Scarred Man Read Online Free

‘Tell that to Tochtli. His nose looks like a horse stepped on it.’
    Both men laughed: a harsh, brutal sound filled with malice. Maida remained still, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to work out where she was and what her circumstances were.
    She was outside again. The sun was hot on her face and no wind stirred her hair. She was lying down, on her back, in some sort of wagon. The horses pulling it, from the sound of their steady, powerful stride, were still fresh. The smell of the air suggested she was no longer in a city. Her stomach growled from hunger and her bladder was full. She had been out for most of the day, but these horses had not been pulling this wagon for all that time. Other scents came to her — the men had not washed for a while, they had eaten recently, and had had ale with their meal. A mistake .
    Her hands were not restrained, but her feet were. The wagon jolted as it hit a bump in the road. The rattle of metal told her she was not tied, but shackled, hence her hands being free. If she were simply tied, she could have untied herself, but being shackled suggested a lock. The Agents were not worried about her being able to pick the lock.
    Another mistake.
    She opened her eyes just a slit. There were three Agents sitting beside her, one on her left, two to her right. They were dressed in the uniform of the Blindfolded Queen and armed. The one on her left was talking to one of those on her right, while the remaining Agent was staring at her with a hard, unblinking gaze. He had seen her eyes open and gave her a slow nod to let her know she had been seen.
    This one would be trouble.
    â€˜Hey,’ the watchful Agent said. ‘The Queen is watching.’
    The two men stopped laughing immediately andfixed their attention on Maida, who closed her eyes quickly.
    â€˜She’s still out. I hit her good. She’ll be out for ages yet.’
    I know your voice now. I owe you for that punch.
    â€˜She’s awake.’ A boot nudged her in the ribs. ‘Aren’t you, Red?’
    Maida toyed with the idea of answering him in the negative, but reasoned that a sense of humour would be unlikely in these men, so she opened her eyes to regard her captors.
    â€˜Tough little slag, aren’t you?’ the man who had punched her said again, with a vicious grin. ‘I thought you’d be out for ages yet.’
    â€˜How’s Tochtli’s nose?’ she asked.
    â€˜Broken,’ the watchful Agent said. His flat monotone carried both command and menace. He was clearly the ranking officer here.
    â€˜Good,’ Maida said. She fixed her gaze on the man who had hit her. ‘You hit like a girl,’ she said.
    â€˜Just as well for you, Red,’ he sneered.
    â€˜Shut it,’ the senior man said. ‘She’s a guest of the Queen, and you know she is watching.’
    The other Agents lowered their heads and touched their tattoos, as if in fear, or awe, or something else entirely. There was a lot here to learn, and it would take Maida a while to get away.
    May as well learn as much as I can while I am here.
    She tried to sit up, but the senior Agent pushed her back down again. His touch was firm, but not unnecessarily harsh; it was also carefully on hershoulder purely to hold her down, not to grope or caress. She acquiesced, trying to catch his eye, but he did not make eye contact.
    You really are going to be a problem.
    Maida settled back down onto the floor of the wagon and tried to make herself comfortable. The wagon was a simple one, uncovered and drawn by two horses. Rough planking formed the floor and the raised benches that ran the length of each side. Overhead, the sun was hot and the sky was clear, with promise of more heat yet to come. She was dressed for the north and the further south they went, the more uncomfortable she would become. Sweat was trickling down her face and forming on her skin under her clothes. She was hungry and thirsty and, unless she