Cattle. She was reminded time and time again that they were herded like cattle. From cage to cage, room to room. Ushered by guards with sharp swords, beady rat eyes, and calloused hands. In low lit halls and humid rooms, where the lack of windows made the air stifling.
Some of the girls cried. Others clung to one another with dead eyes. Already broken, having seen too much or in shock they'd been brought to such a place. Inaya couldn't exactly
blame them. This sort of auction was the sort reserved for whores – which she most certainly was not. She'd been born the daughter of a wealthy merchant then sold off as a harem
wife.
Her former husband had sold her here to disgrace her. To shuttle her away somewhere dark, to be forgotten. Likely because it was something she said. More than likely because she'd not birthed him a son yet. Pick a reason. She swayed in place and ignored the sweat gathering on her tanned skin while she watched the door opposite the one they'd entered. Eventually, one by one, they were pulled into a brightly lit, tiled room. Scrubbed down by wrinkled, older women who never looked her in the eyes, wrapped in see through veils, and shoved into yet another room.
Another cage.
At least this one had a draft and kept her from sweating anew. Not all the girls made the cut to this room, though. Only the ones that weren't crying, weren't broken. Inaya and a handful of soft, strong willed others. Dancers and former
ladies of some highborn class. There was a muffled voice from beyond a curtained doorway, likely an announcer of some sort, and then soft music began to play.
One of the guards strode forward. "You dance." Simple enough instructions before she was shoved through the curtain along with two others.
Inaya blinked against the sudden light and much louder conversation beyond. The curtain had muffled more than she thought. She had a couple choices, then. She could do as she was told, and dance. Try to appease someone in the crowd and fetch a decent price. Maybe land a decent man. Go back to some villa and...then what? Play it all out again? That seemed to be the decision of the other two, who swayed to the soft tune.
Inaya absently did so – dancing was as natural as walking to her – but she was eyeing the dinner knife on the table right in front of the stage. Would prison be better than this? Because she was fairly certain she could kill at least one of them before they got ahold of her...
@Elf Lady Love