Once Specter had gathered all their possessions, he instructed Lark to have them taken to the cells. Not wanting to risk another thrashing, the man obeyed without complaint.

He gave a loud whistle. Seconds later three armed men arrived and forced them through the crowd to the other side of the room. There, Ethan saw a large iron door. An older man with a long scraggly grey beard and the creases of age carved deeply into his face was sitting on a stool just beside it. When he saw the group approaching he hastily unlocked the door and stepped aside. One of their escorts gave it a hard shove.

With a loud screech, the door swung open. As they stepped through, Ethan was confronted by a series of small cages, each just large enough to accommodate one person.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

Jonas said nothing.

They were placed in cells directly across from one another. As the men left and the main door boomed shut, Ethan fought back the desire to weep. His arrogance and dislike for Jonas had led them here. And now they would likely die.

"We're not dead yet," Jonas said, sensing his despair.

The room was lit by a single lantern hanging beside the door. But even in this dim light Ethan could see that there was only one way in or out.

The time dragged by. How long they sat there, he couldn't tell. But after a while the voices outside became quiet. When the door was eventually reopened by a young man bringing them a sc.r.a.p of bread and cup of water each, Ethan could see that the room beyond was now empty.

"How long are we to be kept here?" Jonas asked. But the boy only shook his head and hurried away immediately after pa.s.sing them their food.

Reluctantly they ate the meager repast and eventually, when their fatigue overcame their fear, both of them fell asleep.

"Wake up!"

Ethan stirred and cracked open his eyes. Standing just outside his cell was Specter. He was holding two sets of shackles.

"Time to talk to Thrace," he said. He looked back at Jonas who was struggling to his feet. "You too, old man."

Ethan spat on the floor and then held out his hands. Once he and Jonas were both secured, Specter led them back into the main hall.

The tables had been moved against the walls to create s.p.a.ce. At least a hundred men had formed a semicircle around the ornate oak chair Ethan had noticed previously. This was now occupied by a muscular man with a bald head and a patch over his right eye. A large gold hoop hung from his left ear, and his face was tattooed with intricate spiraling patterns. A sword with a jewel encrusted hilt leaned casually against the chair's arm. Ethan could only a.s.sume that this was Thrace.

"So this is your bounty, Specter?" Thrace asked.

He shoved Ethan and Jonas roughly forward so that they were directly in front of the leader. "It is."

After scrutinizing them for an uncomfortably long moment, Thrace smiled, revealing three gold teeth. "I must say...they don't look like anyone the Empire would burn a whole town over." His eyes fixed on Ethan. "Do you know who I am, boy?"

Ethan shook his head.

"Specter didn't tell you?"

"Only that your name is Thrace," he replied, trying not to sound meek.

"That's right. I'm the leader of this band of vermin." He looked to the crowd. "Isn't that right boys?"

His words were met with shouts of approval and harsh laughter.

"Specter tells me that you're the reason Imperial soldiers burned Jaobin to the ground. Is this true?"

Ethan felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. His thoughts turned to the farmer and his family.

"We had nothing to do with that," Jonas interjected. "We're just trying to head north to find work."

"The look on your young friend's face tells me that you're lying," Thrace remarked. He leaned back in his chair. "Now here's my dilemma. It appears that Specter has taken it upon himself to kill three Imperial soldiers just to get his hands on you. This creates a big problem for me. The Empire doesn't like it when their people are murdered, so they'll be looking for whoever did it. That hurts business. Of course, Specter a.s.sures me that the bounty on your heads will be well worth it."

"There is no bounty," said Jonas. "He's a liar."

Thrace smiled. "Oh, I'm sure he is. In fact, he's known for it. But I don't think he's lying about you. Are you, Specter?"

"You know I'm not," he replied sharply.

"Now Specter has not earned himself many friends in the Hareesh," Thrace continued. "But he is a mighty good earner. So what do I do? Do I turn him in to the Empire? Or do I let him take you to the garrison for the bounty?"

"Enough of this, Thrace," barked Specter. "You'll get your cut when I return."

"You're a.s.suming I want you to return," Thrace countered. His jaw tightened and his fists clenched. "Your stupidity might bring us all to the hangman's noose. What were you thinking? You don't kill Imperials."

"No one other than the Hareesh knows it was me," he said. "There were no witnesses other than these two, and who would believe them?"

Thrace glared for a moment, but his posture gradually relaxed. "You'll have your bounty, Specter. But there is another matter that must be addressed. Hank's murder."

Specter's top lip curled. "Hank was a dim witted fool. Who knows how he ended up dead?"

"I know how," came a voice from the crowd.

Ethan turned and saw Jared pushing his way through.

"Yes," said Thrace. "You said you had information about that, didn't you?"

"I'm not sure exactly who did it," Jared continued. "But I know that these two were involved. Kat snuck them into the city using my girls as a distraction."

Thrace laughed and shook his head. "Well, that certainly wouldn't have worked on Hank. But how do you know they were involved? It could have been anyone."

"I'm not sure," admitted Jared. "But I bet you could get them to talk if you wanted."

"I'll not have my bounty damaged," Specter protested.

Jared shot him a furious look. "They have stolen my property. I want to know what they have done with it."

It took Ethan a moment to realize that he was referring to Kat. "She's not your property," he shouted.

"If I were you, I'd keep that mouth of yours shut," warned Thrace.

"None of this matters," said Specter. "I'm not going to hand over my bounty just so he can find his missing wh.o.r.e."

