Kapitel 13: Run!
Penny who had been in one of the rooms of the Inn had successfully jumped down from the room through the help of the sheets by which she had descended down from the window. Her hands had been free which had made it easier to get down while holding the bed sheets tightly with her legs hanging before falling on the ground. It had been a struggle to go down with her feet bound through the shackles but that was nothing compared to her where she tried to walk as quickly as she could with small steps due to the restricting chains which didn't have enough length to move freely.
She didn't dare to look behind and continue to walk through the forest. Walking by the road where the carriage passed by back and forth wasn't safe. She didn't know who the dead woman was but whoever had killed her was still in the mansion. Though not wanting to be thankful for it, due to this mishap it had bought her time to escape. This was the window which she had been waiting for since she had arrived at the black market. It was obvious that the man would be busy, searching for the murder or involving himself in the mystery for him to lock her in the room.
The deserted forest filled itself with the sounds of the crickets, chirping and hiding behind and on the trees and forest ground which was wet and slippery. Since the time she had been kidnapped to be brought to the slave establishment, the privilege to wear shoes had been stolen away from her where now she walked on her bare feet.
The rain on the previous night had been heavy enough to leave puddles around the land. Unfamiliar with the place, she headed straight without deviating from her path. Penny didn't know how much time she had before the pureblooded vampire would notice her disappearance.
She didn't heed to the possible consequences she would have to face because it never occurred to her human mind that the man would come to search her. Instead of worrying about it, she put her thoughts in escaping from here. The farther she walked, the closer her freedom and independence appeared.
She heaved for air as she ran but it looked more as if she were walking. At one point she had also thought to pick up the stone to break the shackle but she had no time for it. The more time she would spend here, there was that much more of a possibility of being caught. If it weren't for the sounds of the crickets, the forest would have been quiet except for the constant chimes of the metal clinking back and forth with her movement.
At one point, Penny's leg moved forward which the other couldn't follow and she fell on the ground. She huffed for air now that her body had stopped, the wet mud sticking to her dress which made her body feel cold. She pushed herself up to hear in time the sound of galloping hooves of the horse that approached through the forest.
Not knowing what else to do, she rolled around the ground to fall down the little slope and hide under the large roots of the tree and the mud which had moved up enough to hide her.
Penny hadn't expected the pureblooded vampire to catch her this fast but then she didn't know how much time had passed since she had escaped from the Inn. This was her only chance and she was well aware of it. Escaping from the slave establishment was difficult due to their tight security. The guards would catch her before she would be able to pass through the gates. Waiting until they reached the pureblooded vampire's mansion was not feasible either. Penny didn't know if she would be able to see the light outside without anyone not having a close eye on her.
This was her chance and she had to make use of it. Covering her mouth and nose with her hands, she tried not to let her harsh breath be heard by him.
Raising her head up, she saw the man on his horse whose back faced her. The hooves of the horse moved back and forth as the man continued to pull the reins of the horse. But then Penny noticed, this wasn't Damien Quinn who had bought her for three thousand gold coins. This man was different. He had dirty blond hair that had been combed back for the hair to smoothen until the nape of his neck. Just as he turned, Penny ducked down behind the large roots to hide.
Whoever this man was, he didn't seem like someone who had come to stroll through the woods. Rather it seemed like he was searching for someone with ferocity. At first, it made her wonder if the master had sent one of his servants to fetch her but this man appeared to look off. After some time the man finally took his horse in the direction he had come in.
With the man gone, Penny continued to walk to hear the loud growl of the thunder and in less than a minute it started to rain. The water was cold as it fell from the sky on the ground. The droplets falling from the trees turning heavier than the actual drops, she continued to walk where some of the mud that had stuck to her body started to wash away. She prayed to God for her to get to the next village fast.
Finally reaching a village in the rain, Penny found another Inn and walked towards it while also making sure there was no one to see her shackled legs. Getting inside, wet from head to toe. Now that the rain had stopped falling on her she shivered before getting to the little desk where an old man hovered over a series of parchment papers which was bonded with threads.
Penny's dress ends dripped with water as they were soaking wet. Her feet had left imprints on the wooden floor which she couldn't help but turn back and notice.
With a bright lamp burning at the top of the desk, she brought her wet hand up to hit the bell that stood next to it.
"Oh my! You surprised," the old man replied with a startled voice, staggering slightly at the sudden sight of a young woman who seemed to have drenched in the rain.
The girl smiled, her smile polite and warm where she tucked a piece of her wet hair behind her ear when it fell on her face, "Excuse me but might you have a room I could stay in?" she asked the old man.
The old man though appeared nice from the front, his first question to her was, "Do you have a silver to spare for one night?"
"Yes, give me a moment," said Penny pulling out a silver coin and placing it on the desk while also hoping he wouldn't ask her for more as she didn't have even a nickel to offer.
