---Nadir's POV---

The scent of herbs, dried spices and meals being prepped burned my nostrils as soon as I stepped within the Souk asalam, the local marketplace.

My eyes flitted from the women selling colorful shawls, across a vendor who was providing custom-made shoes, fitted on the spot.

Several vendors with spices were declaring their sales for the day, greeting costumers warmly and weighing their produce on scales.

Children clung to their parents' hands, wide-eyed and pointing at the variety of trinkets and handmade toys that caught their attention.

And everywhere were small food vendors, filling the Souk with tantalizing smells of delicious foods. Tempting anyone who inhaled those delicious scents to buy their wares.

If one wasn't distracted with the blend of potent and mouth-watering scents, they'd easily get overwhelmed by the chatter and background noise.

Moving through the souk, I paused at a few merchants to stock up on supplies, making sure to get some good quality feed for Tahir as well.

Plus, I wanted to make a point of getting him to a farrier, to make sure Tahir's hooves were in tiptop shape. The last thing I wanted was to neglect his care throughout our journey and make him cripple.

Most of my equine knowledge was based on research and what I had learned myself. But I did know that there was no such thing as a three-legged horse.

Horses shifted their massive weight, balancing it on two legs at all times. Even in rest, one could easily see horses alternating their supporting legs.

A sigh escaped me as I remembered the horrifying squeals of a horse with a broken leg. How it was instantly put out of its suffering due to the fact that it was so hard to rehabilitate and recover a horse with one of its legs broken.

Of course some people tried, with varying results. But the main issue was that, in order for the leg to heal, the weight needed to be kept off of the fracture.

Doing so was nearly impossible and even if the owners persisted, it took a great deal of time, care of money.

And even then, recovery was slim. If it was a complicated fracture, it was better to put the poor animal out of its misery.

Which was why I took great care with Tahir, because I knew I wouldn't be able to put him down. I would fight and struggle to keep him alive for as long as possible.

As I roamed around the marketplace, weaving through the ever growing mass that visited these places, I was reminded of a dream I once had.

A dream of the future. Where I had a house of my own, with enough space to give Tahir a nice and comfortable rest of his life.

I had even entertained the idea of buying a mare, to see Tahir produce offspring, perhaps even train horses and sell them.

But I had a feeling that was all it was meant to be; a dream.

Even if I wasn't killed going after the remainder of my former masters, there would still be people holding a grudge. People would look out for someone of my description, would find a way to come after me.

And knowing these bastards, they could just as easily go after Tahir, knowing to strike an opponent where it hurt the most.

It was sadly enough a possibility I had to take into account. These bastards were calculative, cruel and wouldn't mind stooping so low as to slaughter and maim an animal just to drive a point across.

Hell, if they didn't even value the life of a human being, why on earth would they respect that of an animal?

Though I remembered Mercer, my last master, making it a point to treat his animals better than his slaves. Feeding us scraps while his hunting dogs were rewarded with prime cuts of meat.

How those dogs were keen to learn that we couldn't retaliate if they stole any of our food... How, even if we had been working diligently all day in the burning heat and were told to provide water to the horses, we weren't allowed a single drop when filling those troughs.

It was... odd. To feel jealous of an animal. But that had been Mercer's point; to show us that we were deemed less than his animals.

Mercer. He was going to be the most difficult target of them all. The man was cruel and conniving but he was smart. Undoubtedly he already knew exactly who was behind the attacks.

There was no doubt in my mind that his hometown would be swarming with security. Why would he send someone after me, if he knew I was going to come to him eventually?

I still needed to come up with a good plan to take him out. He had been one of the worst I had to endure, though Aakif still took the first spot.

A smirk slipped on my lips before I ducked my head, dipping around a cluster of chatting women to head back out. I was eager to hear news of the changes that happened since I slaughtered those four...

Undoubtedly Saemus' slaver network would've been uncovered, sending people into outrage, especially so when the conditions of the slaves were made known.

