She felt that ache in her body when she stirred on the wooden floor. The motion around her was calm outside of the queasy feeling in her stomach. She listened to the voices trying to make out who they were. Her body hurt like nothing she had felt before. She glanced down at her tattered and torn clothing, pieces of it hanging ripped with slashes. She winced when she tried to move her legs. She picked up what remained of the cloth from her dress she wore that day noticing the swollen marks upon upper thighs and across her feet. Where were her shoes? Who had done this? She closed her eyes trying to remember what had happened. It was all so foggy.
Suddenly images of her being dragged across the floor and tied to a pole came forth. Men's voices harsh and rough speaking to her asking questions she didn't know the answer to. "When will they be bringing it?" She was confused and suddenly her body jerked forward in an arch from the touch of a whip upon her back. The strike of the whip had caused her dress to rip from the force. She cried out in pain. Still she was not quite alert from being drugged. The dark voice spoke again. "I am not going to ask again, when will they be bringing the treasures?" She didn't know I do not know! She said in a mere whisper. "I do not ..." Her words were cut off when the whip came down again several times causing her breath to be taken from her chest. She heaved for some air to fill her lungs. She pulled on the bindings upon her wrists as she tried to get free. A hand snaked out and struck her across her face, breaking her lip and another across her cheek bone breaking it from the force. She felt herself start to falter from the pain and began to grow heavy pulling on the ropes. Another strike hit her along her side slashing the side of her clothing marking her flesh. She could feel the trickles of the blood start to slide down her skin. She closed her eyes once more, jerking again when she was whipped over and over. The cruelty of the man working the whip kept saying he will get the answers out of her if he has to beat it out of her.
One of them commented "mara said not to kill her, but she didn't say we couldn't beat her. Being the daughter of the Captain's Council and Jacobed's cousin, she is sure to know when they will bring the treasures. I will beat it out of her. All women eventually talk when shown the touch of a whip." She dangled from the ropes and her body went slack. She fell into unconsciousness once more. Her body was bruised, swollen and whipped. For a few days, they beat her trying to get information since she was Jacobed's cousin. The men believed she was sure to have heard of this shipment of gems, gold, vessels, and treasures that was from the Ghost City. There viciousness was of greed and coin. There were thieves after all from Port Kar. For three days the men came back and beat Her till she lost consciousness. She felt each of their hits, kicks and abuse. She thought she was going to die here in the damp cold place. Her hair clung to her as dried blood laid upon her flesh and clothing. She was thirsty. Her body was weak. She could barely move without the pain in her rib cage causing her to moan outward. She no longer prayed they would find her only that she would die quickly and the pain end.
(Preceding mostly written by the real Harper)
Quin stood over the slave girl taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly… We are looking for… “I seen Her” she blurted out before I could finish… the Free Woman with red hair.. I seen her 4 days ago she was taken by a group of people wearing coverings on their faces…the Woman recognized one of them named Cato I heard her say…the rest jumped her and dragged her into an ally…they put a cloth with capture scent on it over her face and took her away…I saw it but ran cuz it is not my business…Quin grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her outside yelling.. “Take us to where you saw her”… ebed took them to the spot near some unused warehouses Quin told her to go back to the Red Silk and stay there she would be rewarded for her help…and we began searching the area… Jacobed took ten men and headed to the merchant district where He knew Cato would be He had the shop near the apothecary …They found Him Gathering His money preparing to escape…the fight was short and he soon began revealing the plan laid out by mara to rob them of the treasure… After some persuasive beating he also gave up the place where harper was being kept…But will they get there in time?
