Assassin's Curse by Debra L Martin, David W Small Page B

just maybe, I’ll give you another chance later.”
    The young woman squirmed in her chair and looked pleadingly at the landlord, hoping that he held the secret to their freedom.   Unfortunately for her, nothing could have been farther from the truth.
    “You remember those questions I asked you before, don’t you?” Mave asked.   “Keep them in mind as you watch what happens next.”
    Mave walked to the fat man and laid the blade against his face.   He drew it down lightly along the man’s cheek, leaving a thin, bloody line in its wake.
    “Now that’s just the teaser,” Mave continued.   “Here’s where the real fun begins.”
    He turned quickly and walked over to the young woman.   She had seen and heard everything and struggled against her bonds.   Mave grabbed her by the hair and twisted it in a knot in his fist.   He yanked it back, exposing her throat, and leaned the knife against it.  
    The old man’s eyes widened in alarm at the thought of the young girl’s throat to be cut, but he let out a sigh of relief as Mave lowered the knife a bit.
    “Now that would be too quick, wouldn’t it?” Mave said, looking over his shoulder at the old man.   
    He started to release the girl’s hair, but suddenly wrenched her head up and, viciously slicing upward with the knife, severed her exposed ear.   She screamed and screamed through her gag.   Though she tried to wrench her head away from Mave’s grip, he did not let go.
    “No, no, no.   Nothing so quick as a sliced throat.   You’ve probably seen hundreds of those, haven’t you?”   Mave turned the girl’s head to ensure the fat man saw the bloody mess.   He took the knife and ran it across his tongue, smearing the girl’s blood on it.   The fat man rolled his eyes and the waves of panic set in.
    “See, now I have your attention, but too bad for this one, it’s a little too late.”   Mave took his knife and cut down the front of the woman’s threadbare smock.   She wore nothing underneath and the old man’s eyes goggled at the sight of her nakedness.
    “Now that’s even pathetic to me,” Mave said.   “Look at you staring at this young girl’s naked body while she’s in pain.   Shame on you.”
    The old man cringed at Mave’s chastisement and began to worry again about his own predicament.  
    “I wonder how you’ll answer my questions now, huh?”
    “Hmmmphhffggmmm.”
    “Oh, I’m just not sure I have your full attention quite yet.”
    The old man tried to talk around the gag but it was stuffed too far into his mouth.   He struggled and tried to bounce in the chair but to no effect.   He watched helplessly as Mave stood in front of the naked girl.   He saw the poor girl’s eyes pleading and crying, but it had no effect on this monster.
    “You know, he could have prevented all this,” Mave said conversationally to the young, frightened girl, pointing with his knife at the old man, “but he had to be a smart one, he did.   He started lying right from the start and that began all of this.   Now I know you’re just an innocent bystander in all this… unless, of course, you know something about the young woman that was murdered here a few days ago?”
    The girl shook her head violently.
    “Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Mave replied, “ so I’m just going to use you as I planned all along.   You will be the incentive for the fat man’s honesty.”
    With that Mave sliced diagonally down the woman’s chest, leaving a gaping wound that began to bleed profusely.   The young girl writhed in agony and moaned through her gag.  
    The old man tried screaming through his gag and tears streamed down his face as he saw the damage Mave had inflicted on the young, innocent girl.
    Mave looked over at the landlord.
    “Now you be quiet over there.   You’ll get your chance to talk again when I’m finished here.”
    Mave knelt down and laid his knife across the girl’s foot, directly over her toes.
    “Now watch