Cinder provided the women with a great example of what to do. So, they hurried towards the men and began to choose someone, desperate to save themselves from the blistering heat of the desert.

Without asking for a name or age, a couple of women simply dashed to hug the men before finally taking a look at the one they embraced. Before long, another problem arose. Three women were attached to a man, each claiming that they were the first to reach him.

Soon, each of the unmarried men had a woman next to them. A woman who had missed her chance to find one started to beg.

“I-I won’t make a good wife!”

Everyone there knew what she meant. After all, the women here were all prisoners with varying charges. Robbery, murder, arson, theft, and prostitution.

When the war ended and veterans flocked to the capital, the prostitutes they had picked up with them were also driven to the capital where the royal family took them in on purpose. This was because, at the end of the day, there would be no one to find them. Even if they were sent to Saul. They were simply beings to be eventually sold on the streets.

The woman who had proclaimed that she was not fit to be a good wife soon smiled. Recalling back the ever so fond memories of when she was sold on the streets and let out a laugh. The men, who had already chosen a wife, shook their heads as if he was sorry to see such a woman.

“There’s only one group of people who to cross the desert. It’s also dangerous to split it into two. Moreover, there’s no reason for me to have to take a larger risk for a prostitute when I’ve already got a wife.”

Almost instantly, the woman’s smile disappeared. Glancing around, most of the men have now found their partners.

The woman, having finally registered the situation, approached the men standing behind her. The men that are said to already have a wife.

“I’ve farmed ever since I came to the capital. I know how to shear sheep and take care of horses!”

She had to sell her talents as she refused to sell her body. At her shout, several men’s hands were raised. After thinking for a while, she took the hand of the strongest looking man there.

He asked the woman a few things before he then took out a small bottle of water and dried bread from his backpack. The woman tightly clasped the items and sat next to the man and began to eat in a hurry.

That was the end of the deal.

The few remaining women were still busy contemplating. If they could not be a wife, their next choice will be to be their slaves. Those are the only ways they would make it out of the desert alive.

A couple of women who chose neither choices stepped back. Deertes was also standing together in the group. Of which, some still had their moral principles left and some who did not want to choose either.

The men who did not manage to get slaves stepped forward in an attempt to persuade the women.

“It will only be for 3 years. I don’t use a whip or anything else. You also don’t need to work more than 8 hours a day. Plus, I’ll provide accommodations for you.”

“I don’t have any hard to handle farms. All you have to do is to drive the sheep out of the pasture by the river in the morning and back at night. Once a month, I’ll count the number of sheep that have increased and give you half of it. If there’s an increase of 5, you’ll get 3.”

A few women were persuaded and ended up holding hands with those who shouted out their suggestions. 3 years. The women, who had been prisoners from the beginning, were also imprisoned for 3 years, then to be released as free citizens. In any case, the main idea was to live for 3 years.

“Can you take care of both of us together? We are sisters.”

“In doing so, we’ll have a tight supply of items. Will you be able to hold on? Since we’ll have to split the remaining supplies in half again.”

“I can withstand it. So take us with you.”

They all seemed to be adjusting their criteria in accordance with each situation and circumstance.

More time has passed, and it was only left to six remaining women who have yet to make a choice, including Deertes.

Not only that, more men started to hover nearby the remaining women. Deertes felt strange as she looked at them. None have yet to speak to her.

They did not even spare a glance in her direction, as if she were not present there at all, and passed by her to move towards the other women to ask for their well-being.

“Tell everyone that the woman who covers her face is excluded from the auction.”

Those were the exact words Cassar had said. And they must be what Brian had said to the men as he walked around.

The men suggested a few more offers to other women except Deertes, but the women refused. In the meantime, the men who have had their share of the auction seemed ready to leave.

The men snuffed out the remaining bonfire and proceeded to spit at the sea, where Alex and his group fled. Soon several men who had crossed the hill brought dozens of beasts.

“What are those?”

All of the women looked at the beast they had never seen before, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and fear. Even when the beast was still far away, Deertes could tell that it was not a horse. The beast’s gait was relaxed as it went down the dunes. As it came closer, she could make out its features. How its body was much bigger, the neck was longer, and hooves were wider in comparison to a horse.

The men walked forward and looked for their beasts, patting them with their hands once they found theirs. As if on cue, the beast bent down and lowered itself onto its knees. The men helped their women onto the beast’s back before quickly getting on it too.

Then, some of the group approached the blue-eyed man.

