When Veronica came to, she found herself on the floor of a very dark cell. Slowly, she sat up, half-blind and with a very sore cheek. She squinted around, noticing that there were no windows and that the sole light-source came from under the door.

'Ned?' her voice resounded in the cell, jangling her nerves further.

'V-Veronica?' she could hear him shift somewhere to her right.

'Yeah,' she got to her knees. 'Where are you?'

'In a cell.'

'Really, Ned, this isn't the time to joke around.'

'I don't know where I am,' he said exhaustedly. 'Can't see much. I'm next to a wall, if that helps.'

After a minute or so of pawing around in near darkness, Veronica bumped into a soft body curled up against the wall.

'Hey,' she smiled softly at his muffled greeting.

'Hey yourself,' It was Malone's turn to smile. He felt her hand ruffle his hair, then pull back.

'Are you bleeding?'

'Guess so.' Malone winced as she tried to move him onto his back.

'What did they do to you?'

'Couldn't tell. Wasn't a spectator sport.' He let out a yelp when Veronica's hand found the sensitive head wound.

'After I was knocked out?'

'Yeah,' Malone sat up with difficulty. He reached forward and brushed her cheek, his brow furrowing when she flinched at the pain.

'That Ranch is one violent guy. You alright?'

'Didn't break my cheekbone, I'll live. Why did you get involved?'

'He hit you. I just lost it for a while.'

'Like when he kissed me?'

'Along that line.'

Veronica shook her head in mock exasperation.

'Just out of curiosity, was this part of the surprise too?' Malone jibed. Veronica had a sudden urge to laugh despite their present circumstances.

'Lie down and get some rest. You've had a rough day.'

He readily submitted to that order. Veronica sat in silence, listening to his labored breathing. 'Thank you Ned.'





Malone had felt Veronica slide over to lie next to him. Caught in a limbo of sleep and consciousness, he was almost asleep again when the door creaked open and light flooded the cell. They both jerked awake, shading their eyes against the sudden glare. Then, the door was shut again. A man carrying an oil lamp slowly made his way down the steps, a bundle bulging at his side.

'Who are you?' Malone asked, more sharply than he'd meant to.

'A resident doctor,' came his calm answer. 'I take a look at the new arrivals, just to make sure they aren't damaged too badly.'

When he reached them, suddenly, he started to gape and splutter.

'What?' Veronica looked around, expecting trouble of some sort.

'The Man, he looks just like the Boss. You're like them!'

Ned and Veronica exchanged puzzled looks.

'Like who?'

'Like the masters. Your skin is white, pale like theirs.'

'Does that make us your enemy then?' She couldn't make head or tail of what the man was trying to imply.

'No,' his voice softened, as did his features. 'It's just awful that the masters making slaves of their own kind.'

'We're all the same kind.' Veronica had never agreed with the idea of slavery, or all that rubbish about one race dominating others.

The man smiled. He had taken a liking to these people already.

'My name is Jakum,' he extended his hand and they shook it. 'I'm the local doctor. How did you get captured?'

'We were on our way back from the Zanga village. Got ambushed after sunrise,' Veronica explained.

'Only two of you... Easy prey,' Jakum said thoughtfully as he unpacked his bundle. Out came cloths, bandages, herbs, and several glass bottles.

'That's a nice thought,' Malone muttered, earning an elbow from Veronica.

'Very disturbing too.'

He turned to Veronica first. Holding up his lamp, he examined her face and neck, methodically working his way down to her legs, feeling for broken bones and the like. Muttering inaudible diagnosis results, he took a few leaves, mashed them to a pulp then mixed it with a clear liquid from a bottle. He then rubbed the mixture onto her cheek, arms and legs. She winced at the sting.

'Helps improve circulation for clotting,' he explained.

He then moved on to Malone, whose injuries were a bit more extensive. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he cleaned the blood off, commenting incessantly on how 'slaves' should be treated better. After more of the mixture was rubbed onto the cuts, he proceeded to the ribs. Gently maneuvering him, Jakum took a knife and slit through the shirt.

Malone instinctively pushed the hand away, and the jarring movement pulled at his sides, causing fire to dance down the length of his torso. He gritted his teeth, trying hard to breathe without screaming. Jakum steadied him with firm hands. 'It's already dirty and has blood all over. You'll be getting new clothes, the standard shirt and pants, which,' he looked at Veronica, 'may be better on cold nights.'

'Uh huh.' Malone nodded when he had finally caught his breath, and Jakum continued. Veronica watched, her teeth worrying her bottom lip incessantly.

'Well!' Jakum exclaimed when he was finished.

'So, how is he?'

'I have seen worse,' Jakum tried to be optimistic, but Veronica was not buying it.

'That doesn't mean it's not bad, Jakum.'

'I realized that. He's sustained quite a bruising to his sides, that is evident from the discolorations on the skin. There may be some fractures, but I can't tell without hurting him further.'

'I take it that it's not good?' Ned spoke up, his voice slightly shaky.

'We'll definitely need the bandages,' Jakum said and methodically got to work.



'Right, all done,' he announced, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

Malone leaned back against the wall, cold sweat running down his face and neck. But as he concentrated on keeping the pain at bay, there was a nagging little thought that fought its way through the haze. Vaguely, he heard the whispered conversation between Veronica and Jakum.

'Masters. exhibit. both of you. fetch a high price.'

Escape! That was the little nagging thought.

'Jakum, when do the traders sell, uh, the slaves?'

'They show them on Fridays. Any day is a sell-day, if a customer comes with special request.'

'Then we have to get out as soon as possible.'

'What?!' Jakum and Veronica said simultaneously.

'We have to get out, Veronica and me. You can come too Jakum. We can sneak out and-'

'Ned!' Veronica's sharp tone brought him to his senses and stopped his rambling. 'The camp is guarded. It's sand, not trees. We hardly have any cover. Besides, Jakum is their healer. Other people need him here.'

'But we can go, we can. I'm sure.'

Veronica knelt next to him and took his hand in hers. He looked up, his blue eyes expressing the quiet determination.

'If Jakum can help, we can get out. The key, we need the key and.' Ned suddenly shifted his gaze to Jakum.

'Will you help us?' The speed of his reply would have shocked him into speechlessness if it didn't bring him so much joy.

'I will,' Jakum vowed, hand over his chest. 'I can get the keys and sneak you out during the changing shifts. We can escape behind the rocks east of the camp, which is just in front of the forest. This-'

The door suddenly clanged open, and the three of them jumped at the sound. A guard threw down two pairs of clothes before the door was closed. Veronica looked anxiously at the two men, all wondering if the guard had overheard their rather sloppily constructed plan.

'Right,' Jakum said more quietly. 'Before midnight, there is a change of guards everywhere almost simultaneously. Not a smart system, but works to our advantage. I could convince Pip to create a diversion.'

'Pip?' Malone asked.

'One of your captors. He told me earlier, how he felt that something wasn't right. He already has his misgivings about selling white-skins.'

'That's it?' Veronica was a bit doubtful of the plan's success ratio.

'About,' Jakum said.

'You think it will work? Anything could go wrong, that you do realize.'

'We have to try, Veronica' Malone's grip tightened around her hand. 'I won't let you be sold off like some flimsy merchandise.'

'Feeling's mutual,' she said with a smile.