A loud shout of pain broke Eric out of his dreams. Flailing around in confusion, he rolled over, his shoulder bumping into Terry before he realized that he was no longer in his little room in the inn.

“What’s going on?” Terry asked, his voice higher pitched in fear.

“I don’t know, I don’t see anything,” Eric said, his Knack allowing him to see that nothing appeared to be out of sorts.

Looking around, Eric stared up at the sky, trying to judge the time by how easy it was to see the stars, a necessary skill that his Knack required of him. With the faintness of the stars, it was probably a few hours before dawn.

As he was about to climb from the wagon, he could see Mallow trudging around the corner of the inn. Held by one of his massive arms, a boy was thrown over a shoulder. In his other hand, he dragged a pack across the ground. Giving both boys a smile, Lord EarthScorn’s henchman threw the limp boy into the back of the wagon. Flopping onto the hay, the boy only groaned as he laid in the cart.

Mallow levered up the pack into the wagon, then opened the flap of the bag and began to rummage within. When he found a knife, he confiscated it as well as the few copper bits, checking them with a bite of his rotten teeth. Smiling while he bounced the few coins in his hand, he tucked the coins into a coin purse on his belt, the sheath of the knife tucked on his belt.

Chuckling, Mallow wandered over to the inn, slamming the door as he ambled inside, stuffing the weighted leather strap onto the back of his belt as he went.

“What the-” started Eric, but Terry waved at him before he could continue.

“Shhh! Just let it go. This guy must have tried to make a run for it. He is lucky he just got hit on the head. EarthScorn could execute him for abandoning his post,” Terry said with a green pallor to his face.

“But, we are going to be wizards, not soldiers,” Eric said.

Giving Eric an odd look, Terry shook his head, “Oh man. No. Wizards are all in the army — every last one. Fourteen summers and a Knack and you are in. Signed up to a century of service, every last one of us, and whipped to death if we try to flee,” Terry said with a snarl.

Terry grumbled and shoved the hay around to get comfortable before continuing in his tirade, “Old man EarthScorn, he won’t waste money, right? So the council requires every Lord to present arms raised from the serfs. A hundred men each year. EarthScorn, though, he won’t do that. Too expensive. To many halberds, to much armor. Never going to do it, see? But then, each wizard he sends to the academy counts as fifty men. You and me alone count for this year’s total, but if he has four of us with that boy over there and the next one, well, that’s two years worth in one go.”

Eric thought back to the look on his mother’s face, the same look the crying girl yesterday had. He thought of the pain and suffering just to save on coin.

Terry’s explanation was cut short by the door of the inn swinging open. Stepping from the door was Lord EarthScorn. He strode forth without his outer jacket or shoes, even his sleep clothes were silk and cut to follow the lines of his athletic body. Flicking his hand upwards, a light formed above his head as he trudged towards the wagon.

As he approached, the side of the wagon liquified like the carriage would, stairs forming in time for EarthScorn to ascend without missing a step.

“Well, this is annoying,” EarthScorn said before glancing at the other two boys.

Looking back to the limp boy, EarthScorn focused while the wagon rippled and lifted the injured youth into a sitting position. Once the boy was leaning forward, head on his knees, two loops of stone rose and secured his limbs to the wagon. While the cart reconfigured, EarthScorn did nothing more than watch, his magic flowing through the rock seemingly without effort.

Leaning over, EarthScorn tilted the boy’s head back and lifted his eyelids before sighing.

“Well, his pupils aren’t blown, so he isn’t likely to have a concussion,” releasing the boy’s head to fall back onto his knees, EarthScorn rose and then tapped his chin while gazing at the shackled teen.

Turning away from the boy, EarthScorn stepped down the wagon stairs before they returned to normal.

“Mallow! When we pick up the next boy, you will give this one ten stripes. Wake me in the morning,”

Crossing the inn’s yard, the light which had floated above EarthScorn winked out as he returned. The early morning suddenly again, dark and silent.

Eric turned to Terry, who was forming up his hay once again, “Ten stripes? Mallow is going to whip him?”

Terry shrugged uncaringly, but when he noticed the concern on Eric’s face, he leaned in.

