Episode Fifty-Three The Layout

N adira

I'm so glad Thallose's arm is circling my waist, because without it my knees would buckle and I would fall to the stone floor. We stand in silence as we take in the scene below us.

We're one or two stories above an enormous area bounded by tall fences topped with sharp wire. The factories seem to go on forever, but we're directly above an open area with a great deal of activity.

Human men armed with laser rifles over their shoulders and batons fastened at their hips are giving orders. They have earpieces equipped with microphones and when they touch a button on their wrists, their spoken orders are amplified.

There must be a dozen species working in the open yard, their skin glistening from sweat despite the late-fall chill. My glance flicks in Zoron's direction to see how this is affecting him. The most prominent species I see are centaurs. Most are being used as beasts of burden. The man wrangling them isn't using his laser or the baton. He's using a whip. All the centaurs bear lash marks.

Zoron is standing like a statue. I imagine if he allowed even a sliver of his emotions to show he wouldn't be able to contain them.

I force myself to look around. We're here on a recon mission, after all. But my mind rebels, insisting I look at the people before I get the lay of the land for our future invasion.

There are elves, monks, orcs, and many other species. All carrying, lifting, boxing, and labeling. All miserable, enslaved, and far too thin.

Absently, I wonder where the children are. From what I've been told, the men in hovers like to steal children. Perhaps they're in barracks. Maybe they're working inside the factories.

My hand grips Thallose's more tightly. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse that there isn't a starflyer within sight. Of course it's a curse. If it were me, I'd get down on my knees to thank the gods if I were him and saw my sister, no matter how badly she'd been treated. At least he would know she was alive. But she's not here.

Finally, I pull my attention from the living creatures to the layout of the factories. We'll have to discuss our plan of attack, but if we have the manpower and firepower, I imagine it will be easy to take out most of these structures. They're all in a clump. I guess it's easier for the guards to control their slaves in this one contained area.

The logistics will have to be discussed when we're back home. Right now, it's my job to commit all I see to memory.

Far off to the right, nestled into the stone hill, looks like slave barracks. Between that and the open compound is a nicer dwelling. It must be apartments for the humans.

It takes me a moment to make sense of what I'm seeing, but when I refocus my eyes, I see a human female on one of the fenced-in porches. The slats are far enough apart she can look out, but too close together to slide through. She may be human, but she's as much a slave as any of the others.

I hadn't even wondered about human women being here until Eldar mentioned it. Even when he forced me to think about it, I really didn't expect to encounter any. It breaks my heart to see that frail woman, looking out the bars of her balcony, her palms gripping the metal as she watches impotently. Maybe my father's and husband's apartments were nicer than hers, but I was just as much a slave as she is.

"Have we seen enough?" Eldar asks between clenched teeth. His voice is rough, filled with suppressed emotion. Anger? Sadness? Probably both since those are the emotions I'm feeling.

I have the presence of mind to say, "Wait. We can't leave until we know where the weapons are. It will be impossible to attack without knowing that."

"I left long ago," Eldar answers. "I thought I'd forgotten a lot, but now that I'm looking at it, I remember every brick and stick of wood. There was a fire, but most buildings have been rebuilt where they stood."

He pauses, clenching his teeth so hard I hear them grind. "The sound of the whip and the disgust in the males' voices as they order the slaves around was indelibly etched in my brain. I remember the smell of the sweat and the weariness in the people's eyes. On my sneaky trips around the compound, I investigated almost every building."

He points between two large factories. "It's down there. A red brick building. If we enter through the gates there," he points, "kill all the guards in this open area, and run through there, we'll have weapons within minutes of the first breach."

I'd thought we'd plan when we got back to our village, but Eldar has already decided at least the first three steps. I'm sure if it were up to him, he'd attack today.

We've stepped into the shadows and are scurrying through the narrow stone hallways when my body quits moving. Emotions from what I just saw barrel at me and slam into me so hard I'm shaking.

"Thallose," I whisper.

"Heartbreaking," he croons to me as he shelters me under his wing. On the way in, his downy wing gave me comfort. It carries his airy masculine smell, which reassured me in the dark. Right now, though, it gives little relief. Nothing can remove the memory and impact of the pain I just witnessed.

"We're going to free every male, female, and child," I say with conviction, even though my body is quivering with emotion. "And we're going to destroy every brick and board in that whole fucking compound."