Fink frowned, then opened his mouth to speak. He was stopped by the sound of a key in the locked door.
I stood, ready for whoever was about to come through the door, then glanced at Fink. “Anything you have to do,” I repeated.
Erick was pushed into the room first, then shoved to the floor by the men behind him. His right eye was bruised and swollen and he had a bloody lip, but he was walking evenly, so I hoped the worst was over for him. Unfortunately, it probably wasn’t.
The intensity of Erick’s glare when he caught my eye was murderous. I would’ve apologized right there except that it would have sounded ridiculous and insulting. Besides, Erick wasn’t alone.
Two large men followed him into the room, while at least three or four others guarded the doorway. The two who entered carried chains in their arms with manacles linked to each set. Presumably for me.
I attempted to do this the peaceful way and held out my arms to show I wouldn’t fight. The pirates shoved me hard against the wall anyway, so I felt justified in kicking them back. If they weren’t playing nice, I didn’t see why I should have to.
Fink and Erick stood at the opposite end of the room. Fear was evident on Fink’s face, but Erick looked a little smug. If he was happy to see me get some of what I deserved, then I couldn’t blame him.
They wrapped the chain around a post in the corner of the room, then the pirates clamped the manacles firmly around my wrists and ankles. I adjusted my feet to keep my balance, which one pirate interpreted as an aggressive move. He landed a merciless fist into my gut. I doubled over, choking on my own breath.
In the background I heard Fink say, “Now give him one for me.”
I smiled slightly but remained bent over. There was too strong a possibility that if I stood up straight again, the pirates would only honor Fink’s request.
A pirate leaned over and snarled, “You think you were in trouble when Devlin was king? I just heard what the new king has planned for you. I’d suggest you ask the devils to take you now, before he gets here.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion, except that the devils were clearly on Roden’s side.
As soon as the pirates left, Fink started toward me but Erick grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
“He’s not a friend,” Erick said coldly. “Not mine or yours.”
Fink looked at me, and I very slightly shook my head. I’d told him that he had to convince Roden of his dislike for me. His eyes darkened as he realized he had to convince everyone else of that too.
“I just wanted to hurt him myself,” Fink said. It wouldn’t have mattered if he did, because I doubted Fink could hit hard enough to compare with anything else I’d faced today, but I was glad to see him back off anyway.
“For what it’s worth, Erick, I’m sorry.” I said the words slowly, because my stomach still ached.
“It’s worth nothing!” Erick shouted. “You lied about who you are and lied about the treasure! Anything that happens now is better than you deserve. I put my own life on the line to bring you here. When they’re done with you they’ll kill me, probably Fink too.”
“Things didn’t go the way I’d planned.” Not that it would make any difference to him, or to me, but it needed to be said.
Erick stepped forward. I hoped he didn’t intend to hit me too. Or that if he did, he would choose one of the few spots on my body not already bruised. “There’s one thing that’s been bothering me,” he said. “When we went to that noble’s house in Libeth and you chased after that man, did you really kill him?”
“I never claimed to have,” I said. “That was your assumption. And no, I never touched him. He was my friend.”
“You say that as if he no longer is.”
“He’ll serve me for as long as I’m king.” I paused, thinking of how much frustration I must have caused Mott over the past several days. “But I doubt that I have any friends left.”
“Not here you don’t.” With that, Erick sat heavily on the chair in the room and folded his arms.
Fink climbed onto the table beside him, sat cross-legged, and rested his head in his hands. Neither of them looked at me.
I shifted my weight so that I could lean into the corner of the room and then closed my eyes. If nothing else, at least I could get a little sleep.
Whether I slept for two minutes or two hours, I couldn’t be sure. But I awoke to loud voices, and the sound of a key turning in the locked door. My eyes opened slowly, reluctantly. I glanced at Erick and Fink, who were still sitting in their same places as before.
Erick cocked his head, hearing the key as well. “Are you ready for whoever’s on the other side?” he asked.
“No,” I muttered. And I wasn’t.
When the door opened, Erick and Fink jumped to their feet and backed against the far wall. I still felt groggy and was slower to straighten up. In fact, it was difficult to summon any energy whatsoever. The strain of the last several days had finally caught up to me.