When I woke up, it was to Rabbit’s voice in my head saying, “Don’t open your eyes and don’t move.”

  “Got it,” I replied. “While I’m here, not moving, do you want to give me a heads-up about what happened?”

  He began to describe the details. “You did well on the cliff by protecting your head. You broke some bones, but that was to be expected. When you got to the bottom, people were arguing about what happened to you and why you were so dirty. They debated whether to bring you along, but figured you couldn’t do much since you were nearly dead. They could always kill you if no one wanted to buy you. So they loaded you up with the other nearly dead people in this hold.”

  “What’s been happening since then?” I asked.

  “There’s someone who keeps coming in, probably to make sure no one dies. He doesn’t sound like a guard, too light on his feet, so maybe someone younger or with less muscle mass, possibly a boy. He’s had to give more than one person a few drops of some potion, or at least that’s what it sounded like. Since you haven’t opened your eyes, I’ve had to make educated guesses. I think he’s far enough away you can open your eyes and move around now, but be quiet.”

  Slowly, I peeled my eyelids open and was immediately confronted by a gruesome sight. There lay a multitude of bodies haphazardly stacked upon one another. They were alive but bleeding profusely, their faces etched with pain and discomfort. None of them were bound, and there was no cage confining us. The stench was overpowering, the unmistakable smell of human waste permeating the air, suggesting that some had lost control of their bowels in their plight. It was revolting. The guard’s frequent exits suddenly made sense. If this was the odor he had to contend with, I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to linger for the duration of our journey.

  “Did you learn anything else?” I asked, looking around.

  “Lots. I learned their language, and I don’t think these people came from the same place as the people on the mainland. They have a completely different root system. It took me longer to learn than I would like, but it was fascinating. In fact, their vowels…” Rabbit kept explaining, but I didn’t listen.

  “As interesting as that is,” I cut him off, “how about something that can help me survive?”

  “Nope. It looks to me that the other prisoners don’t have any weapons or armor.” It was true. The people were stripped of anything that might be of use to me. “The only things I can see that could be used as a weapon are those arrows.”

  “What arrows?” I looked around for arrows lying around, but found nothing.

  “Idiot, in the people. The arrows are still sticking out,” he added, and then highlighted them in my vision. “They didn’t take them out because it would require more healing. They probably wanted to save that for their island, where they will have them under control.”

  “You want me to dig an arrow out of someone? Won’t that kill them?”

  “It will speed up the dying process, but what are your choices? On one hand, you could risk taking an arrow or two, potentially securing these people’s safety. Alternatively, you could choose to leave it in, sealing your fate and leaving these individuals susceptible to torture or enslavement. I would think that death sounds like a pretty good option at that point,” Rabbit stated.

  Damn, why did he always have to be right? I crawled over to the largest guy who had three arrows in him. He was large enough that he could survive me taking one from him. I also noticed he had shackles on when no one else did. He must be dangerous for the enemy to handcuff a man near death. I grabbed the arrow and was about to pull when Rabbit said, “Do you never think? Cut three pieces of cloth. Wrap two as a tourniquet around the arrow areas before you pull the two arrows out. The third one will go over his mouth when he tries to scream.”

  I felt like an idiot. I did what Rabbit said, which should minimize the risks. I covered his mouth with the third piece of cloth and pulled it tight. The man screamed, but it was muffled. I was still pretty sure that the guard who was not far outside the door probably would have heard that and thought one of his prisoners was dying. “Get up and go behind the door. Bring the cloth,” Rabbit instructed. “When he gets in, cover his mouth and try to hit exposed areas of skin. He probably has armor. If you hit the armor, you will die.”

  I put the extra arrow in my waistband. It wasn’t the best place, but I didn’t have a buckle and didn’t have time to think about it. I had my cloth in one hand and my arrow in the other. I was standing behind the door when it opened. What walked in was roughly a teenager. He was shorter than I was, and he had to be around thirteen or fourteen. I hesitated for a moment, but Rabbit shouted, “Now!” in my head, and I sprang into action.

  I reached around and put my hand with the cloth covering his mouth, and shoved the arrow into his neck on the side. I pulled it right back out to stab again, but he immediately started to struggle. He tried to scream, but it wasn’t effective with my hand and some cloth in his mouth. His following action was biting down and trying to reach behind him. When I pulled out the arrow and tried to stab him again, I missed and hit his armor, breaking the arrow shaft where I was holding it. I immediately dropped the useless piece of wood and tried to block his attempts to get his hands back in my face.

