Amma : Aunt from father's side

Aam : Uncle from father's side

---Nadir's POV---

A satisfied sigh escaped me as I put the empty teacup down, leaning back in my seat. The meal had been more than satisfying and I felt saddened that it would be my last time to taste it, at least for a long while.

Standing up, I made sure to thank Latifa and Achmed for their more than warm hospitality and paid for the duration of my stay and the meals.

At the stables, I paused before smiling with understanding at the sight of Bashir's saddened gaze as he petted Tahir. Of course the boy would be sad to see Tahir go, especially because horses were rather rare in the desert.

But I needed to move on. There were still people waiting out there, waiting for me. No matter how much this boy wouldn't be saddened at the loss of Tahir, considering the grander scale of things, the boy's feelings should be the least of my concern.

"I see you already saddled him up for me?" I asked, glancing at Tahir who's fur seemed to glow in the sunlight. Healthy, happy and well fed. Bashir nodded sadly, brushing his hand over Tahir's nose as he sighed.

Smiling down at the boy, I patted him on the shoulder, knowing there was no further need for explanation. He knew I was just a passing traveler and I would have had to leave sooner or later.

"Who knows, if I'm in the area I might come and visit." I murmured, watching as Bashir's eyes lit up, a grin slipping on his face.

"Please do! I know how to care for horses like no other and, and, and Ammah has the best food in the region, even if she denies it. And Aam is one of the most generous and kind men I've known-" Bashir slowed, flushing awkwardly as I chuckled.

Doing one last check on Tahir's saddle straps and making sure my belongings were affixed properly, I sighed and bid farewell before hopping onto Tahir.

It would be interesting to return here.... After everything was done and over with.

If I'm still alive by then...

Shaking the morbid thoughts out of my head, I pushed Tahir to start moving, knowing I'd be traveling quite a bit before my next target.

Which made me wonder how much word had spread. Would they have been alerted of the deaths of the others? Figured out that I was the one thing that tied them all together?

A smirk slipped on my lips at the very idea of my last few masters growing increasingly more nervous. Days filled with paranoia, jumping at the slightest sound, the slightest change of their daily ritual...

Had I come for them? Was this the moment where they'd draw their last breath?

It would make their demise only that much more sweeter... To give them a taste of what they put their slaves through on a daily basis.

That daily pain and suffering. The fear that surged through your body unannounced.

Don't mess up, don't make the master angry. You'll get the whip if you do...

I scoffed, clicking my tongue at Tahir and urging him on. Thinking about my past only pissed me off, remembering all the times I had wept during the night, begging for something, someone to save me.

The long, grueling days at the hands of Javier and Saemus, where we were thought the "proper slave mindset" according to the slavers. Bitter cold nights where the slaves, children, were dropped down the mines and told to gather gemstones in exchange for food.

How the older kids bullied and fought the youngers, stealing whatever they had found to make sure they had food in the morning.

The few supervisors down the mines were no better than Javier, to be fair. They'd spit at the kids, mock them for their poor quality clothing...

Hell, I remember one of them had ordered me to hand over the Topaz I had found, about the size of my fist. When I had refused, he had turned me around and whipped me with his belt before kicking me on my back so the dirt could sink into the wounds.

He and his fellow guardsmen were being bribed by Javier and Saemus to keep an eye on us. To tell the actual paid laborers come morning about the performance of the so called "night shift."

I wonder if they found his body... My lip twitched in a sneer as I had killed him without remorse the night Javier had let out his last breath.

There was no mercy for a man so vile and cruel that he'd kick a helpless child down a mineshaft and claim it was an accident.

He lied his way out of punishment of course. And who would take the words of a slave over the words of a city guard? Everyone believed that the little boy had tried to attack the man and in an attempt to defend himself, he had pushed the kid backwards and into the shaft.

Javier had then proceeded to punish the other slaves, not wishing to hear any of our excuses. Because we had all seen what had happened.

