The Geomancer Chapter 2

 The Geomancer

Chapter 2: The Knight and the Lady

Originally written by Fulgur

Illustrated by Crosschan

Reimagined and rewritten by Yu May and Ojota

We ran past confused merchants and murmuring locals. Without stopping, I rounded on Merta, “What the hell was that about?”

I saw Merta was clutching her side, gasping for air. “I… I can’t… keep…”

I slowed down, trying to ignore the watchful eyes of the crowd from all sides. I forced myself to ignore the stabbing sensation in my own lungs, and put an arm around Merta’s shoulder. “Come on, Merta, let’s get you home.”

Merta blinked. “Home?”

I put a finger to my lips. Behind us, I could make out the distant sounds of men yelling. “You heard Dad. We’ve got to get home before dark.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of curious locals roll their eyes, and turn away from us, a boy and a middle-aged woman. The boy whispered. “Uh oh, I bet someone’s in trouble when she gets home!”

The woman clicked her tongue. “I once stayed out late with your Da on Market Day. I got such a spanking, when I got home after dark!”

“Who spanked you, Ma? Da, or Granda?”

The woman blushed, and shooed her son away. “... Never you mind about that!”

Leaving the crowd of locals behind, we walked alongside a rough-looking farmhand and his donkey, and crossed the street. I tried to walk slowly, like I didn’t have a care in the world. I felt Merta tensing against my grip, but held her tight, willing her to understand what I was planning. 

We couldn’t run, but we could hide. 

The voices of the angry men grew louder. As we rounded a corner, I distinctly overheard one shout, “Has anyone seen a witch girl? She was headed this way!”

An elderly lady’s voice answered. “What, does she have a warty nose, and a pointy hat?”

“No, no! Brown hair! Brown eyes! Brown dress!”

The man’s voice faded to nothingness as we approached the town stables. I sighed with relief. Then it occurred to me that we were surrounded by city walls on all sides, keeping us nice and safe and trapped inside Ceris. I clenched my teeth. There were gates on all four sides of the city. Maybe we could sneak past the guard at a different exit point? “All right, Merta, now tell me what’s going on.”

Merta looked held up the piece of chalk in her trembling hand. “I’m… a Geomancer? I’ve never heard a name for it before.”

“You mean the magic drawing?”

Merta shook her head. “I don’t think it’s magic. I don’t know any magic words or anything. It’s just… something that happens when I draw that picture.”

I answered dryly. "Any more things you can draw that explode?"

Merta clutched the chalk tight in her fist. "That’s the only one that can blow up, but—well—I do know three more pictures that… do things."

“That’s fine. Just don’t draw the exploding one again without warning me. But, actually, I meant to ask you about something else. Why did those men want you?"

Merta shrugged. "I don't know."

I paused, and tried to make my voice sound tough and commanding, the way Dad always spoke when May was in big trouble. "Merta! You said that you’re not going 'back there.' You mentioned something about a dungeon? What was that about?"

Merta pulled away from my embrace, stomping as she turned to face me. "I don't know!"

I raised my voice. "Merta! Do not lie to me!"

Merta flinched. Instantly, I felt like a brute. A few strangers glanced at us, and I wanted to kick the seat of my own pants. “Merta, I’m sorry.”

Merta whimpered, then whispered softly. “No. I’m the one who should be sorry. You are a very nice man, and I shouldn't have pulled you into my troubles in the first place."

I shook my head. “What troubles? People can’t just lock you up for no reason. We are a free people. Maybe if we see the Mayor, he could—”

I heard him before I saw him. In the distance, Captain Feltar was shoving past the crowd, bellowing. “Two thieves! Brown haired girl! Blond boy! Did anyone see them pass by?”

An old man held a hand to his ear. “Eh? Nah, I ain’t seen no thieves. Just that cute young couple over there.”

Merta dropped her chalk, fumbling as she tried to catch it. “No! No, no, no…”

I turned, and held out my hands. Stupid. As if that would do anything to hide Merta from Feltar. “She’s not a thief! She’s—”

“The Geomancer!” screamed Feltar, pointing wildly.

Behind me, I saw Merta furiously drawing a strange, eight-sided shape in chalk on the street. The lines started to glow, but as I reached for Merta, my face seemed to slam against a solid pane of glass. Then, I saw ripples in the air, and felt my right arm burning. I had grabbed Merta by the wrist, through some sort of wall of air that separated us. Then, the wind pushed my arm back with such force, it made me punch myself. “Merta! What did you—”

Merta rose into the air, a few feet above me. She was encased in what looked like a giant crystal, made of shimmering triangles. From within, Merta mouthed something, but I couldn’t hear a word she said. 

Feltar screamed. “There’s the witch! Seize her!”

I leapt to grab onto the crystal, trying to wrap my arms around Merta. “No! Don’t do it!”

Then, it felt like the ground dropped away from my feet, and Feltar shrank to the size of a child beneath me. In horror, I realized that the earth wasn’t falling. I was flying along with Merta, as she held out her hands to pilot the crystal, a look of sheer terror on her face.

***

As the last of the vendors tore down their stalls in the marketplace, a short woman cloaked in a dull grey cloak stepped out of the crowd and into the shadows of the alleys. She pulled aside her hood, revealing a stern, slender face and vivid blue eyes. Her features were sharp, and her jet black hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. The woman examined a large cucumber in her dainty, black-gloved hand, and took a bite out of it. As she savored the crunch, the woman finally smiled. “Huh. This is a mighty fine cucumber, if I do say so myself.”

Then, a flying, brown-haired woman encased in a giant crystal pillar of spinning air came crashing down into the alley, carrying a blond man behind her, screaming as he clung to the top of the geometric shape. The black-haired cucumber thief’s eyes bulged, before she leapt backwards to evade them. She almost made it. 

***

I clung for dear life to the crystal. Then I heard a thump, before we crashed into a short, black-haired woman. The force of the impact threw her up and over the crystal, her rear end smacking against my face, before she went spiraling into the air behind me. I felt my fingers slipping, and with one last look at Merta, I saw her waving at me, as if saying a gentle goodbye. Then I lost my grip on the crystal, and landed face-down on the ground. 

I struggled to get back on my feet. “Merta!”

But the crystal was flying higher and farther away. 

I was all alone.

At least, I thought I was, until someone stepped out of the shadows and grabbed me. I felt something soft press against my back, and something dangerously sharp press across my neck. A knife blade?

A silky voice whispered into my ear. “I know what you’re thinking. You really want to turn around and get a look at me. But trust me, that would be a very bad idea." 

It was a husky voice, but to me, it was crying "female.” I tried to peer at her out of the corner of my eye, without moving. All I could see was a grey robe. "Okay, so who are you? What’s with the creepy getup?"

The mystery woman snickered. “The whole idea of this… getup, is to not let people know who I am, wouldn't you agree?"

“So you’re a thief. If you’re gonna kill me, then kill me. I don’t have the time!”

The woman made a peculiar mewing sound. "Mmmh? And what makes you think I’m a thief?"

"The knife was sort of a giveaway."

"Humph! I do so happen to be a thief. But I'm the other kind of thief."

Now, I was completely lost. "The other kind?"

"Yes. I’m no common thief, like the girl who stole your cucumber. I'm the kind of thief who knows how to not get caught."

I felt the knife blade gliding across my throat. "I don't have anything worth stealing!"

Then, the woman flicked the flat of the knife against my groin. “Except your virginity. That’s something worth stealing, I should—!”

I grabbed the woman’s wrist and wrenched it away from me. She squeaked with surprise. “Hey! Cut it out, before someone gets—”

As I twisted her arm, the woman dropped her knife, squealing. As I rounded on her, I tried to grab her, hoping to tackle her, only for her to slam the heel of her palm against my jaw with such force, I felt my teeth click. The woman fell roughly on her rear end, and drew a second knife from inside her cloak. “Stay back! Don’t hurt me!”

I held up my hands, keeping my eye on the point of the knife. “You tried to kill me! You stay back!”

The little woman shook her head, clinging shakily to the knife with both hands. “No, no! That was just for dramatic effect. Look, I’m trying to help you, all right?”

I glanced down, looking for the dropped knife on the ground. “Help me? Why would you…”

Then I spotted Dad’s stolen cucumber. “You stole the cucumber? You saw what happened at the market?”

“It was impossible to miss. I’d been waiting for a perfect distraction all day. Thanks by the way.”

Remembering what dad had said about thieves, I scowled. “So, you pressed a knife against my throat so we could have a friendly little chat?”

“Just a simple precaution. Dad always said I can’t trust teenage boys. And anyway, I helped you. You owe me!”

“What?”

“After the wannabe cucumber thief’s little escapade, I followed you guys, just out of curiosity. I took out a couple of those watchmen creeps who were tailing you.”

“... Took them out?”

“Yeah, and I saw the whole business with the exploding pyramid at the gateway. I had a feeling that if I followed you, you’d make another scene sooner or later, and I was right.”

“So, you saw Merta use her magic?”

“If I hadn’t, you would have just told me about it. You should play your cards a bit closer to your chest. Like your Dad. I tried to follow him after the fight. Figured if he knocked out a few guards for me, I could loot their purses. But, I think he noticed me following him. Once he shook me, I’d almost given up hope on seeing how your little family melodrama would play out, before your girlfriend came crashing down from the sky. She seems like quite the character.” 

“She’s not my—”

“Like something out of an old storybook my dad used to read to me. You know, the one about the princess, who gets spanked? Now, how about we try this again? I’ll put away my knife, and you promise me: no funny business."

