The first thing the young man felt was a dull, throbbing pain in the back of his head, which brought on a wave of nausea. Faint light and voices began to break through his clouded consciousness, and then suddenly, a sharp, mucous-burning smell of ammonia hit his nose.
Thomas inhaled convulsively, coughed, and heavily opened his eyes. The picture before his eyes swayed, blurring into colored spots. He swayed with it, as if he were on a boat rocking on large waves. Thomas instinctively leaned forward to brace his hands on the floor in front of him, but he couldn't — his wrists were bound behind his back with a stiff leather strap. Someone's rough, strong hands held him by the shoulders, keeping him from collapsing face-first onto the floor.
His vision gradually focused. The smell of ammonia grew weaker, replaced by a sickeningly sweet aroma of perfume. In the room he found himself in, a semi-darkness reigned, dispelled only by the light of a few lamps under burgundy lampshades; the windows were tightly closed with heavy velvet drapes. The atmosphere, which they had tried to make luxurious, actually oozed with such depravity that Thomas felt uneasy.
"Sleeping beauty has awoken," came the familiar voice of the fish-eyed recruiter right by his ear. His fingers dug painfully into the young man's shoulder.
"You brought him with a split lip and an abrasion on his cheekbone, Crow. I made it clear that you were not to ruin the merchandise."
This voice belonged to a woman.
Tall, thin, dressed in a dark gown of expensive fabric. A necklace gleamed on her neck, and her graying hair was styled up.
"He fought back," Crow boomed in justification. "The pup turned out to have teeth. The scrape will heal in a couple of days, you'd better look at the breeding! I could have sold him to anyone, but I brought him straight to you!"
The Madam stopped a step away from him. She examined him appraisingly, as if sizing up an expensive stallion.
"Lift his head," she ordered.
Crow roughly grabbed Thomas by the hair at the back of his head and yanked it back. The young man hissed in pain and threw his eyes up, meeting the woman's icy gaze. Hatred and anger splashed in his amber eyes. He wanted to spit threats into her face, but his mouth was terribly dry, and his tongue could barely move.
The woman leaned closer. Her cold, bony fingers with sharp nails touched his chin. She turned his face first to the left, then to the right, ignoring how he tried to jerk his head away.
"Clear, smooth skin," she stated. Her fingers slid to his lips, forcing them open, as if checking a horse's teeth. Thomas jerked, but the grip on the back of his head was stronger. "Healthy teeth. And what eyes... Fair hair and skin are always in high demand."
Then her hands moved lower. She unceremoniously threw open the collar of his crumpled shirt, exposing his collarbones, and ran her palm over his protruding collarbones and chest. Thomas shuddered at the touch. He had never felt so disgusted in his entire life. He was being treated not even as a captive, but as a piece of meat on a counter.
"Slender, but in good shape," the Madam said thoughtfully, pulling her hands away. "Not a pampered little hothouse flower."
"I told you!" Crow said gleefully. "Top grade!"
"Yes," the Madam thoughtfully tilted her head to the side, looking at Thomas. Satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
"You... will get... nothing from me," Thomas forced out hoarsely, his tongue moving with difficulty, and jutted his chin out.
The Madam smiled condescendingly and turned to Crow.
"Four hundred sovereigns. I'm docking a hundred pounds for the smashed face."
"Madam, he is worth all five hundred!" the man protested indignantly.
"Four hundred, Crow."
The bandit spat angrily onto the expensive carpet but did not argue.
"Deal."
The Madam made a gesture with her hand, and two massive bouncers stepped out of the shadows by the doors.
"Take him to the 'Blue Room' on the third floor. Strip him and inspect him. If he's violent and resists, you know what to do."
The recruiter let go of Thomas, and the young man slumped onto the carpet. In that same second, the bouncers hoisted him up by the arms, lifting him to his feet as easily as a feather.
The doors of the luxurious hall closed behind him, and he had absolutely no strength left to resist.