A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,104

full of agony, then collapsed into a smoldering heap. The horses reared and cried out, struggling to get free of their restraints.

"I told you idiots that they were not to be harmed. If I have to explain that again, I will leave your corpses here for the crows." A cold, inhuman voice said from behind Stradford. The sound of it chilled him to the core. "Bring them into the trees."

Stradford was half-dragged and half-carried into the shade of the trees. He was thrown to the ground, his wife pushed down next to him. As he tried to rise, he heard that terrible voice say. "Bring me the girl." Stradford could hear the gibbering terror coming from his daughter. He forced himself to get up to his knees.

Standing a few feet away from him was a short figure in a cowled robe, the cowl thrown back to reveal its scaly face. Stradford felt as if his insides had turned to water, terror rising up as his mind screamed "Demon!".

The demon was holding his daughter with one of its clawed hands. She looked at her father in terror, her wide eyes crying out for him to rescue her, wordless noises coming from her mouth.

"You are the night commander of the West Gate, are you not?" The demon asked Stradford, fixing him with those black eyes.

"Y...y...es, I am." Stradford replied, shuddering, his teeth chattering from fear.

"Do you know of the boy that trains with the warrior Dominic?"

"Only what everyone knows. I have never met him." Stradford replied, trying to fight down his terror.

"We want that boy. You will help us get him." The demon said, eyes boring into Stradford's.

"I don't know how I can." Stradford stated. His concern for his family overwhelmed him. "I will make an attempt to capture him, if you let my family go."

"I don't need you to capture him. We will do that ourselves." The demon replied, a cruel smile on its face. "All I need you to do is let us into the city. If you do that, I will make sure your family stays unharmed and are returned to you."

"You are asking me to betray my people." Stradford said bitterly, torn between his loyalty and his family.

"We have no interest in your people." The demon said. "We only want the boy. You will simply open the gate after dark so a small group can sneak in and take the boy. Once we have him, I swear to you that we will leave your city in peace."

"I'll need time to make this happen." Stradford said, mind racing to think of a way out of this.

"You have three days." The demon said, gesturing for his bindings to be cut. Stradford was hauled to his feet. "Just remember that we have your family. You do not want me to lift my protection of them." It ran a claw gently across his daughter's throat, almost a caress. "Do you understand?"

Stradford could only nod.

...

Martis threw his bucket of water on the paving stones in the alley, watching the water wash the evidence down into the sewer drain, while he heard Ranech, wheezing, squat and fasten the door to the secret compartment on the underside of the wagon. He disliked doing physical labor, but sometimes he did not have a choice. With a sigh, he headed back over to the water trough to get another bucket.

He had sent Frader to meet with the demon's followers to see if his hard work paid off, along with a message about what he had learned from the other apprentice smith, as well as the boy's trip to the palace. He had been a bit surprised by that, considering Dominic's well-know distaste for the royals.

Nothes had told them about it when he returned, clutching the wound from his foolish attempt to take the boy. Martis was furious that Nothes had disobeyed his order to only follow the boy and report on his movements. Nothes had chafed at that restriction, constantly arguing that the rewards would be greater if they were the ones to deliver the boy. Martis knew that to try and take the boy here in the city would only bring unwanted attention; he planned to be a supplier of information only, not a hunted man.

Martis kept his anger hidden while dressing Nothes' wound, assuring him that he appreciated intuitive. Knowing Frader's fondness for Nothes, Martis had waited a good thirty minutes to make sure he was gone before he helped Nothes into the alley, telling