Before I could ask what she meant by funny business, the woman flicked her knife across her fingers, tossed it with a flourish, then caught it and pointed it right back at me. “You know, no running away, no screaming for help, no biting, kicking, gouging, or pulling my hair. Just keep your hands to yourself, assuming you like having ten fingers to count with. Deal?”

I steadied my breathing. “I won’t touch you.”

The woman kept the knife pointed at my stomach for a few seconds. Then she spun it, and put it away. "Good that we understand each other."

I reached to grab the other knife, but the woman snatched it up quickly. I tensed, but slowly, carefully, she sheathed it. Now that I could get a better look at her, I was struck by her small, slender build. Underneath her gray cloak, she wore a solid black, skin-tight uniform. I’d seen pictures of something like that in story books. “You’re part of the Thieves’ Guild of Cant?”

The woman snorted, then flicked aside her black ponytail. “Nope. Stole it from them.”

Something in her posture struck me. Despite the fact she was fully clothed, with nearly every inch of skin apart from her face covered, she still looked strangely indecent. She probably didn't even know how to be decent. 

The woman put her hands on her hips, and stuck out her chest. "You may call me Soot."

"That's your name?"

She batted her shockingly blue eyes at me. "No. But you may call me that."

"So, what’s your interest in me?"

"I’m not exactly interested in you. But the girl who was with you, she was… very strange, to say the least."

"You tell me. But Merta is—well, she’s long gone by now."

“She won’t get far. Whatever that flying triangle business was, I don’t think she’s figured out how to steer it yet.”

I turned to exit the alleyway and marched. “Enough. I’m going after Merta, before Captain Feltar—”

Soot strolled up alongside me, matching my quick pace. “Those creeps are still after you? Then she’s as good as caught. Just takes two men, one holding each of her arms, and she's powerless."

"You mean her chalk drawings? What do you know about her… powers? What’s a geomancer?"

Soot rolled her eyes. "No clue, really. It looked like magic to me."

I scanned the skies, looking for any sign of flying objects. "They won’t catch her. Merta can fly, so she can run away to a safe..."

I trailed off as I noticed Soot smiling. It was a strange, sad smile. "What safe place? She's not a street child, that’s obvious enough. Probably never had to work a day in her life, just to look at her. If I had to guess, she’s the orphan of some noble family in the country that got routed by the border war. You know, a lady! Wouldn’t that be romantic? And now the whole world is against her. She doesn't know anything about running away. She could run from you, because you’re kinda clueless. But hold her hands tight and..."

I felt a cold sweat. "I must find Merta—quickly!"

Soot looked suddenly smug. "Maybe I could help you?"

I glared at her. "For the right price, right?"

"Oh, I might ask for a little… finder’s fee. But don't worry about that right now."

"Now I'm worrying more."

"I won't ask you to do anything illegal."

"Really?"

"Except we’re gonna have to break into the tower prison."

I growled, and stomped away from Soot, scanning the crowd. “I don’t need your help. I just have to find Merta, before that evil old…”

And then I spotted him. Captain Feltar was marching with a lively step, swinging the flail to clear a path through the crowd. At least ten watchmen were marching behind him.

And there was Merta. She was being frog-marched by two Watchmen, one holding each of her arms tight against her back. She was crying and twisting to break free, but all to no avail. 

I almost charged to punch Feltar in the face, before I noticed where they were headed. The same scaffolds where I’d seen an unfortunate woman being flogged, and behind that, the tower prison.

Soot clicked her tongue, and drew her knife. “Hah, told ya. I’m always right about people.”

Soot flourished the knife across her fingers, and pointed the blade at me. “Now, what say we talk business? You have a fair damsel for a friend, and she seems to be in a bit of distress. I can get you into that prison. So, how much is her life worth to—”

There was a rustle of cloth, and someone grabbed Soot by the wrist from behind, twisting the knife out of her grip. His face was obscured by a dirty, hooded gugel. Soot gasped, and twisted to slam her elbow into her attacker’s stomach, only for him to trap her in a one-armed bear hug. Soot squirmed, until the man pulled a knife of his own, and she froze. 

Quickly, I snatched up Soot’s dropped knife, but when the man bent low to whisper in her ear, his hood pulled back. It was Dad! 

Dad didn’t quite hold the knife to Soot’s throat, but he held it up so she could clearly see it. “Don’t… move… Why were you pointing a knife at my son?”

Soot twisted once, then gurgled as Dad pressed her tight. “Wasn’t gonna’ hurt him… Tryin’ to help!”

Dad glanced at me. Slowly, carefully, I put away Soot’s knife. “She didn’t hurt me, Dad.”

“Sounded to me like she was threatening to.”

Soot shook her head, eyeing Dad’s knife. “I know a way to get to your magician girl!”

Dad looked at me. “Zack, do you trust this thief?”

I wasn’t sure I did. “Dad, please don’t hurt her. If Soot wanted to kill me, she could have.”

“Soot, huh? Well, Miss Soot, my son’s vouched for you, so I’m going to put my knife away, slowly. Don’t move quite yet. We’ll go nice and easy. There.”

Dad unhanded her, and Soot stumbled forward. She felt at her knife hilt, then noticed I had her other knife. “Balls! You scared the pants offa’ me, old man.”

“I should hope I did. Knives are not toys, Miss Soot.”

Soot scowled. “I know everything l need to know about knives, thank you.”

Dad held up Soot’s second knife, and spoke with calm authority. “Then you should already know the first rule: never draw a blade, if you’re not prepared to use it.”

Soot held out her hand. “Ahem.”

“Ah, yes. I have something of yours, I believe.”

Dad put the remains of the stolen cucumber into Soot’s palm. Then, slowly, deliberately, he tucked Soot’s second knife into his boot. “Now... What was that you said about breaking into prison?” 

***

An hour later, we were standing across the street from the tower of the city watchhouse. I swallowed. “Look at all those watchmen pouring in and out.”

Soot shrugged. “Eh, more like dripping in and out.”

Dad chuckled. “Must be the changing of the guard for the night watch.”

I tried not to look at the guards passing us by. “So what’s the plan, Soot?”

“This is the only place in Ceris they can keep your girlfriend locked up. Even if they have a client who’s offering a bounty, I doubt they would relocate her so quickly…”

Dad growled. “But who would want to pay so much to capture Merta? Sure, it’s strange she’s a geomancer, but she’s barely more than a child.”

Soot shrugged. “I hear there’s a new self-proclaimed empress across the border. Calls herself the New Witch Queen.”

My ear twitched. “What? Like the big bad hag from the bed time stories? The one who comes to kidnap all the naughty little boys and girls, fairy them off to her black castle, and spank them day and night?”

Soot cleared her throat, and folded her hands behind her back. “Who knows? I used to think geomancy was something out of fairy tales too.”

Dad shook his head. “From what I’ve read about the dark ages, I wouldn’t be surprised if those old stories about Raia the Witch Queen had a grain of truth to them. But this new so-called Witch Queen’s real enough. There’s talk of another border war.”

A coach arrived at the tower, and three men stepped out. Immediately, I recognized the big, burly figure of Captain Feltar. The other two men were hauling a woman roughly between them, her arms tied behind her back. The woman was crying, shivering.

I tried to press forward. “It’s Merta!” 

But before I could, I ran straight into Soot’s elbow. “Ow!”

Soot shook her head. “This is not the time to be heroic. There's too many of them. In the prison–that's another thing."

Dad eyed Merta and the watchmen until they disappeared into the Tower. “Poor girl. They must have brought her to the Mayor for questioning. Now that they’re through with her… it’s straight to the dungeons with the other criminals.”

Soot swelled her chest, smiling. “Told ya. Watchmen love their predictable little rules and procedures. Now we just have to get you in.”

Dad huffed. “Let me guess, your plan is to sneak in through the new sewer system?”

“It’s… it’s a good plan! Guards don’t like to stick too close to the privies.”

I shook my head. “And what’s the getaway plan?”

Soot rubbed her neck. “At dawn, the watchmen open up the gates and let the morning traffic make their way out in one big rush. They won’t be looking at carts too closely, now that the market day’s over. If anyone stops us, you can just say you were in town looking to hire a few farmhands.”

Dad glanced back at us, frowning. “For that to work, we’ll have to time the breakout perfectly. Maybe half an hour before they notice Merta’s missing and raise the alarm, if we’re lucky. And you’ll need me to get the cart back. No offense, Miss Soot, but you don’t exactly look like a humble farmgirl heading back to the fields.”

Soot scowled. “Why don’t you let me handle the jail break, and you handle the getaway, hayseed?” 

Dad took a long, careful look at Soot. I wondered if he was debating whether to bend Soot over his knee for a spanking then and there, in the middle of the street. Dad took a deep breath. “I had to leave the cart and poor Sandy behind in the chaos. I’ll have to track her down… or hope the innkeep will lend me a good horse. I trust him.”

Soot yawned, then stretched playfully. “Then let’s do it! It’ll take us a few hours to get into position under the dungeon. You meet us at the west side of the tower, where the drains are.”

Dad shook his head. “No. Zack should get us the horse and cart, and I’m going with you into the sewers. If you run into any watchmen, you’ll need a man to protect you.”

Soot’s face flushed. “Excuse me? I am perfectly capable of defending myself, thank you.”

“Dad, I should go with Soot into the tower. You’re the one who knows the innkeeper, not me.”

