Even as Commander Illian demanded at the end of a whip, where Arze had been, he couldn’t tell the truth. As lies of taking a walk escaped his lips, he had shaken in terror. They would find out, and when they did, he would suffer for his failure and his lies. He wondered if he would survive the torture when it happened. He knew better than most the fury of the Queen.
In the carriage, Arze had to restrain a whimper as he waited to be found out. It was only a matter of time before news of Ezra being in Esper would reach the Queen. He could feel Commander Illian’s eyes watching him, waiting for a reason to begin one of his lessons. Arze thought of his sister and could feel the divide in his mind. Part of him wanted to do it again, to watch her suffer as he had, to deliver punishment for leaving him to such torments. But part of him, a faint and terrified part, hoped that she would be far away by the time the Queen’s attention turned to Esper. His gut twisted in stress filled agony at the conflict in his mind, and he turned his attention to the passing trees that lined the edges of the Queen’s road.
It had been days since they had returned to Verta and there still had been no news of Ezra being in Esper. Arze dreaded each day, assuming it would finally be the one where the truth of his lies would be discovered. But as the days went by, he began to wonder if it had all been a strange dream, perhaps he had not actually seen his sister after all.
Life at the castle had returned to the new normal. Arze’s days were occupied mostly with Commander Illian’s lessons and little else. He was no longer trusted to sit with the Queen during her meetings, and no longer had to endure the old lessons that had been a regular part of his life before. He had, at least, finally been allowed to return to his room. No more dungeons. Meals were had in a private room with only Commander Illian as company. No more fancy dinners.
Arze wondered what the plan was for him. Certainly, the Queen no longer expected him to lead her armies and operate as her regent in whatever territory she conquered next. He dared not ask his jailor, however. Instead he bore each day at a time, trying to forget that brief moment with his sister and the memories of a past when life had been happier. Each day he struggled to survive the latest torture that Commander Illian had cooked up for him.
One afternoon, in Commander Illian’s study, Arze awaited his next lesson patiently. While he waited for Commander Illian to join him, his eyes wandered around the space. Decorating the walls of the study was an assortment of ornate and ancient weaponry and armor. The collection would have been impressive if Arze did not instead see different ways that Commander Illian could use them to inflict some new torment.
The door opened and Commander Illian entered with a wicked smirk that creased his scarred flesh. Bound and gagged behind him was a battered looking Human. Commander Illian pushed the Human to the floor before Arze and then began the day’s lesson.
“Who are you loyal to Arze?”
“I am loyal to the Queen.” He repeated without thought.
Commander Illian smiled gleefully and walked behind Arze to rest his hands upon his shoulders. Arze winced at the interaction and looked down at the prisoner at his feet. His gut twisted with dread as he imagined what the day’s lesson was going to be.
“This man is not loyal to the Queen. He was seen gathering with other Humans, most likely to plot a pathetic rebellion. Luckily for us, the fool was not subtle in his machinations.”
The man screamed against his gag and shook his head desperately. Arze looked away and focused on a point on the carpet as Commander Illian continued.
“You have progressed so well Arze that I thought today I would give you a treat.” The Commander then moved from behind Arze to his desk.
From the drawers he pulled out a familiar collection of torture implements and laid them out neatly in a line. Arze felt his skin crawl as he saw them, and his stomach lurched. He knew intimately how each one worked and on which part of the body it was most effective. He could feel the old wounds beneath his skin tingle at the sight. It didn’t matter how good of a job the healers did, even without scars as evidence of the wounds, he could feel them.
“While we caught this rat and his friends, I have no doubt that more have scurried into the dark places of the city. Your Queen needs you to get some information from him, we need to know how many more of them there are and where they are hiding.” Commander Illian gestured to the display of torture implements. “You know how to use these?”
Arze nodded even as the blood drained from his already pale face.
“Then get him to talk, do whatever you feel is necessary. Oh, and don’t worry about the mess.” Commander Illian’s grin stretched vilely across his face.
Arze moved to the desk and looked over the tools that had each been thoroughly soaked in his own blood at one point. He felt his throat tighten and his heart race at the implication of his task. And yet he did not slow as his fingers brushed the handle of a particularly cruel piece. It was simple in design, a sharpened thin needle. He hated that one.
His fingers curled around the polished silver handle and he lifted it from the desk. Commander Illian nodded with a cruel grin, approving of the choice. Arze then moved to stand before the prisoner and presented the tool to him.
“Do you know what this is?” He asked the prisoner, the coldness of his voice surprising him. “This is a versatile little tool that can do any number of things. But mainly for our purposes, it can slip easily under your fingernails. That alone is painful enough that you’ll wish you were dead, but then I will use it to lift the nail up and tear it off slowly. One by one, I will pop the nails off of your fingers until you tell me what we need to know.”
Arze felt his stomach twist into knots as he spoke, his own fingers throbbed at the painful memories. The man shuddered and screamed against his gag at Arze’s threat. Tears ran down the man’s dirty face as he looked pleadingly up at his torturer. Arze recognised the expression from having once worn it himself and he felt like he was going to puke. Despite the turmoil within him Arze’s expression remained cold and unfeeling, a tactic he had been forced to learn while still in the dungeons.
