Ah, beautiful, grim, gloom corridors! You want to kill yourself just by looking at those! Here and there some pool of dried blood, don’t you know that hygiene is important?! This way you can spread diseases! FOOLS! I know a dragoness that is less messy than you! SHAME!

“Get comfy, this is your block. You will spent time here, that is when torturer wouldn’t be hosting you. Meet your neighbors, on left, so called Pyrox, name not known, family not known. Insane fire mage responsible for burning four villages and squad of witch hunters. Kill count: confirmed 265 civilians, 11 witch hunters and 3 inquisitors…”

A man jumped to the bars

“COME HERE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! COME HERE! I WILL MAKE YOU MY BITCH! COME ON! I AM JUST GETTING WARMED UP!” “Nice fellow.” I said “Indeed. On your left, twins Darik and Daria. Psionics.” He said pointing on brother and sister sitting by the wall holding each other’s hands. Of course – creepy child twins are we in children on the corn? “… they made their parent commit suicide, and then half of the village. They were literally crashing their head on stones. To catch them we used completely different tactic. We send a squad on witch hunter wearing helmets of white onyx. Still, some of them got possessed by them, and started fighting. Fearsome duo. In moment you would take off their collars they would start messing your head.” “Hello, little ones, I am new here so take care of me!” I called joyfully walking past their cell “Brother, brother, that man was weird.” “Sister, sister, that man looks nice.” “Brother, brother, can we play with him?” “Sister, sister, sure we can…” “Brother, broth…”

I couldn’t heard rest of their conversation as we kept moving.

“You are quite nice host, are you nice soooo nice to everyone or I am that special?” “Both, I guess. We rarely have someone within our walls whose head was ordered by prophetess herself. This means we will take extra care of you. You see, most witches are being killed in few days after arriving here. But block S is special. We kept those individuals for years. We force them to reveal us their secrets. To fight witches we are capturing best of them and interrogate. Their own knowledge will be used against their kin…” “You are walking dangerous path...” I chuckled “magic is power, and power is tempting.” “Proper observation. This is why only best and most reliable priests are let to have contact with one as yourself. But answering your question, you are not THAT special. We have another… guest. But she is not concern of yours.” “Man! I am jealous! Can I ever meet her? I am already a big fan of her…” “No. Anyway, you won’t stay here very long – we already send a messenger to capital, one of bishops would come and take care of you.” “Why waiting?” “Politics. I think bishop may use you to bargain an additional privilege for himself. I don’t care. As long as witches are being punished I will do my job.” “You are not big fan of us, are ya?” “Indeed. I am not.” “Still, you are quiet friendly!” “I don’t have to lower myself to same state of mind as Pyrox. I believe that even in face of greatest misery we still can behave like civilized creatures.” “I wonder how quickly you would change your mind when it would be your turn to sit on the chair in torturer’s room.” I giggled “Indeed, I believe that it could change my perspective… that will be your room, but let’s not stop here.” “Hm? More touring?” “You can say so.”

We moved to the end of corridor where huge iron door were protecting the last room. My guide took a bunch of keys from his belt and opened them. It was a torture room.

“As I said. Block S is dedicated for those whose knowledge we wish to get, and you will leave this place in about week. You know what it means?” “That for this week you will give me some extra attention and love?” “Precisely.” “So… now, we should wait only for torturer… Unless it is you…”

He pushed me on the chair and bind me to it with leather strips. My hands, arms, ankles, thighs and head were tied to the chair.’

“Correct one again. We will start with something easy. What. Are yours. Affinities.”

I waited a second considering my answer

“Before we start… my safe word is peanuts.” “Many enter this room joking, far less left if doing same.” He grabbed a weird tool from him table “We call this tool nail-extractor. Can you guess to what it is used?” “I am eager to see!”

He brought it to my palm, pliers grabbed my nail and torturer jerked the tool back. It is easy to say [it hurt like bitch] but it one thing to say, and completely another to feel the pain of your skin being ripped. Have you ever stabbed something sharp under your nail? It was worse. Ten thousands times worse.

