High minded ideals were all well and good but I wasn’t going to let this juicy opportunity for a little gloating pass me by.

“You know, it just occurred to me, I never got your name.”

“That’s ‘cos I never gave it to you.”

“Oh, good. Here I was worried that you said it, then I forgot. That could have been embarrassing. Either way, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. You fucked up your interview big time.”

“Hah!” he barked “I’m wise to your game now. Garth told me all about you. Yer no pirate, just some dumb kid who’s quick with a lie.”

“Garth?” I asked, “Was he that asshole who tried to get me killed?”

I looked to Bodrin who confirmed with a nod.

“Where is he now?” I didn’t see him in the pen.

“He took a little tumble” Bodrin said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“You snuck up behind him you stinking coward!”

“That’s pretty rich coming from you. All you had to do was stick to the plan and everything would be fine. At least I don’t have to spend time wondering who I can trust, so thank you for that.”

“Fuck your trust.” He spat before turning to the slingers. “You think this bastard has breathed a single word of truth? He’s playing you. He’ll leave you behind as soon as he gets the chance.”

I stepped forward, putting all my weight on the chains wrapped around his legs. A howl of pain cut off the rest of his rant.

“I’m not Garth. I came here to free Bodrin and anyone else with half a brain. You don’t seem to qualify. Did I lie to you? Of course I did. I thought you might hesitate to cross a dangerous man, but you’re too greedy for your own good. Right now we’re waiting for a merchant ship. When it gets here We’ll try our hands at piracy. I’ll tell you right now that you won’t get an invitation to sail off with us so I’ll give you a choice. We can kill you, or we can leave you to the mercy of the empire.”

His eyes grew wide.

“No, please, you have to take me with you.”

“I don’t have to do jack shit.”

“You don’t understand, they’ll flay me alive. I was just doing what Garth said. He’d kill me if I went against him.”

“I understand perfectly. You’re an untrustworthy coward, happy to stand at the top of your little pile of shit lording over those beneath you. You have until we leave to make your decision.”

I turned to the slingers. “You know, I’ve heard that exercise helps with thinking. Why don’t a few of you gents assist our nameless friend with getting back to work on the tower?”

They grinned and a few moved to haul the man roughly out of the pen. Jordy looked on in horror while Cutter watched the proceedings in brooding silence. I stared them down, giving them time to speak first. Cutter was a tough nut but Jordy cracked under the pressure.

“I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, Honest. Garth said you were a bad guy. He said you were gonna put us in your pirate hold and make us row all day and night. Garth said he would protect me, keep me safe. All I had to do was stand behind him and look scary. It wasn’t personal, promise.”

I was taken aback by how genuinely upset Jordy was. He bawled like a child, pausing to gasp between spurts barely coherent words. It was a little unnerving to see such an intimidating guy wracked by sobs. I looked to Bodrin who shrugged in response as if to say: “This is your show”.

Unsure how to handle the big baby I turned to Cutter.

“Anything to add?”

“I won’t beg.” he spat “You can kill me if you like but you won’t catch me squealing.”

“You’re okay with dying?” The man’s fatalism was a little unbalancing.

“I was dead the moment I stepped onto this island. I threw in with Garth ‘cause he was tough and you looked weak. I’m used to the fortunes of war. Get it over with.”

Cutter glared at me, daring me to end him. I considered him carefully until whip-cracks and jeers sounded from the stockpile.

“Why were you sent here? You used to be a soldier, right?”

“Tch” Cutter averted his eyes for the first time “Butcher’s more like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Damned imperial buggers took my hometown when I was just a lad, they trained me up as a scout. It was my job to find isolated villages for the army to raid. They never stood a chance. Fucking bastards. They killed anyone who resisted. A lot of people resisted.”

I stayed silent, letting Jordy tire himself out as he continued to sob. I could tell there was more Cutter wanted to say.

“One day, I stepped in a trap. Damned thing pulled me off my feet and I hit my head on a rock. When I came to, I was in a hut, and the most beautiful woman was tending to my wound. Freya, her name was.” Cutter paused, a smile stealing across his face for a moment while his eyes were focused on something in the distant past.

“I couldn’t stay o-course, that would only get more scouts dispatched to search the region. I thought I could give a report saying there wasn’t anything out there. What I didn’t know was that there was already another scout in the same area. They were waiting for me. The moment I gave my report I was arrested for fraternization.” He gave a gruff laugh.

“Joke’s on them, I’d been fraternizing with the enemy for years. It figures that when I take a stand and try to fight my real enemy, I finally get what I deserve for betraying my people.”

His story caught me off guard. I was expecting the brooding goon to be more of a mercenary than a romantic. If he was so anti-empire he might be useful. There was no way I was about to trust him, but like any burnt bridge, trust can be rebuilt given enough time.

“What’s his deal?” I asked, pointing a thumb towards Jordy. Cutter shook his head, coming out of his reverie.

