Ironroc's Chains

By Bobby Smith and Carianne Smith

Ironroc is a strong willed, red-haired, muscular man. He finds himself enslaved and tested mentally and physically. After being sold, bought and stolen, he encounters death time and time again against mind-blowing obstacles. Discovering he is unable to overcome challenges at his new home, he seeks out an unlikely ally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bobby and Carianne
• Release date: Mar 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736803714

Bobby Smith

Bobby and Carianne are husband and wife; they enjoy creating new worlds together and putting them on paper.

Book preview

1

The boat was swaying in the storm as the waves were crashing against the side. Water was flowing down the steps to where the slaves were chained. The smell of body odor and flesh made it almost unbearable. Every time the lightning would flash, Ironroc could see the piles of men that were too weak to man the ores of the boat. The slave owners usually said that if they can’t work or be sold for profit, then they could be used as fish bait. The mental torture was just as bad as the physical. The agonizing sounds of grown men screaming and crying for the whips to stop, as slash marks go across their backs. This made Ironroc depressed because there was nothing he could do to better his situation. For weeks, they were on the boat. They were only given a few hours a day for sleep and very little to eat; then they took their place on the ores. He had never even heard of such brutality towards fellow man other than at war. However, this was as if it was fun for them.

Before he was captured, he was hunting for food for his family. He was about half a day’s walk from his home and he had killed a boar earlier that day. After dusk, Ironroc cooked up part of the boar and savored every bite. As the fire went down, he laid his head down on a flat rock. While deeply asleep, he was woken up by six men who were attacking him. His arms and legs were being held down, one man on each limb; two others put chains on his ankles and wrists. Then they tied him to the back of a horse with several other unfortunate travelers or runaways. Every few days they would toy with a slave, especially the one that was the noisiest. However, sometimes when one looked at them in a way they didn’t like, that slave would remain a target for them. Usually, it was just humiliating for the slaves and entertainment for the owners. There was one man that refused to give them the satisfaction of showing any emotion. This infuriated them, so they started putting hot coals on his stomach as they held him down. Still, he refused to scream. The smell of burning flesh was horrid. This made them even angrier as they shoved a big hot glowing coal in his mouth and put a leather strap across it so he couldn’t spit it out. Next, they held his hand down while taking a blade and sticking it through each finger one at a time and then twist it. They had no remorse for their actions and they held nothing back. The torture was severe. All the men that were watching wondered where his strength was coming from. Once his hands looked like hamburger, the slave owners continued their amusement by taking heavy stones and smashing the man’s feet. They would laugh with each stone thrown. After that, they started dragging him through the campfire slowly. For over half the night that man was tortured. Once they were finished with him, they drug him off to the side of camp to die. His body was left for the animals to feed on. For days, the slaves remained silent as they carefully obeyed every command.

To Ironroc, it seemed like a month on that boat of manning the ores. They overheard the captain yell, Land-ho! It was hard to believe they were finally going to be on dry land. The slave owners got the longboats ready to load up their slaves. They then took ten slaves off of the boat at a time. It felt like it took all day to get everyone to the beach. They were getting ready to be sold to the highest bidder, so they had to wash in the bay before they reached this new land. The saltwater was both refreshing and a bit painful for those with fresh wounds. Ironroc’s hair was so filled with sweat and filth that the red in his hair could barely be seen. The baths made them more presentable, muscle tone was more visible. This was important to the slave owners because most of the time, more muscle meant more money. Ironroc had the most muscle mass of all the slaves by far, which brought more attention to him. The slave trade was about three days’ walk from where they reached the shore. They kept calling the city they were going to, The Drink. Not really knowing what to expect, Ironroc just kept his head down, hoping for a decent owner.

As they came through the city gates, the guards demanded a silver coin to enter The Drink. There were guards every fifty feet, with eight guards at every entrance. There was something special about this place, Ironroc thought to himself. The walls around the city must have been nearly a hundred feet tall, with guards patrolling the tops of them. The city was set up in circles. The outer walls were in the shape of a circle, there were small houses spaced around on the inside of the walls following the circular pattern. Then, the market district was on the inside of the houses. Different stores and traders, even healers had shops set up in this part, which was also designed in a circle. Just on the inside of the market district, another wall was built. This wall was only about twelve feet tall. This too had guards on top of the wall all the way around. On the inside of the wall was a tall tower in the center. It was at least sixty feet tall. The slaves were sold in the market district, they were to be lined up just after dawn and put on display until the sun reached high noon. This way, the bidders could have time to look at the stock being sold. Ironroc felt humiliated by being forced to stand in nothing but a small piece of cloth covering his mid-section. The women that were also being sold as slaves had to wear the same, a small cloth just covering their front mid-section. As buyers came up to inspect the slaves, some would feel the muscles of the men, some would feel the softness of the women’s skin, while others would hit them to see how they reacted to pain and if they would hit them back or say something disrespectful. Ironroc’s hair was touched a lot; the redness seemed to attract a lot of different people. Also, his muscles brought a lot of interest to him. He was standing next to an older man that looked as though he hadn’t eaten in years. Most people just passed him by, like he wasn’t worth their time, but he seemed to know what they were all thinking. "This man might not have a body worth money, but his knowledge was surely just as important, Ironroc thought to himself. To the other side of Ironroc, was a man about thirty years of age, the same age as him. He seemed to be crying. This puzzled Ironroc, Was he crying because he was far away from his family? Was he in pain or scared that he was not going to be purchased by a good master?" Ironroc kept his emotions in check; he refused to show anything but respect to anyone that approached him, even to the ones that struck him.

High noon came and there was a loud noise that Ironroc had never heard before. Startled, he looked around and saw that it was just a horn made from some animal that he’s also never seen before. As it was blown, he got into a defensive position. He was prepared for someone to attack. It wasn’t long before he realized that it was just the way the beginning of the slave bidding was announced. He quickly returned to his regular stance. Whispering among themselves, everyone was observing the slaves that they were interested in purchasing. Five slaves were brought up on a platform at a time. A slave would be unchained then bidding would start. This was very intense, almost like a sport. Ironroc noticed as the prices got higher and higher as the bidders would attempt to intimidate each other. Sometimes, it worked other times it just made it more profound.

Ironroc was in the next group to be placed on the platform to be sold. As he stood on the platform, he noticed his palms were beginning to get sweaty, and his heart was racing. He knew he had no control over who was going to become his master. As the bidding started, there were many people that were interested in him. His rare red hair and his physique were eye-catching. It didn’t take long before the price was too high for most bidders that were trying