Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li: The Morcyth Saga Book Three (33 page)

“Must be in the lower dungeon under the
keep,” Miko says. Turning to James he asks, “Would this be where
they’re holding Pytherian?”

Shaking his head, James replies, “I wouldn’t
think so, but you never know.”

“Which way?” asks Jiron.

“One’s as good as another,” replies
James.

So Jiron leads them down to the left. All
the cells are quiet, no sound comes from them. James pauses at one
of the doors and holds the orb to one of the windows to see what’s
inside. Within the room lies a skeleton wearing scraps of clothing
that’s all but rotted away. A shackle is attached around one of its
legs and is secured to a ring set into the wall.

“Poor guy,” he whispers as he moves to
follow Jiron down the passage. The level of undisturbed dust on the
floor and doors tells James this area of the dungeon hasn’t been
used in a very long time.

The passage suddenly ends at a wooden door,
slightly different from the others. When Jiron checks it, he finds
it locked and begins working on the lock. When they hear a ‘click’
again, he opens the door slowly.

On the other side, they find a stairway
leading up into darkness. Jiron begins to climb the stairs with the
others right behind him. The top of the stairs opens up onto
another corridor running the same direction as the one below. This
area shows the same signs of disuse as the area below. There’s also
another door across from the stairs down.

Jiron glances back to James who indicates
the door. Taking out his knife, he begins to work at the lock until
they hear the familiar ‘click’.

On the other side of the door, is another
flight of steps leading up. Again Jiron leads the way until they
come to where the stairs end at a stone wall.

When James sees the wall, he says, “Jiron,
back away and let me look at it.”

“Another secret door?” Miko asks.

“Possibly,” he replies. He hands the orb to
Miko as he begins to inspect the walls. Pressing lightly upon the
stones, he finds one loose and glances at the others. “I think I
may have found it,” he says as he presses on it.

The wall begins to slide to the right and
they are suddenly bathed in bright light from a torch on the
opposite walls.

They hear a gasp from the other side and
Jiron is through in a flash. “Don’t kill him!” James whispers as he
passes by.

He hears a crash and then Jiron says, “It’s
just a servant.”

James and Miko leave the stairs just as the
wall begins to slide closed once more. They see Jiron with a man
held at knife point against the wall. The man is obviously a
servant and at his feet are the broken remains of a chamber pot
that had been full. A disgusting mess, but after the sewers, it has
little effect on James’ senses.

Coming to the servant, James says, “Do you
understand me?”

The servant looks back blankly, clearly not
understanding and completely terrified.

“What are we to do with him?” asks
Jiron.

James looks down the corridor in either
direction. It looks identical to the corridors below, except this
one looks to be currently used. Across from them is an open doorway
with a flight of stairs leading up. To their left, the corridor
extends further down, a couple of torches spaced along its length
gives off some light.

“Knock him out,” James tells him.

Jiron strikes the poor man in the back of
the head and he slumps to the floor, unconscious.

James goes over to one of the cells and
looks in. Finding the cell empty, he has Jiron open it and put the
man inside, tying him up and gagging him.

When Jiron leaves the cell, he holds up a
four inch ring with several keys attached to it. He tries them and
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
anyone.”

He sees James nod, then he turns back to the
door and opens it. Sticking his head out, he slowly opens the door
further until there’s enough space to pass through.

Miko and James follow him out into the
corridor, closing the door behind them and cutting off the cries of
the prisoners.

The hallway they find themselves in is dark,
extending away from the door, with a single torch at the far end
giving off light. Moving quickly, they hurry down the hallway
toward the lighted area.

Upon coming near, they see a flight of
stairs at the end of the hallway going up to the left. They slow
down as they approach the stairwell, Jiron moves to the fore as he
peers around the corner and up the stairs.

He turns back to the others and says, “It
curves out of sight as it spirals up.”

James nods his head, “Okay, take it slow and
listen for anyone coming down.”

“Right,” Jiron replies as he turns back to
the stairs and begins going up.

They follow the stairs as they wind around
several times before Jiron pauses. He holds his hand up for the
others to stop as he cocks his head to the side as if he’s
listening. Then he turns back toward them and whispers, “Someone’s
coming.”

Moving quickly and quietly, they return back
down the stairs. At the bottom, they run along the hallway until
they come to the door to the holding area. Opening the door, they
slip inside and shut it just as two guards round the corner from
the stairs.

The prisoners are making lots of noise as
they plead with them to release them, at least that’s what James
thinks they’re trying to say. But the guards don’t seem to be
paying it much attention, the door muffles most of it.

Jiron waits next to the door, knives ready.
The prisoners become quiet when they realize what they’re about to
do.

In the quiet, they hear the two guards
talking as they approach. Suddenly the door opens up and Jiron
strikes out, taking one of the guards across the throat before they
even realize what’s going on.

He kicks out at the other as he tries to
draw his sword, knocking him against the wall and throwing him off
balance. Then he’s on him, knives striking fast.