Page 14 of Quinn

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I encountered Asagowi heading up from the field farthest to the south. His forehead wrinkled as I approached. It wasn’t often I was down near the fields at that time of the evening and he would be well aware that I was supposed to have been in Moresby for a couple of days.

“Quinn, what’s wrong? I thought you were in Moresby.”

“Something came up and I had to come back. I need to speak with you. I told Alicasa you’d be a bit late for dinner.”

“Sure, what did you want to talk about? The crop is looking good and the yields are what we expected.”

I clapped him on the back and led him to one of the vacant huts. After we entered, I closed the door and we took a seat at the table.

“I need to ask about your past, Asagowi.”

“Why? Why now after all these years?”

“We have a young girl up at my house that we rescued in Moresby. She’s the reason I’m back here.”

I could see Asagowi was confused.

“Tell me what you know about Sangumala.”

Asagowi’s eyes widened and I had a horrible feeling my gut instinct was about to be proven right.

“No, Quinn. Stay out of their business, you have no idea how powerful they are.”

“Were you one of their captives?”

Asagowi’s eyes dropped to his hands, the fingers were twisting back and forth in each other.

“Asagowi, look at me…” He lifted his head and I noted the wetness of tears. “Were you one of their captives?”

“Ho…how did you know?”

“The girl we have at my place was beaten, whipped and bears the Sangumala tattoo.”

“The same as me all those years ago.”

I was puzzled. “I have never seen the tattoo on you?”

“Women have it tattooed on their neck at the age of twelve, men on their dicks when they are ten. They tie us down because there is no anaesthetic, and tattoo around the head after they carry out the circumcision.”

Ouch! What the fuck was wrong with the sick fuckers.

“How long were you with them?”

“I was taken at age four, so…ten years.”

“Arabella was with them for twenty-one years.”

“Arabella?”

“You know her?”

“Yes, I tried to get her to come with me, but she was too afraid. As you know, I was fourteen at the time and she was just eleven. I hated leaving her there.” Asagowi swallowed hard. “Quinn, they did horrendous things to her. I’m surprised she is still alive.”

“Barely. She’s thin as a rake, and undeveloped like you were. Welts on her back, old and new, tell me she was whipped more than once and she was shot trying to escape.”

“Is she okay?”