Goat Face smiled.
Suddenly, a jolt of immense pain punched through Ferrin’s body, and he cried out, more out of shock than anything. His hands went numb, both mallets dropping from his limp fingers to hit the dusty floorboards. A second later, he landed on top of them.
He couldn’t move. He could hardly breathe. He wanted to scream again, but every muscle in his body had seized at the same time, leaving him incapable of making any noise at all. He felt like he’d been struck by lightning.
“Oh, my apologies.” Hatch stepped forward and looked down at Ferrin’s prostrate body writhing beneath him. Whatever Goat Face had done to him had finally stopped. “Did I forget to mention that this key has another use?”
Ferrin wanted to reach up and beat the smile off his face. He wanted to beat him to death with his bare hands. He tried to reach the captain, but his arms seemed to be almost locked in place.
“It controls its wearer, not only by removing their powers but by stimulating the nerves with some kind of . . . Well, I don’t really know what it is. To be honest”—he chuckled as he lifted the key up to look at it—“I have no idea how it works. I’m told it’s quite unpleasant.” He looked down at Ferrin. “I guess you’d know better than me.” Hatch laughed. “I’ve actually seen grown men soil themselves when too much of this is applied. Shall we test it out?”
By then, Ferrin had managed to gain a little movement back in one arm. Whatever energy had been forced through him had left him nearly paralyzed. He could taste blood from where the impact with the floor had caused him to bite his tongue. With what little resolve he had left, he looked up at Hatch and smiled. “Do your worst.”
Hatch raised the key once more. “I believe I will.”
Ferrin reached out with his one good hand and grabbed Hatch’s leg. The jolt of energy ripped all the way through Ferrin’s body and straight into Goat Face. Hatch flew off his feet with a shrill that lasted the whole way down.
Ferrin blacked out before the captain hit the floor.
When Ferrin woke, he found himself lying across the back of one of the horses. He had been strapped down to keep from falling off. Tilting his head, he could just make out the moon through the thick overhanging branches. The cool night air was a relief against the lingering pain of the collar.
Up ahead he could see the firelight from their encampment as they exited the narrow path back into the open clearing. There was an eerie silence to the place. There were bodies lying all across the ground. A couple with white robes. Over half the wagons had been emptied, and the canvas from Ferrin’s wagon was ripped and hanging to the ground from the bars. It, too, was empty.
Those still in the cages looked as pitiful as Ferrin felt. Two of the guards jerked him off his horse and marched him back to his empty cage.
Ferrin quickly scanned the faces of the bodies they passed, looking for any he might have recognized. He didn’t see anyone from his wagon among the dead. He hoped his friends had followed his advice and made for the mountains. At least there they stood a chance of remaining hidden.
“I want a complete count of everyone we’re missing!” Hatch sounded ready to commit murder. “Guards and prisoners alike! You hear me?”
The men scattered. Most of them began rummaging through the bodies strewn across the clearing and into the woods behind the wagons. A few of the guards stayed back to count those still in their cages. It looked like the first three wagons had been untouched.
It didn’t take too long to get a running tally of the dead and the missing. There were thirteen dead, three of which were Black Watch. Of the twenty-eight that were missing, only one was a member of the Tower’s guards. Ferrin didn’t need to guess who it was. Telsa must have talked Bladder into going with them.
“Get some torches,” the captain said. “We’re going after them.”
“But sir, they have at least a couple hours on us, and we can’t take the horses through there. Once they reach the mountains, they’ll be near impossible to track.”
“Don’t give me your excuses! You have your orders!” Hatch grabbed a torch and started into the woods, taking the path behind Ferrin’s wagon.
Daybreak had reached the camp by the time Hatch and the others trudged their way out of the surrounding wood. Ferrin breathed a deep sigh of relief to see them returning alone.
“Start packing. We leave at daybreak.”
“What about the ones that got away?” one of the guards that had stayed behind asked.
“We have the real prize,” Goat Face grumbled, nodded at Ferrin’s wagon. “He’s worth more than the entire lot combined.”
Hatch turned to one of the men standing nearby. “Grab a couple of men and see to our dead. Bury them deep enough so the wolves don’t get to them.”
“Sir, what about the dead wielders? Should we bury them as well?”
Hatch took a moment to scan the bodies. “Burn them.”
Ferrin slumped in his usual spot in the back of the now-empty wagon. All his work, all his planning, everything was gone. He had nothing left to live for except the fear of what awaited him at the end of their journey. For the first time, he had to agree with Telsa—there was no hope. All he had left was his sanity and his sense of humor, and even that he could feel slipping away.
At least his sacrifice hadn’t been for nothing. He had managed to save twenty-seven wielders and one Black Watch guard.
He leaned his head against the bars and took a deep breath as he watched Goat Face limp his way across the open yard, dragging his injured leg behind him. Ferrin smiled. Pretty soon, his smile turned into a chuckle, and his chuckle into an all-out fit of laughter.
No matter how terrible the circumstances, no matter how dire the situation, he did have one small bit of joy to hold on to: the look on Hatch’s face when Ferrin had grabbed his leg. There was nothing quite so pleasing to the ears than the sound of the captain’s girly screams as his feet were ripped out from under him.
It’s the little victories in life that get you through.
Chapter 11
BY THE TIME they had left Syrel and were halfway to Iraseth, Ferrin had resigned himself to the fact that there would be no escape for him.
Due to the loss of prisoners they had suffered, Hatch announced that all extended breaks had been revoked until they had unloaded their cargo and received payment. The captain wasn’t about to take any more chances.
The passage of time seemed to slow as Ferrin jostled along in the back of the wagon. There was no one left with which to warm himself during the nights. No one to chat with during the days. His thoughts often drifted to that of the friends he had made on his journey. He was thankful that, at least, his capture had afforded them the time they needed to get away.
He spent hours imagining what each would do once they realized the Watch had left and they were free.
Ferrin was sure that Rascal would watch over silent Sasha. He would make sure she made it back to her home in Aldwick before returning to wherever it was he was from. Ferrin realized with a start he had never found out where the old codger had lived before being taken by the Black Watch.
Brennon and Sora would head back to their small community in Oswell, where Brennon could continue entertaining others with his fascinating tales of the untold dangers found in the Slags.
Telsa would head back to her home in Storyl. Ferrin had a feeling that her journey wouldn’t be a lonely one. The other guards assumed Bladder had been killed or lost somewhere deeper in the forest, but Ferrin knew better. He wished the two a very quiet and peaceful life.