Dad looked anxious. “Just tell him I sent you, he’ll understand… Zack, if you’re caught sneaking into there–”

“Dad, if you’re caught sneaking into there, we’re all doomed. You’re… you’re the only one who looks like he’s old enough to be a farm owner. Me, Merta, Soot… they’d take one look at us and think we’re a bunch of runaway teenagers.”

Soot’s eyes flashed. “I’m not a teenager, thank you very much! I’ll have you know I’m…”

Soot trailed off. Dad was looking me right in the eye. Part of me wondered if he was thinking of taking me across his knee for a spanking, right then and there. 

Then, slowly, without breaking eye contact, Dad held out his hand. “You’re a good man, Zack. Go help your friend. I’ll be waiting for you at the west side of the tower.

Finally, I shook Dad’s hand, still not sure if I’d heard him right.

His eyes shining, Dad gave my hand a final squeeze, then turned and walked away. 

I looked at my hand. Dad had told me I was grown up plenty of times, ever since my thirteenth birthday. But this time, something about the way he said it felt different. 

I turned and saw Soot watching me with a smug look on her face, like she was enjoying a traveling theater show. I blushed. “Well, where’s this secret entrance of yours?”

She flashed a cat-like smile. “You’ll see!”

***

And I saw. That was the worst part. The sewer grate was dry and crusted over with a layer of sickly, brownish-red grime. I could only hope it was rust.

Soot was rubbing her hands together. "It's a great plan, isn't it?" 

Thankfully, the interior wasn’t quite as bad as I imagined. Sure, it stank. But at least I didn’t have to swim through raw sewage, like I’d initially imagined. There was a brick pathway carved along the side of the sewers, about three feet wide. 

Soot took the lead, using a hooded lantern to light our path. Her voice was oddly gleeful. “Amazing, ain’t it? They built these big enough for cleaning crews to get in and out of easily. It’s a triumph of modern engineering.”

“You’re sure this goes to the right part of the dungeon? What if we end up sticking our heads up right in Captain Feltar’s personal commode?”

“Nah, they always put the sewer drainage in the lowest part of the dungeon, next to where they keep the worst criminals.” 

“... How do you even know these things?”

“Me and a few fellow thieves busted out of here once. They made us muck out the shitters all the time. There was this old guy who’d been trying to carve a stone out of the wall for a few decades with a stolen spoon. We threatened to squeal if he didn’t let us in on the escape. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but it’ll take us right to the basement, below the dungeons.” 

Soot paused, and pointed her lantern light along a wall. “Should be right about… here!”

Soot spotted a stone on the wall that looked identical to all the others, and kicked it lightly.

It didn’t budge. Soot blinked, then kicked the stone with force. "What? Funny, I would swear that..."

She set aside her lantern and brushed her hands along the stones. "The bastards! They repaired it!"

I heard a heavy clunk, and a crossbow bolt sank into the wall an inch from her arm.

I turned around. A short, fat guard was standing there, grinning as he clicked a second crossbow bolt into place. "Do you think we're idiots?"

Soot swore, reached for her dagger, then froze as she realized he had a bead on us. "I think you should get bent, you—you—who freakin’ squealed on us?"

“The old man. He didn’t run as fast as the rest of you. We’ve had a guard posted here ever since.”

Holding my arms high to surrender, I clenched my hands into balled fists. “We want to see the Lord Mayor of Ceris.”

The young guard sneered. "He won’t do anything. Times have changed. The watchmen are the law in Ceris now. And we know how to deal with criminals like you.”

Soot forced a smile. “With a good butt whuppin', in public?”

A second figure stepped out of the shadows from behind the young guard. Instantly, I recognized Captain Feltar’s voice. “Oh no, nothing like a public flogging…”

Feltar stepped into the light of the lantern, cradling his flail. “You see, I always have to hold myself back when the public is watching. Good work, Sergeant. Please, see that our guests are made comfortable… until I call for the girl.” 

Feltar snapped the whip. “In a few hours… I should be done dealing with the other naughty little thieves we caught today!”

***

Soot and I were on the cold floor of a cell, tied up back to back.

A thick goose egg was throbbing at the back of my head. While they were searching us, the sergeant had decided to give me a crack across the skull with the butt of his crossbow, to remind me not to try anything. 

I must have drifted off for a few hours, only to wake up to find myself still bound in ropes.

Soot peeked over her shoulder to grin at me. "Well, at least we got in, right?"

“If I had known this was your plan, I’d have gone with charging the front gates headlong and punching my way through the watchmen.”

I felt Soot shrug her shoulders behind me. “Hey, I’ve been here before, you know? I can wriggle my way out of this."

"I thought you were supposed to be the kind of thief that doesn't get caught?"

"Look, at least I’ve never been caught long enough to get punished. I always escape, that's what I do!"

The short, fat guard guffawed. He was watching our cell intently. “You escaped, once. Only cuz’ you got lucky.”

There was the sound of both a sharp snap and a heavy thud, all at once, coming from the dark hallway behind him. We heard a shrill scream, followed by the muffled but unmistakable sound of a woman’s voice, crying desperately.

Then, the sounds of a whipping started, long, unrelenting. 

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The woman’s voice grew in intensity with each crack, before it gained a horrible new quality. Now, the grown woman’s voice sounded no different than bratty little May, whenever she was taking a trip across Mom or Dad’s lap for a bare bottom spanking. Whiny. Sniveling. Sorrowful.

I listened intently, trying to see if I could recognize the woman’s voice, praying it wasn’t Merta. But I couldn’t tell either way. "That guy is sick.”

Soot sniffed, then whispered. "Captain Feltar? Obviously. But it’s weird that he’s here. I always see him patrolling the marketplace. He’s infamous for spanking any girl he can catch, even if you’re just breaking one of the little local rules. But all these floggings? That’s new. Ceris used to pride itself on trial by jury, but ever since the summer harvest started, Feltar’s been personally whipping every minor criminal caught in Ceris… the women, at least. You ask me, I think he gets some perverted pleasure out of hurting them.” 

I felt a pang of guilt. I had spanked Merta, and I had rather enjoyed it.

The fat sergeant harrumphed. “And what’s wrong with watching a criminal get what’s coming to her?”

Soot hummed, then corrected herself. “Hmm, I suppose I do enjoy watching a few stupid thieves get their just desserts. Nothing wrong with spankings, provided they don't involve me. But your captain’s clearly a creep. Just listen to that poor woman!"

Finally, the guard took his eyes off of us, glancing at the door behind him. “That woman stole from her master. You ask me, she deserves every single drop of suffering she gets.”

Soot sighed. “Yes. And just imagine how badly her poor buttocks must be suffering at this very moment. I’m sure it’s quite a sight. Sure wish I could see it.”

The sergeant wiped a bead of sweat off his brow, his eyes on the door behind him.

The sounds of the woman’s crying changed again, from childish pleading to guttural, incoherent, broken screams. Then, her voice cracked, and grew hoarse… grew frail. But the sound of the whipping didn’t stop.

The sergeant licked his lips, then stood. “Should be your turn next, thief… Better check to make sure they’re ready for you.”

Then he stood and hustled down the hallway.

As the sergeant disappeared, Soot sighed with relief. “Finally. Hey, farmboy, do me a favor, and relax. You’ve been stiff as a board since they caught us.”

I forced myself to take a breath. “How can I relax when I know what they’re about to do to–”

The moment I exhaled, I felt the rope go slack, and my hands were free. “Huh? What did you do?”

“Old escape artist trick. You tense your muscles when you’re tied up. Then, when you relax, the rope goes slack. What, you don’t know that one? I thought that was what you were up to from the start!”

“But the sergeant must have tied that knot three times!”

Soot held up the other end of the rope. “Yeah. Cuz the sargeant’s an idiot. Didn’t even use a hobble knot. Anyway, once you have some slack to work with, you just keep working at the restraints until you can slip out a hand. Even works to get out of old metal shackles, if you don’t mind losing some skin on your wrists and ankles.”

Soot stood, and pulled something out of her hair: two black pins. 

As she knelt before the cell door, her pony tail fell into a tumble of lanky, shoulder length black locks across her face. She puffed her bangs out of her eyes, and slid the pins into the lock. “Sargeant Stupid could be back any second now. I’ll need you to be the big strong man, and get rid of him for me.”

I felt my throat go dry. “What, you mean… kill him?”

“If you can.”

“But I’ve never killed a man!”

“First time for everything.”

The outer door creaked open, and the sergeant reappeared, giggling. I froze. Soot fixed her eyes on him, but kept fiddling with the lock, gliding the pins further in. The sergeant closed the door behind him, then turned to face us, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose with his thumb. He stared at Soot for a full three seconds, before doing a double take, and stumbling forward. “Hey! What are you doing, you stupid bi–”

Soot thrust the iron cell door open. The iron bar slammed against the sergeant’s nose, and as he staggered back, snarling, I tackled him. He fell backwards, his skull bouncing with a hollow thud against the stone floor. He gurgled once, spitting up foam, then started twitching.

As I rose to my knees, the sergeant convulsed, then lay still. 

I choked at the sight. “I… Did I kill him?”

Soot strolled out of the prison cell, fiddling with the black pin. “Not quite. Want to borrow my pin to finish the job?”

“I’m not going to kill this man! That’s murder!”

“He was gonna’ kill you, probably.”

“I won’t do it! It’s… it’s wrong!”

Soot knelt and aimed the needle at the man’s throat. “You probably killed him with that tackle, whether you meant to or not. Here, let me just–”

I grabbed Soot’s wrist. “No! He’s down! You don’t hit a man once he’s down!”