All of us had seen how the boy had struggled with his basket of mud and dirt, how a small speck of mud had dirtied the guards' uniform as he had kicked the boy whilst passing by.

Enraged, the man had dangled the boy above the endless depth of the mineshaft, taunting and acting as if he'd drop the boy only to catch him at the last moment.

He had dropped the child on the ground and when the slave had looked up at him, grateful for his life... kicked him backwards into the darkness below.

Too bad that vile man tripped over his boots and got his neck tangled in rope before he fell down a similar shaft.

Accidents lurk in the smallest corners...

The mindless motions of following Tahir's gait soon made my mind wander to the past. Like so many times before, it made me wonder how my life would be if the slavers hadn't come to our town.

To be raised by loving parents, spending days studying and learning crafts. Building deep and lasting friendships, strengthening existing bonds with family.

To have been able to go to sleep without worrying for my life...

Years spent in absolute fear, being taught the horrors of the world in the flesh. To be subjugated to torment on a daily basis.

Sadistic masters that loved to see their slaves bend to their will, becoming broken shells of their former selves.

Indifferent people who knew slavery was wrong but turned a blind eye, because it was better us than them.

It's one of the things I never understood. Ever since I was being trained by Javier and Saemus, I had always wondered how this could've happened.

The palace guards knew what was happening. The countless of servants that worked for the Sheik and had to deliver the slaves food, knew what was happening. Some of the Sheik's guest, who hadn't been informed but were smart enough to guess the truth...

All of them had looked at the slaves with boredom and quickly averted their gaze. Because it wasn't their problem. It didn't affect their daily lives so why bother?

Why bother to save countless innocent lives from slavery, if you could just nod, open your pockets and accept the profit that came with the guilt.

Hell, if they even had a sliver of guilt.

Even now, I still didn't understand. Yes, Javier and Saemus had people working for them. But what would they have done if the entire city had rioted?

Kill all the inhabitants? The people of the Sultan? While I assumed that the slavery was done so it fell under the radar, the genocide of an entire city would certainly draw the Sultan's attention.

If all of them had taken a stand, had stepped forwards and not bowed their heads and ignored what was happening...

I wouldn't have been sold to Aakif. So many children wouldn't have been sold to that monster.

And each day... each night within the halls of his domain, had been filled with pain, disgust and fear.

Nobody should ever be introduced to intercourse in such a vile, violent and defiling manner.

To be forced against your will... to be violated over and over again as you beg, telling them that it hurts, to please stop.

Only to hear them laugh and mock you as they take what was never offered in the first place.

My fingers tangled along the reigns while Tahir danced on his hooves, picking up speed as he sensed the tensing of my muscles.

After I had finished off my list, I would make a secondary one. Because I knew of the men and even women who had sold children to Aakif.

I knew of other monsters who's tastes weren't focused on a specific age or gender, as long as the morsel was unwilling.

And I would gladly wipe them all out. Let them hear of the Masters demise, the horrible ways they died.

Have them tremble in fear, wondering if someone was going to come after them. But who would though... nobody knew about their actions...

Right?

That worry and doubt would eat at them, would change their daily behavior. Perhaps they'd already betray themselves and be punished by sharia, the law.

Glancing over my shoulder, I wondered if Carson and his men were going to follow. It seemed as they too had grown curious about the Sheiks, never once attempting to capture me after their first few failed attempts.

I can only assume they wouldn't feel inclined to do so especially after Aakif. They would've seen the horrors committed by these monsters with their very own eyes.

If they went after me, seeing that I was stopping these monsters from continuing their cruelty... what would that make of them?

Slowly, an idea came to mind, something that I perhaps could use for the last of my owners. Because he would be the hardest one to pinpoint, the one mostly secured.

But that was a point for later. Now I needed to focus on the next master in line, and thank them for their kindness.

And I had a feeling they already knew I was coming. I guess until I reached their city, I could only think and plan ahead but I'd have to wait and see what would happen.