A novice monk's brutal life - and his role in worsening his own sufferings

Garran takes the shared chain from the clerk and turns the pair toward a narrow passage between stacked crates. The cangues leave barely enough room for their shoulders.

Garran draws the chain just taut enough to establish the pace, then releases it. Brokers gather along both sides, judging whether the elevated bid has purchased a workable pair.

The first step brings the wooden frames close to the crates. Their edges scrape the timber, pressing against Timothy's shoulder and aggravating the healing abrasion beneath his cangue.

Tobin watches Timothy anxiously and adjusts his short steps to match him. Garran waits at the far end, chain in hand, while Alwin records each careful passage.

Timothy turns his shoulders and guides Tobin into the gap. Shadowed Evasion lets him read the crate edges and shift before the cangues catch, while the healing scrape rubs beneath the wood.

He advances in short, measured steps, using the cangue as a brace rather than fighting its weight. Tobin mirrors each adjustment, and their frames pass the first stack without striking it.

Timothy angles them through the tightest point, slipping sideways with precise economy. The shared chain stays slack, and both boys clear the stacked crates without a stumble or broken restraint.

They emerge into the wider receiving yard together. The brokers murmur approval as the paired-lot clerk marks the successful passage, while Garran gathers the chain and presents the intact pair for the next inspection.

Beyond the covered gate, the receiving inspection continues off-camera for more than an hour. The account is reduced to its aftermath, with no act or injury shown.

When the gate opens again, Tobin stands unsteadily within the joined cangue, exhausted and silent. Garran keeps the chain in hand while the paired-lot clerk checks the written lot.

Tobin’s knees tremble, but the shared restraints remain fastened and the contract remains marked as fulfilled. Garran studies the payment ledger with guarded satisfaction.

Garran draws the chain toward the yard’s inner gate. Tobin follows because the cangue and irons leave no practical alternative, while the market record converts his forced endurance into completed payment.

Garran stops at the inner gate and looks down at the ledger. The chain remains in his hand, but his guarded satisfaction opens into a broad, unmistakable smile.

Garran leads the joined cangue to the paired-lot clerk’s desk. The clerk checks the marked lot, then places the buyer’s sealed payment pouch beside the completed record.

He closes his fingers around the pouch and draws the chain toward the yard’s inner passage. His step is lighter now, while the completed sale governs the boys’ continued movement.

Garran pauses beyond the clerk’s desk, the sealed pouch tucked beneath his coat. He turns toward Timothy while keeping the shared chain in hand.

Tobin’s cangue shifts as he turns his head toward Garran. The chain stays slack, but the answer fixes the journey’s destination beyond the market and river.

Tobin turns within the wooden cangue as far as the restraints allow. The shared chain remains slack between him and Garran while the destination settles over the pair.

Garran studies Tobin over the chain, then touches the sealed payment pouch beneath his coat. The thanks confirms the obedient account he intends to give the estate steward.

Tobin lowers his eyes and resumes the measured pace beside Timothy. Garran leads them from the market passage toward the river landing, satisfied that both deliveries remain orderly.

The cangue rubs the healing scrape as Timothy turns toward Garran. His request is quiet and deliberate, treating further punishment as preparation for the promised inspection rather than as a protest.

Garran studies Timothy’s restrained posture and the sealed payment pouch. Timothy’s Unyielding Penance makes the degrading request sound voluntary and orderly, while his careful diplomacy turns Garran’s concern for the contract toward agreement.

Garran signals a yard attendant and gives quiet instructions. The requested punishment is carried out off-camera and summarized without detail; afterward, Timothy’s condition is visibly marked as Garran intended.

Garran resumes the route with the chain slack between the joined cangues. His agreement is secured, and the delivery continues toward Blackthorn Hall under the terms Timothy requested.

Garran pauses beside the joined cangues. Timothy’s Unyielding Penance makes the request sound voluntary and orderly, while the chain and restraints leave his posture fixed beneath the market’s scrutiny.

