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the Patrol member said. He paused. “That’s not a bad idea. Wouldn’t want to disturb the good citizens nearby.”
    The Patrol member gagged and bound them, tying the four of them together by a rope around their necks. Then he tied their hands together behind their backs, leaving their legs free. The process took considerable time, since Rae decided not to be compliant. Finally, he nodded to Telemachus. “You, boy. Help me get these ruffians back to the compound.”
    Telemachus turned to Harrod. “Can I?”
    But it was Anton who answered. “It seems we have very little choice. Be back by morning. And stay safe.”
    Telemachus gave a surly nod and shoved Parvel toward the stairs. That jerked the rest of them forward. Jesse tried to reach up and rub his sore neck before he remembered that his hands were tied too.
    Between the Patrol member at one end and Telemachus at the other, Jesse hardly had to walk. They dragged their line of prisoners down the dark, empty road.
    Suddenly, Jesse found himself jerked to a halt. In front of him, Rae had stopped. Somehow, she had managed to work her gag loose. “I warn you,” she said, between clenched teeth, “you will not be able to force me to come with you…not without a fight.”
    Someone laughed, and for a minute, Jesse couldn’t place who it was. When the voice laughed again, he blinked in surprise. It was Telemachus—but it wasn’t the same low, surly laugh he had heard early. It sounded almost…friendly.
    â€œWell, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” he said. He straightened up, his hunched back disappearing. Now he was even taller than before, almost like the giants Jesse had heard about in stories.
    Instead of shoving them down the road, Telemachus rolled up his sleeve. “You are among friends,” he said.
    There, faint, but still visible in the moonlight, was a broken circle with an A . The symbol of the Youth Guard.

Chapter 4
    They couldn’t talk in the street. That, at least, is how the Patrol member explained the need to continue on to the barracks. He did take off their ropes. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Necessary for the deception, you know.”
    At first, Jesse thought Parvel would give the order for them to flee into the darkness, leaving their two former captors behind. Rae certainly looked ready to bolt. But they kept walking, and Parvel said nothing.
    â€œCan we trust them?” Jesse muttered to Parvel.
    â€œWe’re still alive,” was all he said. “I think it would be best to see what happens.”
    That didn’t seem like a secure plan to Jesse, but he had learned to trust his leader’s instincts, so he followed Telemachus and the Patrol member.
    Here’s where we’ll see our proof , Jesse thought as they approached the gate to the barracks. Most Patrol outposts were small, a few houses inside a compound. This one, though, was within sight of the gates of Davior, the capital of District Two. It had room to house at least a dozen patrol members.
    â€œWho’s there?” a raspy voice from behind the thick gates demanded.
    â€œIt’s Ira, of course,” the Patrol member holding Jesse said. “Back with the children from the refuge. We’ll question them, but I think our informant was just trying to stir up trouble for them. They seem harmless.”
    The door creaked open, and the other Patrol member laughed. “I take it those priests weren’t slaughtered in their beds by the time you got there, then.”
    Ira’s voice became sharp. “No, and you should be grateful. You know the priests do no harm and should be protected.”
    A wheezing laugh from the other. “So you always say. If it weren’t for you, that house of refuge would have been shut down years ago. Well, I say they don’t do us good either. No bribes, no drinks. Nothing but their crazy tales and ancient