Then Valina lunged at the Lord, in anguish. She pounded fists against his chest and screamed into his face, "You bastard!"

He grinned and caught her wrists easily. "And I'm so good at it."

"You won't get away with this." Rachel spat.

"And who's going to stop me?" the Lord mocked, noting the assembled crew. "A dying old woman, a prisoner, a slave, a failed merchant, and a child?"

"We could take you." Rachel challenged.

For a moment, Ruth actually wondered if maybe they could. After all, each of the women present had experience with working hard. Each was strong, determined, and tough. The Lord, on the other hand, had servants to handle his every need. Could he win a fight against the women?

He didn't give them a chance. "I don't intend to bore myself like that. My soldiers will take care of you."

"Shall I whistle for the soldiers?" his companion chimed in, dutifully.

"Not yet." the Lord shook his head. "Let's see what else they've got. They're entertaining."

"Even if you kill us, someone else will take our place." Ruth blurted out, speaking aloud what she had really meant only to think.

The Lord studied her, amused. "Oh really? The only reason you're here is because you want your mommy. A week ago, you were an obedient student at Lisette's school, hating all revolutionaries."

"I'm still young. I'm allowed to make mistakes." she shot back. "But I've learned the truth and plenty of others will too. And sooner or later, someone will beat you."

"I do believe it will be later, much later." he laughed.

"I wouldn't be too sure." Ruth retorted. "What happens when the people of Trillagla find out you've killed us?"

"Nothing." he replied with a careless shrug. "Your mother is a traitor and so is her sister and the merchant. Then there's the slave... no one in this city is going to worry about the death of a runaway slave. And you - you're just a poor little girl who stupidly sneaks into jail and gets killed in the crossfire."

"Or a poor little girl who kills you!" she shouted, once again acting first and thinking later. She grabbed at his sword, desperately hoping to fell him with his own sword.

His companion had her almost immediately. He held her tightly, his own sword against her throat. Then he looked to the Lord, waiting permission to kill Ruth.

"No." the Lord shook his head. "She tried to murder me. She'll die a slow and painful death in Trillagla's main square."

"She's a child!" Mother protested, from behind her cell bars.

"Today she's a child." the Lord agreed. "Tomorrow she's dead. How sad."

"I'm not crying." his companion grinned, only slightly loosening his hold on Ruth.

"Get the soldiers." the Lord ordered. "I'm tired of this game. Have them all locked up separately and we'll execute them in the morning."

"Yes, sir." the companion was only too glad to comply. He whistled loudly and got an immediate response. Soldiers came hurrying down the hallways, until a wall of red uniforms surrounded them.

The Lord repeated his command, this time to the soldiers. He included an additional clause. "Oh, and do what you want with them. Just make sure they look presentable for their executions."

Greedy hands reached for the women. Someone soon had hold of Ruth, clutching her arm and her throat. "Such a pretty little face. It's a shame they'll probably chop off your head."

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to be home with her father. Why had she ever agreed to come along?

"Be brave, Ruthie!" her mother's voice carried over the soldiers' babble.

Oh, that's why. Ruth swallowed her panic, determinedly. She had promised to bring Mother home to Father. And she was going to keep that promise. She just had to figure out how to do it. "A little help here would be nice," she muttered towards the ceiling, as though perhaps God might have something to say about this.

And then...

"Hey." a calm, quiet voice interrupted the chaos. The crowd parted to let a tall, young man through. "What's going on here?"

Ruth eyed him nervously, uncertain. Was this a friend or foe? She looked towards the other women, in case they might offer a clue to the man's identity.

Valina had turned pale. "Jed!" she whispered.