CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Brian woke once more to pain. He recalled vaguely that this had happened before, but he could not be sure how many times. The bright sunlight in his eyes hurt his head, as did the movement of the cart beneath him. The motion of the cart stopped, and consciousness slipped away.
Sometime later, a limited awareness returned. He was choking and rough hands were doing something to his throat. A foul-tasting gruel filled his mouth. Someone was trying to get him to swallow.
“Where am I?” he sputtered incoherently.
Something struck him, and he lost his tenuous hold on consciousness once more.
Darkness. Am I blind? He fought the panic that threatened to engulf him and realized it was night. As his vision began to focus, he could see stars above him.
Brian tried to make sen
