Screams of agony and terror mingled with the echoes of footsteps, as three men marched down into a dark dungeon. Firelight flickered as the first two men passed walking side by side clothed in leather armor. Every step and every movement they made mirrored one another, their demeanor proved they were as deadly as they were efficient veteran soldiers. The third man in the group was a bit more of a mystery his body hidden underneath a robe and cowl, though from the way the other two mean kept ahead of him there was no mistake he was no prisoner. As they passed each cell the cries for help became quieter and quieter as if the executioner himself was walking with them. As they reached the end of the hall the robed man stopped and pulled out a set of keys for a single cell. Both guards took up positions on either side of the door as if an army was waiting for them on the other side the robed man chuckled a bit as he took in the worried expressions on the grizzled veterans faces.
“This man hasn’t seen the light in ten years I highly doubt that he will be as much of a danger that you need to pale at the thought of walking in here with weapons.” Said the robed man
The men both made gestures to ward off evil spirits and clutched their swords tightly ready for anything as the door was opened. Firelight invaded the cell causing the lone man chained inside to flinch back against the chains. His arms and legs shackled to the wall with a separate shackle around his neck keeping him from moving much more then to sip from the water bowl at his feet. His hair was long and unkempt showing years had passed since he had first been imprisoned inside this hole.
The robed man laughed,” This man is what u were scared of? He is barely able to keep from drooling on himself. The King would be better to find his answers elsewhere. The madness has taken him from this world. There was only one man that could have pulled off poisoning the king and here is chained to the floor like a dog.”
One of the guards spoke up, “Some of the other guards swear it was a woman they saw leaping from the king’s chamber that night, so maybe it wasn’t a man that did the job. Do we know if he had an apprentice?”
A gargled laugh came from the shadows of the cell as the robed man turned to leave. “What priest don’t you remember your own fear the last time we met?”
The color drained from all three men at the sound of those words. The priest slowly turned around to see the prisoner smiling at them. Fear soaked thru them as they watched the chains fall one by one from his body.
“You didn’t really think that you had me here against my will, did you?” the man said as he started to walk towards them. With a single leap he knocked over both the guards and grabbed the priest’s robe pulling him close to his face. “Tell me everything you know priest, mainly why now? Why have you come down here to deaths door for me!”
The Queen has ordered us to offer you a pardon in exchange for your services. I swear I don’t know anything more, Snkas. I swear on my robes if I did I would gladly tell you. Please spare me; I’m but a humble messenger!” squealed the priest as Snkas studied his face. Seeing the truth in his fearful eyes Snkas shook his head knowing what he was going to have to do to find the answers to his questions. Dropping the priest to the ground, he stooped over and pulled the leather jerkin off of one of the guards knocked out cold by his assault. From the other he took a sword and pants, then ripping off his own tattered rags he started to dress in front of the priest. “We can’t be showing up in the Queen’s chambers like a mad beggar now can we? “
Snkas dressed quickly and fastened the sword on his hips. Then he pulled his long mangy hair back into a ponytail, and slipped a small dagger into it. Then he turned back towards the priest, “This is what you’re going to do Priest. First, you’re going to tell the queen I accept the mission but I'm doing it on my terms and the pardon starts now. Secondly I'm doing this alone, no shadows following me. I’ll know and I’ll kill them on site! Meet me at the Boar’s Whore in two nights time.” Seeing the puzzled look on the man’s face he stated,” It’s a tavern on Lowside; any of the soldiers will know how to get you there. Though I’d advise you to change your clothes, you’d stand out even without the stench of piss on you.” With a dry laugh Snkas kicked the priest in the head knocking him out cold.
Two nights later…
Snkas sat waiting in a small red room in the back of the tavern with a half empty jug of mead in hand. His other was on the handle of a crossbow attached to the underside of the table. After making his escape from the dungeon he had gone straight to his old weapon cache and stoked back up. Not knowing if he would be facing a lone priest or another detachment of soldiers after his little escapade. Then he went to the Boar’s Whore to see if it was still the same after five long years of staring into the darkness willing yourself to die. But the madness had come as it did to everyone else that had been sent down into that hell. Only his anger kept the madness at bay even now since he had seen his old friend Kyle had married his favorite serving girl Lora, who now ran the kitchen.
The first night was in the arms of a woman was sweet and he knew how to keep a man from dreaming dreams best left in the ground. Now he sat waiting and drinking, listening to the people on the other side of the door. Hearing the signal knock on the door then hearing two more in quick succession his hand tightened on the trigger. Snkas’s finger tensed as three figures came into the room. Excitement with a hint of that madness crept into his thoughts as he started to feel his blood race again, he had been hidden away for far too long. A scent of a perfume brought his mind back to the present and he started to take in details of the figures in front of him. The robes where the same but it was the way that the second figure kept looking to the third, small dainty hands reaching out to support a the other who was stooped and using a cane. The first figure could only have been the priest from the dungeon but the other two perplexed him. Then he stood and bowed,” My King and Queen, you should not have come here.”
“Then you should have came to see us instead of hiding away in the dungeon like a child pouting.” said the Queen as she pulled back the cowl and helping the King sit on the chair at Snkas’s table.
“We both knew what she meant to you and what she did to you but hiding away in a hole wasn’t going to fix it.” said the king as he reached over and took a deep swig out of the jar. “Kyle always did keep something good hidden away in the back and I have missed this place.” Then a fit of coughing doubled the King over and the color that had been there a moment ago bled away.
“Gabriel! Are you okay?” Snkas gasped and leaped to his friend’s side.
