Chapter 21
The guards at the gate tried to get to the runaway slaves but the mass of people closed in and suddenly no one knew enough to get out of the way. Ben wouldn't have believed that people chained with heavy iron could run so fast, but they were among the trees, out of sight within minutes.
A guard finally pushed his way out. He looked at the dead man on the ground, then scowled at the surrounding crowd.
"You saw what happened. Where did they go?"
Somehow, no one had seen the slaves go, people looked back at him with blank faces, refusing to answer. He frowned and sighed, then shook his head, shrugging.
"Good riddance," he said. "Filthy foreign slaves." His gaze landed on Isika, and he jabbed a finger at her.
"Pull your cloak back!" he barked. "Show your face!"
Ben's heart sp
