The hold of the boat was close and hot despite the cold outside. The slaves weren't chained; the door to the hold wasn't even locked, but they were trapped more surely than if bars blocked their escape.

Paul's binding sat on him like a second skin, but like everything else it didn't matter. He didn't feel the despair that his fellow slaves exuded, nor did he wait eagerly for someone to tell him what to do next. Paul understood the slaves. They were the extreme result of people ...