At the same moment when the fugitive's new pursuer left in pursuit, in the small and distant property where she was protected by her new friend, danger is approaching, when ten of the men sent to find her find the hiding place and, even without knowing the sure if she was there, they decide to investigate. The one who seemed to be the leader of the gang approaches the house and seeks the presence of the resident.

— Oh, home, good morning!

 The couple is frightened by the arrival of the thugs and Florencio immediately asks Luz to hide, then goes to meet them.

— Good morning, how can I help you?

— Good Morning. We are doing a search for the region in search of a slave who fled the lands of Baron from Coffee, Mr. Dionísio Dantas. We wonder if the friend in a certain way could not pass on some information that would help in the capture of the fugitive?

— I'm sorry, but so far I haven't seen anyone passing by these past few days, you are the first to pass in this direction

— That's right! Sorry for the inconvenience, we will continue on our way.

— I'm sorry I can't provide any help

— No problem, but surely others may come in that direction, as many men were assigned to go on this search for the missing slave. If you know of anything new, don't hesitate to collaborate, because denying the Baron any information is dangerous!

 — I understand, I will certainly do that, I do not want enmity with my neighbors

Having dispatched the thugs, he returns to the interior of the house and warns of the danger they will be in if they remain there, however, to run away would be risky at that moment, since he could not be sure where they would be on the prowl.

— But they are already gone, shouldn't we enjoy it and get out of here before they decide to return?

— No, because I believe they doubted my answers. Surely they will be around here to see if I spoke the truth or if I tried to deceive them

— Miserable!

— They just didn't break into the house to make sure my words were true so as not to show that they doubted. They allow us to try to escape, so they would catch us with enormous ease

— You are absolutely right, we will stay here without them noticing my presence until they give up and leave

— Yes, we will do it that way

  Justino was the only heir to Ambrósio and Benedita, the same couple who. For not agreeing to pass on information about where the fugitive who dared to escape the clutches of the powerful Baron from Coffee, ended up being beaten and burned alive in his own home by the men of Dionysus. After being notified by his parents' servants who escaped the attack unscathed, he returned accompanied by at least fifty men to the old region where he was born and from where he had left about ten years ago to become a successful man in the lands of gold.

There he prospered and was successful in his purposes, became a great merchant and received the title of Count, married Gabriela, an important countess, from a wealthy family.  His return was in search of unveiling the cause of his parents' death and punishing the guilty and the fifty men who followed him to the property of Ambrose, his murdered father. They were all military personnel provided as their private garrison by the emperor.

Upon arriving there, he was received by the blacks who let him know about the situation. Aware of the cowardly way in which his parents were attacked and killed, he separated the garrison into four groups and sent them east, west, north and south in search of criminals. The order given was that they arrest and take to their presence any and all suspects found in those lands, as long as they mounted a horse and were armed, they could use force and even retaliate against possible attacks by those who refused to surrender.

 The scenario was one of the worst, on the one hand several thugs in pursuit of the fugitive from the power of the Dantas and on the other dozens of soldiers spread across the four corners of the region in an attempt to capture those responsible for the death of the elderly couple. Without forgetting Luz, the young woman who, for not enduring the life of abuse suffered at the hands of her master, decided to flee from suffering. For two days she remained hidden in Florêncio's house, who occasionally went out on the ground to perform some tasks, such as weeding the place or planting some seeds in the spacious backyard, just to mislead her observers, giving them the impression of really find yourself alone on the property if you were even being watched.

At the end of the planned time, he prepared the mount and pretended to leave in the direction of the nearest city in order to be followed or that the bandits would try to enter the house to make sure that the slave was not really hiding in the place, that way they would leave the stakeout and the doubt about their permanence in the vicinity would end. The boy was smart and took a large-caliber gun with plenty of ammunition. He pretended to gallop, but returned by another detour and positioned himself close to the property in order to be able to make some shots if the girl's pursuers dared to appear suddenly to invade her home. After a few hours the expected happened, the thugs appeared in number of four and positioned themselves in front of the doors.

 In this, it became impossible to fight them at the same time. However, he thought that if the two who were in the yard were hit, the others would invade from the back and it would be inevitable to prevent the capture of the girl without putting her at risk. But what he did not know is that Luz was not the type to surrender without a fight and when he saw the siege he armed himself with a shotgun he found in the hideout, sending bullets at the invaders. When he realized what had happened, Florêncio fired almost simultaneously at the thugs in his sights.

