Page 11 of The Last One
“She’s talking like she’s the queen,” Johny says, snickering.
“Stand down, please,” Narder mocks, his voice high.
The crowd laughs. The death-glows that had been glaring around their bodies and around the guard and jailer have nearly faded, thanks to the rain.
“This isn’t a joke,” Olivia sniffs. “Release this young woman immediately. Please.”
“Under whose authority?” the guard sneers, all humor gone. “Oh. That’s right. You have none, you simpleminded liar. You’re not fooling me again. Not after that last time.”
Olivia flushes as she shakes her head. “This is all one big misunderstanding. She thought I’d stolen something of hers, which I hadn’t, of course.”
“Empty your pockets,” I demand. “Empty that bag! She’s hiding my amulet.”
The guard yanks me. “Quiet.”
Olivia throws me an annoyed glance, and I hear her thoughts more clearly than I hear my own:“Sweet Supreme, lady. Just shut up and let me handle this.”
To Olivia, the guard says, “You know the drill. Empty your pockets.Now.”
Olivia pulls out one of the cloak’s pockets. Empty. “Satisfied?”
“Lemme see the other one,” the guard demands.
Olivia hesitates, grumbles, “Fine, whatever,” then pulls my pendant from the cloak’s second pocket. Her cheeks and ears grow hot pink.
“I told you! That’s mine!” I lunge for my necklace, but the guard jerks me back.
Icy-blue lightning sizzles across the sky, turning those dark clouds lilac. In the distance, villagers whoop and throw down more buckets.Clink-clink-clink.
Maybe my captors will be struck by a bolt or two.
Johny laughs as he taps at my pendant. “All this commotion overthispiece of trash? This necklace looks like something my granny would wear.”
The jailer joins in the laughter.
Even Olivia cracks a smile.
“Stop,” I plead, near tears. “Just give me what’s mine and I’ll go.” My legs weaken even more, and I go limp and slip out of Johny’s hold, sinking to my knees. Feels like lightning is crackling across my scalp. At least the rain brings some relief.
Olivia observes me with concern before turning to the guard. “Let’s make a deal, just like before. You let this woman go, and I’ll sell the pendant in Pethorp and split the geld with you. With everything happening right now because of the drought, I know you need geld. And you know thatIneed geld—”
“It’s not yours to sell,” I yell from the mud. “You can’t sell it. I won’t let you.”
“Shut yer trap.” The guard tosses the pendant to Olivia, then kicks my arm, sending me facedown in the wet earth. And just like that, Iama mudscraper.
“Stop,” Olivia begs. “You’re hurting her.”
Narder scoffs. “She’s Dashmala. They don’t feel no pain.” He kicks me in the side. “See? She didn’t feel that.”
I definitely felt that. Heat sizzles into my bones and burns my breath away. The hurt in my ribs radiates in every direction—from my smallest toes all the way to my teeth. Defiant, I push myself and sit back on my heels to glare at the guards.
“Never seen no Dashmala warriors anywhere in Maford or in Pethorp,” Narder says. “Looks like she’s dying, full of disease. She looksdry. You know, like how dirt turns hard right before it stops growin’ carrots and tatos? Same thing with this one. I know hard dirt when I see it, and trust me. This girl’s hard dirt.”
Olivia’s expression flashes quickly from alarm to anger. “That’s clearly not true. She’snothard dirt! Look at her!” She pushes Narder away from me. “Please stop.”
With his palms up, Narder backs off, chuckling at Olivia’s efforts. “Can you believe that one?” the jailer asks the guard.
“Okay, you’ll release her now?” Olivia slips my necklace back into her cloak pocket. “On my honor, she won’t give you any more problems. You must believe me.”
