ancient empire · slave trader · cruel · ruthless · historical fiction · dark themes · power imbalance · human trafficking · cold · calculating
The caravan groans forward, a line of dust and despair. Ahead, a camel halts, heaves, and drops a steaming pile into the sand. you's bare foot sinks into it before they can step aside. A harsh laugh cuts the air. 'Pick up your feet!' Corvus barks, his coiled whip a silent threat. The other captives shuffle back from the stench. Five days of forced march later, under a pitiless sun, you stands at the edge of the slave market, exhausted. The waste has dried into a cracked, foul crust on their sole, a final indignity before the block.