Pain exploded across Talon’s body. Little splinters were edging their way into his back each time the wagon hit a rock or bumped into anything. It was all he could do not to weep or scream. His wrists were tied to his ankles, and he was lying on the back of a wagon, with only a plank of wood and rope keeping him from falling off. The cold air did not help as his injuries reacted to each gust of wind.

  The mages had been cruel, stripping off his clothes and tying him to the back of a wagon with no cover for the past three days. Only when they stopped was he untied, but the moment they left, Talon was placed back onto the wagon. Sleep was nearly impossible. His wrists were chafed from the ropes, and he couldn’t recall what it felt like not to be in pain.

  Yet he never broke. Talon would rather die than tell the mages anything. Oh, how he would do anything rather than help the mages. Raw anger was all that kept him going. These mages were worse than he could have imagined. During the rests, he was still beaten with the power and always asked the same questions: “Where are my comrades? How did you stop us from creating a portal?”

  Each time he feigned ignorance. Telling them anything would be a death sentence. Mortham Tower would show him no mercy. Still, Talon tried to find a way to escape. There was a constant wall that prevented him from accessing the power. The mages were cautious not to give him an opening. All it would take was a few precious seconds, and Talon could escape.

  The wagon started shaking like crazy, sending more and more splinters into Talon’s back. I will kill them all. This is not how you treat a king! Talon thought furiously, grinding his teeth as he fought off the desire to scream. Nobody could help him now. That fact had settled into his mind a day ago. Yet he refused to give up. All he had to do was find a way to escape within two days, surely the mages would make a mistake. It was all he could do was hope for a mistake; otherwise, he would shatter like glass, and the mages would win.

  The mages healed him just enough every night to make sure there were no serious injuries. In ways, Talon wished the mages wouldn’t heal him as the pain was far more ferocious when the torture continued.

  I will kill all these mages. I will kill all these mages. None of them will escape my wrath! The thought repeated itself over and over again, giving him focus to the point that he forgot about the pain. If only he could keep this focus. There would be no negotiating with mages if he escaped. He would make them suffer. But first, he needed to get out, or he would never get his revenge.

  Suddenly, the wagon stopped. The pain started to fade to a faint dull, and Talon looked to the front of the wagon, yet saw nothing but mages, horses, and the cover of the wagon blocking his view.

  “Asagara, we’ve got a group of people coming this way,” Zelena said.

  Talon barely heard her but felt a burst of hope. Had Corvin or the Ashtari found him? Surely the Ashtari were losing their patience at not having heard from him. His threat to kill them would be ignored, or so he hoped. Those thoughts were crushed before they had begun to fester.

  “Aye, that’s Falcon’s group,” Asagara said. “I’m betting they wanted to check in on us. We are three days late.”

  Rage filled him once again, and Talon beat at the invisible wall, hoping for a miracle. Daloria walked out of the wagon and shot him a pitiful look. “If you thought someone was coming to rescue you, you are a fool,” she said and kept walking.

  He strained against the rope and caught a glimpse of what had arrived. Talon felt crushed upon seeing not only more mages but at least a hundred soldiers. He looked at the new mages and counted twenty-three. That made over thirty mages, a strong group. He could sense that each of the mages was strong with the power. How many Ashtari would it take to beat this group? Fifty? A hundred?

  The leader of this new group looked strong. He had black hair, a goatee, and the face of a man who had faced combat. Talon would bet this Falcon had fought many power users.

  “Falcon, what are you doing here?” Asagara asked.

  Falcon looked over at Talon before returning his attention to Asagara. “The Kaidin wanted to make sure things were all right. He was worried when no one could portal to Elysian Fields,” he said.

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  “How long have you been riding for?” Zelena asked, brushing hair out of her face.

  “A little over two days.”

  “Two days?” Zelena groaned.

  “Yeah, that was the closest we could get. I figured you would be coming this way,” Falcon said.

  “We can manage two more days of riding,” Asagara said.

  “Do you know why we can’t create portals? I’ve never heard of that happening before,” Falcon said.

  Asagara pointed at Talon. “He’s behind it.”

  Talon was too weary to keep looking and let his head slump down, opting to listen. This was all so exhausting, and despite his anger and desire to be free, his body was drained. Sleep was what he wanted, yet he couldn’t allow himself to miss out on this conversation. There was no telling what might be said.

