You should get food for Melisa, too. Now that you know what she likes…
I bite my lip. Hopefully, she is well.
Perhaps I shouldn’t worry so much about her. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t think I would be a fit mate… but she let me hold her through her waking nightmare and bind her wound.
Something deep in my gut wants to stay away, but I need to check for messages tonight.
I’ll leave my thoughts about her until then.
I inhale deeply and smell a river nearby. It’s large, and the water rushes violently. It’s cold, but not cold enough for it to freeze. I make note of that and survey the other slaves.
Not all of the humans are blind to the poison. I see half a dozen humans throwing their food on the ground and kicking snow on it, or disappearing to the latrines and coming back with empty bowls. I follow suit. Then I bring the dish back to a large vat of hot water where several teenage slaves with blistered, bright red hands are washing.
I take one look at those hands and grab a rag and soap from a bucket.
They cast strange looks at me, but I refuse to let adolescents wash my plate when it will cause suffering.
One of them passes me a gourd to fill with water. I thank them, and then, after finishing up, I head to the lumber yards. It’s a long walk. The sharp smell of fresh air fills my nose as the sun rises in the sky.
Several other humans walk near me on the beaten path, all quiet. There is a large open space between the tree trunks and, of course, more giants. Six stand near a rack of axes.
I let out a long breath and keep walking, scanning the other men who've joined us. There are around three hundred in total, and it hurts my heart to see some of those young boys follow us out.
Good hell.
It isn’t long until I see Eneko. He sits on the back of a cart, drinking something from a steaming goblet. His hair has been brushed out and pulled atop his head. His clothes are clean, and he is well-protected against the chill.
He laughs at something one of the other giants says. When he tilts his head back to finish off whatever was left in the mug, I see the scarred column of his neck on display. It would be so easy to slit.
Melisa would be free of him and his bed.
I grit my teeth and shove away the thought. It will not be me who ruins our mission.
All of us slaves arrange ourselves into rows. This time, however, we wait for dull tools instead of poisoned mush.
With one last violent tip of Eneko's head, he slams his cup on the top of the rack before approaching us. His hand goes to a coiled whip in his belt.
“We are behind on our quota,” he says after half a dozen paces in rough silence. “The palace asked for five thousand trees this month. High King Rholker is preparing for a massive expansion that will bring honor to the giant kingdom; they need lumber to build. Looking at our numbers, we are halfway into the month, yet have a quarter of that. What holds you all back?”
The air fills with dread. It leaks out of the pores of every man here.
“Well?” Eneko calls. “I let you eat two meals a day. We protect you from the wolves and bears that lurk in the forests. All of you have a roof over your head, do you not?"
No one answers.
He holds out one hand, gesturing to us and then presses his hand to his forehead.
"All that we ask is that you do your fucking jobs. Why so slow?”
Still, no one responds. No one even moves.
Displeased, Eneko pulls out his whip and cracks it on the ground.
“I don’t like using this. You know that.” He places the whip on the ground. “Bring home over a hundred trunks today, and I will do what I can to keep you off the racks. I don’t want to see any of you on the chopping block—but if you won’t work, then I can’t prevent that.”
One quick glance shows that the men around me are resolute.
“I’ve even brought in help.” Eneko raises his hand and points it at me. “I found another slave with giant blood. He should be able to carry an entire log himself, but don’t take advantage. You all know how I feel about fighting.”