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.Ashlynne wondered, fleetingly, if Hana was there to do more than tidy up the place.Niklaus followed her as she went from room to room.It was a large spacious house, beautifully furnished, but she knew it would never be home.She remembered her parents’ house, the cozy fireplace, the sense of security she had known there.Her bedroom had been filled with the treasures of her youth.She felt old now, lost and alone.Her rooms were located on the south end of the second floor.His were at the other end of the house.“I’ll see you at dinner,” Niklaus said.“Drade will be joining us.”With a nod, she closed the door to her room.The tears came then, hot swift tears that did nothing to ease the ache in her heart.* * * * *Falkon stood at the door of his cell, staring out into the compound.The new cells were no better than the old ones.They were just as small, just as dark.The only improvement was that he now had a hard narrow cot to sleep on instead of a hard dirt floor.Of all the rotten luck, he thought bitterly.Not only was he back at the mine, but Drade was in charge, at least temporarily.Drade, who strutted around like some little tin god.Drade, who was sure to make his life a living hell.A living hell that started at dawn the following morning.Breakfast was the same as always: a hunk of dark bread, a bowl of gruel, and a cup of the hot bitter brew so dear to the heart of the Romarians.He was given a quarter of an hour to eat and relieve himself, and then the manacles on his wrists were activated and he was ordered out of his cell.When all the slaves were assembled, they were herded into the mine.He kept his face carefully blank as he passed Drade and ducked into the shaft’s opening.The underground cavern was enormous, lit here and there by small lamps that offered only enough light to work by.The black crystals, so precious to the Confederation, did not come easy.The ground was broken with a pulse axe, and then the crystals were dug out of the earth by hand.It was dirty, back-breaking work.The crystals were large and heavy, yet for all that, they were amazingly fragile.The slaves toiled in the mine from dawn ‘til noon, at which time they were given a break for the mid-day meal, and then it was back to work until dark.Seven days a week.A world without sun, without warmth.Without her.During the next two days, he watched the comings and goings of the guards.There were fewer now than there had been before.As far as he could tell, there were only four guards on the premises; two who watched over the prisoners while they toiled in the mine, and two who patrolled the compound at night.He had been in the mine just over a week when one of the slaves went berserk.With an inhuman shriek, he hurled himself at one of the guards.The results were immediate, and fatal.The slave dropped to the ground, writhing in agony.A shrill scream erupted from his throat as pain shot through his body while the collar around his throat slowly strangled the life from his body.The guard pointed at Falkon.“You.Haul his carcass out of here.”Wordlessly, Falkon grasped the dead man by the ankles and dragged him out of the mine.Emerging from the bowels of the cavern, he paused a moment, basking in the warmth of the sun on his face.“What’s going on?”Squinting against the sunlight, Falkon saw Drade striding toward him.“I asked you a question, Number Four.”“See for yourself.”Drade grimaced as he glanced at the dead man.“What happened?”Falkon shrugged.“He attacked a guard.”Drade grunted, then gestured toward the bridge.“Get going.We’ll dump him in the ocean.”Resisting the urge to refuse, Falkon slung the dead man’s body over his shoulder and headed for the gate.Drade punched in the code and the heavy iron gate swung open.It was a quarter of a mile to the ocean.He was sweating profusely by the time they reached the water.A natural dock formed by a long finger of land extended about twenty yards into the surf.Falkon carried the body to the end of the jetty and dumped it into the water.He stood there a moment, feeling the spray on his face, wondering what his chances were of overcoming Drade and making a break for the jungle.He cursed as Drade activated the manacles on his hands.The man was a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid.Turning, Falkon walked back to the beach.“Why?” he asked.“Why did Hodore attack the mine? Why did they destroy Marcus?”“Let’s go, slave.”“Answer me, dammit.”Drade laughed softly.“I don’t owe you any explanations.”“You owe me plenty.”Drade ran his finger over the controller.“Amazing, what this can do, don’t you think?”Falkon’s hands curled into fists.His gaze bored into the other man’s.“Go ahead, use it.” Heart pounding, he waited, wondering what foolishness had prompted him to say such a thing.Drade had always been a bully, always enjoyed inflicting pain.At the academy, he had delighted in tormenting the incoming cadets.He took a deep breath as Drade’s thumb hovered over the controller, looked up as the sound of hoof beats reached his ears.Ashlynne! Mounted on a snow white stallion, her hair flowing wild around her shoulders, she looked like an avenging angel.She reined her horse to a halt a short distance from where they stood.“What’s going on?”He bit back a grin at the sound of her lady-of-the-manor tone.She directed her question to Drade, but her gaze rested on Falkon.“Just disposing of a dead slave,” Drade replied easily.He smiled at her, his gaze moving over her in a long slow look that bordered on insolence.“What killed him?”“He attacked one of my men.”“I see.”Drade shrugged.“It happens sometimes.They all go a little mad after a while.Fortunately, there’s always a ready supply of rebels like this one to take their place.”“Number Four is not to be hurt,” Ashlynne said.“He belongs to me, not to you.Not to Niklaus.You would do well to remember that.”“Yes, ma’am.Your husband made that quite clear.Of course, if he attacks one of my men, he’ll have to suffer the consequences.”“He’s not to be hurt,” she said again.“If anything happens to him, I will hold you personally responsible.”It was an empty threat, and they both knew it.Niklaus was in charge.She had no power at all.“Yes, ma’am,” Drade replied.“I’m sure Number Four appreciates your concern, but we’ve got to be getting back now.”Ashlynne gazed at Falkon, drinking in the sight of him, longing to go to him, to wipe the bitterness from his eyes.“Are you well, Number Four?” she asked.He looked up at her, his expression closed, his jaw rigid.“Number Four?”“I’m fine.”“Are they treating you well?”“Oh, yeah,” he replied, his words edged with bitterness.“Food fit for a king.A feather bed.A hot bath and a massage every night.” He regretted his words as soon as he spoke them.Pain flickered in the depths of her eyes.Drade laughed.“Let’s go [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]