Chapter 1

The world was bleak, the future was uncertain, and I was in a bad mood. My eyes were open, but only darkness met my gaze.

I lay on a stone surface, the chill sinking through my thin garments, my back and limbs aching from their contorted position. My mouth felt dry, my head pounded.

What was happening? Where was I?

"She's awake," a deep, feminine voice said. "I can tell."

"No, she's not. Her eyes are still closed." A man, this time, with a high-pitched, nasal voice.

"If she's really awake, you'd think she'd have sat up and said something."

"I don't think she's faking it. She doesn't look like a good actress to me." This from another male, his voice gruff and scratchy, and this one very close by. He had a strong, unpleasant smell.

"She's not a bad looking girl. You sure we can't have some fun with her before we get rid of her?" The nasal voice again.

A hand grabbed my left arm and squeezed, the fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises.

I didn't cry out, but I did try to jerk away. The man chuckled.

"Told you she was awake," he said. "She's not that hard on the eyes, either. Too bad the master says we can't play with her. I'd have liked to have seen her without those clothes."

A large, meaty hand grabbed the collar of my shirt, then tore downward, exposing my chest. My eyes popped open, and I saw three shadowy figures looming over me. One was a big, heavyset man with a bald, tattooed head. He wore leather armor, and there was a mace at his belt. His nose was crooked, his mouth turned up in a leer. The second was a short, slender man with greasy black hair and a narrow, rat-like face. The third was a woman, also lean, her features concealed beneath a heavy cowl. They were all looking down at me, grinning and chuckling.

"Who are you? What's going on here?" I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt. My voice came out a dry rasp.

I pushed myself into a sitting position. The three figures backed away, giving me room.

"We're here to take care of you," the woman said.

"You should feel honored," the rat-faced man said. "This is quite an honor. Not everyone gets an escort like us."

I was still confused, still trying to figure out what was going on. I looked around. I was in a dark stone room. No, not a room—a cave. There was a tunnel to the right, and another to the left. I could see the light from a fire flickering against the walls of the tunnels.

"Where am I? Where are you taking me?" I asked, pushing myself into a sitting position. I rubbed my forehead. I had a terrible headache, and the cave was spinning around me.

"Don't worry about it," the big man said. "It's better if you don't know."