The leader removed his hood and came to stand in front of me. Underneath his cowl was a sinister, worn face, wrinkled more due to his expression than age. Dark, shaggy black hair surrounded him like a mane, and I instinctively knew now where the name of the inn had come from. His eyes were black and angular, with bushy eyebrows as their ghastly frame.
I stopped struggling. It was useless; the man gripping my shoulders would not let me go. It was better I played along until I could find out what he wanted.
“So.” The lion-haired man stroked his shaggy black beard. “A Silverthorne! Well, that’s a first. I guess the Blackwaters are getting better at this.” He chuckled, but it sounded more like a cackle.
“Why?” I tried to sound brave and defiant, but it came out like a squeak. “What do you want?”
“Let me introduce myself, my lady.” He tried to sound gallant but failed miserably. “My name is Fagren. The Blackwaters and I have a deal. Every few months they like to play a little game with the novices at the academy.” I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. He chuckled again, rubbing his hands together. He gestured to the man behind me and his grip loosened, but it was still firm enough that I couldn’t run.
What did he want from me? How was I going to get away this time? No one even knew I was here; I would vanish into thin air and never be found again.
I concentrated on keeping the fear out of my voice. “Why would they do that?” My eyes narrowed as I held Fagren’s gaze. “And what did you give them? I saw you give Zorek a pouch.”
At least I could try to find out something since I was here. And talking was a good way of stalling until I figured out what to do.
Fagren raised both his bushy eyebrows. “Aren’t you more concerned about what we want?”
I shook my head. “No, not really,” I said, trying to make my voice seem casual and hoping nobody noticed my legs trembling. I couldn’t show them that I was scared; that was what they wanted.
To my surprise, Fagren laughed. “Well, that’s a first.” He looked amused. “Usually those who are brought here, especially the women, are in hysterics by now.” He paused and came closer, as if to examine me. “You are quite entertaining. It has been a while since I met someone as intriguing as you. If you weren’t one of those filthy scum mages, I would ask you to join my people.” He grinned.
The way he said that sent chills down my spine. As if I would join him. Fagren laughed again. He gestured to his men, and the one holding me let me go.
That was unexpected. I didn’t know if I should make a dash for it, but I knew I would barely make it halfway across the room before they easily grabbed me again. There were too many of them. I decided it would be better to try to talk my way out of it.
Maybe he wouldn’t hurt me. I tried to convince myself of that, but my knees still shook and my heart hammered like a set of drums inside my chest. Fagren gestured for me to sit opposite him, where Zorek had sat only minutes ago. At least he was being civilized, in a way.
I walked slowly over to the bench and sat down at the long table opposite Fagren, my clammy hands clasped in my lap.
“What I would like to know,” said Fagren, “before I answer your questions, is how did they manage to get one of you Silverthornes? You people are usually one step ahead of the Blackwaters.”
Now I felt really stupid. I had been made a fool of, lured and trapped inside a lion’s den. Of course the rest of my family would never fall for a trick like that.
I tried to shrug it off. “Maybe no one cares what happens to me. I am just a ward of the Silverthornes, not really family.” Maybe if they thought I was not important enough, they would let me go.
“I doubt that.” Fagren’s forehead creased as if he were trying to think and it was proving to be a massive pressure on his brain. “But it doesn’t matter. We have you now, and what a prize you are.” He grinned; black, rotting teeth flashed before my eyes.
I looked away.
“So, you want to know what the Blackwaters were doing here?” He rested his elbows on the table. “It is all a game to them. I detain their, um . . .” He paused, presumably trying to find the right word. “. . . victims for a night, and they pay me well to do it. A sneaky bunch, all of them, the Blackwaters.”
My eyes widened as I understood. “You’re saying that they lure unsuspecting new kids out here and give them to you to keep for a night?”
Fagren’s dark eyes gleamed. “That’s about the bones of it, yes.”
I realized that this was not the right time to panic, but I couldn’t help the pit of fear that pooled in my stomach. This guy was not going to let me go. It might be a game to the Blackwaters, but I was scared, and that was exactly what they wanted. Would these men really hurt me?
“But you gave them something too,” I ventured. “I saw the pouch.”
Fagren grinned again. “Perceptive little one, isn’t she?” he said to no one in particular.
Suddenly, strong arms gripped me again, but this time it was very rough, and whoever it was yanked me up from the bench and threw me onto the floor at Fagren’s feet. I yelped as my knees banged hard against the floor and fallen shards
