Muffled cries escaped Elina's throat as a rough cloth was tied over her mouth.
Her tiny frame trembled in the dark, cramped space at the back of a rattling wagon.
She kicked weakly, bound hands useless against the thick rope biting into her wrists.
She had been tossed in like cargo.
In the driver's seat, a group of leathered armor men chuckled among themselves.
"Heh, this little one's gonna fetch a damn good price," one said, flicking the reins lazily.
"Should've grabbed the other girl too," another one replied. "Could've made a fortune with both. Nobles pay extra for the pretty ones."
Their amusement echoed under the canvas tarp. The four of them were seated around the front of the wagon, casually talking with cocky grins stretched across their face.
Then, all their eyes drifted to the one sitting at the far end.