By the Sword

by Christian Kachel

  “I would kill him,” I answered without hesitation.

  “A lot of good he’ll do you with his throat slit,” Vettias responded.

  “Then I would stop at nothing to ensure he did tell me what he knew.”

  “An understandable position to hold. I’ve no doubt that most would react in the same way. Now, what if Orontes’ operatives capture you tonight? Would you tell them what they wanted to know about The Hand and our intentions here?”

  “I would do all I could to resist doing so for I believe in our charge and would give my life for the good of my mates in the phalanx serving under General Eumenes.”

  “A noble answer indeed, but it is not your life they want,” Vettias stated with his usual condescending manner. “It is your information they seek and they will stop at nothing to obtain it. That being said, there are some highly motivated individuals who won’t surrender in the face of intense pain. I know that I could not stand up to the very procedures I am willing to use to extract vital information, but perhaps you have a stronger constitution then I.” Vettias was grinning after this statement since he knew he had succeeded in exposing my youthful idealism. I did not give him the satisfaction of changing my mind, however, despite knowing I too would eventually give in to torture.

  “Lastly, what if Orontes’ operatives captured you, your mother and your sister? Their interest still lie in your information, but instead of applying pain to you they had you watch as they perpetrated it on your family in front of you? Would you tell them what they wanted to know to make them stop raping and beating your mother and sister before your very eyes? You don’t have to answer, but be aware, the only way to avoid that horrid fate in this business is to constantly be on guard, constantly be aware of your surroundings, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet. So in your answers, or non-answers as it were, to these three questions you have admitted that you yourself would resort to physical coercion if the cause was serious enough and that physical harm brought upon you or your family would elicit information you seek to keep secret.”

  Vettias had once again proved a valuable lesson. My silence assured him of my intellectual surrender and provoked him to expand on his point.

  “Blindly taking a side you deem to be moral without seriously thinking about all aspects of the issue is not only moronic, it’s dangerous.”

  With this last mental jab, we heard a slight rap against the door and Davos entered. “He’s away from his room now; he shouldn’t be gone long. Taking him as he attempts to re-enter his room will be the best option. There is a dark alley adjacent to his front door. I suggest we use it to hide, drag him into it, knock him unconscious, gag him, roll him up in this blanket, and carry him back here since this apartment is well situated to dampen noise due to its seclusion.”

  Vettias nodded his head and looked slightly impressed with Davos’ command of the situation and sound planning.

  “Ox has taught you well,” he conferred while looking at me with a smirk. “Lead the way,” he ordered as the three of us departed into the dark alleys of Triparadeisus on our way to visit violence on our unsuspecting victim. As we neared, Davos slowed our pace and pointed to the dark alley adjacent to our target’s front door. Vettias and I entered the alley as Davos checked if the room was still empty. He pointed out the door to us before giving a thumbs up that the dwelling was vacant. Davos slinked back into the alley and the three of us waited for our prey to arrive.

  After an hour, our target appeared at the residence looking over his shoulder three times before unlocking the front latch. Davos produced a small wooden club and motioned for us to stay back as he quietly emerged from our dark corner and crept silently towards our target. Davos neared the man, raised the club above his head, when the man suddenly turned around and confronted his attacker. Davos brought the club crashing down on the man’s forehead, sending him to the dirt. The blow did not fully incapacitate the man, however, and he clumsily struggled to regain his footing. Davos next clubbed the man’s temple, which had its intended effect of knocking him temporarily unconscious. Vettias and I rushed into the street with the rug, laid it flat and rolled up the inert body. The three of us hurriedly navigated the lesser travelled alleyways with our portentous cargo on our way to Vettias’ quarters.

  We arrived and carelessly flopped our captive onto the floor. Vettias and Davos quickly unrolled the rug and set the lifeless body onto the sturdiest chair within the room while stripping off his clothing.

  “Tie this rag around his groin in case he shits or pisses himself,” Vettias ordered Davos.

