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With that, the Shadow Master left through the window. Silas stared at the folded paper. It couldn’t have been him in the market, not if this assignment is his first. The visit from the Master did nothing to help his ever-growing obsession with Mara. He couldn’t explain to himself exactly where the obsession came from. It wasn’t sexual attraction. He was sure of that. If anything, it seemed Mara had awoken some deep paternal instinct. Perhaps the kick up the arse he needed to make more of his life? He’d been doing the same thing for years. Go here, kill, go there, kill, repeat, repeat, repeat. Paper in hand, he felt nervous for some reason, or maybe that was just the hangover. He unfolded the letter.
Mara stood at the back of the line of hooded boys. They waited in front of two huge wooden doors in another outdoor yard that he hadn’t seen before. Two Shadows stood on each side of the line, and two more stood by the doors. Mara watched the black horses as they ate from hay sacks on the wall, eight of them, all shiny and muscly. Joseph, Eliot, and Balin were in front of him. He’d followed them here to join the six others. Mara didn’t like the way the hood stopped him from seeing sideways properly. Stupid hood.
A Shadow walked along the line collecting the boys’ blades, while another handed out small pieces of wood carved to look just like a blade. The doors were pulled open by the Shadows, and a thick mist poured through the gap. The floor quickly disappeared.
Mara watched his feet disappear, then his shins, knees, thighs, stomach. He pulled his hands away, but there was no stopping it, and it quickly covered him completely. Joseph’s dark outline was the only person he could see.
“Forwards,” a Shadow in the mist said.
Joseph disappeared into the white. Mara hurried to catch him up, then stayed on his heels.
“Stop,” the Shadow said.
The doors creaked behind Mara and clattered shut.
“Forwards,” came the voice again.
They walked through the mist until it started to thin out. Mara could see the shapes of trees. We’re outside. Memories of his arrival came flooding back. The horrible smell that had sent him to sleep.
The line of boys came back into view one by one as they continued. He was cold, and the mist was making his clothes wet.
“Line up,” a Shadow from behind said.
Mara followed Joseph’s lead as the boys lined up shoulder to shoulder to face two Shadows. Mara wanted to look along the line to see the other boy’s faces, but he couldn’t. He’d probably get punished if he leant out.
He could hear the crunch of footsteps and turned his head slightly to see a Shadow walking along the line with a bucket. Each boy dipped their wooden blade into it. Mara dipped his. Whatever was in the bucket covered the wood with something white. He dabbed at the white stuff with two fingers. It was sticky and passed onto his thumb when he rubbed at it. He tried to wipe it off on his trousers, but it just stained them too. What is this stuff? He held his fingers near his nose. Doesn’t smell of anything.
“Scatter,” a Shadow said.
The boys ran into the trees. Mara looked around frantically, not knowing which way to go.
“Scatter, demon,” a Shadow said.
Demon? Mara ran into the mist. What am I supposed to do? He couldn’t see any of the other boys or the Shadows. He slowed to creep between the trees. Not far ahead, he saw the shapes of one boy creeping up behind another. Mara crouched behind a tree. Powder puffed from it, and he put his hand across his mouth to hide a cough. Not this stuff again.
The creeping boy came up behind the other and attacked.
“Fuck,” Balin shouted. Balin stood and walked in the direction Mara had just come from. A white stain across his neck and chest.
Mara looked at his blade. He must have to go back now he’s got this stuff on him.
The creeping boy disappeared into the mist. Mara looked all around before moving on. A few more shouts from upset-sounding boys came from the mist.
Mara saw more black shapes ahead, along with muffled shouts. As he got closer, he could see there were three of them. One boy held by from behind, while the third punched him in the stomach.
Mara moved sideways through the trees to get behind the boy doing all the punching. I have to help him. They can’t beat him up like that. Two verses one isn’t fair.
He held the wooden blade tight as he came up behind the boy that dished out the punches. The sounds coming from the boy being punched had changed to a whimper. The punching boy was big, far bigger than any other boy he’d come across since he’d been here. There was only one thing for it.
Mara drove the wooden blade up between the punching boy’s legs, and he fell to his side, shouting. Hood flopped off; even his head was big, his jaw square and wide.
“Fucking get him,” the punching boy said through gritted teeth.
The boy who’d been attacked joined the p
unching boy on the ground, moaning and holding his stomach.
Eliot stepped forward. “No-one here to protect you now.”
