Minwar stopped talking but offered a final snap of his teeth toward Garwin, which only served to make the man chuckle. After that, silence ruled for a while as they bumped and bounced along. When murmurs and occasional laughter arose from the front of the wagon, Minwar lowered his voice and asked, “Why’d you stop the bitch from giving me the drink?”

“Because I need to talk to you. Both of you.”

“Why?”

“So we can figure out how to escape.”

“Escape?” The man’s lips quirked up at that, though there was no mirth in the rest of his expression. “Did you hear that, Gar? Lad thinks we’re going to escape.”

“Funniest thing I heard all year,” Gar said, smiling broadly.

Minwar said, “Ludo is it? Look, the sooner you get this through your thick skull, the better. There is no escape. We are shackled every second of every day. When we need to piss, they pull down our drawers for us. You saw how we eat. They’ve decided we are animals, so animals we are. All we can hope to do is survive one day at a time, and eventually, if we’re lucky, we get sold to some poacher at Nal Eston who then sends us into the Wilds to hunt a crezarr or salamboar, and then we get to die a swift, courageous death that doesn’t involve Dahlia cutting us up into tiny pieces.”

Ludo didn’t know what either of those creatures were, but it didn’t matter at the moment. “What if I don’t want to die at all?”

“Then you shouldn’t have fallen for their trap. You should’ve been smarter. You should’ve stayed put wherever you lived before.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just…couldn’t.”

“Fair enough. But every action has consequences, and this is yours. You might as well accept it.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then keep me out of your plans. I won’t let you bring me down with you.”

Ludo was getting tired of being told what to do. The whole reason he’d left home in the first place was to determine his own fate for once. Maybe it was his empty stomach, or maybe it was frustration at the situation he’d gotten himself into, but he didn’t care that he was the smallest amongst these burly, breakfast-stealing men. Compared to the night before, when he’d felt shocked and scared, now he felt bold. “You called Garwin a liar, but you’re the liar, aren’t you?”

“I must’ve misheard you, lad, because it sounded like you just called me a liar.”

“You didn’t mishear anything.”

“You better explain yourself, and quick, because I’m starting to get thirsty for the tar drink. And if I misbehave, Dahlia gets your tongue.”

“Exactly. The tar drink. You claim you’re just going along with things, but that’s not true. Even half-sedated, you tried to warn me about them. You tried to help me. That’s how I know you’re not going to cost me my tongue.”