hiding?
âThey may be only children,â hissed Derthsin, âbut they control powerful allies. And now I fear they may have found a third.â
It took Tanner a moment to realize that Derthsin was talking about him and his friends. Children? Gor turned and the firelight captured his cruel profile.
âWe have the boy back, at least,â said Gor. âVendrake forced the truth from him. He has told us where to look.â
âWeâre opening up the eastern tunnels,â put in Captain Brutus. âIf we concentrate our manpower there, it cannot be long until we have what you seek.â
The piece of the mask! Tanner thought.
âAnd what shall we do with the boy then?â asked Vendrake.
The image of Derthsin seemed to glow brighter than before. âHe is no more use to us. We wonât need to organize any further pre-arranged meetings with him. Feed him to the Troiden.â
Tanner backed away from the doorway. Picking his steps as carefully as possible, he hurried along the passage and toward the light. He emerged, coughing on the filthy air, then hurried outside. Gwen and Castor were waiting, peering from behind a rocky outcrop, their eyes wide. The Beasts were perched on the mountain above them.
âSo?â Castor demanded.
Tanner filled his lungs with the clean mountain air. âTheyâre making weapons,â he reported. âAnd armor, too. The boys are slaves â theyâre working the furnaces and forges. Itâs horrible.â
âAnd Geffen?â Gwen asked quickly.
Tanner hesitated. âHeâs told them to look for the mask in the eastern tunnels, but â¦â He wasnât sure he could find the words.
âSay it, Tanner,â Gwen hissed. âWhatever it is, just say it.â
âAs soon as they find the piece of the mask, theyâre going to kill him. I was right â heâd arranged to meet Gor when he sneaked away from our camp. But now, heâs no more use to them.â His words came out in a rush. He told them what heâd seen, about Captain Brutus, Vendrake, and Gor, and the image of Derthsin in the flames. About Troiden.
âWhat about the boys?â Castor said, interrupting.
Tannerâs voice cracked. âTheyâre starving. Theyâre being beaten and overworked and ⦠some of them are in cages with snakes.â
âSnakes?â Gwen repeated.
âTrapped like animals,â Castor said. He paced in a slow circle. âThe boys I grew up with ⦠I should be with themâ¦.â He punched the mountain rock. Tanner realized Castor was shaking with rage. He hit the rock again and again, until his knuckles were streaked with blood.
My feathers ruffle with a prickle of emotion. Castor is full of secrets and pain. One glance into Neraâs face tells me that. Does Tanner know what secrets lie in his new friendâs heart? I think he suspects.
I close my eyes and listen to whatever the boyâs soul is flooded with. Ah, yes â¦
Guilt.
I understand. My eyes snap open. Self-loathing infects the boy, like a disease. The tremor in his eyes, the shake of his hands â what is he hiding?
âCastor!â Tanner grabbed him. âCalm down.â
âThose are my people,â Castor shouted. âLet go of me.â He shook Tanner away and drew his sword. Tanner noticed for the first time that it had a catâs claw embedded in the hilt. âWeâre going to free them right now. Iâll go firstâ¦.â
Tanner grabbed him by the shoulders, yanking him away from the cave entrance.
âListen to me,â he said, keeping his voice as steady as he could. âWeâll save them, I promise. But we canât do it like this. Even if we could beat the guards â and there are a lot of soldiers â if we charge in like this, they may hurt more of the boys before we can stop them. And we may not even get near the piece of the Mask of Death.