It was—it had to be—Destin’s father, General Karn. But it wasn’t just him. A dozen men lined the room’s perimeter, similarly dressed, their hands on their weapons, as if looking for a chance to use them.
Grabbing up the fire poker, Destin charged toward his father. But before he’d gone three steps, he was surrounded by soldiers, who pinioned his arms. The poker hit the wood floor with a thud.
Evan thrust out his hand, reaching for lightning, though unsure how that demand would be answered. Something smashed down on the back of his head and he ended up sprawled on his face on the floor, stunned. Karn gestured to his men, and two of them hauled Evan to his feet.
The general looked the pair of them up and down. “Too bad,” he said. “Two mages, and we only brought one collar.” He gestured toward Destin. While two soldiers fastened a wide silver collar around Destin’s neck, the general reached into Evan’s neckline, apparently searching for an amulet. He came up with the pendant. He ripped it away, breaking the chain, and tossed it into the corner.
If this keeps happening, Evan thought, I’ll need to find a stronger chain.
The general turned back to his collared, pinioned son. “You haven’t learned a thing while you’ve been gone, have you, boy?” Karn drew back and slammed his fist, hard, into Destin’s middle, folding him in half. Evan could hear ribs cracking. Then he punched him in the face, snapping Destin’s head back.
Breaker sprang forward, moving faster than he’d ever moved before. He sank his teeth into the general’s calf and hung on.
Karn swore, trying to shake off the growling dog. Finally, he drew his belt dagger and slashed, practically decapitating the dog. Breaker managed to yelp once, then landed in a heap on the floor. The general kicked him aside with his booted foot.
“Stupid butt-fart of a dog,” Karn said. He looked at Destin, who stood, collared, arms pinned, eye purpling, blood streaming down his face. Evan knew Destin had loved that dog, knew he must be in considerable pain, but he displayed no sign of it, no hint of emotion. It was as if he’d retreated to some long-standing shell of survival, where the general couldn’t get at him.
As if seeking easier prey, the general turned to Evan. “So,” he said. “Who are you, mageling?”
Evan said nothing.
Karn drew his knife. “Speak, boy, or I’ll cut out your tongue.”
“Mother hired him to do odd jobs around the place,” Destin said, in a bored voice. “He claimed to be a handyman, but I haven’t seen any sign of it.”
“Is that so?” Karn barked a laugh. “What sort of odd jobs do you do, boy?” The way he said it, it sounded filthy.
“He spends most of his time sleeping and eating and sneaking off to town.” Destin’s face was blank, his jaw tense, his glittering eyes sending a message to Evan. Play along.
“That’s a dirty lie,” Evan said. He turned to Karn. “I’m a hard worker, sir. I do whatever needs doing—farming, kitchen work, chopping wood.”
“You are a pretty boy,” Karn said. “You’re not his little sweetheart, are you?” He nodded at Destin.
Evan adopted a puzzled expression. “I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
Karn waved the knife beneath his nose. “If I cut off your nose and your ears, you wouldn’t be near so pretty, would you?” He shot a look at Destin, as if to see his reaction, but Destin displayed none.
“Or maybe we could just gut-stab you and leave you to die.” Again, he shot a look at his son.
“Why don’t you just kill me and be done with it?” Destin said.
Stop baiting him, Evan thought desperately, unable to watch. It was as if he felt every blow the general landed.
“I never said anything about killing you,” Karn said to Destin. “That would be too easy. Your mother has done her best to ruin you, but I’m going to make you a man if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Maybe it will be,” Destin said. “Is that why you brought half an army? Because you were worried you couldn’t handle it on your own?” That earned him another punch to the gut.
He wants his father to kill him, Evan realized. He’d prefer that to what’s in store for him. I’ve got to figure out some way to help him. The best way to do that is to convince Karn there’s nothing between us.
“I don’t want to be killed, either,” Evan whined. “I’m more useful alive than dead.”
“Is that so?” Karn said, rubbing his chin, eyeing him speculatively. “We always need mages in the Ardenine army. If you really are a mage. Have you ever thought about a military career?”
“No, sir,” Evan said, feigning eagerness. “But I would like to learn more about magery. That’s why I took this job.”
“You seem like a likely lad. Let’s see what you’re made of. Let him loose,” he said to the soldiers pinning his arms.
They released him and stepped back.
Karn pointed at Destin. “Hit him.”
Evan, his stomach sinking into his toes, looked from Karn to Destin. “You want me to hit him?”
“That’s what I said, didn’t I?” Karn pushed him toward Destin. “Don’t hold back,” he said. “Smash his face in.”
“General.” It was the only man there not dressed in soldier garb. “It’s already late. We’re going to have to leave soon if we’re going to catch the tide. We can’t risk spending another night here.”
“We’re nearly done here,” Karn said.
“Come on, handyman,” Destin taunted. “Give it all you’ve got.”
Evan looked into his eyes and saw the pleading there. He wants me to hit him. He’s trying to save my life.
Evan took a breath, made a fist, and aimed for Destin’s middle.
“Hit him in the face,” Karn ordered. “It doesn’t count if you don’t draw blood.”
Evan licked his lips, thinking, I can’t do this. Destin’s eyes said, Yes, you can.
Evan pulled back his fist and aimed for Destin’s already-bleeding nose. Blood is blood, he thought.
When he connected, Destin somehow wrenched free of his captors, lurched forward, wrapped his hands around Evan’s neck, and began to squeeze. As he did so, Evan felt him drop something into the neck of his shirt. It slid down his chest and landed in the waist of his breeches. It buzzed against his skin, and he knew it was Destin’s amulet.
“Stay here,” he hissed into Evan’s ear. “Don’t follow. Remember. Ruthless.”
It took three men to peel Destin off Evan.
“What was that—a last kiss?” Karn laughed. “That was quite a show. I wish we had more time.” He turned away, and his voice became hard and brisk. “Sublette and Howard. Take the handyman out in the woods and kill him. Meet us at the ship.”
Sublette and Howard looked unhappy at this assignment, but not unhappy enough to risk complaining.
“But . . . you said I had a future in the military,” Evan protested.
“You think we’d want a preening cock robin like you in the army?” Karn snorted. “You wouldn’t last a day.”
As his assigned executioners dragged him to the door, Evan caught one last glimpse of Destin. His eye was blackened, his face bloody, his nose probably broken.
But his lips were curved in a shadow of a smile.
All the way into the woods, Sublette and Howard complained about their assignment and Carthis in general. They were speaking Ardenine, so maybe they thought Evan couldn’t understand it. Or maybe they didn’t care.
“Saints and martyrs,” Howard said. “This is the only patch of green I’ve seen in this whole godforsaken country. Why anyone would come here willingly is beyond me.”
“This an’t the worst of it,” Sublette said. “There’s dragons and watergators.”
“There couldn’t be watergators,” Howard countered, “’cause there’s no water.”
“There’s a river,” Sublette pointed out.
While they were talking, Evan managed to slide Destin’s amulet out of his breeches and loop the chain around his neck. The amulet, warm and primed with flash, rested against his chest. Maybe he didn’t know any killing charms, but he’d find a way just the same.
“Let’s get this thing done,” Sublette muttered. “I’m not getting left here, that’s for sure.”
Actually, you are, Evan thought.