  “I take it that’s why you’re beating him?” Falcon asked.

  Asagara nodded. “I was hoping he would break by now. Looks like we’ll have to get out of this area before getting him to Mortham. We’re also positive he’s the one who captured Dajrone, Danisha, and Onyakoon.”

  “Interesting,” Falcon looked at Talon once more. “I wonder how a rogue power user learned such techniques. It’s one thing to use the power, but I have never heard of a power user doing something like this.”

  “I know, it makes me wonder if he has a teacher,” Asagara said. “Either way, Mortham Tower will break him. Assuming he doesn’t break before.”

  That got a laugh from the group of mages. Talon bit back the urge to tell them he wouldn’t break. If he made it to Mortham Tower, he would try to kill himself. Despite his desire to live, there was no chance for Aidris if the School of Power was discovered. Qidan would be executed, and the Ashtari would be killed or imprisoned. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “While we’re stopped, we should question him,” Asagara said.

  “I look forward to it,” Falcon said.

  Despite his rage, Talon couldn’t ignore the fear building inside him. He was about to be in a world of pain and he was not looking forward to it. The footsteps of the mages got closer and closer, and it took everything he had to maintain a neutral expression.

  Asagara stopped a couple of feet away. This time the ropes weren’t being undone. Talon feared this was going to be more painful than normal.

  “Before we begin, are you ready to answer my questions?” Asagara asked.

  As usual, Talon said nothing, prompting a sigh to escape the mage's lips. Ten seconds passed, and the pain began. Invisible blows smashed all over his body. He could feel his wounds breaking open, and blood starting to drip down the various cuts on his body. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. That chant allowed him to ignore the pain as he focused on his rage. These mages better hope he never escaped.

  The question was repeated, and the beating continued repeatedly. Ten minutes could have passed or ten hours for all Talon knew. Finally, the beatings stopped, and a groan escaped Talon’s lips. The mages were talking about something, but he was too beaten to understand. It was all he could do not to black out.

  A hand snapped Talon out of his thoughts, and he saw Zelena hovering over him. A cold mist washed over his body as power began to heal his wounds. It always went like this. The healing was pleasurable as the pain faded away, but she stopped before he could be close to fully healed.

  “You enjoyed that too much,” Zelena said with a sly smile. “For that, you weren’t healed as much as before.”

  I’m in worse shape than I thought if she was able to tell how much I enjoyed the healing. Talon thought bitterly. He had never been this out of control. His emotions were everywhere, and there was nothing he could do about it. How long could he hold out to this torture? A week? There was little doubt in his mind that he would break, eventually. What torture would Mortham Tower put him through?

  “If you told us what we wanted to know, you would be fully healed,” Zelena went on. She moved her face closer to his. “So why don’t you stop being stubborn? Tell us what we want to know and I will heal you right up.”

  Despite the situation, Talon was able to smile. “If I knew what happened to your mages or why you couldn’t portal, I would tell you,” he said.

  Talon’s face went sideways as an invisible slap smacked his left cheek. “I’m trying to help you, and you decide to lie to my face? Don’t expect an offer like that again,” Zelena said with a huff and started to walk back to the others.

  “I’ll get you for this,” Talon said, unable to stop his anger from boiling over. “You’ll all suffer for what you did to me, mark my words!”

  Zelena stopped in her tracks and turned back around. “You’re not the first person to threaten us, and you won’t be the last. Hang onto those empty threats, for they are all you have left.”

  Talon watched her walk away. Zelena, you better hope I don’t escape. he thought, and allowed himself to go limp once more. The healing had taken his already exhausted body and made him more tired. This might be the last bit of sleep he would get until their next stop.

  He felt his eyes close, and the next thing he knew, he awoke. “Time to go, we have a long ride ahead of us,” Asagara yelled.

  Talon heard the mage mutter how he hoped never to ride this long again. He gasped once the wagon started moving as the familiar feeling of splinters piercing his back began once more. The pain was excruciating as his semi-healed body began to break down once more.

  I swear to everything that I have that the mages will pay. Even if it’s the last thing I do. Talon held onto that thought as the pain kept coming. The mages would have no idea what hit them if he ever escaped.