One of those in the back was hit by shots fired by Luz, while the two positioned at the front were killed by shots from the owner of the house and a fourth member ran out into the woods, chased by the sniper who wanted to finish the job. However, there were several fatal traps scattered throughout the forest, set in order to catch animals from beasts that could threaten their animals or hunts with which they fed.

Unfortunately, the V was taken by surprise by one of them, falling into a deep pit where there were huge sticks in the shape of spears and he was smashed in four of them. His cry of pain that spread through the forest indicated that his escape had come to an end, now he was to return to see how the girl was doing. Only after what happened did he realize that when chasing the enemy he left Luz alone and in danger, feeling the need to apologize.

 — Sorry to have left you alone and went in pursuit of that thugs, is that I did not want him to escape

 — No need to apologize, in your place you would have done the same

 — Only the four remained in the stake, waiting for you to appear outside or for me to leave and they could invade, they knew that I lied when I said that I had not seen you

 — Thankfully they didn't all remain, we wouldn't be able to handle

 — But for sure they will be back soon, they must have just gone to scan the surroundings and if they heard the shots they are already galloping

 — Certainly yes, we will take care of it before they arrive

The two quickly prepared the animals and left, leaving everything behind. The house, the few furniture, creations, plantations ... The property that Florêncio had received as an inheritance from his father and cultivated for a long time would be completely abandoned, at least for a while.  The extensions of his lands were suitable for planting coffee, sugar cane or cattle for the vast pasture that existed there, although he never made use of such things.

In a forest like that, without the natural noise of urban centers and where only silence prevails, it is easy to hear the sound of a gunshot, especially if it was carried out by a large caliber weapon such as that used by the sniper. And as was expected, the other six men who had gone to find out the whereabouts of the slave in the immediate vicinity heard the shots and hurriedly returned, but luckily when they arrived they had already dispersed from the place.

Then they split into two groups and went after the fugitives, because they now knew that the black woman was under the protection of the man from whom they asked for information and were deceived. The couple was already miles away. They increasingly approached Field, Waterfall, where they intended to meet Justino, Ambrósio's son. What they did not know was that he had already come in that direction and would no longer be there, but on the old property where his parents were killed, in search of finding the culprits.

 But, according to the plans designated by the destination, they would still have to confront a new threat before reaching the destination, as the worst was yet to come to both. It seemed that Lucinete had been born on a night of full moon or complete darkness.And the name given to him did not match his lack of luck at that moment. Everything went wrong in the life of that poor woman who, since she was a child, suffered miserably.

While walking along the same path where days ago she was surrounded by the daggers of Dionysus and saw her guide with her head blown right in front of her, she cursed in thought the evil destiny that had always haunted her and that never allowed her to be happy. In fact, I was scared of the possibility that the same scene would happen again and this time be the new friend to lose his life. They remained silent during the trip. A small space separated the two animals on which they mounted.

The silence was broken only by the pounding of the thick horseshoes caught in the horses' hooves, stepping on the gravel ground and accompanied by the blowing of the wind that insistently whistled in their ears. Florencio kept an eye on everything that moved around, both below and flying across the sky, to avoid surprises. However, not even their whole experience was enough to not be surprised by the unexpected, as had happened on the previous occasion.

It turns out that this time there were not many enemies, it was just one and much more determined to take the fugitive to its owner than the previous ones. Luz was amazed to realize that the man with a rifle in his hands, pointing in the direction of her and her companion, was Martim. Someone he knew since he was a child and always considered him as a brother, whom he thought he could fully trust. Without clearly understanding his attitude, he asked:

— Martim, why is that?

— Do not ask me for anything, woman, you are a runaway slave and come with me. And if this guy wants to, he'll take lead

— I thought you were my friend, I saw you as a brother

— But I always wanted you as a woman and I was rejected all the time. Now it doesn't matter anymore, I will take you to the little sack and he will reward me, I will become a hired gun or farm foreman

— I do not believe you are trusting the promises of that monster, Martim, he will not fulfill anything he promised you

— Yes, he is a man of his word! And don't argue with me, go back in front of me, because I want to arrive at the farm until dawn

After disarming Florêncio, Martim leads them back to the Dantas farm along the main road without worrying about finding other thugs along the way, as he was under the protection of the most powerful man in those parts and if anyone dared to touch him he would be punished by the whip. Well, at least that was what he believed, but he forgot that the others had not been informed of his mission. thugs, gunmen, bounty hunters and all kinds of people were summoned by the slave.

