"What do we do, Thane?" worried Leighton as they ran. "It doesn't matter that the king isn't looking for us. That crazy soldier is looking for revenge. He won't stop until he gets it."

     "Just keep going," Thane told him. "The most important thing right now is to get away from them. Stay close. I know where we can go."

     Thane ran around familiar markings he had made and noted in the years they had lived in the cottage. He had found multiple routes for them to escape should a day like this arrive. He couldn't let them catch up. The day he decided to stay there with Leighton was the day he swore to Leighton he'd never let anyone hurt him. He had to keep his promise, no matter what happened to him.

     As they ran around a large boulder jutting up from the middle of the forest, they almost bumped right into a giant bear. Before Thane could raise his sword at the roaring animal, it swung and knocked it out of his hand.

     "Run!" he exclaimed.

     They turned and tried to run fast enough to escape the angry animal, but it was soon at their heels. As they reached a clearing that would take them to the main road, they heard a loud thud behind them. They looked around in time to see Ackerley on top of the beast plunging his sword into its skull.

     "Keep going," Thane ordered Leighton but it was too late.

     "Stop!" yelled Dunston. He had jumped between them and the road and was wielding his sword in their direction. "I have them!" he shouted for Ackerley to hear.

     "Hold them!" Ackerley shouted back.

     Thane and Leighton tried to catch their breaths as Ackerley made his way to them. He noticed Thane looking around for the third man and chuckled.

     "The old man is dead," Ackerley told him. "He started preaching at me about letting it all go so we could peacefully live our lives. Cowardly bastard," Ackerley spat.

     He punched Thane hard enough to send him down on one knee.

     "No one's getting in the way of my revenge. Live peacefully?" he snarled as he grabbed Leighton's collar and forced him to his knees. "One of those soldiers your friends killed was my brother," he said just before hitting Leighton across the face with the back of his hand.

     When Thane tried to intervene, Dunston grabbed him from behind and slung him against a tree. He pulled a rope from his belt and tied Thane's wrists around the trunk so he couldn't get away.

     "This oughta be good," he said in a low, menacing tone against Thane's ear. "He's been waiting for this moment every day since then."

     "They weren't my friends," Leighton tried to explain over the pain in his jaw. "They were after me to kill me."

     Ackerley hit him again, this time on the other side of his face, and kicked him with his boot to lay onto the ground.

     "You think that makes it better?" he growled. "My brother dying to save your worthless ass from bandits makes it even worse!"

     Leighton raised a shaky hand to wipe at the blood pouring from his mouth. He glanced up when he saw Ackerley moving around beside him. His eyes widened when Ackerley peered down at him with malice while unfastening his trousers.

     "You made my brother an offer once, do you remember?" Ackerley sneered.

     "Don't you dare!" Thane called out from the tree.

     It was obvious what the soldier intended to do, and Thane pulled with all his strength to break free. It was no use and he could feel tears stinging the backs of his eyes when he knew what was about to happen.

     Ackerley ignored Thane and moved behind Leighton. He removed a knife from his belt to slice the seam of Leighton's trousers until his undergarments shone through. Then, he sliced through those until he had access to Leighton's hole.

     "Stop! Please!" Leighton begged.

     He tried to crawl away but Ackerley slammed his face against the ground.  

     "I'm going to give you that taste you were after," he said bitterly. "When I'm good and done making you bleed, Dunston here will have his turn. You want a piece, don't you, Dunston?" he called out and was met with a cheer.

     "I'll take some but I want this one, too," Dunston said as he took a lock of Thane's hair and sniffed at it.

     Thane tried to pull away, but Dunston yanked him back by the hair he held. "I won't be as rough as Ackerley unless you piss me off," he warned.

     Leighton gripped the ground with his nails as he felt Ackerley force his buttocks open to enter. Instead of the pain he braced himself for, there was a scuffle at his feet. When he heard blades and Thane's voice telling him to get up, he turned to look.