Throughout the years, I had encountered several slaves and was actually surprised on how well some of them were treated.

Of course, they had lost their freedom but they had been treated fairly well, given clothes, food and a place to sleep. Treated with dignity and respect instead of a useless piece of furniture meant to be thrown out.

Or worse, an object of lust and need, not caring if the slave was unwilling. I shivered in disgust at the unwanted memories that rose to the surface before squashing them down.

Compared to the life I've known with most of my masters, those slaves have lived a luxurious life. On occasion I had even mistaken them for masters themselves with the way they were dressed and treated.

Some of these so called slave owners actually liberated them. Bought them from the market and made a contract with easy to maintain stipulations that freed the slaves from their predicament permanently.

It was more often than not to see those that mistreated their slaves because it was so shocking. But, there were a select few that tried to give these people their freedom back or otherwise gave them the best possible attempt at a free life.

When Delilah had bought me, I had seen her as an angel coming down to save me, until she revealed her true nature.

But, I was glad that at least for some, there were decent masters. Still, freedom was better than any kind of limited slavery.

People should be free to choose their own destiny. To cheer for their victories and learn from their mistakes, not to be guided along or forced to act in a manner they didn't wish.

A sigh escaped me as I made my way through the familiar yet strange streets. It had been a long while since I had been here after all.

The streets in themselves had remained similar, only experiencing minor changes. The Souk had remained almost identical, save for a few new shops.

But there were several minor changes, as one could expect in life. The small diner at the corner of the street was no more, most likely due to the old owner's passing.

I remembered eating there several times after my chores were done. How the old man had greeted everyone warmly, had enjoyed the small talk he got with his patrons.

His son had passed away in an accident and with no other people to call family, the one person who was intended to take over the business, was sadly no more.

But around the corner, the now elderly woman was still making qatayef by hand, accompanied by her daughter as they chatted.

There was already a pile of the sweet dumplings filled with Akkawi cheese, another pile filled with an assortment of nuts.

And beyond the couple of working woman, was an all too familiar building. Near identical to what I remembered, not having changed in all the years I've spent here before Mercer dragged me out by the hair.

Shaking the memory off, I looked around to see if anything had changed at all. But besides the few new guards at the gate of the mansion, everything stayed the same.

Groups of people were flocking to the side entrance, undoubtedly waiting in line to watch the dancing show inside. I grinned, already knowing that would be my way inside the mansion without drawing attention to myself.

Blending into the crowd would be easy and I could make an appearance when the opportunity was right.

All I needed to do now, was to plan ahead for the main event. To get everything I needed for the surprise that was awaiting my next master in line.

With that, my steps guided me back towards the market, to get some new outfits that would fit for what I had in mind. And when I turned a corner in the Souk, I couldn't help but chuckle and grin when I nearly bumped into Carson, who managed to steady me before impact.

"Fancy bumping into you. Aren't you supposed to be stealthy and aware of your surroundings?" Carson jested, allowing me to step back out of his hold.

"I could say the same about you." I grinned, raising my hand to show his coin purse dangling from my finger.

He shot a glance at his belt, where the purse had been tied to before shaking his head. When he had caught me, and I had realized who it was, my fingers had easily undone the strings.

"Not as aware of your surroundings as you'd like to think, mister mercenary." I jested before tossing the pouch to Carson. The man caught it effortlessly, retying it and tucking it away in the folds of his clothes.

I smirked slightly, giving a nod to Mord'U before adding, "A smart man wouldn't pocket all his coins in a single pouch. Thieves will go for the obvious coin purse, especially if it looks heavy and easy to steal."

Carson barked a laugh at that, nodding once. "I'll keep that in mind. Though I haven't met anyone besides you who managed to snag any coin off my body."

"There's a first for anything." I grinned, walking around both men, waving at them over my shoulder. I wasn't afraid that they would intervene, nor did I care if they followed.

If things went according to plan, even they wouldbe in for a surprise.