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The journey to the bandit’s hideout was long and painful as Dusk kept tripping over anything that got in his way. The blindfold was kept tight and although he knew it was light outside, he could see nothing else through the dense woven fabric. Each stone, fallen branch, and rogue bush caused him to fall, unable to catch himself with his bound hands. By the time they stopped for the night, Dusk was bruised and scraped all over.
The men tied his rope to a tree and left him there as they set up camp for the night. Dusk leaned against the trunk, turning his head about as he listened to the sounds around him. He heard footsteps approach and braced himself, but instead he heard a heavy thump next to him as something hit the ground. As the footsteps retreated he squatted down, holding his bound hands out to feel at what lay there. When his fingers found hair and a face, he knew it must be Lex.
“Lex,” Dusk whispered. “Lex? Can you hear me?”
Lex shifted slightly and Dusk felt his eyes flutter, but there was no answer.
His skin was cool to the touch, but not too chilled,Dusk was happy to realize. He sat down in the damp leaves next to his unconscious companion, leaning against him to try to share what little bit of body heat he had.
The light beyond the blindfold faded as the time passed, but there was a flickering orange glow off to one side that remained constant. The cold settled in quickly and Dusk found himself leaning against Lex more, trying to keep the both of them warm. A few minutes later the smell of roasting meat wafted over and forgetting the cold he felt the saliva begin to flood his parched throat. Neither he nor Lex had eaten since the night before. He knew better than to hope for food or water though. He knew they would be the last to eat, servants always were. Instead he resolved himself to be hungry like he’d done many times before in the mines. He thought of Lex with jealousy. At least if he was unconscious he couldn’t feel the pains in his stomach.
A few heavy footsteps caused Dusk to rouse from his thoughts and he turned his head toward the sound. He felt something soft and squishy, but dry, touch his hands.
“Drink,” the deep voice said. It belonged to Rami.
Dusk felt for the mouth of the water skin and pushed it to his lips. He took a small sip, knowing what would happen if he got greedy. He held it back out.
“Drink I said. Ya must be thirsty.”
Dusk paused, wondering if it was a trick.
“Drink!” Rami commanded, like he was talking to a dog that refused to comply.
Dusk put the water skin back to his lips and gulped a few more mouthfuls of water.
“There ya go.” Rami’s voice had gone soft again. “It’s my job to take care of ya and I don’t want to carry both of you.”
Dusk felt the water skin taken out of his hands and just as he was about to pull them back something else was placed in them. It was rough and hard, almost like a rock, but it had some give to it. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed. It was a large chunk of stale bread.
“I’d give you more than that, but if the boss catches me being too nice to ya he’ll do me like he did your friend.” There was a short pause. “Has your friend said anything?”
Dusk shook his head as he took a small bite of the bread.
“Well, I’m gonna eat his bread then. I’ll try to get him some food when we get back.” There was a shuffling noise and then Rami spoke again. “If he wakes up, tell him to keep quiet. The boss’ll kill him if he keeps going on the way he was.”
“Rami!” Brand shouted, making Dusk jump and almost drop his meager, but appreciated meal. “Quit trying to make friends with every fucking creature we come across. You’re too damn soft!”
“Sorry boss,” Rami replied.
Dusk heard his heavy footsteps retreat and he was left to his thoughts. He was still trying to figure out how they were going to escape. Lex would be no help, he knew that. The man had too much spark in him to make a good servant. It was easy to break children before they became adults. Before they had time to expect things in life. To hope. But men who were captured usually didn’t last long before they were killed. Maxon wouldn’t even purchase anyone over the age of fifteen, knowing they weren’t a good investment. It was a cruel, but shrewd fact of running a slave business.
Dusk knew he’d have to be the one to get them out. He already knew how to play the part. All he had to do was wait for the right moment. The biggest problem was getting Lex out too before Brand caught and murdered them both . They’d have to find a way to sneak out, but Dusk had no idea what the hideout even looked like. For all he knew it could be impenetrable from all sides. A fortress with no possible way out. But he couldn’t give up. Ever since he had gotten away into the world the spark of hope had been growing inside him once more. He’d gained the will to live and the drive to fight for it.