Soot sighed. “Oh, geez. Playground rules. What did you think we were going to do if we ran into the watchmen while busting Merta out of here? Challenge them to a debate?”

I swallowed. When I was a boy, I’d read adventure books where the hero always knocked his enemies out with either the flat of his sword’s blade or the pommel of its hilt. Even as a boy, I’d wondered why the hero didn’t just kill the guard, even when I felt glad he didn’t. “I didn’t… I just assumed that…”

Then, I noticed a silence. The endless whipping had finally paused. 

I forced myself to stand, lifting Soot up and away from the sergeant’s prone body. “Let’s just find Merta and get out of here.”

Soot tried to pull away from my grip, but couldn’t. “Sure. But I need to take care of this idiot first.”

“You mean stab him in the neck while he’s unconscious? That’s murder!”

Soot glanced up at me. “You’re serious? You think we can get out of here without killing a single guard? What if Feltar tries to kill us?”

“Not all the watchmen are like Feltar. Maybe he’s forcing them to–”

“Help him torture those women? What if they want to try to kill your little girlfriend? Gonna let them have her, rather than get your hands bloody?”

Soot gasped. I didn’t understand why, until I looked down, and saw I was squeezing her wrists tight. “Look, I… I knew from the start that saving Merta meant we might have to kill someone, but… he’s down. You don’t have to kill him.”

“You’re making this way more complicated than it has to be. Look, if you don’t want to watch, you don’t have to. One little prick and—”

“Soot, if you murder this man, then l will… I’ll spank you.”

Soot’s eyes went wide for only a moment, then she glared at me. “Fine. Playground rules it is. No killing… unless I have to.”

I nodded shakily, then loosened my grip on Soot’s wrists. “Right… We’ll work together. We’ll–”

The moment I relaxed my hold, Soot whipped a hand free, and pointed the pin at my neck, her hand shaking. “And if you ever try to spank me… I will have to kill you.”

I froze as I felt the point of the needle pressing against my throat. “I don’t want to hurt you, Soot.”

I felt a thin trickle of blood drip down from where the point of the needle had broken the skin of my throat. 

Then Soot pinned her hair back into a pony tail, and knelt to grab the sergeant’s keys from his belt. “Then let’s go rescue your fair lady.”

***

We found everything they’d confiscated from us in the sergeant’s satchel. After we locked him in our old cell, we made our way down the dim corridor. The cells here were all empty. Maybe the watchmen didn’t like using the rooms closest to the sewers more than they could help it.

Soot fixed her hair, and pulled open a small leather purse. I had expected silver coins, but it contained only a few small flasks of clear liquid buried in white sand. I immediately recognized one of the bottles as the type the village drunk used to get plastered as quickly as possible.

Soot pulled out two of the glass vials. “At least I got these back. That idiot was so concerned about patting me down for hidden weapons, he didn’t bother to examine my tools carefully. We’d be dead meat if they had thought to check my hair. A minor advantage of being a woman thief.”

I peered at the alcohol. “Any more advantages I should know about? More old escape artist tricks?”

“None that I have time to teach you now.”

I paused as I overheard soft weeping. Glancing ahead, I saw a brown-haired girl cowering in the last cell at the end of the corridor. “Merta?”

Merta twisted to face us, wiping tears away from her eyes. Her hands were still tied together at the wrists. “Zack?”

As Merta tried to crawl toward us, I heard a clink, and saw she was chained to the wall by a shackle around her ankle.

Soot made an exaggerated curtsy. “Hi, your ladyship! Your knight in shining armor is here to rescue you!” 

Then Soot pulled out a second set of pins from her toolkit. Apparently, the one in her hair was an emergency back up. 

 

Merta sniffled, but as she looked at me, she started to back away, back into the darkest corner of the cell. “I’m so sorry, Zack. I should have listened to you. Now you’re in danger, and it’s all my fault! I’m not… I’m not a good girl… Not who you think…”

Merta’s voice drifted off, and she slumped back against the wall, her eyes vacant.

I wanted to scream, but at the last moment I remembered not to. There was a click, and Soot opened the door. “Go on, hero. There are some things you should do, too, you know."

I rushed to Merta and found her fast asleep. Her cheeks were shining, stained with tears. I cut the rope loose from her hands and tried to pinch Merta’s shoulder gently to wake her up. When that didn’t work, I tried again, harder. “She won’t wake up!”

“Then carry her. We have to get out."

I scooped up Merta’s limp body, holding her close to my chest. "What about that other girl?"

"What girl?"

"The girl we heard crying."

Soot opened her mouth to say something, but then her face hardened. "You know what? Fine. Let’s save her, too. Someone should spoil Feltar's fun."

Only then did I notice the eerie silence in the corridor. Soot approached the door and crouched before it. “Solid piece of work. Can barely make out a sound from behind it. Feltar must have left the door open, so we could all hear how much fun he was having.”

“Do you think he’s in there now?”

“Probably. Looks like I’ll have to magic you up another miracle. This must be your lucky day. Better set the lady down. This could get ugly fast.”

Soot picked the lock, and carefully opened the door by a crack to reveal a small, candlelit room. A few arrowslit windows in the ceiling cast an eerie, blue slit of light onto a single, long bench resting in the center of the room. There was a nude woman tied to it, lying on her stomach, neatly framed by the small gap between the door and the frame. 

Her bottom was covered with crisscrossing marks and weals. She was unconscious, her face hidden behind a mess of wavy, dirty blond hair.

Then, I saw the heavy leather tongs of a flail rip across the woman’s bottom with a sickening thud. It was Feltar, standing with his back facing toward us, using his favorite implement.

But that wasn't the worst thing.

The worst thing was all the other men in the room. About five of them were standing around the girl, watching her intently.

Feltar straightened himself up, and strolled around the bench. "Drat. She drifted off again. What were we up to? Sixty-five strokes?" 

“I think the poor maid’s lost count. You gonna’ start the count over again, sir?”

Feltar grinned, and I caught a glimpse of his yellowed teeth. “That would be delicious. But I want to get to the thief guild brat next. Soot, the Mistress of Thieves… and I’ve been saving the witch for last.” 

“But, sir, I thought you said we were to bring you the geomancer alive and unharmed, just like the Witch Queen asked.

Feltar snapped his whip. “The Witch Queen wants the geomancer girl alive and well… But a few hours of spanking shouldn’t cripple her. I imagine that old fool farmer would be happy. We’re going to let our little cucumber thief off easy, after all. Get some water to wake the maid up, and we will complete the standard punishment.” 

Slowly, Soot reached for her purse, and pulled out a rag, bundling it in front of her. I blinked as I watched Soot, before I overheard the voices of other watchmen, casually discussing the torture of the strange woman.

“Aww, just the standard hundred strokes, sir?”

“Heh. Plus the thirty she took before the airhead missed her count.”

Feltar guffawed. “The previous command here was far too... lenient. They’d waste time with investigations and trials, for a thief. Then they’d drag the culprit to the town square, spank her like a little girl, then let her go! What kind of justice is that?"

Feltar landed another ugly blow across the unconscious woman’s buttocks. "If they can walk away afterwards, it was done wrong! Of course, if we decide to release this prisoner—after her punishment is complete, of course—she wouldn’t be able to walk at all, would she? So we’ll just give her a lift beyond the city gate and dump her there."

Quickly, Soot pulled out both of the vials of clear liquid, popping the cork off the alcohol bottle, before dumping its contents on the rag in front of her.

One of the men spoke, his voice shaky. “Captain Feltar, once this woman has fully paid her debt to society… don’t we have a duty to uphold the law, and see that she’s returned safely home?"

“We’ll be upholding the law by seeing her safely to the nearest ditch.”

“But, Captain, if we do that… she could die.”

"In that case, the world loses one criminal. Nothing more."

"But sir..."

"I was appointed your commander, man."

"Yes sir."

“Then I am giving you a command, watchman. Once this woman awakes, I order you to complete her punishment… starting over from the beginning, of course. I’m afraid I lost count.”

Soot stood, with a black cloth wrapped tight across her nose and mouth. In one hand, she held a dripping wet rag, tied into a tight ball. With her other hand, she lit a match, and whispered. “Zack, hold your breath.”

Feltar rounded on us, and his eyes met mine through the narrow gap in the door. “What was that? Who’s there?”

Soot lit the balled-up rag on fire, and tossed it at Feltar’s face. Then she slammed the door. “Help me! Hold your effing breath and hold the door shut!”

Stupidly, I started to stammer out a question, before everything started to happen all at once. I heard Feltar scream a curse and order his men to kill us. Then I slammed my shoulder against the door, smelled something that made my head swim, and clamped my mouth shut. 

Something heavy rammed against the door from the opposite side with such force, I felt the wood rippling. Feltar’s voice bellowed from behind the door. “Soot? I know it’s you! *KAFF* When I get my hands on you, it won’t stop with your ass! I’ll flay every inch—*HACK*—I’ll skin you alive!”

Soot squeaked like a mouse, then pressed her hand tight against her mouth, pinching her nose.

Behind the door, the watchmen’s screams of rage and obscenities melted into fits of coughing, hacking, and wheezing. There was another feeble slam at the door, followed by the sound of several bodies slapping against stone.

Soot grabbed my collar, and pulled me back from the door. After we had backed a good ten feet away, Soot ripped off her mask and gasped for air.

I finally took a breath, and felt my lungs stinging. “What was that? Magic?”

