Did the man mention what animal he was selling? I pressed my ear closer against the door. Even one gold piece would be more than enough to purchase mansion fit for a king, and the smuggler wanted five?

“My master will send the gold over to you. The money should be delivered in three days.”

“Three days? I’ll be back in the wildlands by then. My business don’t stop just cause your master can’t scrounge together the funds. I want that money by tomorrow night, or I’m going to find another buyer.”

“Please, Andre,” Bert began. “My master-”

The man, Andre, cut in. “I don’t recall giving you permission to say my name,” he snarled. “I don’t give a rat’s ass who your master is. Tomorrow night, five while gold, or I’m gone. Now get out of my sight.” The man’s voice took on a dismissive tone as he commanded Bert to leave. The sound of the chair scraping against the wooden floor could be heard, then Bert’s heavy footsteps.

Suddenly, the door opened, knocking me to the ground. I grunted in surprise at the impact, heart pounding with adrenaline. Bert looked down at me. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded, reaching down for his knife.

Andre’s voice called out from inside. “That’s my errand boy. Don’t even think about laying hands on him, and let him in.” Bert grunted, then stepped aside, brusquely nudging me as he walked back towards the main road. “Don’t even think about running away,” the man said. “Come inside.” The menace in his voice was unmistakable. Slowly, I got up and walked into the building, finally getting a good look at the man.

He had a long, lean face, with oily black hair and a full mustache and triangular goatee. He lounged in a wooden chair by a coffee table, idly playing with a silver dagger. By the doorway as I walked in were two massively built men, arms crossed and staring straight at me. Looking up at me, the man smiled, eyes full of greed and menace. “Good choice, boy” he told me. “If you had run, they would have hurt you, and I don’t like damaged goods.” He gestured at the two bruisers by the door. Seeing my frightened expression, he leaned forward and smiled. “Shouldn’t have been peeping around where you don’t belong, boy. You’re mine, now.”

My heart sank as I realized what I had gotten myself into. I had been kidnapped by a dangerous man, and it didn’t look like I was going to be getting away soon. After looking me up and down for a bit, the man waved his hands. “Take him to the cell,” he commanded. The two bruisers each grabbed onto an arm and hauled me upstairs. “Don’t bruise him up too bad,” the man called up. “I want him looking pretty for the slave market.”

The words slave market rang in my ears. I had suspected it the moment he said damaged goods, but this solidified things. I was going to be sold in some foreign market if I didn’t do anything. My eyes welled up a bit as I thought about my mother and father. It was getting close to when I had to be back, but there was no way they would find me in this nondescript alleyway. Blinking to clear my sight, I steeled my resolve. I would need to get out of this situation myself.

Reaching the third floor of the building, a third man was sat on a chair by the stairs, head drooped as he dozed. “Got a new product,” bruiser one grunted, nudging the third man. “Get your ass up. You’re lucky we were the ones that caught you sleeping, and not the boss.” The man started, looking up. While the two bruisers were built like bears, this man was thinner than a twig, his straw colored hair covering his eyes.

Panicking, he started from his seat, bowing his head. “I’m sorry, sir. Please don’t hurt me,” he said, cringing away from the two bruisers.

Bruiser one snorted. “I don’t give a shit,” he muttered. “Ain’t like anything can escape from a locked cage.”

Opening the door, the two men dragged me in. Inside the room, I was greeted with a row of empty cages. Most of the residents had already been sold off, it seemed. The first bruiser grabbed the ring of keys hung by the door. Shoving me into a cage, the first bruiser locked the door in my face. He grinned at me, displaying his misshaped teeth. “You’re our next payday,” he told me. “Sleep tight!” he called mockingly, walking out of the room.

Sitting on the straw on the floor of the cage, I fought back tears. “Breathe,” I told myself. I needed to get out of here before they moved us to the slave markets.

Then, suddenly, an animal mewed at me from the cell next to mine. Spinning around in surprise, I found myself looking at a baby lion. Doing a double take, I rubbed my eyes and looked closer, getting more and more surprised. I knew this shouldn’t be possible, yet there it was. “Looks like I’ve found the animal worth all that gold,” I muttered. “Let’s get you out of here with me.”

The baby lion mewed again, as if agreeing. Then, flapping its wings, it flew back to its pile of straw, curled up, and went back to sleep. I gazed over at the sleeping animal. Winged lions, called the Shedu by the humans who discovered it, were thought to have gone extinct years ago. Though this one was only a baby, when fully grown, Shedu were said to be unstoppable.