Suddenly Burrich’s face peered in my window. For a moment we stood eye to eye at the barred window. Grief and outrage battled in his face. His eyes were webbed red from his drinking, and his breath was strong with it. The fabric of his shirt showed ragged where the buck crest had been torn from it. He glared at me, then, as he looked at me, his eyes widened in shock. For a moment our gaze held, and I thought something of understanding and farewell passed between us. Then he leaned back and spat full in my face.
“That, for you,” he snarled. “That for my life, which you took from me. All the hours, all the days I spent upon you.
Better that you had lain down and died amongst the beasts before you let this come to pass. They’re going to hang you; boy. Regal’s having the gallows built, over water, like the old wisdom says. They’ll hang you, then cut you up and burn you down to bones. Nothing left to bury. He’s probably afraid the dogs would dig you up again. You’d like that, hey, boy? Buried like a bone, for some dog to dig up later? Better to just lie down and die right where you are.”
I had recoiled from him when he spat at me. Now I stood back from my door, swaying on my feet while he gripped the bars and stared in at me, his eyes wide and bright with madness and drink.
“You’re so good with the Wit, they say. Why don’t you change into a rat and scuttle out of there? Huh?” He leaned his forehead against the bars and peered in at me. Almost pensively, he said, “Better that than to hang, whelp. Change into a beast and run off with your tail between your legs. If you can … I heard you can … they say you can turn into a wolf. Well, unless you can, you’re going to hang. Hang by your neck, choking and kicking …” His voice trailed off. His dark eyes locked with mine. They were teary with drink. “Better to lie down and die right there than hang.” Suddenly he seemed full of fury. “Maybe I’ll help you lie down and die!” he threatened through gritted teeth. “Better you die my way than Regal’s! “ He began to wrest at the bars, shaking the door back and forth against its locks.