“Who were you selling the girl to?” Skye asked continuing the interrogation.
“To… To a Lycan nobleman. He was a big customer.” He answered squirming.
“And where were you supposed to sell them?” Skye asked shooting a warning at him to stay calm.
“At the auction house on the outskirt of Hanaerum. At–at the boundary between Hanaerum and Alkarod.” He answered wringing his hands, “That’s where I work majorly but…”
Rome leaned forward in his seat as the beast in him raged.
“You deal in slavery after I abolished it.” He stated, a growl slipping into his words.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me. Have mercy on me,” The wolf cried, “That was all I knew. I was a slave too. I… I worked hard to get to this point. There was nothing else I could do to survive and feed my family. It is hell on earth in Alkarod, Your Majesty! There was nothing I could do. Please spare me!”
“Enough!” Skye fired.
“That’s not an excuse!” Rome yelled, “I abolished slavery two years ago. You could have reported to the proper authorities.”
“I…”
“This auction house you speak about, what happens in there?” Skye asked interrupting him.
“It’s a building just at the boundary between Hanaerum and Alkarod–” He answered, withering under the full glare of the Lycan in the room.
“Yes?” Skye was impatient.
“It’s a meeting point for those in need of slaves and those hoping to sell slaves. Once a slave is taken there, they are weighed and tested. These are measures taken to formulate a price.” He answered, voice lowering in cadence as if he realized he was digging his grave. Their glare had him speaking louder. “Before the abolishment of the slave trade, slaves were quite affordable…”
All of them winced as he talked about people like they were animals and not living breathing people.
It angered Rome that all this was going on under his nose.
“They are sold for an average of five thousand Incas to seven thousand. Female slaves are generally more expensive… Especially beautiful ones. The male slaves are usually sold–”
“Stop!” Rome interrupted him, gripping the armrest of the throne till his knuckles turned white.
He was seeing blood now.
“Why did you continue chasing the girl? You attacked the King’s party.” Skye said.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. That night, I didn’t know it was the king–”
Skye scoffed.
“We had to get the girl or part with our pay. There was a high price on her head because she was a nobleman’s daughter and also untouched. Our buyer had asked for a beautiful virgin girl and she was a perfect choice. The girl was the daughter of a Beta…”
Rome stood up from his throne and walked in slow deadly steps toward the man who was suddenly crawling backward in fear.
He didn’t know why but hearing him talk about Elora like she was nothing more than a racehorse annoyed him even more than hearing about their continued slaving business.
“And all this was for?” He asked still moving in slow strides toward the man.
Blood roared in his ears as the need to kill something had his muscles tensing in anticipation.
“The Money. I have to feed my–”
“Stop the sob stories.” He interrupted with another step forward, drawing a dagger out of his belt.
“Your Majesty,” Skye called.
“Can you draw a map to the auction house?” He asked spinning the dagger in his hands already picturing the blood that would bathe his hands.
“Your Majesty, I…. I…I can’t read or write. I can’t draw a map.” He stuttered eyes on the dagger.
Rome stopped, deciding the wolf’s life wasn’t worth bloodying his hands.
“Take him away.” He ordered.
Skye called for the guards who rushed in without delay.
“Your Majesty, please.” He begged as they lifted him to drag him out, “I know someone that can draw–”
“Death is the only worthy punishment for a slave dealer like you,” Rome stated interrupting him, turning to reclaim his seat.
“My King! Your Majesty! Please spare me! My family needs me! They’ll go hungry without me. I will try my best to draw the map. I’ll tell you the way!”
The guards dragged him out of the throne room as he continued groveling.
Rome glowered at the door long after he had been taken away.
It was sickening that people sold their kind like animals. They scaled and weighed them like they would do meat.
What pleasure did they derive from doing so?
“We need to raid the auction house,” Skye said, coming to stand before him looking as angry as he felt.
“No, that would not only be foolish but too dangerous. Those bastards would probably throw the slaves in front of us and deny everything. It’ll only cause the bloodshed of more innocents.” He muttered, “We need to know exactly how it works. We need insight…”
“Teriel and I could go, disguised, of course, to gather intel.” Skye volunteered. She believed that was her life’s mission; to wipe out the slave trade.
“No,” He answered, turning to her. “You’re both Lycans. No one would believe either of you’d sell or buy slaves.”
“As you heard the prisoner, there are Lycans who trade too. Lycans seem to have the upper hand.”
“Yes, but it’s dangerous to go there without a formidable plan. Those lots are ruthless. When I go there, I want us to gather enough evidence to shut the operation down permanently and also release as many slaves as possible focusing especially on the females. When a fight breaks out eventually, the males will be forced to fight back too. We need to find a way to prevent that from happening.”
“The females can fight too,” Skye added. She was a female and she could defeat many of the men in the royal army.
“Yes, but many of them have gone through hell as it is. They would be too weak to.” He continued pacing, “A whole lot of them are in hell right now.”
“So what is this plan? Surely you’re not planning to go in alone. That’ll raise suspicion.” She explained giving him a quizzical eye, “A lone Lycan appearing to buy slaves without going through the proper channels. Plus, your hair’s a dead giveaway.”
Rome sighed knowing she was right. The mark of the Royal breed of Lycans was their distinctive ginger hair and sapphire blue eyes.
“I’ll dye it.” He retorted folding his arms, “I’ll need you to hang back with some elite members of the army as a backup.”
“Still that doesn’t explain how you intend to get in without suspicion.” She added, “Will you be buying or selling a slave? And who do you think you can trust with such an important task?”
“Buying and I’ll be going with someone familiar with the system.” Rome answered nodding at the idea that popped into his head, “I will visit the auction house disguised as a nobleman in need of more slaves with my sex slave who just happens to have come from the same auction house.”
“Surely you don’t mean…?” Skye’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
But he didn’t wait for the lecture that was sure to come, standing up and leaving the throne room to get more information from the one person in the castle sure to know more about this strange place.