famously unfamous | jaron artolius eckbert iii

Twelve

It was impossible to know what time it was when Mott and Cregan returned for us again. It didn't feel as if I'd had any rest, but my back ached so badly, I was sure I'd slept for some time. Whatever food Cleo gave me had long ceased to offer any comfort.

Cregan reached the dungeon first and got directly in Sage's face. With a snarl, he asked, "Where's the rock?"

"Gold," he mumbled.

"Enough!" Mott pulled Cregan's outstretched arm down. "This is between the boy and the master. Not you."

Cregan grabbed his hair to force him to look at him. "You're not the prince yet, so I can tell you this. I'm going to do everything in my power to see that Conner chooses one of the other two boys. Because after they ride off to the castle, I'm going to kill you myself. And you will beg for mercy, but you'll come to understand just how merciless I can be."

"I said, enough," Mott repeated. "Let him down, Cregan."

They released the chains and Sage crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. Cregan kicked him lightly until he let him have the satisfaction of a groan, and then dropped an armful of clothes on him. "The master wishes to speak with you. Get dressed."

Mott unshackled my wrists. I whined as my other shoulder came into contact with the cold stone.

Neither of us moved until Mott finally crouched to the floor and began dressing him. Then he cursed and said to Cregan, "He's bled through on his bandages. Get me some more."

"I'll have to get them from upstairs," Cregan said. "We didn't have much down here before."

"Then get them."

Cregan's footsteps pounded up the stairs. While Sage lay facedown on the filthy floor, Mott worked silently to remove his bandages and I crawled over. One of them pulled where dried sweat and blood had bonded it to his skin. Sage cringed and Mott breathed an apology.

With tears in his eyes Sage said, "You have to help me. Please, Mott. I can't do this."

"I work for Conner, not you." Then after a moment, he sighed tiredly and added, "After all this, the master is still considering you. That says a lot. It's time to stop thinking of yourself as an orphan and look at yourself as a prince."

"I will always be an orphan now." And for the first time in as long as I could remember, Sage cried. He cried for his lost family, and for every circumstance in his life that had led him here. I held his forehead until calm slowly returned to him.

"Forgive me," Sage mumbled.

"You're half-starved and exhausted," he said. "Forgive me that it was my job to bring this upon you."

Moments later, Cregan returned. He handed the new bandage to Mott and then stood back as Mott carefully peeled away the rest of the old one.

"Give me a light," he directed Cregan.

Cregan handed him a candle, which they held close to Sage. "It's going to scar," Mott said. "It cut deeper than I had thought. But I think, so far, we saved it from any infection." They poured more of the liquid onto the cut. Sage clutched at my hands for relief from the pain but made little sound. There was no energy for that.

The sting passed and they wrapped him in a new bandage. It took both Mott's and Cregan's help to get him dressed and I struggled into a new overdress, then they walked us up the stairs. The early morning light was fierce on my eyes and I stumbled backward, anything to get away from so much sun.

"Get them some water," Mott said to someone nearby while still holding us firmly.

Two cups appeared and Mott pressed them to our lips. I took a few sips, then turned my head away. The light didn't hurt so badly now. I faintly realized how much I'd missed seeing it.