The Choice of Magic - Michael G. Manning Page 0,109

nodded his head vigorously. “I caught him by surprise. Look!” He held his staff out for them to inspect. “That’s his blood on the wood there.”

“You’ll have to give up the staff too,” ordered Ned, who then handed it to Mustache. “This is probably a murder weapon. Hold out your hands, boy. You’re under arrest.”

Will didn’t resist, holding out his hands while they began tying his wrists tightly together. “I came to enlist,” he protested. “If I was from Darrow would I surrender like this?”

Mustache snorted. “Probably trying to trick us into letting our guard down. You won’t be fooling us, boy.” Taking the other end of Will’s rope, he tied a loop in it and tossed it over a nearby post that looked to have been put there for just that purpose.

“Isn’t there someone else I can talk to?” asked Will, trying to sound reasonable.

“Sure,” said Ned. “You can talk to the magister in the morning. For now, you’ll be staying here until the wagon comes to pick you up and take you to the lockup.” The two men returned to their posts and resumed staring down the road.

“You didn’t even ask my name,” said Will. “Shouldn’t you do that at least?”

Mustache glanced sideways at him, clearly unconcerned. “What’s your name then?”

“William Cartwright.”

“Good for you,” the guard replied, then looked away.

Will had a moment of inspiration. “There are people in town who can vouch for me.”

Mustache sighed. “Oh really? Who?”

“My uncle and cousin, Johnathan and Eric Cartwright. They both joined the army last week. Have someone ask them,” said Will.

Ned became animated and hopped as though he was preparing to run somewhere. “Why didn’t you say so before? Greg, I’m going to run over to the camp and ask around. I’m sure everyone knows Johnathan and Eric Cartwright!”

Greg began snickering, and then Ned continued, “Is that what you thought we’d say?” The look he gave William spoke volumes. Ned tapped his temple with two fingers. “People always think we’re stupid. Being a constable takes a lot more brains than you think, boy. The first thing you learn is never to abandon your post. You’ll stay right there and if you have something worth saying, say it to the magister in the morning.”

Will shut up. It was obvious he wasn’t going to get anywhere. After a few minutes, his body began reminding him of its needs. “Can I have some water?”

“They’ll feed and water you at the lockup this evening,” said Greg.

“What if I need to pee?” asked Will.

“All the more reason not to give you any water until then,” answered Greg, chuckling.

Chapter 35

The rest of Will’s day was miserable, and the evening proved to be even worse. The lockup proved to be a small, stone room in what was the town’s main headquarters for the Branscombe Constabulary. The building itself was two stories tall, with a front receiving desk and a few rooms on the second floor that were used by the constables themselves. Will didn’t get to see the second level. He was ushered into the holding cell, which was barely ten feet square.

There were no benches or other furniture, and to make matters worse, the room was already occupied by three other men. There was a large clay pot in one corner, presumably for when they had to relieve themselves. The lid that should have contained the smell of what was within it was broken, and Will’s nose notified him that it had already been well used.

The idea of undoing his trousers in such confined quarters with three strangers would have been daunting enough, but their appearances made him even more nervous. One of them was relatively young and slender, with a patchy beard covering a sharp chin. The look in his eyes was threatening.

The second was an older man, slightly soft around the middle, with a grizzled appearance and a mostly bald head. He didn’t look quite as mean, but the smell of him was formidable. Apparently, he had been picked up for public intoxication.

The third man was enormous. His head nearly reached the low ceiling, which meant he was probably close to seven feet in height. The man’s height wasn’t the only thing that was prodigious, for he had broad shoulders and thick arms and legs. There was some fat around his middle, but it was deceptive, for the big man was heavily muscled. Will tried not to look at him, though he wondered how much the man weighed. He’d probably give a black bear