Chapter 17: Consequences

Natalie

I was only brought back by the creak of the cell door opening again some time later.

Immediately I was on high alert, cringing away from the intruder despite the pain. But it was only Mary returning, her kind features drawn with worry.

"I warned you nit to try that Nat," she warned urgently. "Now, that you're caught, you must be able to stand and work, or it will go worse for you."

The thought of putting my ruined back to any labor was unimaginable. But refusal was not an option. Jaw clenched, I nodded and somehow found my feet with Mary's assistance. My legs trembled violently, only barely supporting my weight.

"Yes you warned me, I guess I was blinded by the thirst of freedom."

All too soon, heavy footsteps signaled the arrival of my captors. The lead guard studied me critically in the torchlight seeping from the hall.

"Yes it's her," he grunted. "Get a move on, slave."

They hauled me back through the maze of underground corridors toward the slave quarters. My senses swam