They were hired on a mission to locate and take the black woman back, that region was filled with ambitious people who longed to be rewarded for doing so, finding them would be dangerous. They walked less than two kilometers in the opposite direction from where the couple had previously gone, when the echo of a gunshot was heard and the buzz of a bullet scraped the ears of the black man who was driving the two prisoners, forcing him to a sudden maneuver to avoid be killed. In a shout he ordered the couple to go behind some huge rocks located in the open field.

To protect themselves. The three of them being there, the exchange of gunfire between Martim and the men who sought to take possession of the fugitive began, there were two in number who sought to take her life. Florencio insisted that he be allowed to use his rifle to help in defense, but the black man was stubborn and ordered him not to dare to touch the weapon. After many shots he ran out of bullets.

The opponents realized the situation and left the place of defense, shooting continuously at the rocks that protected the three in the intention of approaching and dominating them, but Florêncio was skilled in handling the rifle and quickly solved the problem. With his weapon, even without the consent of the gunman who was driving him, he shot at the two opponents who fell face down. That done, he turns and points to Martim with the two pipes still smoking.

 With the finger attached to the trigger, it was enough to breathe harder or to move sharply and a shot would be fired. Luz, who until then remained lying on the ground to protect herself from the bludgers that swirled through the walls made of stones, jumps up and places herself between the two enemies. Ordering them to end the threat. She was a friend of the two men and did not want the death of either of them.

 — Stop it! Put those weapons down, for the love of God, no more deaths!

— Tell him to d******d it first, then I'll drop it too!

 — You heard, Florencio, answer!

 — Don't be childish, Luz, this bastard has no interest in keeping me alive, if I do what he asks he'll blow my brains out!

  — Okay, so the two will do it together, at the same time. Or, if you really want to kill yourself, you can shoot through me!

The two men, whose eyes were more fierce than a wild tiger, soften at the words of the woman who deep down learned to love and disarmed herself. Luz picks up the two rifles and leaves on horseback, in a strong gallop. Because of the attack suffered during the journey, he decides to take a shortcut inside the forest to avoid further surprises. At dusk they stop at a certain point and decide to rest there. Luz, astutely, initiates a dialogue with her former friend in the hope of convincing him to give up giving her to the Baron from coffee, revealing to Martim the real reason for having fled the farm.

When he became aware that Dionisio had raped her and forced her to have sex with him whenever he wanted, he was indignant. The time it took between his escape and that moment was less than thirty days, it was still not possible to notice the pregnancy that until then he chose to hide even from Florêncio. Now was an ideal time to talk about it.

— I can't believe that all this time you hid it from me, was that the reason you got sick as soon as we met? I could have taken better care of you, the food ...

— Yes, Florencio, I have tried hard not to notice, I did not want to put more responsibility on your shoulders, because what you have done for me has been more than enough.

— And why didn't you tell Mrs. about what that devil from hell did?

— Martim, I am only a black woman, a slave like you and the others of our tribe.

Mrs. Joana loves me as if she were her daughter, but she has no power to get rid of the hands of that unfortunate

— Because if I already knew that I would have done justice with my own hands against that son of a mare, because I had a lot of chance!

— And at that time he would be in the trunk being flogged to death, that's not how we're going to solve things

— And what do you understand about slave life? He is black with smooth skin, I know your type, I never knew what it was like to work in the fields or in a cane field. He is well literate black, he speaks handsome

— That's right, I'm a free black, I'm not owned by anyone

— Soon I saw, you don't know about the fight that we slaves have to go through to survive in that hell

— It is not necessary to suffer the same injustices to understand a situation, even though I am free I understand the horror of slavery

— Can the two of you stop this rant and worry about a way for us to stay alive?

Despite the friendly conversation between the two men, Martim remained holding his gun. He was not less than four meters away, he seemed to fear that Luz was just trying to distract his attention so that he could be dominated and they could escape, so he took over the guard post while they rested for the long trip they would take the next morning. The silence of dawn was broken by the grunt of the owl, the party of insects and the light blowing of the wind that played with the vegetation, the watchman in the face of such calm believed that no threat was approaching.

 And decided to lean against one of the many trees that existed there, under which they took shelter. Put your gun aside and light a cigarette. He exchanged his shrewd attention for a minute of distraction, wanted to taste the smoke that burned. But death was slowly approaching from there, treading softly on the dry leaves so as not to make a noise or awaken its victims.

