The Fly Guild Read Online Free PDF

did dull the
ache and his wounds healed quickly. Most of the boy’s time was spent sleeping
and he suspected Grubbs was putting some sort of sleeping potion into his water,
for he was resting far more than normal. It was all well enough anyway, for
there was nothing to do in his small, locked room. Whenever he woke up, Grubbs
shortly thereafter entered the room with the next round of food, water and
salves, leaving him little time to contemplate his predicament or escape.
    When he was approaching what seemed
like two weeks worth of treatments, Sands reappeared. Quinton had just woken up
again and was feeling particularly better. He was thinking about trying to walk
around the room a bit when he heard the lock bar being withdrawn from his door.
The small door swung open, but instead of Grubbs, it was Sands – Master Sands.
He wore a cloak of light gray and fine boots made of what looked like deerskin,
and there were wool trousers of gray tucked into them. The man’s eyes studied
him for a moment. Quinton sat quietly, afraid to ask anything after the series
of warnings he had been given the last time he saw him.
    “What is your name?” Sands
demanded.
    “My name, sir, is maggot,” Quinton
stammered, his voice still a little raspy.
    The man nodded slightly in
agreement. “And who am I?”
    “You,” said Quinton slowly, “are
Master Sands. I serve you.”
    The man nodded again. “Good. I
talked with Master Fist and you are officially my apprentice. I’ll be honest; I
didn’t really want an apprentice, but you have some skills that I think can be
a real benefit to our family here, and it would be a shame to waste them.” He
looked away from the boy and stared off in the distance for a moment at nothing
in particular. “I also think you will be very handy to have around at times,”
he said softly. His gaze returned to the boy and he spoke again, this time more
forcibly. “Grubbs tells me you are almost completely healed. It’s time you
joined the other maggots and started learning the trade so you can contribute.”
Without a further word, the man turned and left the room, leaving the door open
behind him. A short time later, Grubbs entered the room with a small piece of
bread.
    “I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay
with me, because it’s time for you to go to the maggot pit,” he said, his lips
curled up in an I-know-something-you-don’t-know smile. He tossed him the piece
of bread. “This has the last of your medicines in it. Enjoy it, because the
food in the pit isn’t as good as it is up here.”
    Quinton gnawed on the bread,
savoring the bitter flavor of whatever was in it. After months of near
starvation and constant hunger, one didn’t complain about taste.
    Grubbs watched him eat. “There’s a
lot to learn, but as someone who has spent almost his entire life here, I’ll
give you some advice,” he paused, making sure Quinton was listening. The boy
sat up on the edge of his bed as he finished chewing his bread and stared at
Grubbs. “Always do exactly what you are told and never question it. It’s not
for you or me to question what Fist or anyone else orders. Second, never betray
the family. A few people have over the years, and they died horrible deaths.”
Grubbs walked a little closer to him, staring down at him on the edge of the
bed. He slapped the boy hard across the cheek with such force it turned his
head. Quinton’s cheek stung with pain and he looked at Grubbs incredulously.
    “And finally, that’s a reminder
that no one here is your friend. No one in the guild can be trusted, so learn
to rely on yourself. The first time you start to trust someone, you will be
hurt, just like you were now. Keep your guard up, watch your back and you’ll be
fine. Now come with me.”
    Grubbs turned and walked out of the
room, ducking through the short doorway and disappeared. He didn’t turn to see
if Quinton was following. The boy glanced up at the small window high in his
room and wondered if it