The Staff of Ramah

  Chapter 21

  Emily Katherine had no idea where she was being taken to, but she knew that wherever it was, it must be a bad place. She had spent what must be three days in this rolling cage, but she was already aching in every part of her body. The pain that coursed through her small frame was nothing however to the pain that throbbed in her heart. She could still see images in her mind of these evil captors killing her dear mother in cold blood right before her eyes. She would never forget the things the monsters did, but she could understand why her mother had fought back so hard. Though Emily had not known her father, she had never once doubted the great love that her mother had for her, and as a result, the proud lady had fought back with the tenacity that only a mother could have mustered. Would she still be alive if she had given in to the slavers and come along quietly? Emily would never know the answer to that question, but she was sure of one thing, she would do everything in her power to escape. She owed her mother that much at least. She looked around her small cage to the other people who were locked up with her and could see no life left in any of their eyes. All heads were bowed in the resignation that their lives were over and only death awaited them. Emily shook her head as if to shrug off the air of defeat that hung thick like a cloud and once again worked at pulling her little hands free of the iron shackles that were clasped tightly around each wrist. She cried out with a sharp scream, as one of the dirt faced men poked her hard in the ribs with his long staff.

  “None of that slave,” the ugly man barked. “If I see you trying to escape, I will beat you to a pulp.”

  Emily still had some fight left in her so she answered back glibly, “You won’t get much of a price if you mess up the merchandise will you?”

  “Where you are going, no one cares how you look. I don’t want any back-talk from you either, or I will come in there and do a lot more than just beat you. Understand?”

  Emily knew full well what that meant, so she closed her mouth tight. From now on, she would have to be as sneaky as possible when it came to getting her hands free. As bad luck would have it, the slaver that had seen her escape efforts kept a watchful eye on her for the rest of the day, so she chose rather to close her eyes and attempt to sleep. The newly orphaned girl cried in silence, dozing fitfully as the prison cart bumped along down the rough road.