“It’s been more than a day since they brought you here. I don’t know how much longer Conner will keep you here. Can’t you give him what he wants?”
I shook my head. “He wants to own me. If I give in to him on this, then there’s nothing left of me.”
o;Please don’t do this, Mott.” I wasn’t above begging.
“You chose this!” he yelled. “Didn’t I warn you before?”
“What’s so important about the rock?” Cregan asked.
“It’s not about the rock,” Mott said. “The boy just wants to win. This is his way of proving that Conner doesn’t own him.”
“He doesn’t own me,” I said.
That elicited Mott’s first snap of the whip. I’d prepared myself for pain, but not as great as this. A scream burst from my lips that didn’t sound like me. Mott snapped it again and then a third time. My legs collapsed beneath me, which pulled hard at my shoulders.
“Where’s the rock?” Mott asked.
Without waiting for an answer, he snapped the whip again. I felt myself separating from the pain, as if a part of me had stepped aside to watch it happen. That part of me cringed at the sound of strap hitting flesh. The other part continued to scream.
“He doesn’t own me,” I whispered. “It’s my gold.”
The whip snapped again, ripping like a claw into my skin, then Mott scowled. “Get a towel.”
“Conner said not to draw blood!” Cregan said.
“He said not to leave scars. Get me the bandages and then we’ll leave him alone. We’ll give him time to think about his next answer.”
Cregan disappeared for a moment while Mott cursed and threw the whip back into the corner of the room. A minute later, Cregan returned with a bottle of clear liquid and a cloth.
“I’ll take care of this,” Mott said. “Don’t tell Conner anything more than you have to.”
“Give me five minutes alone with him,” Cregan said with a growl. “I’ll find out where the rock is.”
“Get out!” Mott commanded.
When we were alone, Mott unscrewed the bottle. I caught a whiff of it and shook my head. “Don’t. No more.”
“This sting won’t be much better than the whip,” Mott warned.
He poured the liquid onto the cloth, then pressed it to my back. I howled again and kicked Mott in the knee, and he stumbled backward.
“You’ll get infected if I don’t clean this,” he said angrily. “I’m the only friend you’ve got right now, so don’t upset me.”
“If you’re my friend, then who are my enemies?”
“You are your own enemy, Sage. Look in the mirror for the cause of your problems. Do you think I wanted to hold that whip?”
He patted my back again with the cloth and I cursed at him.
“Watch your mouth, or Conner will have me whip that out of you too.”
“It hurts!” My back was on fire and every nerve in my body felt it.
“I don’t know why Conner hasn’t killed you already,” Mott said. “He sees something in you worth keeping, but his patience won’t last forever. Give him the rock, Sage.”
“No.”
Mott wrapped the wet cloth around my side and knotted it tightly. “You’re a fool,” he said. “If this is your strategy to become prince, it’s a terrible one. Bow to Conner, boy. And give him the rock.”