The monster on Kai grunted, then reached down. A moment later, Kai felt something rough being wrapped around his throat. It was a rope, stinging his skin as it pulled tight. He choked, clawing at it with his free hand, but the Lizardman's grip on his arm was like iron. He heard Briar make a similar gagging sound beside him.
"S-stop!" Kai tried to shout, but his voice was weak, choked off by the rope.
The Lizardman above him leaned down. Its yellow eyes narrowed. Then, with a sudden, sharp crack, a scaled hand slammed into the side of Kai's head. Stars exploded behind his eyes. His ears rang, a hot, burning pain spreading across his cheek. He groaned, the world spinning.
"Silence, filth!" a raspy voice hissed above him. "You are slaves now. Slaves to lizardmen, do you hear me!?"
Kai's vision cleared just enough to see Briar struggling weakly, his face pale and eyes wide with fear.
The Lizardman holding Kai pulled back slightly, its snout twitching. It pressed a claw against Kai's throat, just enough to make him swallow hard. "Speak. Where is your village? Where do the humans live? You'll die if you don't tell us." The voice was a low growl, full of menace.
Kai squeezed his eyes shut. Don't tell them. Don't tell them. His head throbbed. He shook his head.
"It doesn't matter," the other Lizardman grunted. "Two new ones is enough, we're getting closer to their little hideout little by little anyways. We'll probably find it in the next few days."
"Fine," the first one hissed, its gaze unwavering. It dug its claws a little deeper into Kai's arm, a sharp pain making him flinch. "They do look strong and healthy."
"Yes," the other Lizardman agreed. "And young and useful."
No way, Kai thought. They could find the village in a few days? How? It didn't matter if they went exploring or not? He had too many questions. If it is true, they won't know until they get invaded. A cold sweat ran down his forehead. No, no, everyone will be taken by these idiots.
The Lizardmen were bigger than he had thought, easily taller than his dad, with thick, rough scales the color of green leaves and mud. Their legs were digitigrade, strong and muscled with feet ending in sharp claws. They wore simple, dark leather straps across their scaly chests and a loincloth around their waists. One of them had a short, heavy club hanging from its belt.
"You won't find it!" Kai blurted out. "You are completely stupid if you think you'll find them!"
The Lizardman on him chuckled. "Stupid human." It pulled on the rope, tugging Kai roughly to his feet and choking him.
Briar, still pinned, let out a small whimper, his face dull. His eyes, full of terror, met Kai's for a brief second before he too was yanked up.
The ropes were tight around their necks, pulling them forward. The Lizardmen walked swiftly with their larger stride, dragging Kai and Briar through the dense underbrush. Roots tried to trip them, branches lashed at their faces, but the Lizardmen simply pushed through, their grip unyielding. Kai stumbled, his legs burning, his head aching from the hit. He tried to dig his heels in, to resist, but a sharp tug on the rope around his neck brought him up short, making him gag. He was too scared to say anything to the lizardmen, and Briar was as well.
They moved for what felt like forever. The forest grew even darker. Suddenly, the leading Lizardman froze. It hissed a low, urgent command. Both Lizardmen dropped to the ground, pulling Kai and Briar down with them into a thorny patch of bushes. Kai scraped his knees, but the Lizardman pressing him down kept his head low, eyes scanning the sky.
Above them, a shadow passed. Another dragon. This one was different, a bright yellow and tan, not the dark scales of the one they'd seen before. It was just as huge, gliding through a rare, open patch of sky overhead. The Lizardmen stayed perfectly still, their scales blending with the leaves and shadows, barely breathing. Kai held his own breath, his body stiff. The massive beast flew by in an instant, wind ruffling the leaves.
Once it was gone, the Lizardmen let out a collective, slow breath. "Up," the first one grunted, yanking them to their feet again. The journey continued. Even these monsters were afraid of something.
