Value

Siren wavered as her eyes met Cains. Her resolve alone with it. Dropping her eyes back to the bloodstained deck Siren began to resign herself to certain death. She'd recognized the glint in Cains eyes, the greed and lust for power. She could only pray he'd already had his fill of death for the day. Suddenly she heard Cain step closer. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to draw strength from the wetness at her knees but the coppery stench simply stirred her empty stomach. It wasn't until she felt rough fingers on her chin that her eyes flew open and she was forced to look up. Cain was leaning over her impassively he turned to the man behind him.

"And I seem to have overlooked you." He sounded more surprised than anything to Siren. As badly as she wanted to break eye contact she couldn't, his eyes searched hers, looking for answers to questions she didn't know.

Siren couldn't speak, afraid of the same gruesome death. Finally Cain turned to Aten, "Take her to my quarters." He let Sirens chin drop as he strode away.

"You heard him." Aten prompted the soldier behind Siren to follow him. Siren was broken from her petrified daze by rough hands once again hauling her to her feet. The clanking of her chains unhooking from the dead girls. The shuffle of the last few pairs of feet being dragged from the deck. The air, salty but fresh, lacking the copper tang awoke Siren. And she screamed.

"KASEL!" Her voice rang across the deck as she began to struggle violently trying to plant her feet. She knew deep down she was too late but she had made a promise. "NOOOOOO!" She roared as the soldier easily subdued her. She was small and malnourished. Cain shook his head from halfway across the deck. Such a loud sound from such a small girl, he couldn't help but watch as they dragged her away. She lacked the spirit of her companion. Siren relaxed breathing raggedly, her protests weak as the soldier held her. The metal of his breast plate was cool against her face as she looked around the nearly empty deck. Her eyes settled on the rail and as the soldiers grip on her started to loosen she saw her chance. With a sudden jerk and strength from Kahsels spirit she broke free for one blissful second, but it was all she needed. The shackles on her wrists and ankles didn't slow her as she took flight across the deck, one foot in front of the other she found her hands on the rough wood of the rail and the sea impossibly close as her momentum continued and her feet pushed up. Gravity drew her sharply down as an unseen force grabbed her tunic stealing the breath from her lungs and halting her decent.

Aten groaned, he knew his shoulder was going to be badly injured but he couldn't let her fall. He had a suspicion this girl may have been what they came aboard for.

The sudden tightening of the cloth around Sirens throat stole her breath and prevented her from getting another. As she hung there like a flightless bird, her eyes fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky. She watched it as it faded away with the sound of her labored breath and the tug of other hands yanking her back aboard the slave ship. Siren lost consciousness.