Soot took heaving breaths. “Just some booze mixed with oil of vitriol. Old alchemist trick. Better make sure it worked.”

Holding the cloth back up to her nose, Soot opened the door for me. “After you, Sir White Knight of the Shining Armor. Don’t forget to grab your friend, the lady.”

I scooped up Merta and rushed blindly into the room. The first thing I noticed was six men rolling on the ground, exactly the way the old village drunk used to after an especially wild night of imbibing the Devil’s drink. Something grabbed at my ankle, and I saw a purple-faced Feltar. His eyes were unfocused, and his words were slurred. “Ah’ll… get’choo… never… make it alive!”

Without thinking, I kicked him in the face, shielding Merta as I backed away. Feltar reeled back against the wall, struggling to get back on his feet. Then Soot appeared and choke-slammed Feltar into the wall, pressing a pin against his eye. She hissed. “I don't have a knife right now, but I can put out an eye in one second, and blind you in two.”

Merta stirred against my chest, and I saw she was waking up. She started to whimper.

I cradled her head.  "Merta, everything's okay now, I'm here to rescue you..."

But Merta recoiled from me, and as she twisted away, I started to lose my grip on her. “... No! Not again!”

Desperately, I half-caught Merta, setting her on her feet, and pulled her away from Feltar, trying to shield her from his sight. “Merta? It’s okay. I won’t let them take you back!”

Feltar’s eyes fixed on us, ignoring Soot’s needle as it cut across his eyeball.  "Oh, you le’ the witch outta’ her cage? You really… shouldn't dun’ that. You dunno’ wha’ she is."

Soot gasped. “Don’t move, or I’ll–”

Feltar lunged forward, screaming as the needle sank into his eye, and physically threw Soot aside.

This time, I charged Feltar, and leaned my full weight into a forward kick, slamming him back into the wall. 

There was a crunch. Feltar gurgled, and slumped to the floor, gasping. Soot’s needle was dangling loosely from his bloodshot eye. “You dunno’ who she is… The geomancer…"

I felt my chest heaving, and as I tried to speak, I heard a familiar, low, dangerous voice. It was like my Dad’s voice. But it couldn’t be. It was my own voice. "All I know is that she is a human being."

And I punched him. It wasn't a solid punch, but it was enough to snap Feltar's head back against the stone wall. He slumped down, out cold.

Soot appeared at my side, dusting off the seat of her pants, and nodded with approval. "Huh. You might have some potential. Of course, this means he won't be much help in getting us out of here."

One of the guards stirred, but Soot quickly stomped him with the heel of her boot. Then she bent over to pick up Feltar’s flail. "This thing looks like it was originally meant to be a weapon of war. Won’t do us much good to threaten the guards with this. This is just for causing pain."

Cradling her head, Merta eyed the flail, then turned to stare at the unconscious girl on the bench. "I... I could have ended up like her," she whispered.

Soot shook her head. “No. You are special for some reason. Someone wants you alive, and with your buttocks still firmly attached. Perhaps you could tell us why someone called ‘The Witch Queen’ might be so interested in your well-being?”

Merta dropped to her knees. "I... could... end... like... her..."

Soot held up her hands in mock surrender. "Not right now, of course. Hmmm, this one has a dagger on him. That will come in handy..."

I started to untie the unconscious girl. “We take her, too. I don’t know what this woman stole, but nobody deserves this…”

I glared at Feltar. Soot nudged him with her foot so that he slid the rest of the way down the fall, and emptied his purse of a handful of gold and silver coins into her own. “... except maybe for him."

As I picked up the unconscious, nude woman, I immediately saw the flaw in my plan. The woman was surprisingly tall and heavy, and easily would have dwarfed me if she could stand. And even if she wasn’t, how was I supposed to carry two bodies? "Merta, could you... fly us out of here?"

Merta shivered, and twisted to look at me, a peculiar look in her eyes as she took in the sight of the strange, naked woman in my arms. "Not while we’re still underground. But if you give me something to draw with..."

Soot tossed her a piece of charred wood, black as charcoal at one end. Merta eyed it in horror. “Where did you–”

Soot jabbed a thumb at a small, stone fire pit, filled with ash and charcoal debris. "This is a torture chamber. There's always a fireplace."

Merta took a shaky breath, and started drawing on the stone wall. I recognized the same symbol for fire from before, but much bigger than before. I tensed, expecting an explosion, but nothing happened.

Merta stepped away from the drawing. "I didn't finish the last line. And even after I finish it, it will take about a minute before it explodes.”

Soot grabbed Merta’s hand. “Hold on. I say we sneak out of here.”

Merta smiled curiously. “My wanted poster is plastered at the front gate of this tower, you’re obviously a thief, and Zack is carrying a naked, bleeding woman in his arms. We’re not going to be able to tiptoe out the front door.”

“An explosion will wake up every watchman in the tower.” 

“It won’t matter. Look at the window. This will take us to the courtyard below the tower. Then it’s a straight shot to the front gate. We’ll be out before they can get their boots on.”

I stood on my tiptoes to try and get a peek of the sky through the arrowslit windows in the ceiling. “I can see the first light of daybreak. If we’re blasting out, we’d better do it quick.”

Soot shook her head. “And how big is this explosion? How do we know the roof won’t cave in on us?”

Merta smiled sweetly. “We’ll take cover.”

Soot looked like she was struggling to pull Merta’s hand back from the wall. “Where? In the corridor? You realize the same roof covers this entire floor. I don’t know anything about this magic of yours, other than it can explode or turn you into a flying brick, but either way you have trouble using it.”

Merta smirked, holding her hand steady. “I know another drawing. One I’m sure you will appreciate. Let go of my hand, and I will show you.”

I wondered if I should say something, but I hesitated. After all, Soot knew more than I did about breaking out of prison. And I didn’t know a thing about geomancy until this morning. Who was I to make the decision?

Then Soot bit her lip, and let go of Merta’s hand. “You better not disappoint, mi’lady.”

Merta crossed to the opposite side of the room, and drew a perfect square, five feet high, starting from the floor. Inside this, she drew a second perfect square, dead center, with points connecting all four corners of both squares. The lines glowed softly, and in the flickering candlelight, the drawing seemed to shift and ripple. 

I squinted. Then, the moment I blinked, there was a square hole cut in the wall where the drawing had been, leading into an alcove in the shape of a perfect cube. 

Merta waved her charcoal stick with a flourish, looking rather pleased with herself. “Go in. You’ll be perfectly safe. I’ll be right after you, after I finish the fire drawing.”

I stood in front of Merta. “Wait, I don’t think all these guards deserve to die. Well–maybe Feltar, but not the others."

Merta glanced down at the prone bodies, her eyes wide. "Um… I’m sure they’ll be fine. The fire won’t fill the room.”

I glanced at the magically formed space in the wall. “Merta, how can you be sure this won’t incinerate the whole tower?”

“Because the way I point the drawing directs the explosion. The blast will go straight through the wall, just below the roof.” 

“Then why are you having us take cover?

Merta shuffled on her feet, wearing the exact same guilty expression she’d had when she apologized for stealing our cucumber. “I mean… there might still be a few falling rocks, but…”

Soot carefully set a toe inside the new, empty space in the wall. “Makes sense to me. My vote’s for blowing the roof sky high.”

Merta’s eyes were watery. “Please, Zack. I need you to trust me. I know I don’t deserve your trust, but I won’t let you down.”

I saw the light of dawn creeping into the room from behind me. I thought of Merta crashing through the streets in her flying geometry drawing. We were running out of time, and I had to make a decision. “Do it, Merta. We’re all getting out of here, now.”

Merta nodded, and ran around me. It all happened in a few seconds. She drew the final line to complete the tetrahedron, and ran toward our alcove. The moment she entered, the passage blinked out of existence behind her, leaving us in complete darkness. 

Just as I was becoming acutely aware that I was trapped in a tight space with the bodies of three pretty girls pressing against me, we heard a terrific explosion. Merta counted to five under her breath, and thrust her arm forward. The wall disappeared again, and we saw the same torture chamber in a new light. 

Most of the ceiling and outer wall was gone, revealing a sliver of the dim morning sun as it peeked over the city walls to the east. Feltar and his men were buried in a thin layer of dust, pulverized stone, dirt, and pebbles, but Merta had told the truth. The blast had been concentrated outwards.

Soot dashed forward and jumped up and out of the basement, onto the courtyard, and we followed her. 

I gave Merta a boost, then handed up the naked body of the woman to both Merta and Soot. As I started to climb awkwardly up after them, I saw Soot sprinting across the courtyard, toward the outer gates.

We were just beneath the public gallows we’d seen before. The explosive force had sent chunks of stone ripping through the stockades and pillories.

From the tower behind us, we could make out the sounds of men shouting, and rushing footsteps. “We’re under attack! Close the gates! Close the gates!” 

I heard the heavy, spiked iron portcullis slam down behind us, and saw a simple latticed yett gate ahead of us, across the courtyard.

I scooped up the body of the naked woman, and turned to find Merta. There she was, running ahead of me, like a graceful brown doe. 

Then, Merta swooned and collapsed onto the cobblestone.

From above, a male voice cried out. “Wait! There’s someone in the courtyard! Intruders! Open the gates! Open the gates!”

Without thinking, I tossed the naked woman’s body up and over my shoulder, like I was hauling a saddle blanket. I tried to pick up Merta with my other arm, straining to stand under the weight of both women. 

