Empire of Night (Age of Legends 2)

"Ashyn!" It was Tyrus. That mighty swing had thrown him enough off balance for the bounty hunter to stagger to his feet, his ruined nose and jaw streaming blood, but his sword raised as he faced off with Tyrus.

Tyrus had his back to her and didn't turn, just said, "Take Guin and go! Now!"

She looked at Ronan. He'd dispatched his assailant and was running to Tova's aid. Daigo had his target pinned and disarmed.

"Ashyn!" Tyrus's voice came harsh now as he circled with the bounty hunter, both looking for an opportunity. "Your sister!"

That's all he said: your sister. She knew what he meant. Moria would want you to go. Moria would want me to make sure you go.

He was right. Tyrus and Tova--and perhaps Daigo and Ronan--were keeping part of their attention on her, ready to run to her aid. Which meant the sum total of their attention was not on their opponents.

Ashyn grabbed Guin and yanked the girl out of her stupor. She took her by the hand and ran as swords clanged behind them.

THIRTY

There was no escape from this place. None.

One might say that after five days in the cell, Moria's situation had improved, but when one was locked alone in a cold, dark cell, any change had to be for the better.

Her leg iron was off. The healer had apparently insisted her ankle was infected and needed to be free to heal. With that treatment came sponge baths and clean clothing every other day. Moria was also now getting three meals of rice and soup, and if the guard Halmond didn't bring them, she could actually eat. She had a clean blanket. Halmond had chastised her for soiling the last one, then taken it and said she'd have none until she was ready to appreciate it. The old woman had come the next day, realized she didn't have a blanket, and ordered Halmond to bring a new one.

That was the pattern they'd settled into. Halmond would punish her--for no misdeed greater than existing--then the old woman would undo the guard's punishment. If he spit in her food and she didn't eat it, the healer presumed it was not to her liking and brought something else. If he pissed in the corner of her room, the healer thought the bucket had overturned and ordered someone to scrub the floor. When he kept snuffing out her candle, the healer replaced it with a lantern.

Moria never complained about Halmond. She had no idea whether the woman was in any position to have him reassigned, and if she wasn't, tattling on him would only make things worse.

But by the end of those first five days, she had a lantern, an extra blanket, regular hot food, and sufficient clean water. Compared to the initial hell, it was relative extravagance. And now that she'd recovered from her exhaustion and shock and hunger, she'd begun trying to figure a way out of her situation. Unfortunately, there was none.

The cell had no windows. From the damp and the stink of dirt, she suspected she was underground. There was one door. Every time it opened, it revealed Halmond, a serving girl, or the healer. The women were always accompanied by a guard. Whenever Moria looked through the open doorway, she saw two more warriors outside as permanent guards.

Now, hearing the scraping of a key in the lock, she tensed. While she had no way to tell time in this dark place, her life had fallen into a reliable schedule. That door opened only for two things--her meals and the healer's visits, which came every second day. She'd had her breakfast not long ago, and the old woman had come yesterday. Meaning that door should not be opening.

Unless he's come. Gavril. Or his father. Come to tell me my fate.

Come to kill me.

When she saw Halmond, she almost exhaled in relief. That lasted only a moment before she caught sight of the murderous glint in his eye.

Moria's fingers scraped against the dirt floor as she struggled not to creep away.

Something's happened. And I'm about to pay the price.

Halmond wedged in the door stopper with his foot. While the hall light shone in, he crossed to her lantern and lit it, filling the room with wavering light.

Without a word, he returned to the door and retrieved a bowl from the hall. A steaming bowl, like the one the healer brought. Moria tried not to smile. The old woman was coming early. That was the only surprise in this place she'd welcome. There was still no conversation between them--and no sign that one was possible--but the healer was kind. The hot sponge bath and clean clothes had become a luxury Moria dreamed of on the nights before the old woman's visits.

That's why Halmond was annoyed, then. Because Moria was getting a treat.

He brought the bowl and laid it beside her. Then he returned to the door, kicked out the stopper, and walked back toward her.

"Isn't the healer--" Moria began as she struggled to her feet.

"She can't come today. You'll bathe without her."

"But it's not my day to--"

"It is now." He shoved her shoulder. "Undress."

She glared up at him. She didn't say a word, though. She understood. Something had happened, quite possibly something that had nothing to do with her, and this was how he was handling it. Venting his frustration by finding fresh humiliations for his prisoner. Well, he'd chosen poorly, then. She was no timid maiden, clutching her tunic together for fear some man might glimpse her breasts. While she knew better than to flaunt herself, she saw no shame in nakedness. Compared to pissing on her blanket or spitting in her soup, this was a punishment she could bear.