  Davos then expertly tied his ankles to the two front legs, his wrists to each arm, and secured his thighs and stomach to the seat and back of the chair. The rope was thin, wiry and wound tight. Its strength and utility signalled it was fashioned with the intention of acting as a restraint. Davos’ speed and proficiency pointed to prior experience conducting this ominous undertaking.

  The captive began writhing and moaning as drool and blood dripped into his lap. Vettias ordered me to check outside our room and lock the door as he started smacking the man’s face and throwing water on him, encouraging him to come to.

  “Come on, come on,” cajoled Vettias. “Wake up.”

  The captive did not yet retain control of his eyes as their focus wandered throughout the room. He let out a loud moan and attempted to move his limbs, which were firmly secured to the chair. Vettias threw more water in his face and smacked him as he continued to bring the man back to consciousness.

  “Look at me. Look at me.” The captive’s eyes finally settled on Vettias as his senses began to return. A dart of situational awareness passed through his face as the severity of his predicament set in and his body jerked from side to side in an effort to escape. His face winced as the tightly wound rope dug into his wrists. Realizing he was trapped, the man let out a yell, which was immediately muffled as Vettias shoved a gag into his mouth.

  “Uh, uh, uh. Shhhhh.” Vettias calmly instructed. The captive let out another scream that was successfully subdued by his gag. Vettias struck the man in the face, which cautioned against further outbursts. “Do I have your attention? I assume you understand your circumstances.” The man nodded his head. “Good. I’m not going to waste my time explaining why you are here. I think we both already know the answer.” The man did not attempt to respond and took a deep breath while looking at the floor. I will take that gag out shortly, but first I’d like to show you something. Vettias unrolled a leather purse on a table within sight of the captive, revealing several ominous-looking metallic items whose torturous purpose was apparent. As he did so, the captive’s eyes widened and he reflexively tried to move his limbs again to escape. His eyes began tearing and his breathing became heavy. I remember how calm and congenial Vettias’ demeanour was at this time, despite his cruel intent. It was clear this was not his first time conducting this activity.

  “So, you are going to decide how the rest of your time here will transpire,” Vettias stated while brushing his hand over the sinister instruments on display; the captive’s eyes following his every move. “If you are cooperative, and I believe what you tell me, I won’t have to use these nasty little tools. If you anger me, I am going to stick the gag back in your mouth and begin my dirty work. Being in the business that you’re in, you’ve no doubt thought to yourself how you would react when faced with this exact situation. You’ve probably been on this side of the discussion before, haven’t you? I’ve often thought about what I would do on your side of this conversation and I came to the conclusion that I would probably break- so I’ve taken extra care to not get caught. You clearly should have done the same. If during your inner dialogue you thought to yourself that you would be able to take the pain, I am here to make you a guarantee that you can’t. If you think your devotion to your cause so great that you will lie to me long enough for death to mercifully end this ordeal- you won’t. Unlike many thugs in this business, I am trained in the arts of pain and healing and I w
ill keep you alive and conscious as long as I need you to be. As we begin our journey together tonight, I will estimate you think very little of me right now. In fact, you are probably seething with hate at this very moment and would gauge out my eyes if I gave you the chance.”

  “As our evening together progresses, you are going to break and you will respect my authority over you and do as I command. I will make a promise to you right now. By the end of your ordeal, you and I will be very close, like brothers in fact, and you will voluntarily tell me all I need to know. I say these things as an act of kindness because all I have explained will transpire. It is up to you how we get there. Normally I have more time with my victims and the whole affair is a little more civilized. I’d play some mind games so you would divulge what you know. Unfortunately for you, however, time is of the essence and I will have to be more direct. You can forgo all the coming wretchedness by telling me what I want to know now. If you do not, our journey of distress will begin shortly. Are you ready for me to remove your gag?”

  Davos stood stoically during Vettias’ lecture, staring coldly at the captive. I had a chill run up my arm at Vettias’ conclusion and did not think myself capable of resisting Vettias’ cold, detached method of inflicting pain. I stood motionless, watching Vettias delicately remove the captive’s gag and wondering if it was possible for a man to defy such a daunting and hopeless situation.