After Mr. Quinn, the pureblooded vampire had locked her in the room she had decided to run away while also knowing she would need some sort of money later on. She had searched through the little room to find a coat hanging on the back door but there was only a silver coin in it. Believing something was better than nothing, she had carried it along with her while blessing whosoever that coat belonged to.
The old man leaned forward, sliding the coin across the desk to put it in his pocket, "Let me show you to the room," he said, picking up the lantern which was hanging on the hook of the wall behind him.
Penny followed the man where he showed her the room before exiting from there. She closed and locked the door. A silver coin was too much for one night to stay here and though Penny. She would have liked to argue on it, but right now she was supposed to keep low and not call attention to herself.
Feeling cold she pulled the blanket that was laid on the small bed. There was nothing that could stop the tremors of shiver that ran up and down her body. Every time she heard someone walk by the door, she looked at the shadow moving left to right or right to left keeping her alert as if the pureblooded vampire had come to fetch her.
Unable to keep herself awake, her eyes closed such that the night passed for the arrival of morning. Penny was woken up by a woman's voice outside the door and she squinted her eyes.
"She's not here," said the woman.
Suddenly she stood up and went to the door carefully. Placing her ear on the door and pressing it she heard footsteps coming from the other side of the room for the woman to say, "Are you sure? That little ginger cat never comes up here," hearing this, Penny let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like any and everything made her feel as if it was about her.
When the footsteps and the woman's voice faded away, Penny turned the lock and peeked outside the room to see no one. The sky had started to turn lighter and she took it as her cue to leave the room. If she stepped out of this inn when the village folks would be walking by, she didn't need anyone reporting her.
She had to find a blacksmith. Once she felt it was safe, she sneaked out of the room and walked out of the inn while shuffling her feet to avoid the shackles making noise. Finally out of the inn where the old man was nowhere to be seen, Penny started to walk away from the inn to hear the last voice she wanted to hear,
"Did you have a good sleep, little mouse?" Her eyes widened, her head snapping around to look at the pureblooded vampire not standing alone. Next to his feet laid the old man who had given her a roof until this morning. Seeing the old man not move, fear and panic struck Penny. She gulped, seeing the two puncture wounds on the old man's neck.
Damien wiped the blood on his lips with the back of his hand, a sweet smile on his lips that scared the living daylights out of Penny right now.
And she started to run again!
Kapitel 14: Little mouse
Seeing the dead man lying next to the pureblood vampire who stood there casually before taking a step towards her, it led to Penny to start running. Maybe a rabbit had better luck in hopping and escaping from the scene than her because of the shackles that restricted her from running.
Damien stared at the girl with an amused look on his face, his red eyes sparkling with mirth at the sight of her. Before Penny could increase the distance between them, he had started to walk towards her slowly catching up to her but the girl surprised him when she turned around.
"Don't come any closer," she warned him. It was true though, thought the pureblooded vampire. A slave was never outspoken and the last time he had seen her was a week ago which meant that she hadn't got to go through the harsh disciplinary system of the establishment. There was fear in her eyes as she stared at him, her throat moving down and up when she swallowed to calm her nerves which only excited him further.
"For a slave, I should applaud you for your valor," he clapped his hand which didn't seem the least bit genuine but as if he was mocking her, "You need to be punished for running away from me. For disappearing and making me come after you."
"I didn't ask you to come after me," she said, keeping a safe distance between him and her.
He tched, a sigh escaping from his lips, "Don't be like that, little mouse. You were so well behaved until we reached the inn, did the death of the woman damage something up here," he pointed his finger to his head.
"I am not a slave-"
"I know that."
"I was brought wrongly-wait what?" she asked him confused. As if the sun had appeared from behind the dark clouds, Penny smiled out of relief, "You know that I am not a slave?"
"Mhmm," he replied with a twinkle in his eyes. Then why was she shackled? "Wondering why you have those still intact?" he asked her to see a nod, "You were the one running since yesterday. Shouldn't you know it better?"
"..."
"I know you aren't a slave by just your behaviour but that doesn't erase the fact that I bought you from the slave establishment," spoke Damien looking down at the ground before raising his head, his steps circling her like a predator who was going to pounce on its prey while making sure its meal didn't have the opportunity to escape.
"You cannot do that! I don't have the slave brand like the others!" she blurted out, moving two steps back to stop him from circling.
Damien stopped in his tracks, gauging the girl with his eyes. The smile that had fallen down came up again making Penny worried, "You don't have the branded mark? No worries. Let's take a small trip to the slave establishment so that we can complete it."
"NO!" she exclaimed quickly in panic. She cursed herself for blurting out the last hope from her mouth to him. Mr. Quinn was a daunting man, his unnatural smile staying on his face. The way he looked wrecked her nervous system before making it go haywire.