But as I tried to pick Merta up, Merta rose to her feet, leaning an arm around my shoulder. Merta’s eyes were hazy, but she was conscious. I didn’t know what else to do but keep walking, letting Merta lean against me for support.

Still sprinting, Soot called back at us. “Merta! Fly us out of–”

Soot took one look at the three of us, and faltered. Merta was barely able to walk, even with my help. 

Soot snarled, pulling out her toolkit as we screeched to a halt. “Oh, by the Grey Mouser’s hairy whiskers! Never mind! I just gotta jimmy the lock and–”

From outside, someone in a hood ripped open the yett gates, and pulled back his hood. 

It was Dad! 

I felt a weight disappear from my shoulder as he scooped up the naked woman as easily as if she were a babe. “In the cart! Get going!”

I obeyed, ignoring the commotion behind us. I recognized our old cart immediately, but Dad must have put up a new rain cover.

Beneath the rain cover, Dad whipped off his hood and draped it over the naked woman. “I see you made a new friend, Zack.”

It only covered her shoulders and breasts, so I snatched up a spare saddle blanket and wrapped it around her lower waist and legs. 

Soot made a grab at the reins, before Dad stepped into the box seat, and slapped her wrist. “Hands off, young lady. I’m driving.”

Soot squeaked, and rubbed the back of her wrist. “We gotta go now! They spotted us! They’re torturing women! We have to haul ass outta–”

Dad waved a hand as he lightly slapped Sandy’s flanks with the reins. “Easy, easy. Sandy’s a trusty old mare. She likes to go at her own pace. Steady, and unbothered.”

I started to argue, but then, I noticed our surroundings. It was morning. The farmers were all up and about in their carts. Donkeys, oxen, horses, sheep, goats. Of course! We’d stepped right out into morning traffic on the central road.

I glanced behind us and saw a couple watchmen struggling with the gate that led to the public gallows. “They went this way! A big lad, carrying two naked ladies!”

“No, no, it was just one naked lady, and two lads! Scrawny boy with black hair.”

Another guard emerged, wearing a full set of armor above the waist, and nothing but his boxers below the waist. “You buffoons! The explosion came from the tower! There’s men trapped in there! Get back to your stations!”

Slowly, steadily, we fell in line with the rest of the farmers. Dad casually glanced over his shoulder. “So, Zack, what’s the name of our latest farmhand?”

“This girl? I don’t even know her name. They were beating her, Dad, I couldn’t leave her!”

“You did the right thing. How’s Merta?”

I glanced down at Merta, suddenly realizing I was carrying her again. “She… she fainted again. She was fine a moment ago.”

Dad glanced back at Soot. “Just give them both space to rest on the cart. And Miss Soot… do you need me to drop you off someplace?”

“Are you kidding? I’m not showing my face in Ceris ever again after this fiasco.”

I scratched my head. “You… what to come home with us?”

Soot looked right at me, and deliberately rolled her eyes. “I told you I would help you, for a price. This is my first payment. You’re getting me out of here.”

Dad jabbed a thumb toward me. “Then you’d better wear something less conspicuous. I got a nice, new, modest little dress for May, and she’s about your size. Get dressed, Soot.”

Soot blushed. “You expect me to… change into a dress? We’re in public.”

I found a package with a little note addressed to May. Sure enough, it had a simple, sky blue dress. “Just toss it over that outlaw getup real quick. Better hurry.”

Soot glanced at the dress in horror. “But why does it have to be a dress?”

“Because, it’s what we have. Put it on, now, please.”

Soot flashed Dad a defiant look, before she glanced at the gate. With a groan, she pulled the dress over her head, and looked down to examine her chest in horror. “This won’t work. I won’t pass for your daughter.”

“Who said you have to be my daughter? You’re my niece, who’s coming to stay with us in the country to learn the family business.”

Soot pouted, and crossed her arms. “Ugh! Fine. Whatever you say… Uncle.”

“Thank you, dear. You look lovely, by the way. That dress really brings out the color of your eyes.”

Soot tensed her arm, like she was winding up a devastating elbow strike aimed at Dad’s ribs. Then she seemed to think better of it, and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

I forced myself to keep breathing. “Dad, if the guards bother to look in our cart, they’re going to notice we’ve got a naked, bleeding woman lying unconscious back here.”

“Don’t panic, Zack. I got a night dress for May too. Try to get the poor woman dressed in that. If they question us, let me do the talking. We just need to be convincing enough that they don’t think to search us.”

Soot stiffened. “Wait, wait—Merta—They have wanted posters of Merta. Even if we lost Feltar, his men will all know the geomancer on sight.”

“Not if they think the geomancer is still in prison. There are plenty of cute brunettes in the world.”

Soot clutched her skull, mussing her ponytail. “We’re screwed! They take one good look at us and they’ll know!”

Dad put a hand on Soot’s shoulder. “It’s a gambit. But we have to try.”

The traffic came to a bottleneck at the main gate, the same gate we’d tried to use to exit yesterday. A few young watchmen were halting each cart, glancing at the riders, and waving them through. Sweat trickled down my forehead. Dad reached behind his bag and grabbed his purse.

I took a close look at Merta. There was nothing I could do. I had no power to help her.

Suddenly, Merta opened her eyes. Whatever that strange, indescribable fire I’d noticed in her eyes before was completely gone now. Her eyes were dull, vacant, but they focused on me. "Zack? Is that you?"

"Merta?"

"I... lost my altitude. I fell down and then there was that awful man from market place... what happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"No... But I'm sorry if I got you in trouble."

Trouble. An understatement to say the least. But I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her. "We want to get out of the city. Can you do something to hide yourself? And the other girls?"

"Well, I could draw a hiding place..."

“You mean the drawing with two squares? Joined at corners?"

Merta nodded, and a sparkle of light finally returned to her hollow eyes. "Yes! How did you know? I’ll draw it now!"

With a sudden burst, Merta sprang up, snatched up one of Dad’s pieces of chalk, and started drawing on the floor of the cart.

I recognized the familiar drawing as it shimmered with inner light. "But we are on the cart! You’ll just tunnel through the bottom!"

As she finished drawing, Merta clapped her hands. "No, it doesn't work like that. Look!"

A cubic hole appeared in the floor of the cart.

I stared at it, puzzled. The hole was deep enough to reach below the ground, but the sides and bottom looked like they were made from wood exactly like the rest of the cart. Soot twisted in her seat. “What’s Merta up to? Oh, sweet! A hiding place? Lemme–”

“Halt! Excuse me, sir, but we need to inspect your cart. Some fugitive’s been spotted in Ceris. Orders from the Captain, you understand. Is that–ahem–your daughter?”

Just as she was about to dive back into the cart to hide, Soot froze, her bottom poking high in midair as she bent over the back of the box seat. 

Casually, Dad scooped Soot up by the armpits and sat her down next to him. “Oh, forgive my niece. She gets a bit squirrelly whenever we have to make a long cart trip. Introduce yourself dear.”

Soot sat primly. “Um, hello…sir. I’m–uh–Jet.”

Merta gasped, and rolled roughly into the magical hole. I scooped up the mystery woman, and tried to scoot towards the hole. 

“... Jet?”

Dad chuckled. “Short for Juliette. She was quite the tomboy as a lass, and the name stuck.”

“Heh. I have a granddaughter like that. Likes to play sock fighting with all the boys. Let’s see here… black hair. Nope. Not the brown witch we’re looking for. Anything in the cart you need to declare?”

I was at the edge of the hole. At that precise moment, the head watchman, an older, bearded man, pulled back our rain curtain, and looked me right in the eyes. 

Tensing, I looked down, and saw the hole had vanished, with Merta still inside it. The nameless woman coughed, and swooned in my lap, moaning in agony. The old watchman leaned against the back of the cart. “Heh. Almost no wares left. Had a fruitful day at the market, I take it?”

Dad casually opened his purse and counted out a few coins. “Indeed! And seeing as I’m a fruit and vegetable merchant, it’s left me…fruit-less! Here’s our toll tax. Do you need to see our admission papers?”

The older watchman waved a hand. “Ah, looks fine. You folks…” then he glanced down at the unconscious form of the strange woman in my lap. “Say, what happened to her?”

My mouth moved on its own. “My older sister. She had a little too much to drink last night.”

The old watchman guffawed, then looked closely at a tattered billboard. Instantly, I recognized the drawing from the wanted poster as Merta. “Hmm, dirty blond hair. Don’t think she’s our fugitive either. Still, better spank her sober the second you get home!”

Dad slapped his knee. “Ha! Only if she agrees she deserves it!”

“Well, you kids look tuckered out. Have a safe journey home. Hope to see you next year!”

“Maybe then you’ll give us a break on the toll tax?”

The old man waved a finger. “Ay, don’t blame me! I just work here. Maybe, send the Lord Mayor a letter about it, see if he reads it. Let ‘em through, greenhorn.”

As the cart started to move, I sighed with relief. Then, I saw the younger of the two watchmen, “Greenhorn,” and to my horror, I recognized him. He was one of the boys under Feltar’s command from yesterday. The one who’d panicked and dropped his sword. He took a long, slow look at all of us: me, Dad, Soot, and the mystery girl. Then he bowed his head. “You folks take of eachother.”

Then, “Greenhorn” lifted the wooden stake, and let us out the city gates of Ceris. We were free.