  “Please, please, I don’t know what this is about, I don’t know who you think I am,” the captive pleaded after his gag was removed.

  “I’m not going to waste my time with what you and I already know. There are some things I don’t know about you, however, and we’ll start with your name,” Vettias replied, maintaining his calm composure. “What do they call you friend?”

  “Shifty,” the captive exclaimed, still panting and sweating heavily. Vettias looked to Davos who now stood out of the captive’s line of vision and nodded his head in agreement.

  “And what sort of name is that?”

  “I have a tick which forces me to frequently move my body uncontrollably.”

  “Good, and what are you doing here Shifty?” Vettias continued.

  “I work on the quartermaster’s staff.” Vettias again looked to Davos who again nodded.

  “Excellent. Were you a member of Ptolemy’s army or Lord Regent Perdiccas’ army?”

  “General Ptolemy.” Davos again nodded.

  “So far you’re doing great,” Vettias stated. “You’ve been forthcoming and truthful. Now, who do you receive orders from to conduct operations against known supporters of Lord Regent Perdiccas?”

  “What?”

  “Hmmm,” Vettias uttered threateningly. “You were doing so well. I’m detecting your inner pride attempting to sway you from telling me the truth. Don’t listen to it. No man can withstand the journey that lies ahead if you are not forthcoming with me. It is not dishonourable to spare yourself this agony since I’ve already guaranteed that you will break eventually. This will be your last chance though. I won’t ask you again and I expect you to answer me immediately.”

  “I, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  My heart began pounding as Vettias motioned Davos to come from behind the captive and firmly hold his torso to the seat while Vettias put the gag back in his mouth. He walked to the table and selected a flat iron rod and placed it in the fireplace. He then picked up a freshly sharpened knife and approached the captive.

  “I’m going to let that heat up for a minute, which will give you some precious few moments to decide how you want to arrive at the end of your journey with me this evening.” Vettias grazed the blade over the man’s face as he spoke. Shifty’s breathing became manic as he let out a muffled cry for help.

  “It’s getting warmer,” Vettias taunted as he now was grazing the sharp blade over the captive’s fingers. Shifty’s eyes raced around the room, desperately searching for some elusive saviour that would not arrive. “Ah, just about ready. Hold him tight now Davos because he’s going to squirm. Andrikos, come over here and hold his pinkie out on the chair’s arm.”

  Vettias’ enunciation of my name snapped me out of my overwhelmed trance and I quickly made my way to the captive and asked Vettias to repeat his instruction. “Hold out his pinkie.” As I went to grab it, Shifty instantly made a panic-stricken fist to the point where his knuckles were turning white. I looked at Vettias for guidance, who responded with an annoyed glare informing me he was aware of the development and did not care. I took a strong hold of the man’s wrist with my right hand and pried open his pinkie with my left hand. As the doomed appendage emerged, the captive began writhing and shouting muffled screams to be heard by no one. I watched with trepidation as Vettias took the knife and sawed the man’s finger off at the first knuckle. Blood instantly squirted everywhere and the captive yelled and struggled within his restraints. Vettias calmly produced the red hot tip of the flat iron rod and placed it directly on the fresh wound to cauterize the bleeding- evoking further screaming and writhing from our victim.

  “You can let go now,” Vettias instructed Davos. “Let him be for a moment.” Shifty let out a few more muted screams before his breathing slowed and the initial pain of his wound subsided to a manageable level. “You see, you aren’t going to bleed out. I’m not going to let you die. I can do that two more times on that same finger before I start moving somewhere else. And believe me, this is a progression. Later punishment will be more creative and painful if you know what I mean.” Vettias looked at the man’s genitals as he uttered this last threat.

