The Elf King by Sean McKenzie Page B

their feet, allowing Tane and Qenn to sufficiently feed
themselves while keeping their hands bound together. The brothers
were handed a chunk of meat and a piece of bread as their captors
sat across from them and watched closely, eating as
well.
    It was on the tip of Tane’s
tongue to ask the men why they were bothering to feed them, and he
almost spoke as much before he remembered what it would cost him.
The question however wouldn’t leave him. He thought about all the
possibilities that the two thieves would have for them, and why it
would be important for them to have kept their strength. In the
end, he decided that they would probably be sold to someone as
slave or made to fight. Either way, he was grateful for the food
and would think of a way to make his captors pay for allowing him
to eat.
    The two shabby men sat
across from Tane and Qenn and ate and drank like two mad animals.
Their dirty clothes became even more-so as neither one of them made
an effort to clean up whey they were finished. They spoke to one
another in hushed tones, always looking at their prisoners,
watchful of their movements. Once it appeared that an argument
broke out between them, but was either misunderstood, or settled
immediately with words. As they drank the last of their bottles,
the chains in the wagon began to thrash again, louder and stronger.
Being close to the wagon this time, the two brothers could make out
muffled screams.
    Tane and Qenn both stopped
eating and looked into the wagon. Their captors seemed less than
worried about keeping it a secret now, as they slowly finished
their bottles and tossed them aside carelessly as the noise in the
wagon kept on.
    “ Don’t mind that noise,”
the smaller thief said, moving to the edge of the wagon, peeking
inside. “We caught ourselves a witch.”
    “ She used her magic and
killed a sorcerer. There was nothing left of him.” The other man
laughed hard and smashed his bottle into the ground next to them,
shattering the glass. “And you two thought we were
dangerous!”
    The man in the wagon joined
in on the joke as he removed the chains and the sack. Tane and Qenn
strained their necks hoping to get a good look at what they had
bound, but the smaller man was in the way, and the other approached
them.
    Holding a glass bottle out
to them, the man said, “This will be the last to drink for a while,
so have at it. We need you two to be healthy.”
    Tane hesitated for a
moment, and then took the bottle. He was already thirsty, and to
have to wait even longer wasn’t worth the risk. With an uneasy
glance to his brother, he began to drink. When he was finished, he
handed the bottle to Qenn.
    Just as he grabbed the
bottle, a loud groan came from the man in the wagon and he was sent
flying back into the carriage wall with an audible thud. His cohort
was in the wagon instantly and now Qenn could see a struggle with a
young woman whose flaming red hair was instantly captivating. He
quickly positioned his body to see even more when Tane slumped to
the ground next to him. His eyes were closed. Poisoned! Qenn quickly grabbed a
piece of the broken bottle and stashed it into his
pocket.
    “ Get her!” The small thief
yelled. The woman grunted with the gag in her mouth, and fought as
well as someone bound with chains. The wagon tossed and swayed with
the quarrel. A few minutes later, the woman screamed and things
went calm.
    “ Next time you wake up,
girl, it will be with someone who won’t be as pleasant as
us!”
    “ Tie her down tight this
time!” The taller thief growled. “I don’t care if she
bruises!”
    “ She’s no good to us
damaged,” his companion hissed back.
    “ And we’re no good to her
alive,” the other scowled in return.
    As the scuffling died, the
cursing men prepared to exit the wagon. Qenn spilled a little of
the drink on his chin then dropped the bottle at his side and laid
next to Tane, closing his eyes. He would let them take him without
a fight, he decided. Once