“It’s like I said, old man EarthScorn is trying to save money. The punishment for abandonment is supposed to be an execution. If he whips him before we get to the academy, then they have to consider it over and done. He's cheap,”

Eric huddled around his pack and tried to process Terry’s words. He knew that the Lords could be harsh and that the council was worse yet. He knew that any infraction could have someone taken to an education camp, but he had never met someone who had been punished. His little mining town was filled with people who dug deep into the earth and pulled back their quota then drank their cares away. Tintown hadn’t had a political officer in almost a hundred years, according to Eric’s dad.

At some point during this worrying, Eric drifted to sleep, the pressures of travel, and his early schedule leading him to slumber.

It was only a few hours later that Eric was woken by the shackled boy’s moaning.

“Shh! You’re already in a bunch of trouble; don’t make it worse,” Terry whispered, trying to calm the now awake teen.

“Wha?” the groggy teen said, his eyes suddenly widening as he pulled on his shackled limbs.

Terry put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and shook him gently to get his attention, “Listen, they are going to whip you ten times, but you will live through it. They will even heal you afterward. It’s going to hurt, and badly, but you will survive.”

Terry’s worthless attempt at comfort only causing the boy’s eyes to widen further and his jerking limbs to become more spastic.

Clamping down harder on the boy’s shoulder, he shook him until the two were staring eye-to-eye, “I’m speaking from experience. You will survive. It’s horrible, but..well.. you’ll live.”

“You’ve been whipped?” the new boy asked, his voice dropping slightly.

Terry nodded but looked away, “My mom broke a vase, and I tried to hide it for her, three stripes. He healed me after.”

Eric just stared at the two boys as he tried to come to terms with how Terry must have lived while in EarthScorn’s castle. Conditions that he would probably have to live under while in the academy.

Trying to distract the newcomer from his fate, Eric broke the tension by blurting out, “What’s your name and Knack?”

When both the other boys turned to him with raised eyebrows, Eric stumbled his words for a second then continued, “I mean. I’m Eric, and I’ve got Nightsight. This is Terry, and he has Candle. What about you?”

Terry released the new guy and dropped into the hay, as the tense atmosphere was seemingly forgotten. Snapping his fingers again, he created his dancing candle, though he snuffed it out before he became tired.

Looking between the two, the awkward but earnest Eric and the relaxed Terry, the new boy hesitated a moment then answered.

“I’m Rick, I can make myself faster for a bit. Not much, but it’s like the world slows down a tiny bit.”

Given the nature of his restraints, he wasn’t able to demonstrate his Knack, though both boys agreed it was probably a useful one.

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Their conversation was short-lived as Mallow hopped off the top of the carriage, his massive body quickly absorbing the impact of the jump. As he was walking through the inn’s grassy front yard, he pointed at both of the free boys with a blunt finger, poking the air as if to pin them to their seats as he left. Both boys hunched slightly at the movement and went silent.

Terry made a point of stuffing some hay under Rick to make his position a bit more comfortable, though there was little conversation beyond that point. Less than an hour later, a skinny man with dirty blond hair left the inn while carrying a wooden plate heaped with food. The swollen eye that was starting to darken raked itself over the three boys then returned to the shackled teen.

“Here you go, boys, eat up. I need the plate so be quick now,” he said while holding the plate over the rail.

Terry scooped up one of the hunks of bread with cheese and passed it to the shackled teen then grabbed a set for himself.

Eric grabbed his food and bit into the bread, noticing that it was fresh if not warm and smeared inside with some kind of brown mustard sauce. It wasn’t his favorite, but with the sharp cheese right after it made a decent meal. He was certainly not going to pass it up since it was all he was going to eat before they reached the academy in the afternoon.

There was one more boy they would pick up sometime around mid-day, and then depending on their pace, they would reach the academy in the early evening. Terry had explained the schedule to Eric yesterday as they rode, his inside knowledge seemed to be a source of pride for him.

After each of the boys had taken their food, the innkeeper tucked the plate under one arm, gave the shackled teen a sad look then he returned to the inn.

It wasn’t more than another half an hour before Lord EarthScorn exited the inn while dressed in his usual fancy clothing. Without even glancing at the three boys, he entered his carriage, followed by Mallow climbing above and loading his crossbow. With a grinding noise, the stone conveyance began to roll, barely missing the wall of the inn as it returned to the road, the grass of the inn churned behind it.

The rest of their ride was silent, all three boys lost in thought. The adventure-like air of yesterday was gone, and now the three were dreading the future. They stopped at two inns in the morning, but Mallow didn’t leave his perch, keeping his crossbow armed and ready the entire time. He did let the two unshackled boys go for water and to use the facilities, but Rick was still confined. Terry made a point of bringing back water to the shackled boy. Sadly, neither of them could provide assistance when he was no longer able to contain his morning food.

