Chapter Three
--1--Thane was first to wake. He pulled his underwear gingerly over his wounded s*x. Most of the red stripes had subsided to pink; only where the coarse edge of the belt had struck did he find thin red lines of dried blood -- as if he had been flailed with wire. His skin was mottled purple and brown. The swelling in his groin had subsided though he winced as he went painfully up the stairs to the kitchen.
He tried to lift Yardena carefully into his arms. She squeaked in pain when he touched her. He half-supported, half-carried her awkwardly, gently to the third floor.
Barengaria was tied by her wrists and ankles to the four iron legs of her bed, her gray bony body almost indistinguishable from the gray sheets. He saw that she was awake and looking at the ceiling, patient,
