Legend of Mace by Daniel J. Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

prisoner and the boys away, Roger let the curtain drop. “Maybe,” he said softly, “and maybe not.”
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    As soon as Mace left Lisa’s, he spotted Woody walking towards him with the group of boys and prisoner in tow.
    “Is the other guy inside?” Woody asked as they came together.
    “Yeah, but he, uh, is going to be busy for a little while.”
    Woody gave him a strange look.
    “It’s all good,” Mace answered. “What do you plan on doing with this guy?” Mace looked Saul over and noticed the fresh bruises on his face.
    “I thought we’d go have a talk with him. Find out what he knows.” Several boys groaned. Their hearts were set on an execution.
    “We could use the office in the convent,” Mace said.
    “Let’s do it.”
    Mace couldn’t help but smile as he turned to address Chelsea. She had the lizard back under her shirt. “See ya, Chelse. Why don’t you check out the barn for me?”
    Chelsea winked, happy that he'd kept her secret. “Going right now,” she said, as Herman squirmed up and stuck his head out the top of her shirt. She picked up her pace so no one would notice.
     
    Inside the convent office, Saul sat on a chair with his hands bound behind him. Sitting in front of him, Mace’s face was no more than a few inches away.
    “You’re lucky you made it this far,” Mace said, his eyes penetrating and dark. “Why did you steal from us?”
    Avoiding eye contact, Saul kept his eyes trained on the ground. Sweat dripped down his face. He looked like a man defeated. “We thought you were going to kill us. We didn’t want to steal the bikes. We just wanted to get away.”
    From behind Mace, Woody responded. “We gave you the option to leave. You didn’t take it.”
    “We didn’t believe you,” Saul answered quietly. Still gazing at the floor, his shirt was soaked with sweat. “We figured we were dead either way.” His lifted his head to make eye contact with Mace. “If you’re gonna kill me, just get it over with.”
    “Not so quick,” said Mace. “How did you get out and how did you avoid the mines?”
    Saul’s head lulled in front of him. “We waited ‘til there was a guard rotation, then just stuck to the bike tracks. We walked the bikes the first quarter mile.”
    Mace felt fire run through his veins. He couldn’t believe it had been that easy to escape. Their camp was made to keep people out though, not in.
    “Could I talk to you?” Woody suddenly interjected, addressing Mace.
    Mace continued to lock eyes with Saul, feeling the need grow inside. The darkness slowly expanded. “Sure,” he answered as he eyeballed Saul. He slowly rose and turned to face Woody.
    “Outside,” Woody said quietly, pointing to the door with his head.
    “What’s up?” Mace asked, once they were outside the office.
    “I think we should let him go.”
    A weird feeling came over Mace. The need to kill grew stronger. “Why would we want to do that?” He felt ready to explode.
    “To show we're not tyrants.”
    The words bounced around in Mace’s head for a few seconds. They suddenly took on the voice of Father McCann, repeating words spoken before he’d been taken over by the toxin. “ A leader without compassion will only become a tyrant. ”
    Mace felt the hardness in his heart. The words defined him. While no longer technically their leader, they still looked to him for guidance. Like a ripple in a pond, his darkness spread over the entire camp. He suddenly felt like a form of cancer. “Let him go,” Mace said as he tried to ignore the pull. “Give him his horse and possessions and send him on his way. We’re not tyrants.”
    “Good. I’m glad you agree. If he tries to come back, we kill him.”
    “Let’s go tell him the good news,” Mace said, trying to control the burn inside.
    They walked back in the room and Saul closed his eyes.
    “We’re going to let you go,” Woody said calmly. “You’ll get your horse back and the possessions you and your