"Why not?" he tilted his head, "I thought you the little mouse was upset for not having the mark on the skin. The slave establishment has a rule to not send the new slaves for auction, no matter what, they are disciplined, punished, and made to heed the very word of the guards so that they can be docile with their masters. Yet, here you are after a week out in the market ready to be sold. How did that happen?" asked Damien keeping his eyes on her keenly, "Were you exceptionally well behaved that the Warden recommended your name or did you recommend it yourself," he licked his lips to see her eyes widen and a wide smile came upon his lips.
Penny felt her head go dizzy due to the adrenaline rush in her body by his words and question. No matter how much she tried to hide it, the man had caught her plan. She didn't want to go back to the slave establishment. For a slave to meddle with the list of the slaves who were to be auctioned, she would be punished in ways she herself couldn't imagine. Fear and panic were becoming the main emotions for her this week.
Wait...she thought to herself. How did he know that she was in the slave establishment for a week?
At the same time, Penny caught sight of a couple who were walking from the far end of the muddy road which led towards the inn and then to where they stood now.
They were the village man and woman, she could ask them to help or gain their attention. After all, she still didn't have the mark being placed by the establishment which meant she still had the opportunity to run and to be his slave.
As if he had read her mind, she heard Damien warn her, "Don't even think about it," and her eyes moved to look at him. Taking a much more casual stance, he said, "It will take me less than ten seconds to snap both their heads in front of you if you plan to involve them in this little escapee of yours. Think carefully, mouse. Your one wrong move towards me will lead to two deaths. Correction," he raised his hand, "Three. Forgot about that one," he turned to look at the old man over his shoulder.
"I will keep you happy if you come with me," he gave his word to her, the smile falling down and his expression turning serious.
"You left me hungry," pointed Penny.
"I promise to feed you," he replied instantly, "All meals."
Penny could hardly breathe, the anxiety of fear not because he was a vampire but because she saw her freedom slipping through her fingers like sand, "Why did you kill him?"
"I had my reasons," there was a glint of anger that passed through his face in the blink of an eye, "Come, little mouse. Play nice and I will be the master you will ever need to serve," he said, waiting for her to come.
Seeing her not take a step, he exhaled. Walking to her rather than waiting for her, he bent down which startled her. Penny saw him fiddling through the shackle chains on each side of her leg. When the metal gave out a loud click, suddenly her legs were free and the chains were removed.
Damien stood up, "Such an expensive and troublesome slave," he looked her in the eye and Penny felt as if it were a black space that could swallow one if one continued to look into his eyes, "Let's go back to the mansion now," he ordered her.
Penny only followed him, not seeing the thorn that was lying on the ground she placed the same leg where she had previously stepped on a nail in the confinement room of the establishment. When her feet did take the entire thorn into the arch of her feet, she felt her soul evaporate from her body to come back with the pain she felt.
"Mr. Quinn!" Someone called the pureblooded vampire, and a woman appeared with neat and polished clothes.
"Greta," Damien greeted the woman. She was a human, her features soft, a smile up to her lips and cheeks that covered itself in blush at the sight of the man in front of her. But when the woman looked at Penny who stood to stare at her feet, the woman's face turned sour. Her smile faltered but she quickly fixed it putting her attention back at the pureblooded vampire.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here. Did you come here for work?" she asked sweetly.
Penny was in too much pain at that moment to take note of the woman. Taking a deep breath, she finally raised her head to take note of the woman. Brown hair and pale complexion, the dress she wore was undoubtedly made of pure silk. A hat on her head to protect her face from the light which was barely there.
"Yes, I had personal work to attend to. Now that it is dealt, I must be leaving," he said directly without bothering to exchange any pleasantries with the woman which dampened her mood but she fixed it right away.
"I will see you around," she said. Damien gave her a nod before turning his back and walking from there. Penny spared one more glance, both the women staring at each other with the briefest contact before Penny followed Damien as she limped. She walked on her heel, keeping the thorn untouched. Removing it would only lead to mud getting inside the wound and who knew what this man would do?
Reaching the carriage, Damien first sent her in as if he didn't trust her after her failed escape. Seeing her stagger, he helped her inside to sit next to her. Once the carriage door was closed, he demanded,
"Show me your leg," Penny blinked at him. So he did notice something was wrong with her leg.
"It's alright. I will remove it-"
"Continue disobeying me and you will see the consequences," he gave her a cold smile which made her raise her leg, "Such an obedient mouse," he praised her to take a look at her feet. Without a prior warning, he pulled out the thorn and pressed his thumb on the wound for her to flinch.
"Thank you," she whispered for him to take it out so soon. When he placed her feet on his thigh, she looked up at him. Was this how slaves were treated? Or was this man having some of his bolts loose in the head department? He pulled out the kerchief from his pocket, tying it around her feet.
"I might have removed the shackles of your leg but don't forget that you are my slave, little mouse," he said knotting the last of the kerchief to secure it around her feet, "Betray me, and I will punish you in ways you wished you were back in the slave establishment," he warned her with a small playful smile on his lips.
.
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