The night sky was dark, and the stars shone through the opening in the glade. Everything was quiet, even Dark Bear and most of the people had retired for the night.
Gisael led me to the willow by the hand and sat beside me. She leaned against my shoulder and whispered, "I will wait and help you to bed."
On the ground there were dozens of three foot sticks. They were straight and could easily be mistaken for arrows if they weren't missing the heads.
Gisael pushed some black leaf between my lips. "Chew," she said softly. "It will help with the pain."
"I doubt it," I said. I knew this was going to fucking hurt.
Mother appeared and smiled at me. She was a sadist. She sat down facing me and said, "Stomach or back first?"
"Back," I said, and she nodded at the ground. I sighed and lay on my stomach.
Before she began I said, "If you ever lose your day job you should become a torturer. You're very good at it."
