She shrugged. “Why?”
“I think he was hoping to have Charlie arrested. Do you understand what that means? Arrested?”
“Read about. Old world stuff. Not our world. ”
“No,” said Nix bitterly. She touched Lilah’s arm. “Tell us, though. What happened after they took you and Annie away from George?”
“George,” she said in a small, sad voice that was an echo of the child she had once been and would never be again. She sorted through her conflicted emotions and jumbled thoughts. “They hit George. Killed him, I thought. But … not?”
“No,” said Benny. “He was hurt, but he lived. As soon as he woke up, he started looking for you and your sister. He met Tom, and they looked together. They couldn’t find you. I guess George didn’t know where to look. How far is Gameland from here?”
“Far. Three days fast walk. Two mountains from here,” said Lilah. “Have to know how to, um … find it. Hard to find. ”
“George never found it. All he heard were rumors of what goes on there. It tore him up. ”
It took Lilah a second to understand that last comment, then she nodded. “George loved us. Loved him. He is … dead?”
“I think so. A monk told Tom that George hung himself. ”
Lilah barked out a harsh laugh and shook her head. “No,” she said decisively.
“Tom didn’t believe it, either. ”
They sat for a minute in silence.
“He was murdered,” Nix said eventually. “Do think it was Charlie?”
“Or one of his creeps,” said Benny. Lilah’s lip curled, but she said nothing.
“Lilah … tell us abou
t Annie. ”
“Annie. ” Lilah’s eyes were as hard as knife steel, but they glistened wetly. “They took us. Lots of girls at Gameland. Boys too. They … make us fight. ” She loaded that last word with enough venom to kill a hundred men.
“Did they make you fight?” Nix asked, and Benny winced, not wanting to hear the answer.
But Lilah shook her head. “Tried. Many times they tried. Fought them instead. Bit. Kicked. Thumbs to eyes. George taught me. Taught Annie. ” She made a fist so tight, her knuckles creaked, and the lights in her eyes looked both dangerous and a little crazy. “Be tough, George said. Be tough and live. George always said that. ”
“George was right,” Benny said. “I wish I’d met him. He sounds like a pretty great guy. ”
Lilah gave Benny a slow up-and-down appraisal, perhaps re-evaluating him. Or maybe seeing him for the first time and getting who he was. She nodded, although Benny wasn’t sure if that was an agreement with what he’d said or a confirmation of some unspoken thought.
“So you fought?” Nix said, perhaps a little more sharply than was absolutely necessary.
Lilah’s eyes lingered on Benny as she said, “Yes. ”
“What did they do?” Nix asked, and this time there was more compassion in her voice.
“They beat me. ” Lilah shrugged as if that was nothing, as if measured against all that she had endured, it was a small thing. Nix paled and Benny shivered. “Beat me a lot. No food. ”
Nix cursed.
Lilah gave another shrug. “Made me tougher. Made me mad. Mad enough. ”
“And Annie?”
“She … ran. ”