“Jordy? He’s a simpleton. Poor oaf got kicked in the head by a mule. He’s strong as an ox, but he froze in his first battle. Refused orders to fight or some such. It’s hard to tell cause Jordy doesn’t like talking about it and we try not to upset him. He’s got a scary mug but it’s hard to intimidate people once they see you like that.”

We looked over to the sniffling man with snot dribbling off his chin. Cutter had a point. I felt more sorry for Jordy than scared of him now.

“What do you want, Cutter?”

“I told you I won’t beg.”

“That’s not what I’m asking for. I’d like to understand you a little better. What do you want?”

“Haven't had much use for wants since I came out here, but if I could do anything I’d cut the heart out of the Empire.”

“You wouldn’t go looking for Freya?”

“I’m no child. I know what happens to villages that get noticed by the Empire, and I know Freya wouldn’t submit to them. She was strong. All I want is revenge.”

I knew it was a bad idea, but I unlocked his shackles.

“You’ll get your chance.” We clasped wrists and I pulled him to his feet. I met his eyes before letting go.

“Don’t make me regret this.”

I sent him to the cabin to get some food. One of the slingers went with him to keep the others from thinking that Cutter had broken free. Next, I crouched in front of Jordy.

“Jordy? Look me in the eyes.”

He looked at me like a puppy that knew he did wrong. It was almost too much. Threats would only make him less coherent so I pulled a meat-pie from my inventory and split it in half. Steam and rich odors wafted out, catching the simpleton’s attention.

“Here, it’s okay. Have a treat.”

Jordy cautiously accepted one half of the pie. In the short time it took us to eat, Jordy calmed down considerably. When he was licking his fingers, properly distracted, we began talking again. It didn’t take long to confirm that Jordy was mentally stunted. He had a hard time understanding that Garth tricked him but once he did, he was quick to disavow his previous leader and eager to make amends. He really was kind of like a puppy, a little kindness and food were enough to earn his trust. Jordy followed Cutter to the cabin after I secured an extremely solemn pinky promise that he would behave. I almost laughed at how serious he took the oath but lying to a gullible man-child robbed the situation of most of its humor.

Once the rebels were dealt with, I turned to the remaining Imperial Guards. They shrunk back, pushing themselves deeper into a corner. Terror kept their eyes glued to me as I approached. They had clearly endured some rough treatment while I was out of it. Naked, bloody, and bruised, they didn’t have any fight left in them. Pity tried to sneak in but I slammed the door on that emotion, this wasn’t the time for pity. Instead, I fed my anger and revulsion with memories of the previous week. Wasn’t that guard the one who reported casualties so indifferently? Wasn’t that one with the deformed ear the one who only smiled when someone was cowering under his whip?

With a start I realized that I was looming over these beaten men with death written across my features. Yes, that was a puddle of urine growing under them. With a force of will, I reminded myself to be better than the people I fought. There was no point in becoming the same as what I set out to punish. I planted my hands on my hips, letting go of the memories and facing the people awaiting my judgment.

“Who wants to try and explain why you deserve to live?” I asked. None of them were eager.

“I got kids.” One eventually said. I suppressed a snort of disbelief.

“How many?” I asked

“Two.”

“What are their names?”

“Fredericks and Henrietta”

“How old?”

“They’ll be three soon.”

“No wife?” I asked. He paused for the first time but it wasn’t the pause that accompanies furious thought. It was the very distinct pause that comes from a man trying to skirt around an emotional wound.

“She... didn’t survive the twins.”

“Who is watching them now?”

“My sister. She’s got three of her own and this job keeps them fed, or it did.”

I nodded, satisfied that he wasn’t lying.

“I got kids too!” One of the others piped up. This time I looked to the others.

“Has he ever mentioned his kids before?” They both nodded.

“He complains about them all the time, says they eat as much as an entire garrison.”

“What about you?” I asked the last one.

“Oh, I’ve got a brood alright. If I’m not here, earning coin, I’m in a brothel spending it. No doubt I’ve fathered a score of pups by this point.”

“Do you know their names?”

“Who would name a whoreson?” He asked wrinkling his nose “They get their names from the Folcvig Bardagi, if they are deemed worthy.”

“The who?” I asked

“The Folcvig Bardagi, War Fathers. The honored ones.” The guard seemed to have forgotten his circumstances. He was swept up in some sort of religious fervor.

“Purified in the flames of battle, the few brothers who return to their childhood training grounds at the end of their days are given highest honors. Elevated from the Battle-brother to War-father, they take charge of the next generation of pups, sharpening and hardening the strong while breaking the weak. It is the Folcvig Bardagi who ensure the Empire’s armies will remain unmatched into the final days and beyond. You will burn for this. Justice demands it. You cannot defy the Empire and hope to live. All of you stinking barbarians will burn!"

The guard devolved into mad cackling. I shuddered.

“Looks like we’ve got another one in need of tiring out.” I called to Bodrin. His slingers harassed the former guardsmen until they took to their feet and resumed construction. I distributed meat pies to Bodrin’s men who took as much pleasure in eating the morsels as they took in denying the guards any.