finds the one that fits the lock to the cell where the servant lies. Locking the door, he turns back to James.
James moves to the door before the stairs and looks up. Not seeing anyone, he closes the door and turns back to the others. “Let’s go down this way,” he says indicating the corridor of cell doors.
“Why?” asks Miko.
“He was removing a chamber pot from somewhere down there,” he explains. “I doubt they would supply one to an ordinary prisoner.”
“You think Pytherian is down there?” Jiron asks.
“Maybe,” he replies. “Only one way to find out, though.” Turning to Miko, he says, “Stay by the door and let us know if anyone comes.”
“No problem,” he replies as he puts his ear to the door.
James takes the torch from the wall and begins to make his way down the corridor, looking in through the windows of the cell doors. The first ones he checks are empty, but then he comes to one with someone lying on the floor, dead. From the looks of him, he didn’t die all that long ago. A rat looks up at him from where it’s chewing on a part of the poor man’s exposed leg. From the size of the missing section, the rats have been eating for a while.
Disgusted, he continues on, finding more empty cells until he at last comes to the end of the corridor. The second to last cell contains a man of average build. When James looks in through the window, the man lifts his head up and looks back. He can see sitting over in a corner, another chamber pot similar to the one the servant had been carrying.
“Who are you?” asks James.
The man’s eyes open wide when he realizes James isn’t another guard. He comes to the door and cries, “Help me!” He brings his face to the window and looks pleadingly to James.
“Who are you?” James asks again.
“My name’s Braelin,” the man tells him. “We don’t have much time, let me out!”
James looks to Jiron who shrugs. “Do you know Pytherian?”
The man just looks at James with a blank expression, then he cries, “Yes! Yes I do.”
“Who is he?” Jiron asks as he looks in the window at the man.
The man looks at both of them then sinks down to the floor and begins sobbing. “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
“Why are you locked in here?” James asks him.
“For having an affair with Cyel, the Lord’s daughter,” he says with resignation. “We loved each other, but she was betrothed to another. They’re going to execute me in the morning.”
He looks up from the floor and says piteously, “Please, please get me out of here.”
James brings Jiron away from the cell and gives him a questioningly look.
Jiron just sighs and says, “You can’t save everyone. This man broke the law and he’s going to pay for it. If you let him go, you put our mission in jeopardy.”
“I know,” he says with resignation. He goes back over to the window and says, “I’m sorry.” As he walks away, the man inside begins crying and wailing for them to help him.
They go back down the corridor to where Miko is watching the door. He sees them returning and asks, “What was all that about?”
“Nothing,” James says somewhat sadly. “It wasn’t Pytherian.”
“It’s been quiet on the other side of the door,” he tells them.
“Then let’s go,” he says.
Jiron opens the door and peers around to the stairway leading up. At the top of the stairs is another lit torch, bathing the whole area up there in light. He gestures for them to remain here as he moves quickly and silently up the stairs.
Upon reaching the top, he cautiously glances around the corner and then waves for them to join him. When they reach his side, he says, “Doesn’t look like anyone is around.”
He steps out into the corridor and begins following it down. This area has the look of frequent use. Doors line the walls, not set nearly as close as the ones below had been. James glances in through one of the windows and sees large cells used to hold multiple people, all of which are currently empty.
From further down the corridor, they can hear the cries of a man in pain. Ahead of them, Jiron suddenly slows and then quickly returns.
Whispering quietly, Jiron points back down the corridor and says, “It opens up onto a room ahead. It sounds like someone there is being tortured.” As if to emphasize what Jiron is saying, the man cries out again, gibbering incoherently. Other voices can be heard as well, speaking the Empire’s tongue.
As they make their way slowly down the corridor to where it opens up, James is able to begin to see within the room ahead of them and recognizes many of the implements there. It’s a torture chamber, or rather, a room used for extracting information.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, they can see a naked man lying spread-eagled on a table, his arms and legs stretched out and secured to the corners. There are two men standing next to him, both dressed in similar attire. One is holding a glowing hot poker and James watches as he brings it down to the man’s left breast. The man cries out as smoke arises from where his flesh is being burnt by the hot poker, the smell of burnt hair permeates the room. They can tell the man on the table is of northern stock.
Jiron bursts out of the hallway, knives flashing as he advances upon the torturers. They turn at his advance, one crying out while the other throws the hot poker at him. They both turn toward the door behind them and make a break for it.
Jiron reaches them before they have time to even open the door. With a couple quick strikes, they fall to the floor. One starts to cry out and Jiron stomps on his neck, smashing his windpipe. Gurgling, the man chokes for a minute before becoming still. The other had already died from where one of Jiron’s knives had punctured his heart.
The man on the table looks around at them, his single eye wide. The other eye socket is filled with what looks like lead. James can see numerous cuts and burns marring his flesh. Two fingers had been cut off as well as a couple of toes. His eye darts around, not really seeing anything.
James comes over to him and stands next to his head. The man flinches when he realizes he’s there. “It’s okay,” James assures him. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
The man just jibbers, saliva running down the side of his face.
“Who are you?” James asks.
The man doesn’t respond, just makes nonsensical noises.
James looks over to Jiron who says, “He’s mad.” Gesturing to the two stiffs on the floor, he continues, “They drove him mad, probably just for fun.” He comes over to the poor man and cuts his throat.
James looks at Jiron in horror, “What did you do that for?”
“Mercy killing,” he says. “We can’t take him with us and I’m not about to leave him here for someone else to have fun with.”
He watches as the man chokes on his own blood and slowly begins to calm down and dies. Maybe it was the best thing for the poor guy.
Miko’s over at the door leading out of the room. “I don’t hear anything,” he tells them as he pulls his ear away from the door.
“If anyone shows up, they’ll know someone’s been here,” Jiron says as he cleans his knives on the torturers’ clothes.
“Then let’s hurry, shall we,” James says, coming around the dead man lying on the table as he makes for the door.
Jiron listens a moment at the door before slowly opening it. A series of open cells, similar to the ones the slaves had been in back in Korazan are lined along both sides of the corridor. There are several men inside who come to the front of the cages when they see them leave the room, speaking to them in the Empire’s tongue. They hold out their hands, obviously asking for them to be let out.
They move along, ignoring the pleadings of the prisoners. At the other end of the room is another thick wooden door with a small window.
Jiron moves to the door and peers out through the window. He turns to the others and says, “Don’t see