  The kid knelt slightly, then jumped back. This caused both of us to land on our backs, with most of the blow hitting me and knocking the air out of my lungs. He still couldn't scream since he was biting my hands. I heard Rabbit in my head, shouting, “Wrap your legs around him! Wrap your legs around him!” When I processed what he was saying, I scissored him between my legs and gained some amount of control. I grabbed the second arrow out of my waistband. I ignored him scratching at my face, and I slammed it into his throat. The kid was instantly surprised, and he completely ignored me. Then we let each other loose, and I slowly backed away, hoping he would die without me getting any more injured.

  The kid pulled out the arrow from his throat and threw it away. “He is killing himself faster?” I asked as blood started running down the front of him. It was less than expected, but I knew an equal amount of blood must have been cascading down his throat, flooding his lungs. He grabbed for his belt, and I realized, “He has healing potions.”

  I immediately started wrestling him for the bag and quickly realized face-to-face that he was stronger than I. He fought with all his life for it, but could not get the bag, open a vial, and drink it when someone was harassing you, even if they were weaker. If I had to fight this boy in a head-on fight, I would have been killed easily, even though he was so much younger than I. However, between the two neck injuries and all of the blood loss, he slowly started fading away as he choked on his blood. I just stood there watching the panic and confusion on his face slowly vanish into nothingness.

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  I retrieved the health vials and meticulously inspected them to confirm that they were in perfect condition, which, as expected, they were. It shouldn’t be surprising, as the teens’ very survival relied on keeping them safe.

  I turned my gaze toward the teen, feeling a sense of repulsion. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw that he appeared to be around fourteen, maybe fifteen years old, and noticeably shorter than expected for his age. The sight made me feel nauseated. “Absorb him,” Rabbit said.

  I didn’t feel like doing that right now. I didn’t know why I had to hurt someone so young.

  “Listen. I know what you are thinking. But it’s not like all your movies make it out to be. There aren’t only Nazis and good people in the world. There are millions of shades of grey. Sometimes, teens like him turn out to be slavers. Sometimes, kids his age are thugs and kill people. Sometimes, good people do evil things. The question is, do you want to save these people from being enslaved and tortured?” Rabbit asked. “Then, get up and absorb this guy, and let’s save these people.”

  I did as Rabbit said, letting instinct take over. Right now, it was easier to follow than to figure things out on my own. I used my Soul Absorption on the teen, and this time, energy entered my body instead of leaving it. The cuts on my skin receded slightly, and I felt more refreshed. I couldn’t believe the sensation. Last time almost killed me, and now, it was healing me. I was unsure if it was because I did it on a dead person who couldn’t resist or because this was a Human, and the snake was an animal. Either way, it felt great. While standing there like a mute examining myself, Rabbit woke me out of my introspection and told me to feed a potion and take off the shackles on the big guy.

  “How much should I give him?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Give him the whole thing and let’s see what happens,” Rabbit replied. I fed him a potion first, then I quickly pulled out the last arrow, leaving the handcuffs on. The new wound that didn’t have a tourniquet started to close right before my eyes. It was working and fast.

  “Okay, two potions left. Any ideas?” I queried.

  “Yeah. The mage in the back would be the best option.”

  I scanned the surroundings in search of any clues or signs, but my efforts proved fruitless. While I may have caught glimpses of some of these individuals before, I couldn’t determine whether they were mages or not. I found myself puzzled by Rabbit’s ability to identify them, unless he had cataloged such information from past conversations that I had missed.

  Frustrated, he highlighted someone in the back. “I can tell by the clothes he is wearing. Notice how he lacks the bulk that would come from the padding under armor? Also, his sleeves are intentionally cut, likely for ease of spell casting,” he explained.

  I identified the man Rabbit mentioned, who had a serious head injury. I hoped the healing potion could mend such a wound, or else our limited resources would be wasted. I gave him a dose and waited anxiously.

  As both men started to regain consciousness, I cautioned them to remain silent upon waking. Within a few moments, the mage appeared to be recovering well, but the other man was still in a rough state. He was the largest of the group, with extensive injuries that bore testament to a hard-fought battle.

  “Mage, what can you do?” I asked, dying to see what kind of spells he would bring to a fight.

  “I have a high-level analysis, but I know low-level healing,” the mage stated.

  “Well, that isn’t exactly the offensive magic I was hoping for. Do you know of anyone else that I could use this potion on that has some magic to help?” I asked.

  “No one else here has what you would consider ‘offensive magic.’ Kaylie is the strongest, but she isn’t in this group. I’m not sure about the Dwya. They may have some magic, but I don’t know if it would be useful spells,” the mage replied.

