A crash outside her crate made her sit up straighter. Pounding her fists against the walls of the crate she tried to call for help, but her frightened cries were met by laughs from outside, as she felt her crate being lifted from it’s position on the ship. She could hear voices muffled by the thick walls of the crate shouted orders at one another, in a language that she could not understand. Her crate tilted, and she was thrown violently against the rough wooden surface. She was being moved! Her heart brightened slightly at the thought. Anything seemed better than spending even another moment inside the dark and damp crate.

Light peaked through the small cracks between the boards. Sara eagerly pushed her face against the cracks, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything outside. The voices of the men who surrounded the crate became hushed, almost frightened, and that knowledge both made Sara braver and more frightened. She felt the crate being thrown roughly to the ground.

“Careful!” A mans voice deep and commanding, shouted, “We do not want the child damaged.”

She watched, fear growing in her heart as one wall of the crate was slowly removed. A man, reached in and pulled her from the crate roughly.

“I will take her,” he said firmly, “you men, return to the ship.”

“Yes, captain,” the 4 sailors bowed their heads and backed out of the room, almost gratefully. The captain dragged her forward, to a raised dais, where a man in a deep purple robe sat upon a cushioned throne.

“She is old,” The robed man said matter-of-factly, “She will be difficult.”

“Reigh spoke of her as being very powerful Lord,” The captain bowed his head and did not meet the eyes of the robed man.

“Reigh would not know true power,” The robed man stepped down from the dais and circled Sara slowly, “We shall see what power she has.”

Roughly he took her by the wrist and threw her to the ground. He took a small curved dagger from his belt. it has handled in white gold, with a glimmering diamond as a feature. The blade caught the light as he advanced upon her. Sara watched him fearfully, not knowing what he expected of her. She backed away, whimpering fearfully.

“No woman,” he caught her by the ankle. Slowly he placed the blade against the bare flesh of her calf. Sara gasped involuntarily, the metal was cold, but there was something more to the blade. It made her senses tingle.

“The blade is enchanted,” she heard herself whisper. At the same moment the robed man laughed lowly.

“Perhaps Reigh is not so much of a fool as he seems,” he twisted the blade slightly so that the point pushed against her flesh, and slowly he pressed it against her leg. Sara gasped, and watched as a trickle of deep crimson blood flowed out around the blade and down into a pool on the floor. Sara’s mind worked furiously, he was not going to kill her, she knew it, he needed her for something. But she could sense from him a knowledge of a thousand ways of hurting her that would not bring her death.

A scene flashed before her eyes, only for the briefest of seconds, and she knew, she would beg for death and he would not oblige her. Fear filled her heart, and then was gone. The sound of wind filled her ears, and the smell of burning wood filled her ears. Beneath her the stone floor seemed to become warm to the touch. A growl filled the air around them, and a brilliant white wolf appeared at Sara’s side. At showed it’s fangs to the robed man and snarled menacingly.

The robed man gasped, then stepped back, clapping excitedly.

“A fully formed protector, already…” he exclaimed. Raising his hands to the wolf, he murmured a few words, “Come to me.”

The wolf seemed to waver, whimpered slightly and took a step toward the robed man.

“No!” Sara breathed. The wolf stopped, and turned its head to Sara.

The wolf snarled with greater fierceness, and returned its angry gaze to the robed man. It advanced slowly, head low to the ground.

“Come to me,” The robed man repeated again, his voice wavering slightly. This time, the wolf did not waver, and Sara took the chance to bring herself to her feet, “Stop!” He demanded this time, and Sara sensed there was more to what he spoke than the word alone. The wolf seemed to shimmer, and then, was gone.

“Take her,” He demanded, and the captain rushed forward to restrain Sara. She struggled as best as she could, but she felt drained.

“What will we do with her?” The captain asked carefully.