Judgement dread

 As Fortu comes away from hugging Rifkin he cant help but feel a slight reticence from the normally friendly bard. Thinking back he remembers seeing what could only be called judgemental looks from the bard whenever it was Fortu's turn to see to the 'slaver' Moody. He'd noticed that Riffers would always see that Moody got his share of food and drink even after Fortu had deliberately halved the share to give to Doberman.

He realised that Rifkin had no real concept of the destruction to lives that slavers had. He feared for his friendship if Riffers could not except what Fortu new

Fortu could not remember much of his early life but he could remember in detail the weeks spent in the hull of the slavers vessel after being taken. The heat and smell in the dark confined space, water permanently sloshing around his feet, the hunger, the cries and screams of the others chained in the hold. He was chained next to a boy called Stoggeriard, who preferred Stogie, maybe a landholders son who just couldn't hold down the stale weevil invested bread they were fed. The boy was too weak after a few days and just seemed to give up and die. It took three days before the slavers came and literally cut him from the chain. He never new the names of the three other boys on his chain, he referred to them as 'Slim' 'Hairy' and 'Giant' but between them they managed to stay alive, banding together to stop larger kids stealing their food and making sure one was always awake to prevent rats gnawing at the open sores where the chains rubbed. As boys do they swore that they always protect and look out for each other.

 Fortu only ever saw 'Giant' again after they made land, he saw him in the pit and killed him.

'Slim' was sold to a whorehouse called 'Flesh'. To start it was wonderful, bathed, perfumed fed. Then it became a nightmare, drugged, abused, beaten. After a few years he was sold on to the soldiers copper brothel 'Flesh 2', addicted and diseased he died in a gutter.

'Hairy' was bought by a house that provided beasts for the pits. His owner; a repellent, fat odious man named Stontinumus the dog breeder got annoyed when 'Hairy' pissed himself frightened as he was by the baying wolf like beasts, the owner relaxed the dogs chain to scare him more and laughed as he released it too much and they tore him apart.

Fortu was aware that his behaviour to the slaver Moody made him no better and was going to treat him with more dignity, but he also new that the mage would not be returning to Valdez alive.