The siblings had escaped the looming threat of nature and its many creatures, only to find themselves ensnared in the clutches of a far more vicious beast—humans.

  Unlike animals—or even monsters like the giant mole—human beings were driven not by instinct or shaped by necessity. No, the forces governing their motives were much more complex and sinister.

  The foremost among those forces was desire—desire for money, material and flesh, to name a few. One of these desires drove the masters, 'the enslavers', to the vile act of slavery.

  It was also desire that compelled others, like the siblings, to resist diktats unfavourable to them.

  However, a question persisted: whose desire would prevail?

  The answer, since time immemorial, has remained the same: the strong ones.

  The will of the strong always prevailed. The weak ones had to forsake their desires to fit with the victors, or else they perish.

  But what if one's survival and desires were inseparable?

  Such was the case with the older sibling, for she could not live according to the will of the masters—that choice was made long ago when they had fled Caldraveth. Struggle and confrontation were inevitable.

  But could the weak upend the will of the strong?

  Carrying the desire for a better life for herself and her sister, the older sibling stared at the ceiling, searching for a way out.

  A loud snoring reverberated inside the metal carriage, disturbing all except for its source—Teo Holm.

  Useful as Teo is, he just won't let me think! the older sibling thought.

  Nights in Cinderglaze were also noisy, yet, they had never vexed her like this. Perhaps, because she knew this was a sound she could quieten—For good!

  The older sibling sat up with a blanket in her hands. She looked darkly at Teo, I promise to name Pipsqueak's next pet after you, Teo. Goodbye.

  But before she could act on her impulse, a blanket came flying in and covered Teo's upper body, slightly muffling his snore. Then, a brown sweater landed on his head, followed by another one, muting Teo's snore almost completely.

  I think that did the trick. The older sibling put down the blanket, deeming smothering to be no longer necessary.

  A low sound still escaped from under the blanket and two sweaters, so someone hurled a sock next. Though this did not stop the lingering noise, it did serve to vent out someone's frustration.

  The older sibling looked around and saw the other four children—two boys and two girls—had awakened. Some of them yawned, while others listlessly rubbed their eyes.

  "Don't you think he might die?" The older sibling asked.

  "He hasn't died yet. I'm sure he'll survive another night," a girl of the same age as the older sibling replied. She wore neither sweater nor blanket, having sacrificed both for a noble cause.

  The girl quickly engaged herself in a tussle for a blanket from a boy roughly her age.

  "C'mon you animal, share some with me too!" She barked, pinning the boy's head with her leg.

  The boy was also missing his sweater, and upon a closer look, even a sock from one foot.

  Biting the girl's toe the boy retorted, "Then you shouldn't have thrown away yours, witch."

  "Aa... You wild animal—today you shall be culled!" The girl snapped and continued the battle for the blanket.

  Behind them the older sibling observed the other two children. Unlike the fighting duo, they seemed pretty calm.

  One was an older girl, she sat in a courteous posture, and her hair was neat even in a place like this. Resting on her lap was a young boy, who tried to catch his sleep amidst all the commotion.

  Noticing the older sibling's gaze, the older girl spoke, "Sena, Gar, we have a new member, please behave yourselves."

  But neither listened as they continued to wage their battle atop a mobile fortress in the dead of night.

  Shaking her head, the older girl placed the younger boy's head on the floor and approached the older sibling.

  "Hello, I'm Livia Renwick," she said, and sat beside the older sibling.

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  "Hi... " The older sibling was a little surprised by Livia's forthcoming nature and the pleasant smile etched on her face.

  "You don't have to be wary, those two are mostly harmless," Livia said.

  "Who's the sleepy boy?" The older sibling asked.

  "That's Olren, he doesn't speak much."

  "Can you tell me about..." The older sibling drifted mid-speech, thinking:

  I can't directly ask her about the enslavers—I don't know if I can trust her yet.

  Livia lightly clasped the older sibling's arm, and said, "You don't have to feel threatened, please speak your mind... Oh sorry, I forgot to ask your name; miss?"

  "I—I..." The older sibling's voice faltered.

  "Miss I, huh, that's a weird thing to name your daughter. Are you sure your mother was in her right mind while naming you I?" Sena interrupted, having won the battle for the blanket, she smugly made the comment.

  Disregarding her sprained ankle, the older sibling lunged at Sena; throwing her into a new fight.

  Sena by nature was a belligerent person, she reveled in petty squabbles and minor brawls.

  Grinning brightly, she easily knocked the older sibling off of her. Then climbing over the older sibling, she began punching her.

  "Sena, stop that, please," Livia pleaded.

  "Shut up Liv, she's the one who started it. I'm just..." Sena kept on punching the older sibling. "... teaching her who's in charge."

  Sena's knuckles became red and the older sibling's face bruised. The older sibling tried to claw Sena's face, but the latter easily swatted it away.