The sound of a rifle shot echoed through the woods and the silence was interrupted once again by the accurate shot along with the thud of a heavy body on the ground. His fall was felt at the foot of the thick pequi tree, where the two blacks slept in a deep sleep. The smoke from the cigarette that burned in Martim's mouth was stained red after the blood spattered from his skull, burst by the bullet that came from the darkness.

 Florêncio and Luz woke up frightened by the noise and didn't even have time to understand what had happened, they were already being dominated, arrested and tied up by the several men who arrived there in the dead of night without being noticed and waited for the best moment to attack. The girl looked at the body of her childhood friend with her eyes full of tears, as she was dragged along with her new companion of suffering.

The sun was rising behind the hill, when they were already led by the thugs to the Baron farm, where they would certainly be punished for the rebellion. She would receive the trunk as punishment, dozens of lashes applied by the hands of Dionysus himself and his escape partner could suffer the same punishments or be killed in the most horrendous way. Joana was the youngest daughter of the former Baron of Café and the younger sister of the cruel slave-maker, the same one who waited anxiously for the capture of the fugitive in order to punish her for daring to challenge her power.

His prayers were raised to heaven every day and at different times, interceding to the most powerful saints to protect his girl from her brother's cruelty. She still could not understand the reasons that led Luz to flee, and wondered if she had somehow been too strict with her.

— My daughter, don't be so upset about it, in no way was this slave's escape caused by anything related to you

— So show me another reason why my girl is so distressed that she decides to run away from this house, Mom?

— I don't know, Joana, but you were always so helpful in dealing with her that I can only understand that it was for another reason and not because of you

— I get distressed just thinking about what will happen to the poor thing after my brother puts his hands on her

— Well, about that we can already imagine what will happen

— It is true, at least it will be punished in the trunk, as he usually does with the other slaves

The conversation of the two women is ended and they go back to their duties, mother and daughter met in the yard of the big house, knitting. Since the flight of Luz, Joana has never again devoted herself to reading poetry books and romances with her passionate stories. She missed hearing her protégé's voice, reading beautiful tales of love that made her days happy. Justin, wanting to take revenge for the cruel death suffered by his parents and some of his servants at the hands of the thugs, was determined to find out who was responsible for the massacre.

 Therefore, after dividing their officers into groups, they went looking for clues that would lead them to clarify the case. It did not take long to learn from the comments made by people in nearby villages about the recent events, where the Baron of Café had ordered his men to go in search of the runaway slave to use whatever means necessary to locate his whereabouts and take her back to her property. With this information in mind, he understood that this would have something to do with what happened to his parents and chose to go deeper in his investigations.

Accompanied by three of the soldiers who arrived with him in the region, he immediately went to the Dantas' lands to obtain further clarification.And when he got there he asked him to speak directly with the slave, which he was duly granted. Dionysus was a man of exaggerated stature, was almost two meters tall and weighed a little less than a hundred kilos. Light skin, typical of a good Portuguese, yellow eyes and a denture in the mouth full of gold.

His voice was soft, but at the same time malicious, his gaze was deep and seemed to probe the soul of those who were being watched by him. This frightened those who dared to confront him. However, that morning he would meet another equal, cold and unable to be intimidated by anyone. Justino got off his horse and went to the big house, where the owner was guarded by some armed thugs to the teeth. Those who accompanied the visitor remained on their horses and, at a distance, skilled snipers were ready for any charge. The two men shook hands, exchanging poisonous looks. They were strangers to each other and had the same suspicion in common. The dialogue took place initially on the part of the newcomer.

— Good morning, I'm Justin, I own a property here near your land, very grateful to have received me

— You are welcome, thanks. But tell me, what is the reason for your visit?

— Yes, I will be brief: A little less than a month ago, some men, who seem to belong to their employees, invaded my property and killed my parents, who were already very old, in cold blood, as well as some of their servants. Not content with this feat, they still set the house on fire with the bodies inside in order to hide the evidence of their actions. So, I came here to identify the criminals and punish them as required by law

— Dear friend, first tell me how you acquired such certainty that it was my employees and who gave you such information?

— And who else has the largest number of thugs in this region?

He learned that one of his slaves had recently fled and the lord hired men from all over the region to go on this search, ordering them to use force and all means to capture and return her. Thus, there is an enormous possibility that some of these hired persons were responsible for this crime.

