Free Untouched Concubine by Lisa Rusczyk, Mikie Hazard Page B

dead.” They threw a blanket over them and Mandia felt the cage being lifted onto a cart.
                The men must have been some of the bandits they’d run into on the deer path. Her mother’s disguises hadn’t been good enough. Why didn’t they hear them coming? Had they come in the night? Who were these men? Who were they going to sell them to? And worse, what for?
     
    ~~~

     
                They were only ungagged to be fed, and only at night. Her mother whispered warm words of comfort, but her eyes betrayed her fear. Mandia was not shy about her nakedness, but she was cold. The blanket over then was nothing more than a wool tarp and a chill ate at Mandia at all times.
                How many days passed this way? Mandia was more afraid for her mother than herself. The woman looked weaker every time they were fed. Most likely, she would become a slave and Mandia would become a man's plaything. She could find an escape, she had to. She knew she was clever, but if they were parted, she would never give up looking for her mother.
                It was late afternoon the first time the bandits stopped and lifted the tarp by daylight. Two men stood before them.
                They had long, curly brown hair and gleaming green eyes.
                One bandit said, "Look at their golden hair."
                One of the Farnans said, "They are dirty and underfed. How do you treat your slaves?"
                The other bandit said, "Do you want them or not? The young one is beautiful enough to be a concubine for a soldier. Look at her eyes and breasts."
                The same Farnan spoke again. "Wash them and bring them back here tomorrow. And for Goddess's sake, dress them." His accent was thick, but Mandia understood every word.
                The next day, Mandia and her mother walked, wrists tied, through a chilly forest. The landscape was so foreign to Mandia , who was used to the sea. The Farnans looked long upon them, and one nodded his curly-haired head.
                "You have done well. Seventy ginns , no more."
                "Surely we deserve more. We bought them new dresses. You must at least pay for the dresses."
                "Seventy-five. Do we have a deal?"
                Mandia and her mother were handed over to the Farnans . The bandits took their ginn and left without looking back.
                The leader of the group said, "You are from Crona . Only those with hair and accents like yours are from so far west."
                Mandia looked at her mother. Could she do any talking yet?
                Her mother said, "We are simple women of Crona , yes."
                " Crona has killed Farnan soldiers," said the leader.
                Her mother said, "I know nothing of it."
                "You look alike," he said. "Are you related?"
                Her mother said, "She is my daughter. Her father is dead. Take me, not her. She is spoiled. I am mature and know how to please a man. I will make it worth your loss. I can prove to you what I say."
                The Farnan looked her over with a slight smile. "Tempting, but the thieves were right. Your daughter will be a fine concubine for a soldier. We will make six times the ginn on her than we paid."

     
    ~~~

     
                Three weeks later, after riding in a caravan of Farnans and horses, Mandia was growing stronger as her mother weakened even more. The Farnans surprisingly treated the two women much better than the bandits had. They never looked upon them with lust or disgust, but rather treated them as valuables not to be tampered with. They were fed meat and bread and corn, drank juices and water. Mandia whispered to her mother often, asking if she was alright, and her mother always said, "I am so sorry. I thought we could escape.