Garran leads the pair back to the paired-lot clerk’s desk. Timothy bears the cangue without protest, turning the pain of continued restraint into evidence that he is prepared for the contract’s demands.

The paired-lot clerk writes the condition beside the paired lot, then reads it back for confirmation. The record now preserves Timothy’s requested account before the journey to Blackthorn Hall continues.

Garran folds the amended record beneath the payment papers, and his smile deepens at the sum secured for the paired delivery. The pouch weighs heavily against his coat.

The paired-lot clerk lifts one finger before Garran can leave. Her ledger remains open beside the entry describing Timothy's severe bruising.

His satisfaction remains unmistakable, but the complication is concrete: Blackthorn Hall can still reduce the payment after inspection. Garran closes the ledger and draws the chain toward the river road.

Garran draws the shared chain toward the river road. Timothy walks beside him, bringing Tobin through the market passage in the measured rhythm the joined cangues allow.

The travel irons shorten every stride, but Timothy turns his shoulders and guides Tobin around the gateposts without striking them. Unyielding Penance lets him bear the restraint and continue despite the pressure.

At the road’s first rut, the cangue slips against Timothy’s shoulder. He catches his balance, but the rough edge tears open the healing scrape beneath the wood, leaving fresh soreness as they move on.

Timothy continues beside Garran, keeping Tobin aligned through the narrowing road. His agility carries the three of them clear of the market gate, and the river road now lies open ahead.

Garran studies the slack chain, the narrow road, and the leather strap in Timothy's hands. Timothy's cangue rubs his shoulder, but Unyielding Penance keeps his posture composed and his argument steady.

Garran takes the leather strap from Timothy and orders Tobin forward. When the boy falters at the next rut, Garran administers the requested whipping off-camera, then brings him onward without breaking the contract.

Tobin quickens his short, constrained steps. The joined cangues knock together, and Timothy's shoulder scrape burns under the rubbing wood as he keeps the pair aligned.

The river road opens ahead, and Garran keeps the shared chain moving at Tobin’s quicker pace. The sealed payment pouch remains secure beneath Garran’s coat.

At the next milestone, the paired-lot clerk catches up from the market with the amended ledger and the buyer’s receipt. He raises both documents before Garran can question the delay.

Garran opens the pouch beneath the milestone’s shadow and counts the coins twice. His guarded satisfaction becomes open triumph as the final amount matches the elevated paired bid.

The paired-lot clerk seals the receipt and returns toward the exchange. Garran leads the joined cangues onward, richer than expected, while the paid contract carries Timothy and Tobin toward Blackthorn Hall.

The river road descends toward the landing, where barges creak against muddy posts. Garran keeps the shared chain moving, while the cangues force Timothy and Tobin into one measured pace.

At the landing, the paired-lot clerk catches up once more, holding the sealed receipt above the chain. The buyer’s mark bears a second instruction that was not read at the exchange.

The clause gives Timothy and Tobin a witnessable point of protection: until the steward signs, Garran remains responsible for both deliveries. Garran reads it twice, then folds the receipt beneath his payment papers.

Garran leads the joined cangues onto the waiting barge. His money is secure, and the unexpected clause carries Timothy and Tobin together under a recorded obligation toward the estate.

The barge reaches Blackthorn’s landing. Timothy keeps Tobin beside him through the jostling disembarkation, turning his cangue with careful precision while the travel irons force their steps into one rhythm.

The effort grinds the wooden cangue against Timothy’s shoulder scrape, opening the abrasion and sending a sharp pain down his arm. Unyielding Penance carries him through it without breaking pace.

A middle-aged man, visibly human steps from the landing house. He is broad-shouldered, pale-faced, and clean-shaven, with iron-gray hair, a dark green wool coat, and a silver key at his belt.

Timothy angles his cangue through the last narrow gap, keeping Tobin aligned despite the irons and the burning scrape. They reach Merek together, and the steward checks both restraints before signing the receipt for the paired delivery.