Born To Fly - The Copper Tree Series (book #1)

10| Ardon's Property

"We are so dead!" Uvan wailed as he and Lavalda got in sight of the camp where Ardon would be standing, waiting for a report on how things went.

"Yep. We are dead." Lavalda sighed. Somehow he could tell that he was not going to be on Ardon's list of favorite people now. "That's not a very good place to be...."

"What?"

"Oh, I was just thinking that it wasn't very good for my status to end up coming back like.... this." Lavalda motioned to his swollen eye and dislocated shoulder.

"Your right. I guess that we will be unimportant  for a while and have nothing to do."

"I don't think so."

"What do you think?"

"I think that we will end up getting a beating."

They both shuddered, and there was silence for a while between them. They entered the camp, and of course immediately drew attention. They were quite a sight to see, Lavalda's left arm hanging limp beside him, and his right eye swollen shut. In his right arm was Uvan, who had sprained his ankle, and was hobbling along the best he could, with his right hand wrapped up in a bandage. 

Someone came and relieved Lavalda of his burden, letting Uvan lean on his body rather then Lavalda's. Lavalda kept on glancing nervously around, looking for Ardon, hoping he could get cleaned up a little to look less beaten before he had to see him. He had no luck however, because Ardon came out of his tent quite rapidly when he heard all of the other slaves asking them what had happened. 

Lavalda could sense his masters fury at once. Here we go... he thought, I hope he doesn't beat us too badly. He bowed his head and waited for Ardon to say something. He didn't have to wait long.

"WHAT HAPPENED??" He bellowed. He looked like he was in the mood to break someones neck. Lavalda stepped back. He certainly did not want it to be his neck.

"We had a little trouble with the Reanian." He said, almost in a whisper. Everyone else had gone silent, and they could all hear the fear in his voice.

"The Reanian? You mean you had trouble with the girl? A girl did this?" 

"Yes." Uvan answered.

Lavalda's face burned in shame. "She has dragon wings." He muttered lamely.

"You mean to tell me that when I sent you to kill a noble who was heavily guarded, you did it just fine, but when I sent you to go kill a noble's daughter and you come back beaten? I trust you at least got the job done!?"

Lavalda and Uvan stared at the dirt path. Lavalda was glad to have Uvan there. He had begun to trust him, and it was nice to finaly have a companion. 

"She got away?" Ardon whispered in horror. No one answered him. No one needed to. The whole camp was dead silent.

Ardon broke the trance by screaming at the two boys. "SHE GOT AWAY!!!! NO!! This ruins everything!!! There is no doubt that she has told her father everything, and everyone knows that you two were the ones out killing all of the lords, and now the whole plan is ruined!!" He was no longer speaking directly at the boys, and was pacing around, clenching and unclenching his hands. "Maybe I can make this work if I.... if I......" He turned to look at the boys. "If I turned you boys in..."

Lavalda paled. He knew he was going to die. There was no doubt in his mind at all. He was dead.

"But if I do that, I will lose my best man," Ardon singled out Lavalda.

Maybe he was not quite so dead.

"But then you will not learn your lesson. I guess a beating would work though, and maybe some inner pain as well. Lets do Uvan first though." He looked Uvan up and down. "I knew when I took you from that orphanage that you wouldn't amount to much. But I took you anyway, because the head keeper bribed me." Uvan's head shot up. It was obvious he had never heard this before. 

"Yes, he bribed me. Not with money as you might expect, but he taught me how to cheat quite effectively in a game of cards. And he also told me of a man who had been placing his own son on the table, and winning every time. He said it was good luck, but dangerous." He turned to Lavalda. "And that is the story behind Lavalda." He turned back to Uvan. "You are of no use to be now boy, get down on the ground."

"Are..... are.... are you going to kill me?" Uvan's voice shook.

Ardon smiled. "Yes. Yes I am." 

Lavalda resisted the urge to cry out. Why was his life such a curse? As soon as he started trusting someone, or loving them, they died. His father (although he wasn't to sad about his father's death. He wasn't glad, he just wasn't sad. He didn't care), his mother, Alvako, Tanya.... and now Uvan was going to join that list.

"Will you please do it quickly?" Uvan got down on his knees, litiraly begging him with his hands in a clasped position next to his face.

But maybe Lavalda could prevent Uvan from entering the list of people who had died in his life.

"I---" Ardon started, but Lavalda cut him off.

"NO. You can't kill him. I won't let you." Lavalda couldn't believe he was saying it, but he was, and it wasn't making Ardon very happy.

 "No? Are you trying blowing away all of my athourity?"

In response, Lavalda stood in front of Uvan. 

Ardon narrowed his eyes. "Tie him down." he ordered Heru. 

Heru advanced toward him, but Lavalda was quicker and younger, easily dodging his attack.

Ardon motioned to a few other men, and  -  outnumbered five to one and injured - Lavalda was quickly tied down on the ground, face shoved into the dirt, and shirt ripped off. He waited for the whip.

It didn't come.

What came instead was a dagger. It did not cut deep enough to injure his organs, but it came deep enough to make some pretty impressive scars. 

Ardon wasn't just cutting into the boys back (staying clear of his spine) he was writing something in crude handwriting. 

Property of Ardon Sword

When he was finished, he had several other slaves read it aloud to Lavalda before he pulled him up to a sitting position. Lavalda screamed in pain. He bit his lip. He had to be strong. No more screaming - that was what Ardon wanted. Lavalda wouldn't let him have that.

"Now look at Uvan. Closely." Ardon advanced toward the shaking and pale Uvan. Ardon pushed him to his knees. Uvan did not fight back. Ardon placed his hands on the either side of Uvan's head. Lavalda knew he was going to do.

Trembling, Uvan said  "Lavalda, don't let him get to you."

And then Ardon twisted.

And it was over.

Uvan was dead.

Lavalda sat there, just trembling.

Ardon came up to him and whispered in his ear "You know, the other day I got word about a girl looking for an 'Ardon Sword' or a 'Lavalda Talcoven'. I think that you know who it was. What was her name again? Talya? Tonya? Tanya Talcoven?"

Lavalda's eyebrows shot up. "She isn't dead? I though she was dead....?""

Ardon laughed. "Did you really believe me? I guess you were young then... Well, I think that within the next week we are going to find her - and I don't think that she will ever be looking for anyone ever again. Think about that." He left, leaving Lavalda alone with his pain.

Lavalda was tied to a post in a sitting position, left there to sit in his pain, mentally and physically.

The pain of his back and his pain from his family and friend dying, or being hunted was a great burden for him to carry. He wasn't sure he could do it alone. But then again, he had to do it alone. 

No one else would care.

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