I can't believe this, Kai thought to himself. He looked over at Briar, who was still petrified and unable to speak. This is why everyone was scared of the Non-Humans? Because they treated humans like they were inferior and garbage? The thought angered him even more than he was before. He knew they enslaved people from the stories, but they were intangible. They felt exaggerated. But it really was real, and maybe not exaggerated like he thought. He decided to stay quiet though and not say another word. Another slap would really hurt.
They walked for another long stretch. Then, the air changed again. It was a damp, musky smell that was quite shocking to Kai's nose. The trees started to thin, and Kai's eyes widened in horror. This was a village. But it definitely wasn't like his. He didn't know what to expect, but this truly was a sight.
They weren't mud huts like their home village. These were more elaborate, larger, and built from wood, with larger paths connecting them. Some of the houses were even painted with a green or a darker brown color with some kind of paste. And everywhere, there were Lizardmen. So many of them. They came in all shades of green and brown, some almost black, others a yellow green. Some were big and thick-bodied, and others were smaller. Their eyes, like beads of yellow or black, watched Kai and Briar with cold stares. No one looked surprised to see two human boys being dragged in. It was normal for them, apparently.
One of their captors grunted, tugging Kai's rope hard, pulling him past a group of younger Lizardmen who hissed and snapped at them like angry dogs. Briar stumbled behind him, nearly falling, his face still white.
They were led to the center of the clearing, where a large wooden building stood with a dome on the top. They went inside the building, and their was a large cage. It was made of thick, branches woven tightly together, reinforced with heavy stones. The Lizardmen opened a small, metal creaking door.
"In you go, filthy human," one of them hissed, giving Kai a shove that sent him tumbling forward. He landed on something soft, yet firm.
He scrambled up, his eyes wide. Inside the cage, already, were other people. Humans. More than he had ever seen in one place outside his own village. They were thin and their clothes were dirty, all their faces were tired. Men, women, and even some children, all huddled together.
Kai stared, his breath catching in his throat. So the stories were true. Even worse than true. These weren't just vague threats or old warnings. These were real people, from hidden villages, probably just like his, caught and kept like animals.
Briar was pushed in after him, landing beside Kai with a grunt. The Lizardmen slammed the cage door shut, the heavy branch bars clanging into place with a thud. The lizardman then walked out the front door.
"No fucking way!" Kai screamed. He gripped the branches of the cage. He looked back at Briar who was giving him a 'don't do something stupid' expression.
"Kai," Briar whispered as he put his hand on his arm. "Just stop. Relax."
The other slaves in the cage were giving him the same look as Briar. He took a deep breath, and sat down on the straw bedding below him.
Then, the door to the building opened again to reveal a new Lizardman. This one was different. Bigger than the others, with darker, almost black scales. His snout was thicker, and his yellow eyes were dull. He wore more than just leather straps; a heavy, metal chest plate covered his upper body, and a long axe was strapped to his back. This one looked important, and dangerous.
He stomped over to the cage, his heavy steps thudding on the earthen floor. He stopped in front of them, his eyes sweeping over the huddled humans, lingering for a moment on Kai and Briar.
"Listen, humans," the large Lizardman rumbled, his voice deeper and more commanding than the others, "You will be quiet tonight. You will rest. Tomorrow, you will look healthy. You will look happy." His gaze sharpened, fixing on Kai. "No more shouting, no more struggles."
He pointed a thick, scaled finger at them with a sharp claw at the end. "Tomorrow, some of you will be bought. You will be sold to families. That is a good thing for you, because you will have a master and a purpose. Do not look like your sick. Do not look angry." He let out a harsh laugh. "Only happy, useful slaves will be taken. The rest will die. Understand?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He just stared for another long moment, his cold eyes promising pain if they disobeyed. Then, with a final, grunt, he turned and stomped out of the building, letting the heavy door swing shut behind him, plunging them back into the silence of the cage.
Kai's blood ran cold. Sold to families? What about our families. Their going to be wondering where we are. He looked at Briar, whose eyes were wide with the same terrible understanding.