Ratu's already fumbling with the lock, handing a rope tied around her waist to Arno. Arno frowns, his conscience gnawing away at him. "Did you steal this?"
Ratu sighs. "How do you think they get the prisoners down there in the first place, scholar? They don't want them dying from a nasty fall before they can properly execute them."
Arno shuts up after that. Damn. His tiredness must be getting to him.
Finally, the lock clicks, and Arno leans down to help Ratu move the grate to the side and silently as possible. Arno's muscles strain, and Ratu appears to struggle with it also, though Arno lets loose quite a few more curse words than she does.
Ratu falls to the edge of the pit again, her hands on the edge of it. She hands a bow and arrow to Arno. "Did this come with the rope?"
"No, that I stole from the prison guard. Now hush up and aim an arrow at our lovely prison friends down there so they don't try to kill me."
Arno grumbles to himself as he notches the arrow and points it toward the Pit. The hungry eyes swivel up at one, their faces hard, unreadable lines of pain and suffering.
The Queen of Thieves drops the rope into the pit, holding the other end so tightly, her fingers cramp. "Milords, due to the Emperor's coronation, he has felt that one of you in the Pit should be given a second chance. So, if any of you feel particularly wronged, then now's the time to step forwards." Ratu hisses, her plea bouncing off the cramped, circular space below. Arno refuses the temptation to smile appreciatively at her excellent lying skills. "One man only. Anybody else who tries to escape will get shot by my well-trained associate."
The faces look at each other, silent.
"Why aren't they saying anything?" Arno keeps the arrow pulled back, the fletching tickling his ear, "they should be celebrating, at least, for a while."
Ratu holds up her hand. "Patience."
Finally, one figure shuffles forward, making his slow, hobbled way up the rope. Ratu pulls him the rest of the way up, and Arno moves to replace the grate.
"Your name, friend?" Ratu asks, her eyes searching.
Arno interferes after that, curiosity getting the best of him. This face, it appears oddly familiar. "And the reason the Empire wants to kill you?"
"My name is Alef." The man answers with a leering grin. "And I tried to kill the Emperor's lover."
***
Champions,
Guess who's back, back, back, back again?
Alef's back, back, back, tell a friend.
;)
-Sophia
YOU ARE READING
A Priestess for the Blind God (Legends of Rahasia Book 1)
Fantasy"The Blind God walks around me, and I feel my mind prodded again like it was in the cavern, a spider weaving a tangled web. "Would you do anything to be remembered, Ode, even play a villain, the one who rises against the Chosen One?" In answer, I dr...