"She's not a wh.o.r.e," snapped Ethan.

In a single step, Specter spanned the distance between them and struck him hard on the jaw. Ethan stumbled back, nearly losing his footing completely. Pain shot through his head from the blow pain that was compounded by the stress to his existing bruises that were only now just beginning to fade.

Thrace chuckled. "I warned you, boy." His eyes shifted back to Jared. "Unfortunately for you, Specter is right. A runaway wh.o.r.e is no reason to give up a bounty. And unless you're prepared to fight him for it, I think you're s.h.i.t out of luck."

Specter flashed a sinister grin. "Yes, you could fight me. I'd enjoy that...very much."

Jared's eyes burned with rage. "This isn't over," he declared loudly. With a final, hate-filled glare at his tormentor, he spun on his heels and stalked out of the room.

"One more thing, Specter," said Thrace. "I want you to take Thaddeus along with you." He plastered on a fake smile. "Just for security."

His displeasure obvious, Specter s.n.a.t.c.hed Ethan and Jonas by their chains and threw them back toward the iron door. Caught out by the momentum, Jonas lost his feet and hit the floor hard. Ethan bent down to help the old man, but Specter pushed him again, this time sending him slamming into the wall. After dragging Jonas roughly to his feet, Specter bundled them both back into their cells.

Ethan held out his hands so that Specter could remove the shackles, but he simply turned and left.

"Are you all right?" asked Ethan.

"I've had worse," Jonas replied.

Ethan gingerly touched his face where Specter had hit him and sucked air through his teeth. "Markus always said my mouth would get me into trouble."

"It would seem he was right," Jonas shot back in a distinctly sour tone.

In spite of the barb, Ethan laughed. He sat down and leaned against the bars, trying his best not to think about what was going to happen next...or the cruel fate that had befallen the people of Jaobin. These Imperial soldiers are no better than the d.a.m.n Krauts, he thought. He closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. But sleep would not come, and soon the shackles were biting into his flesh.

"As long as we can still draw breath, there's hope," Jonas said softly.

"I know," he replied.

Chapter Six.

The door to the two story bordello flew open with a mighty crash from Jared's kick. As he stormed inside, the dozen or so girls gathered there gasped in unison at the sight of their infuriated boss and scrambled to get out of his way.

He paused after a few steps to survey the area. To his right was a small waiting room with cheaply made chairs and a few small tables scattered about. Empty mugs and wine bottles left over from the previous night's activities littered every available surface, and the scent of stale beer saturated the air.

"Get off your lazy a.s.ses and clean this place up!" he roared. "It's disgusting in here."

The girls instantly obeyed, rapidly clearing the tables and straightening the chairs. Still scowling, Jared continued on until he reached a door at the far end. He tried the handle, but it was locked.

"Brutis is still sleeping," said a tiny voice behind him.

Spinning around, Jared let his hand fly. It connected hard with the cheek of a young blond girl no more than twenty years old. Her thin frame was sent sprawling to the floor. With tears in her eyes, she scurried across the stained carpet into the nearest corner. Jared watched her cower with satisfaction.

"Brutis!" he yelled, banging on the door.

There was the sound of a m.u.f.fled curse from inside, followed by a loud crash. A few seconds later the door cracked open and a head poked halfway out. Brutis was at least a full foot taller than Jared, with close cropped black hair and a square jaw.

"Get up and get the boys together," ordered Jared.

Brutis rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"Specter," he spat. "That's what happened. He's crossed me for the last time."

"You're going to kill Specter?" asked Brutis.

"No," he replied. "You are."

Brutis heaved a sigh. "Are you sure you...?"

"I don't pay you to ask questions, you lumbering moron," Jared snapped. "Just do what you're told."

Having issued his orders, he turned on his heels and headed to the stairs, muttering curses along the way. He paused halfway up and snapped his fingers. The room instantly went silent.

"When I come back down, this place had d.a.m.n well better be clean," he warned.

With the girls feverishly redoubling their efforts, he continued upstairs and down a long hall lined on either side by poorly furnished bedrooms. After turning right, he unlocked a door at the far end.

His office was as much a mess as the rest of the bordello. Old wine bottles and papers were strewn carelessly all over the tables and floor. A bookshelf positioned in the far right corner doubled up as a liquor cabinet. After s.n.a.t.c.hing a half empty bottle, he plopped down into a chair behind his desk.

"What's wrong, Jared?" came a familiar voice from behind a small couch in the left corner. "Did you miss me that much?"

He leapt up, at the same time grabbing a small dagger from his desk drawer.

Kat stepped into view and took a seat on the couch. "No need for that."

"I should skin you alive!" he shouted. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" He took a menacing step toward her.

Kat smiled. "I'm sorry. I know I've been a pain. But that's over now. I'm back for good."

Jared huffed. "You think you can just walk into my office after what you did and all will be forgiven?"

"If you want me to leave..." She moved to get up.

The dagger came flying across the room, its point burying into the floor right next to Kat's feet. "You're not going anywhere."

She jumped back and hugged her knees.

Jared chuckled while crossing the room and retrieving the dagger. "That's better."

He loomed over Kat until he was content she was sufficiently cowed, then took a seat beside her. "Now then...what to do with you?"

By now, Kat's hands were trembling. "I've heard about a shipment of copper coming in this week. I can..."

He pressed a finger to her lips. "Hush, my dear. Now that you're a woman, your stealing days are over. But you knew that before you came here, didn't you?"

She nodded weakly.