasant in the tavern.” She cried as I sped up a bit.

I turned and grinned while never stopping my forward motion.

“It’s Ashley. Ashley Timet.” The girl huffed as we slowed down. I saw Reina sitting right where I had parked her, and I was pleased to see the safe house was as innocuous as could be.

“Well Ashley, welcome to your temporary home. I’ll get you something better soon, but for now this should do.” I said as we reached the door.

I turned the handle and was met with the scent of disassembled weaponry and lilacs.