As he finished the last bite of his bread, Dusk laid down against Lex’s limp body, hoping to survive the coming bitter cold of the night. He felt his eyes grow heavy as he listened to the men talking at the fire, laughing about their escapades and the people they’d robbed or worse. He wished there was a way out, but the bonds holding his wrists were so tight he could barely feel his hands. Instead of listening, he used a trick he’d done many nights when he couldn’t sleep. He repeated a phrase over and over in his head, drowning out the other sounds. Thinking of Juniper, he echoed her directions in his mind. Mirinda at the White Raven tavern in Greencoast Port. That was his destination. The ticket to his freedom. With that thought, he passed into sleep.
***
Dusk dreamed for the first time in a long while. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was vivid and beautiful. He found himself strolling down a long winding path, the forest canopy curving overhead in an attempt to block out the sky. Overhead a thin strip of sky still remained. It was dark blue and purple, fading into oranges as it approached the horizon. There, hovering just above the edge of the world was a vibrantly red sun. It seemed larger than he remembered. As he watched it sink to the horizon there was a sudden flash of bright white light and he awoke suddenly, gasping freezing cold air into his lungs.
He sat up, the cloth still blocking his vision. There seemed to be a dull orange glow somewhere in front of him, although all was quiet. Lex shifted next to him, but didn’t speak. After taking a moment to calm his breathing, Dusk sank back down next to his companion, his teeth chattering in the cold until he fell asleep once more.
The next morning Dusk woke again to the cold, but this time there was light beyond his blindfold and he knew the sun had risen. He could hear the men speaking around him and moving about. Soon he was hauled to his feet, feeling the few rays of sunshine warm his skin, driving away the bitterness of the night before. Heavy boots came forward and took Lex away. Dusk assumed it must be Rami again. Although he could hear open mouthed chewing from some of the men, there was no more food offered to him. His belly rumbled as they began to walk once more.
The day’s walk was long and arduous, but considerably flatter than the day before. He tripped over many less things and he was thankful for the clear path the bandits had chosen. As the day wore on Dusk began to feel a steady incline in the ground beneath his feet. After a while his calves started to burn as he continued to hike upward. After nearly an hour of struggling to keep a steady pace, he was called to a halt along with the rest of the panting men and his blindfold was finally removed.
Dusk found himself standing at the edge of a large chasm that stretched out for miles to either side. Tall grass ran all the way to the edge of the cliff, but the trees seemed to stop some distance back. A long wooden rope bridge connected one side of the chasm to the other at a downward angle. The bridge was easily over a hundred feet long and made of thick, tightly braided rope. Here and there bits of moss and lichen grew on the planks strung between the ropes. At their ends, vines were starting to grow onto the supports, twisting their way across the rotting wooden poles that held the bridge taut, and snaking their way a few feet out into the open air.
On the other end of the gorge was what looked to be an ancient stone fortress. Half of it seemed to have collapsed and fallen off the edge of the cliff, exposing an interior courtyard that had been churned into mud. The great sandstone blocks that made up the walls were weathered and broken in places. The side closest to the cliff leaned towards the edge, as if it were ready to topple over at any moment. More green ivy crawled up the sides like fingers trying to steady the bastion and stop it from collapsing. There was one small turret on the front with a figure perched atop its peak. Squinting, Dusk could see a few more figures mulling about, seemingly unaware that their leader had returned.
As Dusk was dragged up to the front of the bridge and he peered over the edge of the cliff, his blood suddenly turned cold when he looked down into the abyss. Far below there was the faintest shimmer of a river that ran through, carving away the stone over centuries. The distance seemed to double in front of his eyes until it was an impossible expanse. His stomach turned and he felt like he was going to vomit. He’d spent his entire life underground, but this was the first time he’d ever been faced with a height of this magnitude. The thought of plummeting to the bottom caused his knees to shake and his mouth to run dry. He was frozen to the spot, unable to look away.
“Enough gawkin’!” the man holding his rope sneered, giving him a cruel tug towards the planks.
Dusk fell forward onto the hard earth, inches away from the edge of the cliff. A few small stones tumbled over with a bit of dirt and grass. He couldn’t breathe.
“Get up and get movin’!” the man yelled again, pulling on the rope. He was already standing on the first plank of the bridge.
Dusk somehow managed to peel his eyes away from the chasm and come to his feet, keeping his head turned to the side and focusing on the swaying grass in the wind. His breath was shallow and he could feel himself growing lightheaded. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to step onto the planks in front of him.
“If you don’t start walking,” the man growled, pulling out a wicked looking blade, “I’ll gut you right here and leave you for the birds. Now MOVE!”