***

We had a long, tense ride back home. Dad chose to take an indirect route, which turned it into a full day’s journey. But none of Feltar’s men came after us. An hour passed, with no sign of Merta. Just as I was starting to wonder if Merta might be trapped in a magical hole with no hole at the top, there was a flash of light, and the square portal reappeared at the bottom of the cart. The moment she crawled out, it vanished. Merta lay down next to me, completely exhausted, and fell asleep.

The unknown, naked woman finally stirred from her unconscious state, but she only mumbled a few broken words. “Grace… Grace…” 

I thought it was some strange plea for mercy, before Soot called me an idiot and pointed out it was probably the woman’s name. We gave “Grace” some small sips of water, dressed her in a light underdress, and let her lie on her stomach to keep the jostling cart from hurting her cuts and bruises. She kept muttering in her sleep, and it didn’t take much imagination to figure out what sort of nightmares were troubling her.

In contrast, Merta was strangely silent in her sleep, almost like a dead body. I dared to press my ear to her chest, just to make sure she was still breathing.

Finally, an odd thought occurred to me. “Dad, why were you at the front gate? Weren’t we supposed to meet out at the west side?”

Dad hummed. “After I got Sandy back, I noticed they had a guard posted outside the sewer grate. Overheard a few of them bragging about how they’d caught a couple trespassing teenagers. Suppose I figured if you were smart, you’d abandon the original plan, and try to sneak past the courtyard gate. I was getting a bit worried, before I heard the explosion. You couldn’t have timed it better.”

“But we were captured and put in prison! How could you have possibly known what we’d do?”

“I didn’t know. I knew you had Soot with you, and I figured I’d better be where you’d need me to be if you tried the only plan that could possibly work.”

I tried to think through Dad’s explanation, and felt my splitting headache coming back. Now that the excitement was over, my entire body started to hurt. “Dad, I’m a criminal now.”

“No, Zack, you fought criminals.”

“But aren’t the watchmen men supposed to be like knights? Men of the law?”

“They’re supposed to be, yes. Their job is to uphold the law of Ceris. But a knight is called to a higher duty. For a true knight, the highest of all laws is to defend the innocent, at the cost of his own life. And when a man forgets that duty, he becomes a criminal. Even if he’s just following orders. Even if what he’s doing is ‘technically legal.’”

Soot kept looking over her shoulder, watching the road behind us. “Do you think they’ll try to hunt us down?”

Dad shook his head. “Hopefully they think we’re still in the city. Even if they’ve figured out we’re gone, I don’t think they have a clue where we’re going. Farmers come from all corners of the free lands for the market day in Ceris.”

But he didn’t sound very sure. I looked at Merta, who was still fast asleep. “That bounty on Merta bothers me. I didn’t know anyone could be worth a hundred gold sovereigns.”

Soot snapped her fingers. “Say, about that reward–”

I scowled at Soot. “Don’t even think it, Soot. We’re not turning Merta in.”

Soot held up her hands. “Give me some credit! I was gonna say… We learned that bounty on Merta was posted by some foreigner. The bitch queen, or whatever she calls herself.”

Dad held up a finger. “Mind your language. Mother and I don’t allow that kind of talk under our roof. And it’s ‘The Witch Queen.’”

“Yeah, sure. But the point is, that bounty’s not legal in the free cities. The watchmen shouldn’t have even been posting it, let alone trying to collect it.”

Dad drummed his fingers. “That is troubling. We’d better steer clear of the market in Ceris from now on. Next year’s going to be rough without my customers. But it’s probably for the best. The local politics in Ceris has been going to the dogs of late. Revolutionaries, strange new political factions with all sorts of names I don’t care to remember. I’m sure they’ll forget all about you girls in a few months. You’ll just have to keep out of trouble while you stay with us.”

Soot blinked. “That’s… very kind of you. But I don’t want to be a burden. If you have a shed or barn I can crash in, I’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t be absurd, Soot. You’re my niece, remember? You’re gonna need to stay at least a little while, until the heat dies down.”

Soot shifted in her seat. “But… you can’t house me. I’m a criminal!”

Dad hummed. “Say, Zack, what do you think? Should I allow Ma’dame Soot, Master of Thieves, to be our guest? 

Soot glared at me, and I had a feeling she was planning to aim an elbow strike at my head if I dared to tease her. “Soot is–well, you are a thief–but I don’t think you’re the kind of thief who’s going to slit our throats while we’re all asleep.”

Soot harrumphed. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Dad looked at Soot. “Would you say she’s a good person?”

I thought about the question. I remembered asking her why she would want to help me. “Well, I don’t think she’s a bad person.”

Soot turned her face away from me, slouching in her seat. 

Dad nodded. “Then that’s good enough for me. Soot, you are welcome to stay in my home, for as long as you need a place to stay.”

Soot fidgeted. “Well… Thank you, sir. I accept. I promise I won’t impose.”

It struck me that Soot actually looked like a girl for once, especially while wearing May’s simple blue dress. A small, slender slip of a girl, despite the fact she was probably older than me.

I glanced down at Merta, still trapped in her dreamless, comatose state. "All right, Dad, what is a geomancer? You must know something about them.”

Dad sighed. “I thought they died out after the end of the age of myth.”

Soot twisted in her seat. “Well, Lady Merta’s clearly not something out of a fairy story. Whatever she can do with those drawings, it’s plenty real.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Ahem! I never thought the stories about geomancers were fairy tales to begin with. I said they were something out of the age of myth. Back when the last of the evil dragons were still plaguing the hinterlands. During the war, some of the old veterans used to tell stories about how their grandfathers’ had grandfathers who served honorably under this or that great geomancer, back in ye olden days.”

I was fascinated. “So, you always believed they were real, Dad? The magic, and everything?”

“I was sure the geomancers had to be real, even if I wasn’t sure about all the old war stories. Apparently, they were always waging wars on one another, each trying to make himself the undisputed master of geomancy. Then, there was some great, big, war-to-end-all-wars that involved all the geomancers. That ended a few hundred years ago, and we’ve been fighting wars at the border ever since. Whatever the Geomancer War was, it took most of the cities and churches with it, along with their libraries. I hear folks call those times the dark ages, because we just don’t know much about those days.”

“So what were the geomancers supposed to be, according to the old war stories?”

“Exactly what you’d think. Powerful magicians, who all could draw diagrams that gave them mastery over the elements. Fire, earth, air, and water are usually the main ones. I’ve read people list different elements, or add a bunch of new elements to the number. But control of every element was supposed to be intrinsically connected to one of the platonic solids.”

Soot sniffed. “Sounds like you know a lot more than you’re letting on, old timer.”

“Mind your manners, missy. After the last border war ended, I taught myself to read. Heard it was a good way to pass the time between harvests. All I know about geomancy comes from a couple books I’ve read on the history of geometry. Apparently, all the old masters of geometry were mixed up in geomancy, like a sort of mathematical cult. But if there are any books about geomancy that still exist, I’ve never heard of them. Practicing any form of geomancy was outlawed after the big war. Even the regular geometrists had a rough time convincing people they weren’t all secretly plotting to throw the world back into chaos and anarchy.”

I looked at Merta, remembering how meek and harmless she seemed. "It can’t be that dangerous!"

“All knowledge is dangerous, Zack. You’ve seen Merta use some of these powers. Think how easily it would be for a bad geomancer to hurt himself, if he didn’t know what he was doing. Now imagine a bad man, who was an excellent geomancer, and knew exactly what he was doing. What would you get?”

I thought of the explosion we had used to escape. How Merta had accurately pointed it in the precise direction we needed. “Someone like that… could destroy a whole city.”

Dad stroked his chin. “There are a few fairy stories about geomancers. Sometimes, it’s treated like a dark power that poisons the soul. Something that brings out the worst in every foolish man who dares to use it. Or woman, as the case might be."

"But Merta is… she can’t be evil."

Dad nodded. “I know. But even if she isn’t evil, maybe that power is. I don’t have any easy answers for you, Zack. All I know is that she needs our help. For now, that’s all I need to know.”

Finally, Merta awoke. She yawned and stretched, and instantly seemed like the sweet girl I recognized from the market. “Good morning, friends. Or is it afternoon? I’ve never slept on a cart before. It was wonderful. So much nicer than sleeping inside the cube.”

I was relieved, but it also reminded me of just how strange her earlier catatonic state had seemed before. Without thinking, I patted Merta’s shoulder. “It’s evening, actually. We’re about an hour from home.”

“Where is home? Aren’t they going to think to look for you there?”

Dad shrugged. “Doubt anyone in Ceris has ever heard of our quiet little village. No one even bothers to put us on the maps. Besides, we’re well outside their jurisdiction. And we’re under the protection of the Free City of Cant.”

Merta bowed her head. "I'm really sorry.”

I looked at Merta carefully. "Yes?"

Merta gripped her arm. "For running away from you. And for not telling you things you needed to know. I knew there was someone after me, when I was on the road. I just thought if I could make it to the City of Ceris, I’d be safe there. It was stupid, really.”

“Who is after you, Merta? We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Merta turned to look at me. “I’m sorry, Zack, but I don’t know the answer to that question. I wish I knew… I remember… waking up in a dungeon. Someone telling me to make more of the drawings for them. But whenever I try to recall the dungeon—it’s like trying to remember the details of a dream. I'm not even sure what's true and what's not. I cannot tell you... not now."

Dad glanced at Merta. “What about before the dungeon? Family? Friends?”

Merta clutched her head. “I have… a memory. I know how to make the drawings. I know my name is Merta. I know… I must have had a mother. But the dungeon is where everything starts… it’s like the first page in a book. I suppose I must know how to read, too.”

