Lesser Evil
Chapter Eight
Later that evening, D'artagnan, Jacques, and Ramon were invited to Pinion's tent. The musketeers expected that it was so that Pinion could pay them the rest of the money that he owed them. As they entered inside the large tent, they found another man standing with his back to them and next to Pinion, who was once again sitting in his chair. The stranger's clothes were fancy and a large feather was attached to the side of his hat. He dressed like a nobleman.
The man kept his back to them as Pinion spoke first saying, "Gentlemen, I am afraid that something has come to my attention and I will no longer be paying you the money you are asking me for. It appears that your slave doesn't belong to you after all."
D'artagnan replied, "What are you talking about?"
"Rest assured, you may keep the money I have already paid you for him, seeing as how grateful my friend and I are that you have brought him here, but Siroc is no longer your concern," Pinion answered.
"He is mine," the fancy stranger responded as he finally turned around to face them men. "My name is Ricardo Messina and Siroc belongs to me. He always has, but years ago he ran away from my own slave camp after leaving me with this hideous deformity."
Realization dawned on the musketeers as they stared at the large scar that ran from under the man's left eye, down to the middle of his upper lip. This was the man that Siroc had escaped from years ago; the same man responsible for the death of his parents and friend. Their realization was then confirmed when Siroc was suddenly dragged into the tent and roughly shoved down to the ground at Messina's feet.
Siroc glared at the man as he finally saw him standing above him and then turned away to face the ground as Ricardo spoke up again saying, "Hello again, Siroc. I have to say, I never expected to see you again seeing as it has been over six years, but I am very happy indeed. I searched for you for a long time."
D'artagnan suddenly stepped forward as he said, "With all due respect, Sir. He has been with us for over six years and has since been under our charge. Not just anyone can come in here and claim he belongs to them. We brought him here to Pinion and we insist we are paid what we are owed by him alone. Otherwise, we will take him back with us and find someone else we can depend on."
"I am afraid you no longer have a choice in the matter," Messina replied as he snapped his fingers and three of his men walked inside the tent, stepping up right behind Siroc. "He belongs to me, which gives me the right to punish him for his insolence however I see fit."
"No, stop!" Ramon shouted as Ricardo's three men grabbed Siroc and pulled him out of the tent and toward a pole in the center of the camp, where all of the slaves would be forced to watch what was about to happen to him.
As the men shoved Siroc against the pole and wrapped the chain between his cuffed wrists around a hook well above his head, the young inventor kept his eyes trained on his friends and he could see that they were all about ready to pick a fight against the men to help him. However, Siroc knew that they would never be successful without them getting killed, or worse, the innocent men, women, and children around them.
As he finally locked eyes with his friends, once Pinion's men moved out of the way, Siroc gently shook his head to warn them to stand down. D'artagnan, Ramon, and Jacques saw this and understood what Siroc was telling them. They kept still as Messina and Pinion moved forward, while Messina held a cat with bone shards in each of the leather strands in his right hand, knowing that it would inflict an immense amount of pain.
Siroc kept his eyes locked on his friends until the first strike across his back. As it came, he turned away from them, hoping to hide his pain. Messina smiled as Siroc tensed up strike after strike, but grew tired after Siroc refused to cry out. After he had given him forty lashes, Ricardo handed the cat down to one of his own men and ordered him to continue until Siroc became unconscious.
As Ricardo began to whip their friend, D'artagnan, Ramon, and Jacques stepped away from the center and moved behind all of the slaves in order to speak without them being overheard by Messina's and Pinion's men.
D'artagnan spoke up quietly, but firmly saying, "We can't do anything to help Siroc now, but Ramon, I need you to ride back to Captain Duval and tell him to gather as many men as he can to come back here as fast as you can. We will do all we can to keep Siroc alive from here. As for our plan to bring Jeremiah to his son, Ramon, you will bring him with you. That part of our plan is still workable.
Ramon shook his head angrily as he replied, "We cannot allow these monsters to hurt and humiliate Siroc like this. How are you going to make sure Messina does not decide to kill Siroc before we get back?"
"I'm not sure, but we have no choice, Ramon," D'artagnan argued. "We can't do anything that will jeopardize the lives of these people. You know that; Siroc knows that."
"Why do I have to be the one to go?" Ramon asked.
Jacques responded, "Because you are too angry to stay here without interfering. Besides, you're the faster rider. You can get home and back before we could."
Ramon nodded and ran off to find Jeremiah as both Jacques and D'artagnan moved once again through the crowd gathered around the pole where Siroc was being tortured in order to show the slaves what would happen to them should they choose to be disobedient. They looked on angrily and saw that Messina and Pinion, as well as all of their men, were laughing.
Siroc kept his head down and turned away from the people looking on. His body shook from the pain of the lashes, but the pain wasn't what was hurting him the most. His worst fear was coming true. In a matter of time, he would die as a slave.