The grimy, thin man placed himself behind Dusk and gave him a shove in the center of his back, throwing him a few steps forward onto the bridge. He grabbed onto the rope instinctively, his legs almost buckling out from under him. Immediately he looked down and the blood drained from his face. He stood staring for a moment until he felt a sharp painful jab in his back and blood began to ooze down his skin. The tip of the knife had barely broken through the skin, but it was enough pain to bring him back to his senses. He knew if he ever wanted to live to see another day, he’d have to walk. He held fast to the rope and took a single step. The board under his feet was slick with moss and creaked as he put his weight on it, but it held. He took another step and the same held true. After ten or so he had begun to gain some confidence and soon he found himself more than halfway across the bridge that was rocking lightly back and forth in the wind.
Within a few more minutes the entire group had made it across. Even Rami, who was large to begin with and had Lex across his shoulder, didn’t seem to have a problem. Dusk felt maybe the bridge was safer than it looked. Now that they were on the other side he found himself looking about. The fortress sat on the edge of the cliff and just beyond was a long grassy plain that stretched out for miles, all the way to the horizon. The midday sun was obscured by clouds, but still the grass took on a golden green hue as it rippled in the wind. There were one or two trees dotting the landscape, but not much else. If either of them were to ever escape, the only way out would be back across the bridge and into the woods. The grasslands would offer no cover.
“Welcome to The Break, boy,” Brand said, gesturing to the fortress. He turned back to the others, “Take them to the hold!” Brand shouted, jarring Dusk from his thoughts. “Nolan! Go get some rags for them to wear. I know a few men who are in need of some new clothing for this weather.”
The thin man that had been in charge of Dusk’s rope dropped it and took off towards the open gate of the fortress. Brand himself came over and picked it up, smirking with delight. Turning his back he gave it a yank and led them to the gate.
The fortress itself was nothing special, but the paths were winding and confusing. Dusk saw where they had come in, but too many stairs and turns later he found himself in an underground cell block. The room was freezing cold and everything smelled of rancid piss.
“This’ll be your new home boys,” Brand laughed. “At least for now. We’ll get you working as soon as possible,” he added with a smirk. “Maybe if you prove yourself trustworthy in a year or two, we’ll find you a more comfortable arrangement.”
Nolan came in and sat a small pile of ratty cloth on a chair in the corner then turned to watch them eagerly. Another man came down with two bundles of straw and tossed them into an empty cell, leaving the door standing wide as he exited the dungeon. Brand stepped forward and untied the rope binding Dusk’s hands and arms, finally allowing the blood to flow back through them. As he coiled it up neatly he ordered Dusk to strip. Dusk looked up to see Nolan’s eyes shining brightly as he stared intently. Something in his gaze made Dusk’s skin crawl. Slowly he began to pull off the leathers and then the shirt over his head. After he dropped the cloth to the floor he caught the thin man groping himself through the front of his trousers.
Dusk turned away, facing the cells and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Do you need some help?” he heard Brand’s husky voice say softly. “Because I’m sure Nolan here would love to help you. It’s been a long time for a lot of us and we aren’t picky.”
Nolan took a step forward eagerly.
“No sir,” Dusk replied as he forced himself to continue undressing.
“Good. I like a cooperative servant.”
“Yes sir.”
Dusk finished undressing quickly and snatched the rags off the chair as quickly as possible to cover himself while Nolan gawked. When he turned back around he found Rami had already stripped down Lex and tossed him naked into the straw covering the bottom of the cell. Brand was rummaging through their small pile and turning over the pair of black leather boots that Dusk had been gifted. Dusk heard a glass-like tinkle as something fell out of his boot and bounced across the stone floor. It was the crystal. He’d forgotten about it.
Brand bent down, squeezing the seemingly tiny stone between his sausage-like fingers.
“Oh, what’s this?” He studied the stone for a moment, holding it up to the light. “Thought we could sneak this through, huh? Tricky boy. I think this belongs to me now,” he smiled, sliding it into his pocket. “Since you like to be so sneaky, I’m sure another cold night will help you see the error of your ways. Lock them up!”
Nolan stepped forward, tossing the rest of the rags for Lex into the cell and slammed the door shut. He took out a long black iron key and turned it in the lock then placed it back around his neck on a brown cord. He, Rami, and Brand gave one last look before they went up the stairs, leaving one lone torch bracket burning in the cold and damp room.