Tinker [On Hold]

1. Getting Wise

“The sun is hardly up and you've already gotten yourself in trouble,” Jared scolded himself under his breath. Wrists bound with rope, he was guided by a grubby hand on his left shoulder and forced along by the tip of a dagger pressed to the small of his back. His captor was a large, burly man, wearing the browns and greys of the city's lower class.

The poorly lit sewer tunnel where they now walked was not familiar to Jared, and so he took heed, lest he slip and fall in the muck below. Or worse, impale himself on the dagger at his back.

“So, any chance you'll cut me loose and we'll part as friends?” asked Jared, trying to distract his captor so he could slow their pace.

The captor only snorted, stifling a laugh, and increased the pressure he applied to the dagger. Jared sucked air in through his teeth at the pain, making a mental note about not getting wise in such situations.

After several more minutes of silent travel, the captor slowed their walking to a stop, removing the knife point from his captive's back. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jared thought this part of his ordeal over. In a way, he was right, for his captor struck the top of his head with the dagger pommel and his body went limp.