  “Dwya? Those grey wrinkly looking guys?” I asked, pointing to a small humanoid that resembled bone in some places and was grey in others. They were half the size of a regular Human, with skin so wrinkled it seemed layered, almost like rolls of lettuce. Their eyes were all black, and they had a sinister appearance.

  “Yeah,” the mage replied.

  “If you’re looking for a fight, I’m your guy,” the warrior I gave the first healing potion said. He was big and probably the best warrior we were going to find. I was hoping for a mage, because we had way more people to fight than two good warriors could manage. “I killed one of them with an ax back on land. What is happening here? You weren’t with our group, but I remember you from our village. Are you working with these people and changed your mind or something?”

  That was a big leap in judgment. I should have filled them in before trying to take the lead, or they might get the wrong idea. “No. I purposely got captured in hopes of saving you. I was with Carrick, and this was the only way to get aboard to save you all.”

  He looked at me for a minute, trying to read me, and put his hand out. “I’m Jack. Thank you for trying to save us. I know my people, and they are quite devious. They would plant people to get information and capture groups. Do you have a plan? If not, then we are pretty much dead here, and I should mercy-kill as many of us future slaves as I can before they find us,” he said, one hand pressing a healing wound on his ribs, while the other clutched a necklace.

  “Jack…that is extreme.”

  “Extreme or not, it’s the best option we have. A death worth having is much better than a life not worth living. After we kill those captured, we can always take down as many sailors as possible before we die.”

  This guy was nuts. “First, give me a moment to think. Wait, no. Is there someone better I should use this potion on? And what do you mean by your people?” I asked, passing the potion from one hand to another while thinking what to do next. This man was extreme, but he seemed very motivated to fight at least.

  “Nope, the best person is me. And yes, my people. I am from the Black Rock Islands. Haven’t you noticed from the tattoos?” Jack replied.

  After getting a good look at him and the person on the floor, they did appear to be somewhat similar. Jack towered over me, his physique sculpted for combat. He had a bald head, marked by a distinctive tattoo. The tattoo was a continuous loop of a single line that twisted and turned around itself. Each part of the line connected back to another, forming a complex yet orderly pattern. There were no clear beginnings or ends as the design flowed in an unbroken sequence, resembling a complex puzzle or a maze designed in a perfect loop.

  Turning my attention to the younger individual, I observed a slightly darker complexion, potentially a result of a life spent at sea, contrasting with Jack’s forest-dwelling lifestyle. A solitary green dot was positioned in the center of his forehead, similar to the bindi worn by married Indian women. Admittedly, the connection was tenuous. Reflecting on it, I remembered the fallen warrior on the mainland bore similar tattoos. He had a green dot in the same location as this boy, with an additional pair of dots placed beneath it.

  “Why are yours different than his?” I asked.

  “The color is the caste you are from, and the ornamentation is for the rank,” Jack replied.

  I knew there was more to the story, but he was right, as we had more urgent matters to deal with. It was pretty clear the kid wasn’t high-ranking, and Jack, being a strong fighter, must’ve been higher up than the two people I’d met so far. That cleared up the mystery for the moment, and I could dig deeper into it later. Right then, I needed to decide what we should do next.

  “I was thinking you should start healing people, and Jack and I will free the other prisoners who can fight. Hopefully, as you heal more people, they can come and help. This is better than killing everyone. This at least gives us a fighting chance,” I said.

  “A slim one, but you’re right, a fighting chance is better than nothing. Just be warned. If we fail, these people will have a fate worse than death. Trust me, I know. I have seen it.” I passed Jack the last healing potion and a key to his cuffs. He downed half of it and offered the rest back to me. “You look like you can use it too. Your face has had better days.” I was aware I looked worse than I really was, because I jumped down that cliff and subsequently healed. Most likely, there was blood mixed into the mud that covered me, but at the moment, I didn’t care.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll heal. You should use it if you can,” I replied. “I got all scratched up from him.” I gestured to the corpse of the teen that was still lying there in his blood.

  “You know, I have an idea. I could wear his uniform. It would be tight and have some blood on it, but I bet out of the corner of your eye, you wouldn’t question it,” Jack said.

  “I don’t know. I feel like they would notice right away. I mean, your tattoos aren’t the same. I don’t know what they mean, but it seems obvious you aren’t supposed to be here. We would need something to distract them from looking directly at you,” I explained.

  “You are right about the tattoos. But I have an idea,” Jack said while smiling.