Freedom Flight: first chapter

Talan awoke to the sound of a whip tearing across a slave's skin. He quickly jumped up and ran to the bared door of his cell. Some unfortunate slave was being whipped for not obeying orders just two cells away from him. Talan slowly backed away from the door and slumped to the floor.1

"So it wasn't a nightmare, just a bad reality." Talan grumbled2

All the memories from a week ago flooded back into his head. Talan moaned to himself then sunk to the floor to curl up on his side. It had been his eighteenth birthday and he was on a brand new fishing boat with his father. Talan had been excited to leave for the Glen Sea to try his new boat. but when he left the boat to get the last supplies on board. A group of thugs hired by slave traders took him by surprise and shoved a bag over his head. Talan's father had tried to stop them but a shot rang out of one of the thugs' pistol. Talan began to scream, that's when a gag was tied around his mouth and was tossed over a hard shoulder.3

After that he remebered nothing else and Talan had awoken inside a cell. The jiggling of a key in the lock of his cell abruptly brought him out of his revie. Talan quickly stood up when the jailer opened the door.4

"Come on, your wanted on the deck." the jailer muttered5

Talan shuffled out the door and the jailer cliped on a pair of hand cuffs. Then the jailer pulled a long rope through his hand cuffs and tied them together, the rope was connected to the other slaves behind him. Talan felt a tug on the rope and he started moving forward. When the line of slaves finally reached the stairs that led outside, Talan had to blink several times in the bright sunshine. Once on deck the jailer handed the end of the rope to a nearby slavetrader. The chance to look around tempted him but Talan soon realized where he was. 6

"Not a very big turnout today, quite unusual for Port Bird's Eye." Commented a nearby crew member to his neighbor7

"It's because it's the down season, almost everyone has fresh slaves." the neighbor replied8

"So this is Port Bird's Eye, to bad i'm here as a slave." Talan sighed quietly9

"Shut up, you!" Snapped the slave trader "I won't tolerate talking, now git moving or I'll shoot you where you stand."10

The slave trader led them down the ramp and onto the pier where the small crowd awaited. The slave trader's objective was to show the slaves off before he started the bidding. He had each of the slaves line up in a row and the crowd began to move closer to check the slaves out. Meanwhile on another pier a lean figure was sitting up against a barrel watching the careful proceedure of the slave trader. This person had a large tricone hat and it was tilted enough that the person appeared to be sleeping. This person also wore a long coat that reached the calf and was one size to big. A blond ponytail rested on the person's shoulder and this person's hands were behind their head.11

Casually striding out of the crowd was an old man with a bandana covering his head and he had a small vest with pockets. He slowly made his way over to the next pier over and sat down next to the person with the large tricone hat.12

"Sames ones as from last time but new slaves, captain." the man whispered not looking at the person sitting next to him "What will we do?"13

The captain lifted the hat slightly and smiled.14

"What we always do Mr Woodbrow."15

The captain jumped up and held out a hand to Mr Wodbrown to help him to his feet. The twosome scrambled over to the pier and through the crowd towards the slaves. Talan on the other hand was upset with this crowd. He was amazed that these people would actually buy another life just to satisfy their own needs. Not only that they squeezed and pinched his arms and legs. Talan didn't even dare to think about escaping, for the slave trader was in his way. 16

When the last buyer was done pinching him he looked up and noticed that a strange duo had come up to him next. The older of the two bent down to squeeze his calf while the one in the tricone hat began to pinch his arm hard. Talan cringed but said nothing then the one in the hat leaned closer and slipped something into his hand.17

"Chances are best taken when they are fresh, trust me on that."18

Talan looked up to see the face of his benefactor but the twosome was already walking back into the crowd. The slave trader rang his bell until the crowd quieted enough so he could be heard. Talan peeked at the gift in his hand, it was an eight inch knife sharp enough to cut through the rope in one slice. He wondered why they gave him a knife when he had no chance of escape. The slave trader started the auction with the slave standing at the other end of the line.19

Nearby the captain lit the fuse to the smoke bomb Mr Woodbrow was holding. The old man tossed the smoke bomb in between the slaves and the crowd. The slaves and the front buyers were the first to notice the lit bomb and began to panic. The slave trader started yelling at the crowd to be quiet and continue the trade. Guessing at what was happening Talan began to saw at the rope with the knife. The smoke bomb exploded in everyone's face and the chaos began.20

When the rope finally fell away, Talan pulled off his hand cuffs and then gave the knife to the slave next to him. Then he charged into the smoke leaving behind the screaming slave trader. Hurrying through the crowd was difficult because of the confused buyers wandering around. Talan almost smacked into someone but quickly dodged and kept running till he cleared the smoke then casually walked away from the pier. When he was out of sight of the docks he hid behind the taylor shop and leaned against the wall wearily.21

"Well that was an interesting escape." came an impressed comment from his left.22

Talan whipped around and faced his benefactors that were approaching him out from the shadows.23

"What do you want?" Talan growled24

"Do you have a taste for freedom, my friend?" The captain asked25

"Who are you?" Talan demanded26

"Mr Woodbrow?"27

"He can be trusted." Mr Woodbrow shrugged28

The captain pulled off the tricone hat and pulled out the hair tie. Talan's eyes widened in recognition at the face that was on several wanted posters all over the country.29

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