*Episode 3: The Price of Chains* Morning came too quickly. The sun rose, but it didn’t bring warm. It only made the ashes of my village clearer, the ruins black against the sky. I hadn’t slept. How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father falling, my mother screaming, the flames swallowing everything I ever knew. The other prisoners were waking up, their eyes empty, their bodies weak. Some whispered prayers. Some didn’t say anything at all. Then, the soldiers came. “Get up!” one of them barked. He banged his sword against the cage, making a loud, sharp sound. “Move, or you’ll be dragged.” One by one, they pulled us out, pushing and shoving like we were animals. My wrists were tied, the rope biting into my skin. The soldiers didn’t care. They just tightened it. I stumbled forward, trying to keep up. The sun was too bright. My body was too weak. My stomach was empty, but I didn’t even feel hunger. Just numbness. We were being taken somewhere. I didn’t know where, and I was too afraid to ask. Then I saw him. Nwabueze. He sat on a black horse, watching us like a man admiring his new possessions. His eyes met mine, and something in them made my skin crawl. “She’s the one,” he said. One of the soldiers nodded. “Yes, my lord. The carpenter’s daughter.” My chest tightened. The way he said it like my father was nothing. Like I was nothing. Nwabueze smirked. “Strong spirit,” he said. “We’ll see how long that lasts.” I didn’t reply. I kept my head down, biting my lip to stop myself from shaking. We walked for hours. Maybe days. My feet ached. My throat was dry. Some of the prisoners fell, too weak to continue. The soldiers didn’t stop for them. If you couldn’t walk, you were left behind. By the time we reached the city, my legs were barely holding me up. The market was full of people, laughing, buying, selling. It was like they didn’t see us. Like we weren’t even human. Then I realized. They didn’t see people. They saw slaves. And we were the merchandise. To be continued… *Follow Channel for Full Story* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaog51mHbFVF2i4IJX3S