Huddled over his knees, Rick was the picture of suffering.

When they reached a medium-sized town at mid-day, Lord EarthScorn gestured towards the wagon as he left his carriage. Rick nearly stumbled as the rock shackles liquified and rejoined the cart. While keeping the crossbow ready, Mallow gestured the boy down. Mallow ignored the waste left behind as Rick stumbled off the wagon, but Terry dumped some hay on it then tossed it over the side and into the inn’s yard.

The red brick and shingled inn’s door slammed open as EarthScorn followed the exit of a large boy. The new boy was broad-shouldered while the other three were slim. Grumbling and stomping, the boy passed Rick as he was led to the inn’s courtyard, his countenance shifting to confusion as he passed by the soiled teenager.

Before the new boy could climb into the wagon, a column of grinding stone rose before Mallow and Rick. Rick hesitated for a moment, but long enough that Mallow shoved him forward. Catching himself with both hands on the pillar of stone, he yelped as the rock covered over his hands, effectively re-shackling him to the post.

Lord EarthScorn raised his voice slightly from his bored tones, “For attempted abandonment, I sentence you to ten stripes to be carried out immediately.”

Once Rick was secured to the stone pillar Mallow removed the tension in his crossbow, pulling the bolt from the weapon as he returned to the carriage. Reaching into the still open carriage, Mallow removed a leather strap attached to a thick wooden handle. Hanging from the end of the braided leather strand was a small bead of stone.

The new boy was paused at the wagon, his hands gripped white on the lip. The sound of EarthScorn's raised voice had him frozen watching the punishment. Neither of the other two said anything, there pale faces staring at the proceedings. The inn and town lay silent at mid-day, without watchers or passerby. The sight of the Lord’s carriage was more than enough to keep the busy street empty. Though a few windows had shadows hiding within them.

Without a warm-up, Mallow swished his arm back and forward, the weapon slamming into poor Ricks back. Instantly blood rose to the surface through his white shirt as the small stone ball impacted his shoulder. Rick screamed at the first impact. The sound catching in his throat as Mallow continued the motion and crossed his arm from left to right, the weapon streaking past and then returning to impact him near his lower back.

The large man used the weapon in a professional manner, without wasted effort. The three boys could see EarthScorn wore a mask of boredom as the large man struck Rick repeatedly ten times without pause. When the last impact struck, Mallow flicked the weapon and with a practiced movement, grabbed the leather cord and wound the weapon up. Taking a rag from his pocket, he wiped the small amount of blood from the stone and leather and returned it to the carriage interior.

Eric was pulled from his frozen position and turned to Terry, who was still watching with a haunted look, the whites of his eyes prominent in the slightly green-tinged face. When he noticed Eric looking at him, he looked away. He tried to school his expression, but when Eric failed to look away, he gave him a sneer and turned to the other boy who was still watching Mallow’s actions.

“What’s your name?” Terry asked.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, the larger boy looked at Terry with an incredulous look, then shook his head and continued to watch the spectacle in the inn’s yard.

Lord EarthScorn approached the collapsed Rick and placed his hand on his sweaty head, his eyes closing as he focused. From the hand resting on Rick, blue and then red sparkles flashed out, the dots of light intermittently flashing brighter then dimmer. After a minute of his silent efforts, EarthScorn swayed and then turned to his carriage. Halfway to the door, he turned slightly, and the pillar of stone released Rick and returned to the ground. Leaving Rick crumpled in a heap in the courtyard. Entering his carriage, the wall liquified and closed up.

Scrambling over the wagon lip, Eric reached the downed boy and carefully tried to leverage him up without touching his back. With the new boy’s assistance, the two were able to carry the unconscious Rick to the wagon and into the back, laying him on his side, careful to not touch his soiled pants.

“He’s fine. He’s just tired,” Terry said as he faced forward, his voice carefully neutral.

For a moment, the four were silent, but then the carriage lurched forward, and the grinding noise of stone on stone began again.

Turning to the strong-looking new teenager, Eric gave a small smile and tried to start a conversation, “Thanks for the help with Rick. I’m Eric.”

Shaking his head, the large boy settled back into the hay of the wagon and ignored the others. Turning to Terry, Eric was surprised to see him shake his head as well and then face away. The rest of the ride was in silence.