Time To Ride

"Then, we should start. I have already asked the stable master to pack the supplies on horses" Valakh pointed them towards four horses. All of them looked like normal horses. 

Sorken couldn't make out how they were better than normal horses at all. 'wait, there are just four horses, we are seven people here. Are they making us slaves walk? No, that doesn't make any sense! It will just waste time' 

"I along with the apprentices will ride the horses and slaves will ride behind us" he grinned and his expression was enough to tell sorken, Jorah and Kesta that whatever it was, it was not good at all! 

Soon, they realised what was going on. Joffrah bought three sledges and tied them to the back of the horses and it's saddle through a hook. 

Sorken looked at Tamara in hope that she would speak for them, or atleast offer sorken to ride with her. Nothing like that happened. She was calm as ice as she looked at the horses and then her eyes fell on the sledge. Her lips curled a bit, not enough to call it a smile. 

Sorken could feel something was wrong about her all this time. 'is she going to betray me? a doubt finally arose in his mind' that possibility was worse than anything he had to face all this time. Losing the only thing that kept him going was worse than becoming a slave to these people. He had placed all his sadness of losing everything against the hope that atleast she was with him. But now he was not sure if even that true. 

Suddenly he saw Tamara looking at him, she looked apologetic. Sorken felt relieved and understood that her position was not good enough to argue Valakh. It could put her in danger.

"Are you kiddin' me, for hell am I going to ride that thing! Give us one horse, we all will ride that" Jorah growled at Varakh at that instant. I turned my head and saw valakh almost ready to attack Valakh at any instant. Kesta was already going towards him to stop him from acting rashly.

Varakh smiled at Jorah "there are no more horses and even if I could get one, these horses cannot manage weight of 3 big people like you, if you don't like it, don't go. I will make sure to send you back to the mine tomorrow" 

"You wish to humiliate us just because we are slaves? Don't you forget, even we were respected people in our world! Even then we never treated people like you do here. Do you people even belong to a bloody temple.

"I don't know a single temple in my world who has assholes like you. Cut the crap and get us horses" 

Sorken suddenly looked at valakh who was completely calm even after countless abuses Jorah hurled at him 'How can this man be so calm. Even though it's not possible for Jorah to hurt him physically, his words must have some effect. Some anger?'

Suddenly Sorken realised something and he was shit scared at the possibility. His old chief had told him something when they were watching one his clients getting slandered by a man over a dispute. The client was a big shot in one of the most notorious mafia of the city yet he responded to the man's slur respectfully as if he was being greeted with praises.

"Why is he not defending himself or saying something. Isn't that man one of the city officials who get their dirty work done with the help of Mafia's?" Sorken had asked. He was still new to the company and didn't knew how these things worked.

His boss looked at him with a soft gaze like a parent who looks at his child when he asks an innocent question. "Why would you argue with a dead man. Even the mafia respects the dead" 

'I didn't understand what his old boss was trying to say, the man is clearly alive and shouting. He cannot be more alive than that!

'Or atleast, this was what i thought. Two days later, the same city official was dead. Reports clearly said he took his own life. no one killed him. I clearly knew what the old man meant at that instant.

'Now I am seeing the same calm expression, I cannot be mistaken. Is he planning to kill us all during the expedition?. This bastard played us! Was Elara killed too?

'Should I refuse to go and work my life in mine? No, I cannot do that, I might never get a chance to be free again. What if I run after reaching the ruins. They will not be willing to spend resources to locate a slave now. That sounds like a safe bet. I cannot fight them or escape while being close to the city. 

'I should share this with Jorah and Kesta as soon as possible. Does Tamara knew? No, she won't do that to me. Not just me, she wouldn't do such a thing to any living person. It should be Valakh, he must have planned all of this to get rid of us. That means even Tamara might be in danger, I should tell her as soon as possible' 

Sorken looked at Tamara and found her looking intently at Jorah as if she would attack him. Sorken was confused. 'Why would she be willing to stand for this bastard, had they really become friends?' 

Sorken thought a little and understood that even if they belonged to the same world, Jorah and Tamara had never met and Valakh was helping them out, even if he was malicious, he had helped the apprentices so they would naturally choose him.

Kesta was finally able to calm Jorah and told him that we have to endure just for today and a hast move can cost us our freedom. 

"Atleast one you got some brain, now get ready" Valakh walked towards the horses and sat on one of them and asked the other apprentices to sit too. 

"You three choose any of those sledges and clench the rope tightly. These horses are very fast, if you lose the rope, you will die out probably. If not, you would be injured enough to be left there like a dead weight" 

"Not now man, I don't want to talk about anything. I have to go through this humiliation, I want to rip that guys throat" Sorken tried to talk to Jorah about his assumptions but he wouldn't listen and finally leaned on the sledge behind Ted's horse.

Kesta had already taken his place behind Azim before Sorken could talk to him. The only place left was behind Valakh, however unwilling he was, he too leaned on the sledge. 

"Let's go" Valakh shouted while leaning forward on his horse and caught the bridle. The horse started to walk, first slowly and soon it caught the pace. Others followed him and soon all the horses were running like wind in the scorched land.