He removed the man’s gag and between sobs the man answered. “I wasn’t rebelling! I swear it! Me and some old friends were meeting up to talk business! We are loyal to the Queen as you are!”
Arze looked to Commander Illian who leaned forward on the desk with a dark glint in his eyes. “He is lying. Get the truth out of him Arze.”
Arze swallowed hard and took the man’s bound hands in his. He blocked out the screams and distanced himself from the moment mentally. It was another thing he had learned to do during his time in the dungeons and it was frightening how easy it was. The man’s blood coated Arze’s hands and dripped onto the floor. His screams rang loud in Arze’s ears, but he did not stop lest the tools be turned on him.
He had nearly finished one hand, when the door to the room opened and Arze’s old teacher Fennalee entered with a familiar scowl. Arze took a step back from his work and realised that his hands were shaking. Terrified he focused everything he had on keeping them still, they could not know just how sick he felt at what he had done.
Fennalee looked over the scene mildly impressed. “Do you have a moment Commander Illian?”
“For the right hand of the Queen? Always.” Commander Illian stood and cordially bowed to the old Na’tyr. “Arze, continue while I am away.”
“Actually, Commander this is about our young Prince.” Fennalee snarled towards Arze.
Arze turned his gaze intently to the floor and nearly gagged at the pooling blood at his feet. While he missed the simple magic lessons he had once had with Fennalee, his old teacher still frightened him.
“In that case, Arze gag the man. We will resume this important work later.”
Arze did not hesitate at the command and moved to cover the whimpering Human’s mouth again. He then took a seat on a nearby c
hair and obediently awaited his next instructions.
“Impressive.” Fennalee turned his attention to Commander Illian. “He’s come a long way.”
“I am the best at what I do.” Commander Illian smiled.
“A pity you wasted so many years at the northern front, had I known your talents I would have recommended you stay here.”
“I enjoyed the challenge that the northern front offered. I would like to return once my work here is done.”
“Speaking of which.” Fennalee looked to Arze again. “Commander Illian, do you feel that Prince Arze is ready to serve his Queen?”
Commander Illian gestured towards the bloody man whimpering against his gag. “Is this not evidence enough? Arze, who are you loyal to?”
“I am loyal to the Queen.” Arze answered resolutely.
Fennalee gave Arze a skeptical look and moved to grab him roughly by the chin. “Tell me about that mental bond you share with Ezra?”
Arze froze as terror washed through him. This was the moment he had been dreading. They found out about Esper and now he was going to suffer for it. Despite his best effort tears came to his eyes and he shuddered against Fennalee’s grasp. His old teacher scowled at the reaction and slapped Arze hard across the face.
“You’re certain he is ready?”
Commander Illian cocked an eyebrow curiously towards Arze. “I am. Although perhaps it would be best if I remain by his side awhile longer. The mind can be… temperamental, at times.”
“Answer the question.” Fennalee hissed as he glared down at his former student.
“I… I don’t know how it works. We can… feel each other when we’re close. If we focus, we can reach out our minds and speak to one another and share memories… and experiences.” Arze’s voice shook as he answered.
“Can you feel her presence without her feeling yours?” Fennalee asked with a hiss.
“I don’t know.” Arze shook his head.
Dark magic coiled from Fennalee then wrapped around Arze’s arms and pulled. Arze cried out as his shoulders screamed against the strain, but it was hardly the worst pain he had ever experienced.
“Do you think that you could?” Fennalee pressed.
“Maybe...” Arze gasped against the pain. “... if I focus on keeping my presence hidden.”
Fennalee scoffed. “Focus. Something both you and your pathetic sister lacked. At least you were slightly better than her.” He then released his hold on Arze and looked to Commander Illian. “It has been decided that the two of you will try and locate the Princess using Arze’s… unnatural bond. You will have a small company of soldiers to escort you while you travel along the countryside. And Waerilly has offered you a team of her best to help you in getting ahead of the Princess and her companions.”
“How exciting.” Commander Illian smiled, then looked to Arze. “What do you think Prince Arze?”
Arze blinked in disbelief. They had no idea that Ezra had been in Esper, that he had lied. He almost laughed aloud in relief and nodded with a broken smile.
“I am loyal to the Queen.”
Fennalee gave Arze a look of disgust. “You’re sure that you didn’t break him beyond use? He is the weaker of the two.”
“My methods do have interesting effects on people.” Commander Illian remarked, also noting the curious reaction. “But I am confident that Prince Arze will do fine.”
Continue the Adventure!
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About the Author
Sara T.K. Fehr
Rolling dice, doodling in journals and daydreaming about fantastical worlds are part of the everyday for breakout indie author Sara T.K. Fehr. When they aren’t working on their writing, they can either be found adventuring in the magical worlds of Dungeons & Dragons, taking down crime lords in Shadowrun, delighting in the latest video game or maybe losing themself in a good book. Sara has been telling stories for as long as they can remember and is excited to finally be sharing those stories with the world.
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