.The Shadow Knight.

-19-

(I don't think it is a surprise but yeah, torture ahead)

The castle was situated on a mountain so I shouldn't have been surprised that when I asked a guard to lead me to the torture chambers he had lead me to a spiraling staircase leading us down deep into the earth, lanterns used to light up the area.

The staircase opened up on a large room with many things in it, all used for torture, the left wall was lined with cages while the right had lines upon lines of tools and weapons hanging of it, it wasn't kept clean but why would it be? There were cages with rats, old rotting body parts, jars of blood, rusting chains and other things.

"Go get another guard, I'll be assistance." I told the guard who nodded and started to make his way up the stairs again.

"The empress said I couldn't kill you and I won't tarnish her words but she never said anything about not playing with you, as knights like you are just bugs to a cat like me." I said, setting the lantern down on a red table with straps so the red must have been blood soaked into it, the candle casting an orange light on the three man cuffed to the back wall of the room.

They were stripped from armor and clothes, only left with what to cover their privates with, arms directly cuffed to the walls forcing them to stand on their tiptoes to relieve the strain on their shoulder.

"So who payed you?" I asked the first man, grabbing his beard and yanking him to be eye level with me.

"I don't know." Wrong answer, even the assassin could give a description of their clothes so they should be able too.

"Wrong answer." 

"Lady shadow, we are here for you orders."

"Magnificent." I turned to the two guards. "Make a fire in the fire pit and both of you choose one thing you  to inflict on these traitors."

"Yes lady shadow." They both said as I turned back to the men.

"Who did give you money." I said again, last chance before I start.

"I don't know ma'am."

"For a veteran knight you are an idiot... Pliers." I asked and a knight came to give me it, I clicked it close a few times before grabbing his ear with it pinching so hard the pliers cut through the soft flesh.

I ignored his screams and pressed his head against the wall until I was done and threw the piece of flesh over my shoulder into the starting fire.

"And this is nothing." I said, pointing the blood pliers at his face before dropping it on the table.

I discarded my gloves and braces so I could push my sleeves up to not get blood on those if I can avoid that for now. I picked up a piece of cloth and rolled it up, forcing it in the first man's mouth the silence him.

"You.... Who paid you?" I asked the next much younger man.

He spat at my feet.

"So be it...." I stepped back from them and grabbed a simple metal pol, weighing it in my hands before swinging it at him, his screams bounced off the wall as his shoulder caved in. "I'd advise you to speak soon, I am much stronger then a simple knight and much less forgiving, who paid you?"

"We don't know we already told you." He said.

"Wrong answer!" I hit his face. "Don't annoy me bug." I wrapped my hand around the eye that popped out of the socket because of the hit and yanked it out. "Oh stop screaming, I would think you are women." I used another cloth piece to silence the second one.

I stepped to the last one that looked terrified.

"Who paid you knights?"

"P-please I don't know."

"This will be long if you don't stop lying."

"Lady shadow we are done."

"Great, get me two other knights and you, come over here."

He was young, I could see it as the knight approached me and I looked at his face, lets see of loyalty.

"Yes lady shadow?"

"What did you choose?" He held up a dagger. "Great choice."

"Thank you."

"Get to it."

"What?"

"You thought it was for me? No.... Show your loyalty by punishing these traitors. Young knight, they are no longer your brothers in knighthood, they are traitors to the crown, do you want to be a traitor?"

"No lady shadow."

"Then punish the traitors."

I could see his hand shaking but he stepped forth.

"Kain! Brother no! Please! You can't listen to that psycho!" He yelled.

"Do it." I told the young knight. "Show him what the empire reserves to traitors."

"NO KAIN PLEASE!!!"

"Do it! So something knight!"

"NO!!"

"Now!!" And I hummed softly after, head tilting. "Weak.... But still something." He simply stabbed the dagger into his thigh, the traitor was screaming but this was weak.... Tho he listened.

"I am sorry lady knight." Her got on his knee in the salute I saw them give Elise once.

"Don't lower yourself knight, you did good." I grabbed the dagger, twisting it around and dragging it up to his hips before pulling it out. "But much more can be done." I said, handing the knight that stood up the dagger.

"Yes lady shadow."

 Waited for the other knight to come back with two more before doing anything else.

"Uncuff that man and strap him over there and you stuff cloth into this ones mouth I have enough of his screams." I pointed at the two wooden planks solidly sticking out of the ground and crossing in an 'X'.

I watched them drag the older man and tie his wrist and ankles to the wooden X.

"Tell me who paid you." I told him but he said nothing. "So be it." I grabbed a bucket and with a long rope tied it flat against his stomach before I put on one glove long enough to grab one of the squirming rat and shoving it in the bucket.

"You two, heat up the bucket with fire and call me when he is willing to speak, you two, make that one talk, all methods are good, I'll take the last one."

I dropped a metal pole in the fire and headed to the one I cut the thigh open, he looked so scared... Good.