"You brought him here so quickly. You are proving yourself worthy," the hooded figure told the boy.
He was back to the fire. He wished he could stop these… meetings but he knew it was impossible. His new master had power over him and he knew there was nothing to be done about it. He was a pawn, once again, in some bigger game that would not care for him until he messed up their plans. Then they would kill him.
"What did you do to him? I saw you give him no potion that would make him do as you say. I am curious to know how the deed was done."
The boy thought hard, he hadn't really had to do anything, "He just trusted me."
"TRUSTED YOU! Trust!" the figure bellowed, voice rising an octave or two. The boy saw the image waver, as it if were about to disappear, but only for a moment. He suddenly felt excruciating pain. It was if every part of his body was being ripped apart from one another and put back together. The hooded man had placed him the fire, "Have I taught you nothing? When was trust something to count on? ALL people lie. He could know your plan! You may have already ruined everything! I told you, I would protect you IF YOU DID AS I SAY! Naive, ignorant boy."
The man's screaming became wordless now. The cold was ripping him apart, it was between the molecules of his being. It became one with the man's scream. The boy thought it would never stop or start. Time was over. The screaming and pain would exist forever. Tears streamed down his face and pain poured through his mouth.
All of a sudden, it stopped. The figure and the fire had disappeared. The boy opened his eyes. He was still on hard, dirt ground, but he could see tufts of grass. A warm breeze swirled around his head. It ruffled his hair and cooled his sweating forehead. The boy sighed and rolled over so he faced the endless sky above him.
He would figure this out. He didn't need anymore 'protection'. He just needed to get this out of the way. He needed to make this strange and terrifying person disappear. He would live animosity, once this was all over. He could be safe without any help. He was tired of trying to stay alive this way and he knew it probably wouldn't last much longer.