I had no idea who he was talking about and just stood staring at the floor. He cursed several times and


    grabbed my chin forcing me to Look at him. The man pantomimed eating.


    “Feed-them-this,” he said slowly enunciating each word and pointing to the pot.


    “Do-you-understand?”


    This was the mountains, I reasoned. Hopefully the same rules did not apply about not speaking to or


    looking at other men. They must not, because this man was demanding I answer him


    Ang’s Library


    “I understand you, sir,” squeaked out and he looked relieved.


    The man turned on his heel and left without another word.


    I turned back to the fire and stood close to it. The room was not an ufortable temperature, but my


    hands were still regaining feeling from the freezing trip here. A motion along the wall got my attention.


    Outside the glow of the fire, the room was cast in darkness. A small torchy unused by the pit. I held it


    close to the ming and the thing lit up.


    Carefully, I moved to where I had seen movement. Whoever wasying in a lump on the floor I was


    evidently supposed to feed. I crept closer and recognized the type of outfit.


    It was a man, Laying on a pad on the floor. Around his neck was a thick metal cor and a very short


    chain attached him to the wall. His clothing was what I was used to from thepound, leather pants,


    leather boots, and white shirt. He didn’t move as I got closer.


    The man was filthy. Dirt was matted in a wound on his scalp and his shirt was sprayed with blood. His


    pants were a soiled mess on the front and ripped in several ces. From the smell of it, the area


    around him was soaked with his urine.


    The prisoner didn’t move again, so I stepped closer. The face was bruised and bloodied. His Lip was


    split, but I knew him. It was Master Kein!


    I dropped to my knees beside his head and called his name several times. He didn’t rouse at all. My


    hand went instinctively to his chest. He had a heart beat and his warm breath moved past my arm.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    I tugged futilely at the chain attaching him to the wall and it would not budge.


    “Master Kein, wake up,” I whispered urgently in his ear.


    I shook his shoulder lightly and he still didn’t move. He Looked bad, very bad. The women had nearly


    killed him. I had no idea how I was supposed to fix this.


    I picked up the torch and looked wildly toward the door. The two men from before were standing just


    inside.


    “He needs help!” I called loudly.


    “He needs Healers to clean his wounds and a clean mat to sleep on. Please, please help him.”


    “They all need the same help, ve,” the original man said.


    “Mistress has told us to bring you what you wish.”


    The men disappeared and the weight of what they had said sunk in: ‘They all need the same help’.


    I raised the torch and Looked beyond Master Kein. Master Bane was chained to the wall beside him


    about seven feet away and was just as bad. Master Damien, Master Evan, and Master Christof were


    also present and wounded.


    The men brought me rags and buckets of water. At my requests, they dragged in ten clean mats and


    laid them beside the door. I begged for nkets and those were delivered also.