Ferrin used his heel and crushed the top of the foot of the guard holding his right arm. As soon as the man released, he punched the guard holding his left in the face. With both arms now free, he grabbed the guard with the crushed fruit by the head and snapped his neck. “I told you I didn’t need magic to kill you!”
Quickly, he dove for the chain. His fingers wrapped around the crystal and he started to turn when something hard struck the back of the head.
A flash of brilliant white light exploded behind his eyes, blinding him temporarily as his body was assaulted with a burst of pain. Nothing made sense. His eyes were open, but he couldn’t seem to tell were he was. Noises sounded distant and twisted. He shook his head. The room was spinning. Or maybe he was the one spinning. Ferrin couldn’t tell. By the time the spinning had stopped, they were dragging him out the front door. His feet struck the threshold, partially rousing him from his delirium as the cold wind helped clear his mind.
“You said I would be well compensated,” someone said off to Ferrin’s left. The voice was oddly familiar.
“As promised.”
The guards dragging Ferrin stopped long enough for him to see Goat Face hand someone a small bag of coin. The man receiving the purse had his back to the house.
Ferrin craned his neck as he waited for the stranger to say something more.
The man turned as he tested the weight of the purse in his hand. Ferrin’s mouth hung open. The yellow scarf was still hanging over the man’s blue dinner jacket, the same way it had that evening when Ferrin and Myriah had taken dinner at his house.
Harlin’s smile vanished when he noticed Ferrin had seen him. It was quickly replaced with a fake grin as he cautiously followed Goat Face over to where the guards had a tight grip on Ferrin’s arms.
“He killed Teglas,” one of the men said. “Snapped his neck like a chicken.”
Goat Face sighed. “You’re gonna be trouble; I can see that already. I’ve been doing this a long time. And you know what I’ve learned? Those that fight the hardest end up suffering the most. First there’s anger. Then comes the bartering. When that fails, they plot their escape. But you will soon realize what so many others who have come before you have.” He leaned in to look Ferrin in the eyes. “There is no escape.” The captain grunted and walked to his horse.
Ferrin’s knuckles were white as he turned to look at Harlin, his nails nearly biting into the palms of his hands as he poured his rage into them. He was almost too furious to speak. “How could you do this?” Ferrin had half a mind to tell Goat Face that Harlin was a wielder as well, but if he did, who knew what other names the man would give up if they were to arrest him?
“It’s better this way,” Harlin said.
“Better for who?” Ferrin tried to grab him, but the guards held him back. If he could have just gotten his hands around the man’s neck, he would have choked the life from him. Then another thought occurred to him. What if Lord and Lady Resdin hadn’t requested Myriah’s help this evening? They would have taken her as well. The very realization had him wanting to rip Harlin limb from limb.
“Don’t worry,” Harlin said with a smile, seemingly reading the question in Ferrin’s eyes. “I made sure Lord Resdin was called away.”
Was that what this was all about? Harlin knew that as long as Ferrin was around, Myriah would never accept his advances, so if he sold Ferrin out to the Black Watch, his problem would be solved. The dandy had proven more devious than Ferrin would have expected.
Harlin dared a smile. “I’ll take good care of her while you’re away.”
Ferrin leaped backward as hard as he could, catching the guards behind him off balance. Before they could right themselves, he threw himself forward and head-butted Harlin in the face. Ferrin could hear the man’s nose pop as he flew backward and landed in a heap on the cobbles.
Blood was gushing from both nostrils by the time Harlin made it to a sitting position.
“Let’s see how women look at you now,” Ferrin spat.
The Black Watch guards quickly restrained him with shackles, something Ferrin was glad they hadn’t done in the first place. A hard shove to the back directed him toward the horses. Ferrin glared at Harlin as they passed. “You better sleep with one eye open from now on,” Ferrin called out over his shoulder, “because when I get free, I’m coming for you.”
Fear filled Harlin’s eyes. If there was any justice to be had, Ferrin prayed that Harlin never experienced a single night’s rest from now until the day that he returned.
Chapter 6
IT TOOK THEM about a half-hour on horseback to reach Rhowynn’s southern gates. With the collar around his neck, shackles on his wrist, and surrounded by a company of the Tower’s guards, Ferrin had little hope of escape.
A few miles outside the walls, Captain Goat Face directed them off the road and into a nearby stand of pine. They didn’t have to travel far before they reached a small clearing where the Black Watch had set up camp.
A number of wagons lined the far side of the clearing. The beds of each were encased in bars much like that of a prison cell. Each wagon was draped with a large canvas, no doubt used for keeping the rain off during harsher weather. Right now, the canvas was tied up, probably so the guards could keep an eye on the prisoners.
The men, women, and children inside were gaunt-looking, with dark circles rimming their eyes, clothes torn and battered, much like the poor souls in them. Were they being fed? Ferrin was thankful for the meal he had eaten at Harlin’s earlier that evening. At least he wouldn’t have to plan his escape on an empty stomach.
A firepit had been set up near the center of the camp with at least five or six guards sitting around chatting, enjoying the warmth. They spared a quick glance at their approach before returning to their conversations and drink.
A small path led off into the woods on the far side of the clearing, directly behind the last two wagons on the left. There didn’t appear to be anyone guarding it.
Hatch and the others dismounted. The guard holding the reins to Ferrin’s horse swung down as well, waiting for the others to secure their mounts inside a small corral they had built by tying ropes between three trees.
Ferrin was the only one still mounted. Even though his hands were shackled, they were shackled in front and not behind, giving him access to his horse’s reins. And now that the only member of the Black Watch still guarding him was a man whose attention was momentarily diverted by the others around the fire, Ferrin grabbed the reins and dug in his heels.
The stallion whinnied and bolted, flinging the unexpecting guard off his feet.
Ferrin was halfway across the clearing before those around the fire made it to their feet. For all their bluster, Goat Face and his men were about as inept as a band of one-legged halfwits.
The prison wagons were directly in front of him. Some of those on the inside cheered him on. Others begged for him to save them. As much as he would have liked to free the helpless people, Ferrin didn’t dare stop. Once he escaped, perhaps he could find a way to come back for them, maybe get the wielder council involved. That is, right after he dealt with Harlin, of course.
The image of the pompous lord and his broken nose had Ferrin urging his horse even faster. He had a promise to fulfill. Behind him Ferrin could hear the angry shouts of the Black Watch as he galloped between the wagons and made a break for the path ahead.
Out of nowhere, a piercing whistle broke through the cacophony of shouts, cries, and thundering hooves: two short bursts and one long. Without warning, his horse stopped mid-stride and Ferrin found himself flying through the air. It was a strange sensation, watching his horse disappear from underneath him while he rode the wind like a wingless bird. The sensation didn’t last long, as the ground rose to meet him. He hit and rolled.