I shook my head. “Amnesia?”

Soot giggled. “How romantic.”

Dad sighed. “If geomancy is real, and the Witch Queen is trying to master it, who knows what kind of old magic she’s managed to resurrect.”

Merta’s face darkened. “The Witch Queen? How do you know that name?”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “She’s only been raising hell at the border for the past three decades, making a name for herself as a conqueror. Some folks from across the border say she’s an old hag, who cast a spell on herself to appear forever young. Some of my officers thought it was just a title, passed down from one puppet queen to the next, to make her seem like an immortal goddess to her followers.”

Soot peered at Merta. “Does the name of the Witch Queen ring any bells?”

Merta rubbed circles across her temples. “Yes… yes, that makes sense. When I escaped, I had to cross into the freelands. She’s… named herself after the first Witch Queen.”

Soot blew a raspberry. “Pfft. Imagine calling yourself Raya the Witch Queen. Might as well change your name to ‘The Big Bad Wolf.’ What a joke.”

Dad pinched Soot gently. “Whatever her real name is, the Witch Queen is no joke. I’ll have to make a trip to Cant. Hopefully some old friends can arrange a meeting with the Lord Mayor. The Free Cities may have to raise a new army.”

Soot rubbed the spot where Dad pinched her, and rounded on Merta. “What else do you remember about the dungeon? Anything that could help us put a face to the name, your ladyship?”

Merta’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing that you need to know, miss thief. I don’t… I don’t want to remember more about the dungeon.”

I put a hand around Merta’s shoulder. “And you don’t have to. Whatever it was, it’s over now. You’re in the freelands now. Just… don’t run off alone again. We both could have gotten killed.”

Merta hung her head. “I’m sorry, Zack. I’m nothing but trouble.”

“Nonsense, Merta. You are not trouble. You’re my friend. You just got yourself into trouble is all. But if you stick with us, we’ll help you get back out of trouble together.”

Merta brushed aside a lock of her hair. “But why were you trying to rescue me?”

Dad smiled. "It's the Knight and the Lady all over again.”

"The Knight and the Lady?"

I looked at Merta in disbelief. "You must have heard it! It's this old song, about a princess who runs away from home, and gets a..."

I stopped myself before I started talking about my favorite part of the story: the spanking scene.

As I stammered, Dad turned in his seat, with a twinkle in his eye. "It's the traditional love ballad of Cant. There once was a knight, who fell in love with a beautiful lady, whom he was sworn to protect. However, through her own disobedience, the lady gave her guards the slip, and went exploring the cliffside caves alone. But she was captured by an evil ogre, and carried off to the Witch Queen’s castle. The knight had no choice but to pursue them alone, risking his own life to save her."

Merta held a hand to her chest. “Just like you did for me, Zack!”

"But I wasn’t the hero. Soot really did everything important..."

Soot grinned. “Yeah, I was definitely the knight in this story, but don’t sell yourself short. You made a good squire.”

Dad scratched his chin. "How does the last verse go, Zack?"

I recited it easily:

The battle o’er, the ogre slain,

The castle’s fire and smoke,

The Knight bowed down to Lady fair

And this is what he spoke:

"My lady fair, what ‘ere may come,

By thy side I’ll be.

Thou I rescue, thou I cherish,

I'll give my life for thee.

“Let no man, beast, nor demon harm

Your skin as white as snow.

But should you start to behave wild,

Then o’er my lap you go!

“Two sides the bargain, that's the law,

And though you're all to me,

The time may come when I shall have

To put you cross my knee!

“No hurt will touch you, be it claws,

Nor evil spells, nor rain.

Yet by my hand, you must be spanked,

With love, to learn, through pain.”

He spoke those words, and then he smiled.

The Lady bowed her head.

She blushed a bit, and wiped his face

And this is what she said:

"The bargain is most just and fair,

Cause sometimes I go mad.

As much I hate to admit it,

I need a spanking bad.

“I am afraid, you ought to know.

I hate to raise my skirt.

To lie face down to think about

How badly it will hurt.

“But here and now I permit you

To spank me when there's need.

When I throw fit, when I kick dog

When I'm possessed by greed.

“I promise I will love you still,

With bottom red and sore."

And with a kiss they sealed the deal,

And kept it ever more.

When the Knight is with his Lady

She's as safe as she can be.

But if she behaves like a brat,

Just turn her o’er your knee!

As I finished reciting, Dad nodded. "Exactly. And that's how it should be. Men taking risks for their women, and women taking spankings from their men."

Soot smirked. "Well, I was never one for this arrangement… I’m emancipated."

Dad looked at Soot with kindness. "There’s nothing wrong with that. This is always a matter of personal agreement. A girl over sixteen should never be spanked, unless she agrees to it. She should be old enough then to know when she deserves a spanking."

Merta looked at me. She had tears in her eyes. "That was a beautiful poem, Zack!"

"It's much longer. But this is the only part I remember."

Soot smirked. "I think I know why."

Merta wiped her eyes. "Would you promise to me, too? That you will always protect me?"

I smiled. "You would have to promise something, too, you know."

She nodded. "In that case, I promise that I will never again run away from you. I promise that I will listen to you. And..." she blushed, "I promise I will let you spank whenever you think I deserve it."

"Well," said Dad, "that's quite a nice promise, isn't it? Now it's your turn, Zack."

I knelt and took Merta's hand. These things should be done right.

"My Lady, I promise that I will always protect you. I promise that I will never make you unhappy. And... I also promise that I will give you a spanking every time you deserve it."

Quite unexpectedly, she kissed me. Suddenly I felt as light as a feather. "Why did you do that?"

She smiled. "That’s how it was in the story. ‘And with a kiss they sealed the deal.’ Now, you shall be my knight, and I shall be your lady."

Soot laughed. "Well, this is great! You poor thing, you have no idea what you just got yourself into, do you?"

"What?"

I took her chin into my hands. "I think, Merta, that she is referring to what you did today when you ran away."

"Oh." She blushed an even deeper shade of red. "I... I see. I suppose that was pretty foolish. I ran off alone, exactly like the disobedient lady… Will you spank me now, Zack?"

I looked up, and saw Soot watching us with undisguised interest. "No. We’ve all had a long, tiring day. But first thing tomorrow morning, we will buy you your own hairbrush."

"Yes, Zack."

"And we will put it to use right away. Not to brush your hair, mind you. Do you know what the hairbrush will be used for?"

 

Merta wiped her nose. "Sniff... yes, Zack. You will… spank me, with my very own hairbrush. Just like Emma, I’ve been a naughty little girl."

She shuffled her feet. "And I deserve a spanking, don't I?"

"Yes, you do. But you’re not a bad girl. You are my friend, and my Lady. Don’t worry about the spanking too much. We’ll have it all over and done with by tomorrow morning."

She nodded, and giggled. "Thank you… my Knight."

Soot sneered, leaning over the back of her seat. "You still haven’t paid your debt to me. And I think I know exactly what I want for my fee.”

I sighed. "I think we will still need you. That Captain Feltar was a mad man. What’s your price, Soot? We don’t have much coin, but maybe–"

"Don’t insult me. If I need money, I’ll just steal it.”

Dad patted Soot’s bottom. “Not while you’re staying under my roof you won’t.”

Soot quickly sat down. “Oh, no sir. Of course not. But I’m not really that interested in silver or gold. See, I helped you because you two seemed like an interesting pair. It’s like watching a traveling theater troupe. I’ve just gotta see how the story ends! So, Zack, when you take Lady Merta over your knee tomorrow..."

"Yes?"

She smiled from ear to ear. "I want to see it. That’s part of my payment."

Merta and I both stared at Soot.

Soot shrugged. "I told ya’ before, didn’t I? I love spankings, as long as they don't involve me."

I narrowed my eyes. "Maybe you could benefit from a spanking that does involve you.”

Soot produced her knife with a flick of her wrist, and started twirling it between her fingers. Now, not even May’s dress could hide the fact that Soot was not a sweet little girl. She was back to old, indecent self. "Not if you like having your hands where they are. Merta may be the spankable type, but I'm not."

Merta’s mouth hung open. "The spankable type? What?"

“You know! Overly emotional, obsessed with guilt, glad to submit to an authority figure—not that Zack has much authority to speak of, but still—” 

Dad glared at Soot. “Put that knife away, right now.”

Immediately, Soot sheathed her knife. “Yes, sir.”

Merta clenched her fists. “I am not overly emotional!” she said, with great emotional verve.

Soot held up her hands. “Hey, I’m not judging you. We’re just different types. A proper spanking can do a lot of good for girls like you."

In my mind, I was wrestling with a vivid mental picture of spanking Soot’s bare bottom. "And you are not... that?"

Soot crossed her arms, and turned in her seat to face away from me. "Definitely not. Sorry, farmboy."

I sighed. In all my nineteen years, I’d never had a female friend close to my age, apart from May. Now, I suddenly had two strange new girls in my life. Three if you count the one who was still unconscious, the mysterious “Grace.”

I’d also never had an enemy before today, and Feltar was most definitely my new worst enemy. What if he found our trail? 

But for now, I had other problems to worry about.

Tomorrow morning, I had to spank a girl who could easily blow me up.

I muttered to myself. “Every day is a new adventure.”

With a lot on my mind, I felt myself starting to nod off, but the jostling of the cart kept me awake. As we pulled onto the paved road that led to home, I felt the bumps along the road start to smooth, and finally drifted off to sleep.

End of Chapter 2