  Shifty then started brutishly convulsing. “He’s going to puke. Get that gag out of his mouth.” Shifty vomited on himself and the floor, which made for a disgusting sight as he sat there whimpering, covered in his own blood and discharge. “It’s a messy business isn’t it? And we’ve only just started.” Vettias laughed as he gently slapped Shifty on his cheek. “We’ll have you talking in no time son. Andrikos, clean up this mess on the floor lest someone walking past thinks there’s a dead body in here.”

  I took a rag and went about the nauseating task of cleaning up Shifty’s vomit while listening to him quietly sob and sniffle, pleading his ignorance over and over again. My pity and guilt about Shifty’s predicament coupled with the stench of vomit riled my stomach to the point where I had to exit the room and dry heave. Vettias and Davos sat in the opposite corner discussing further lines of questioning at a low decibel while I finished up my revolting labour. Once completed, Davos took his place behind the captive and Vettias resumed his interrogation.

  “Alright, you’ve had long enough to decide whether you’re going to be cooperative; so let’s pick up where we left off, shall we? The gag can go back in your mouth at any time, it’s up to you. Now, who do you receive orders from to conduct operations against known supporters of Lord Regent Perdiccas?”

  “I, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shifty responded weakly while avoiding eye contact with Vettias.

  ‘“Hmm, alright. Davos, if you would hold him to the chair again. Andrikos please give me some help.” Vettias put the gag back in Shifty’s mouth and I reluctantly grabbed his wrist. I winced as I pried his wounded pinkie out of his clenched fist and could almost feel the pain I was inflicting as Shifty screamed and fought his restraints. Vettias took his knife and sawed off Shifty’s pinkie at the next knuckle, producing another gush of blood. As an added torture, Vettias grabbed his protruding pinkie bone and wiggled it a little before he again took the red hot iron and singed the wound close. Shifty lost consciousness from the pain and lost control of his bowels, producing a stream of urine running down his leg.

  “No, no, no, you’re not getting off that easily,” Vettias stated with a chuckle as he smacked Shifty across the face several times to wake him. As he came to and realized he had not just been in a nightmare, he began sobbing and pulling at his restraints once more in vain. “I can keep going until there’s nothing left of you. Why don’t you do yourse
lf a favour? You know the name I want, just give it to me.”

  As the hopelessness of his situation set in, Shifty whispered the name Pirus. Vettias smiled and patted the defeated victim on the shoulder while looking at Davos, who nodded in recognition of the name. “Very good. And when are you scheduled to meet Pirus again?”

  “Please, I, I can’t,” Shifty uttered in desperation.

  Vettias grabbed a small barbed pin from the table and stuck it directly into Shifty’s cauterized wound, which induced a shrill scream that Vettias quickly silenced with his hand.

  “When are you to meet with him again?” Vettias demanded sternly. “I have a lot more pins. This one will stay in there until you answer,” he shouted while twisting the pin violently.

  “At sunrise,” Shifty exclaimed in frustration, panting from the latest penalty.

  “Where?”

  “Near the butchery within the Triparadeisus staff quarters.”

  “See, I told you were going to talk. I am going to confirm this information and if it doesn’t produce your contact, you will long for the restraint I have shown you thus far. Do you understand? Now, you are going to tell me everything you know about your contact to include what he looks like and what recognition signals you use.”

  Shifty provided all information required to make contact with Pirus at sunrise and it was decided I would don Shifty’s clothes and work with Davos to capture Pirus, since Vettias believed it was Pirus who could provide us high-level details on our adversaries. Vettias refrained from torturing the captive for the rest of the night and even fed him as a reward. We took turns keeping watch over him while awaiting sunrise.

  Chapter 27

  Davos woke me before daybreak so we could scout the meeting location before Pirus arrived. Vettias would stay with Shifty, whose namesake-inspiring symptoms were becoming increasingly apparent. Ox would also stop by to give instructions on our meeting with Queen Adea. Vettias took me aside and informed me this was the most important day we were to have together and I needed to have my shit squared away. Kidnapping, interrogation, and a meeting with the Queen- it was shaping up to be a busy day. I had concerns whether we would be able to achieve all of our goals at Triparadeisus, especially if Vettias was relying heavily on me.