— And what would lead these men to commit such barbarity with their parents? Were they hiding the slave inside her house or did they help her escape and refused to pass on such information, increasing their anger to the point of attempting against their lives?

— These explanations I cannot provide you. So far what I know, according to what some of my servants have informed me, is that one of their slaves who lived freely used to go to visit them. Her name was Luz. But I'm not sure if she was involved in this story.

Upon hearing such information from the visitor, Dionysus changed his face and it was evident how much he was indignant, but he could not let the investigator attribute the slaughter to his men, shamelessly covering up the truth.

— Luz is one of my sister's servants, Joana, who despite having some perks among the others is not free, but is allowed to walk around the property and sometimes exaggerates, going beyond my lands

— I see, so it is clear that the runaway slave is another?

— Without a doubt. And if the friend believes that his parents did not give the fugitive any shelter, then the terrible act done against them does not come from my men

— Very well, I will continue investigating until I find the culprits. Having a good time

Justino and his companions return to the crime scene and seek more details of the situation with the blacks who lived with their parents and were in the coffee plantations on the day of the massacre, I wanted to understand better how it all happened. Meanwhile, in a plan that was done to eliminate the supposed enemies of the Dantas for good, Dionísio gathered his cronies and ordered an ambush to be carried out to kill the one who dared to interfere in his actions, together with all those who helped him in that investigation.

Men of the worst kind served the orders of the wealthy farmer who did not allow his plans to be interrupted by anyone. His first step in the face of such a situation was to get rid of those who for whatever reason threatened his plans and tried to hinder his evil purposes. Due to the power and wealth that he had. He felt untouchable and in that arrogance he stepped up with his chin raised on the weakest in strength and financial conditions. Because of his violent temper and the enormous cruelty with which he treated his subordinates, he was regionally known as the worst of the Dantas.

Not even his father, in the times when he dominated his slaves with “iron rods”, was seen with such fear and contempt by the other landowners, who hoped that someday somebody would appear with “blood in their eyes” to face the accursed and expel him definitively from that region. And perhaps by divine providence your appeals would be close to being answered. The times of that man's wickedness were over. Everyone hoped that in some way their rule would be combated with great rigor, especially those who lived under their tyranny. Slaves, subordinates and even family members, like Joana and the unhappy executioner's own mother, dreamed of this moment.

In one of those days a poor slave had been beaten to death by him. What is the crime committed? He simply improperly seized a fruit from the trees in the middle of the plantations in order to kill the hunger that gnawed at his stomach, this attitude cost him his own miserable life after being reported by one of the overseers. The cruelty of the heir to the dreaded Dantas family was more terrifying than the flames of hell, no one dared to challenge him. That would not be the first or the last of many other barbarities committed by the damned. With the arrival of Luz, the fugitive slave, the level of her anger would reach the highest point of her disrespect for human life. There were only a few minutes left for the sun to hide behind the hills.

 When the animals that served as mount for the pursuers of the one that was awaited with great anxiety by the malefactor are harnessed in front of the wide gate of the farm. The journey was long and they all had fatigue marks on their faces, together with the two prisoners who remained tied all the time, back to back, on the backs of a single horse. With the arrival of the thugs in the place, bringing the condemned as a prize after weeks of persecution, a group of surprised and frightened eyes gathered to witness the sad event. Joana, very distressed, went out to meet the slave she created and educated with all her love.

However, she was prevented from embracing her by order of her brother who immediately ordered them to be taken directly to the trunk. The hatred reflected in his eyes and the thirst for revenge drawn in each movement he made it clear that the situation would be terrible. Especially after being informed by the subordinates that the outsider captured along with the black woman was her defender and helped her escape. Dionysus did not mind that a crowd of other slaves were present there because it was in his interest to carry out the punishment reserved for the fugitive in front of everyone.

 The two were brutally dragged to the trunk, where those who rebelled against the authority of the merciless Baron were punished with lashes. They were tied with their bodies glued to a wooden post with their arms raised, attached to a thick rope that wound their swollen, swollen wrists, which forced them to stand. They remained so while the angry executioner descended on his loins the lashes that ripped their sweaty meats from the intense heat of that late afternoon that seemed to happen slowly.

It was a spectacle for everyone who had the courage to watch. However, both the man who whipped the two unfortunates and those in the audience could not hear a single cry of despair coming from his lips. With clenched teeth they endured the pain and did not give them the pleasure of watching them suffer.