She could not make out the words that they exchanged since they were too far away, but the conversation was short. It was as if the beasts knew the conversation was over, they started getting restless. Noticing this, the men on the beasts quickly lifted their whips.

The ground began to slightly tremble as the sound of the thick leather making contact with the backs of the beasts rang out. Dozens of which quickly left their kneeling positions. The calm and relaxed feeling they had when coming down the dunes quickly dissipated, leaving behind a galloping beast that rushed up the hill.

A scream was heard at the sudden increase in speed but it soon disappeared.

“I’ve been deserted…”

A woman sat on the ground, face filled with desperation and shock as she muttered repeatedly. Deertes too felt a sense of isolation.

Simply put, if you were to just change your family name and governor, you would be able to easily get out of this hell.

However, she had refused to change either of those and such a thought was now meaningless. In the end, the woman now ended up stranded here.

“You over there! I’d rather be a slave. Take me with you.”

The woman suddenly shouted out. The remaining women’s heads turned, noticing the direction in which she ran. There, Cassar stood, packing up his belongings and preparing to leave. However, he simply ignored the woman’s actions and proceeded to hop onto his beast.

“Please! Take me with you.”

She grabbed onto the beast’s hind leg and hung onto it in an attempt to prevent him from leaving. Not sparing a glance at the woman’s action, Cassar turned to face Deertes who had stepped back upon noticing his line of sight.

Deertes was puzzled. He seemed to be looking at her in a way that one would look at something terrible, yet, at the same time, he also appeared to want to reach out to her.

‘Why would he look at me like that?’

After a while, he made up his mind. Chewing on his lips, he picked up a whip and struck the woman’s hand that was still persistently hanging onto the beast’s leg.

“Ack!”

She fell onto the sand with a scream as the sound of the whip slicing through the air was heard once more. The woman who clutched her injured hand cried at Cassar who had only continued trotting forward.

At the crack of dawn, the sun peeked out from behind dunes as the clouds become lit with fabulous, warm light.

Under the sun, only the clear marks of departure were left on the sand.

***

The beasts continued running through the land full of sand. The sound of their legs hitting the ground shook the earth, scaring away the small creatures that lay in the shade of the hill, forcing them to quickly seek a better hiding location.

Cassar, who was at the forefront of the formation, vigorously whipped the beast again.

Remu. That was the name of the animal born to run in the desert. Remus have thick and tough leathery skins, so, instead of splattering blood when being whipped, they would instead scream as if excited. And once again, their thick legs dashed across the sandy plains.

‘Why did I do that?’

Cassar thought as he whipped Remu again. Even though he was the one whipping Remu, he felt like hitting himself with the whip instead. When Deertes had asked for his name, he had agonised over such a question for a while before eventually giving up the name Cassar.

After which, he had felt a wave of unknown anger upon realising that Deertes had shown no change in her facial expression at his name.

‘Do you not remember me?’

It was at that moment where Brian, who had been riding beside him, shouted. Cassar turned his head to face him.

Cassar and Lachlan. Both of which were his names. However, Cassar was the name of a slave that no one called anymore whereas Lachlan was a registered name in the Ramedes’ noble yearbook.

“What’s happening?”

“I’ve called to you several times but you didn’t answer me. I think we will need to take a break. We had travelled further than expected. Any longer and the Remus would end up collapsing.”

Upon hearing Brian’s words, he turned back. As a result of the endless running in the midday sun, most of the Remus was now breathing heavily with a large majority also with their tongues hanging out of their mouths. That was not the only issue.

None of the women who had accompanied them was fully conscious. Some had to be tied to the Remu’s back or held in the arms of their husbands or owners, both of which were sweating profusely.

‘I’ve made a mistake.’

He had failed to take good care of and monitor the well-being of his subordinates as he had been caught up by the name Cassar and had instead run at the same pace that he normally would. Now, he had to turn back into Lachlan.

Pulling at his reins to bring his Remu to a stop, those following behind him too did the same and stopped.

Around them, large dunes stood. As it was the afternoon, the light of the sun which was slowly disappearing to one side was blocked by the dunes and in turn, created a large area of shade.

“Everyone, get into the shade.”

“Everyone, get into the shade! Go take a break!”

Brian shouted, echoing Lachlan’s words, as the men who were following behind also quickly followed the order.

At the corner of his eyes, Lachlan noticed a woman that was riding on a Remu being led by Brian. He paused at the sight.

‘Is that Cinder?’

It appears that even the woman who seemed to have the strongest personality had fallen unconscious. It was the same woman who had cursed at the sun in the sky until she had eventually collapsed.