  Despite being on the receiving end, the older sibling's eyes burned with a cold light.

  "Haha, still not done yet, you—"

  Suddenly the carriage stopped, shaking off Sena's balance and concentration. Seizing the moment, the older sibling overturned her and switched places.

  Sena had initially thought that this was going to be another one of her petty fights. But the moment the older sibling's first blow landed on her teeth, she knew her folly—this was going to be a bitter fight. Then came the second hit, which knocked three of Sena's front teeth.

  By all rights Sena should have been afraid, but her pride did not allow her that luxury: "Is thath all you've goth I?!" She grinned. Her missing teeth and bloodied mouth painted a grim imagery.

  But the older sibling had seen worse, been through worse, and it would take far more than blood and grit to waver her. Leaning closer, she stopped mere inches away from Sena, and spoke evenly, "If you're still breathing, then no."

  Her words sent a shiver of fear down Sena's spine.

  "Knock it off you two," Livia again pleaded.

  Faint sounds of footsteps came from outside.

  "Yeah, I think someone's coming; nice punches though, I," Gar commented. He silently enjoyed the spectacle from a corner, while massaging his aching body.

  Not listening to either, the older sibling grabbed Sena's collar and delivered a resounding headbutt. Sena covered her face in panic as the older sibling clenched another fist above her—then a sharp clank came from outside. The gates were opening.

  The metal doors slowly parted. Outside, the night was shrouded in thick mist; some of it crept along the floor—bringing a chilling cold inside.

  Piercing the white haze, a small circle of light appeared, slowly approaching the children. It was accompanied by heavy footsteps, echoing in the silent night.

  Soon a man with sturdy build holding a lantern was revealed, though his face was obscured behind the hazy fog.

  The lantern's light flickered in the mist, casting shadows that seemed to dance on air. Yet, despite its flame, the lantern offered no warmth to the children. Although some of the children's bodies were already plenty hot for another reason.

  "What's the ruckus?" the man said, his voice grating and bereft of any kindness.

  Inside, he saw four of the six children soundly asleep; only Livia and the older sibling had not joined the ruse, though for different reasons.

  "Nothing master," Livia said quickly. "I was merely rehearsing for the presentation, I swear."

  "Hmm..." The man's gaze sharpened. "Just remember not to be too loud. If I have to come back, it won't end well for you, girl."

  "Yes master, of course; I will remember, thank you for the warning," Livia meekly responded.

  The man shifted his eyes towards the older sibling and asked, "What happened to your face, girl?"

  "I hit the wall and fell over when I got up to drink water, master," the older sibling said.

  The man grumbled: "Make your face pretty again, we'll arrive at the outskirts soon—you wouldn't want to fetch a low price, and make me unhappy. Understand me, girl?"

  "Yes, master."

  How does one make themselves pretty? The older sibling questioned to herself.

  The man began to close the door again, when the older sibling interrupted: "Sir—I mean master, where's my sister? Is she alright?"

  The man spared her a small glance and closed the door. The older sibling looked dejected, then the man's voice sounded from outside as he spoke in passing, "Still unconscious, she should awake after two more days."

  The older sibling listened carefully, looking down at the floor, tears forming in her eyes, though none were allowed to fall.

  "So, you've goth a litthle sither, I," an uneven voice came from behind her.

  It was Sena who spoke, her missing teeth had given her a comical lisp.

  "Yes, she was poisoned. Don't you guys know that already, Teo said..."

  "I'm gonna sthop, you righth there. You see, when Theo is awake we sleep, and when he's alseep," Sena threw a garment lying around at Teo before continuing, "he won't let anyone else sleep."

  "Fair enough," the older sibling shared her woes.

  "Hey, don't worry if she's your sister, she's ought to be pretty tough, not just anybody can reduce Sena to this stathe," Gar commented humorously.

  Sena punched his arm.

  "Yes, she will be fine, masters have many potions with them," Livia added reassuringly.

  Olren silently nodded approvingly.

  "Hathe, tho, say buth, your punches hurth like hell, so if she's anything like you then she'll be fine no doubth, okay I—is ith fine if call you thath," Sena said, holding the older sibling's shoulder.

  The older sibling replied, "Yeah, sure, just don't insult my mum."

  "Duly nothed."

  "Thanks," the older sibling said glancing around at everyone.

  Gar nudged Sena playfully: "Hey, witch, try saying: time is tantamount to two carrot."

  Sena immediately grabbed him in an arm hold, sparking another brawl.

  The older sibling watched their playful quarrel with growing amusement.

  Livia soon drew the older sibling into another light-hearted gossip, which lasted for quite a while.

  Meanwhile, Teo slept on, completely unfazed by the chaos around him—not a moment's sleep lost.

  For a night, laughter filled the cage. For a night, it almost sounded like the children had a life.