Trapped

Sidmouth and Torquay sat in the corner of the dark lodge and watched as John Henry applied a poultice to Wallace’s wounds.

“You’ve got to stop running away, you fool,” Torquay shouted at Wallace. “They’ll just get fed up and kill you!”

Wallace turned his head and refused to meet the boy’s glare.

“No,” John Henry contradicted. “He’s too valuable to kill. We all are.”

“So, what will they do?” Torquay asked. “Will they keep beating him until he stops running away?”

“No,” John Henry answered. “They’ll cut off one of his feet. Slaves can still work with one foot.”