“FUCK! FUUUCK!” I growled in pain “Your affinities. Please.” “Choke me harder, daddy!” “We have 19 nails more to go. But worry not, then we will proceed to another tool.”

When he was done with me he simply left the room. Then a nun came inside to wash me, room and tools. They didn’t do it to bring me relief from pain, but so my wounds wouldn’t start fester. He said to me: [You won’t find death here, it’s in not what I want to accomplish. When interrogated person dies in torture chamber, it is a shame for Pain master]. Then two guardian grabbed me by my arms and dragged me to my cell, where they throw me on cold bricks. I couldn’t move. He showed me three tools except the one from nails. Well, I certainly have better days than this.

“New one?” someone from my cell asked “I have to thank you. Because of you they left us alone.” A man, around his forties raised from the bed… yeah let’s call it bed… and came my direction. “Come ‘ere. I will feed you. At least this is what I can do.” I hoped for room just for myself. I want a.. refund.” I barely gasped “Still joking? Good. There is hope for you. Things that they do for body is one thing, not that bad if you would ask me; later they would start messing with your head. You can’t listen to what they would say to you.” “I am not going to stay here for long.” “Sure fam. None of us will… or at least this is what we are were talking when we came here.” “Maybe, but none of you have…” “Have what?” “Friends like mine.”

I fainted.

“Good morning mister Zariel. I hope you recovered, for we are about to have another session!” “Just five more minutes daddy…” “I am afraid it is not possible. You may walk by yourself, and keep your dignity, of struggle and yell in disgrace as you would be dragged. Choice is yours.” “Fine, but only if you would tell me what’s for breakfast.” “Pain and agony.” “Great! My favorite!”

And once again I was forced to the room at the end of corridor.

“Last time I show you some complex tools, but now I will allow you to see, that same, or even better results can be achieved with ways simpler measures. Here, can you see what it is?” “A pot. Is there my breakfast?” “If boiling oil is what you eat. No. I will put in on your thighs. Because you are tied so nicely, you won’t be able for move. At first the heat will hurt you, but you will know no true agony till moment when the top layer of your skin would cook and shed itself from rest of the body revealing muscles. You may have problems with walking. Also. Yesterday I let you answer after each nail was pulled, after each bruise was made, after each bone was dislocated. Now you don’t have this privilege. If you don’t want to know how it is the have a vessel with boiling liquid pressed to your body for 20 minutes… you may consider start talking. So?” “… what is faster? European or African swallow? Velocity of European’s is considered to be 25mph, but African’s…” “Let’s begin.”

We have some more fun for next three hours

“What. Are yours. Affinities?” “Fire… Nature… Chaos… Summoning…” “My my, quite a monster you are. Because of the problems that even Lady Amelia have catching you I presume that you mastered them to at least advanced level. You can rest for now.” “S…sir! Are you sure? He seem to be almost broken! If we would push him little more…” his assistant started. “No. For cooperation there is reward. Remember it – if you would let them rest after they cooperated they would learn that speaking the truth would help them, then they would be more eager to talk. If you would hurt him more, he could shut himself for weeks. Even months. Yes, in the end they all talk, but we are expected to be efficient. Learn your lesson. Take him.”

This time I managed to walk by myself, even if I needed to hold a wall for support. My companion awaited for me in cell.

“You look much better than yesterday.” He smiled a little. “I have never learned your name.” I lied. I appraised him long time ago, yet courtesy is a must. “Jason. Just Jason. Why are you sitting on block S, Zariel…” “Not again! Please, just Zari. My name sounds like a name for a disease. And I sit for same thing like everyone else – for innocence.”

He started chuckling

“Sure, all of us are equally innocent! But Pyrox, he is the most equal prisoner in the castle!” “The most equal… I like it.” “You still didn’t answer.” He pried even more “I wanted to survive, so I eliminate everyone that came after me. Long story short, they finally send someone that was out of my league.” “Death chasers?” I looked at him puzzled “Special inquisitors forces. They wear mast all the time…” “No. They send Amelia Scarlet with ten paladins.”

He whistled.

“And here I thought that I was a big fish. You said that you were going to escape, yet here you sit getting comfy.” “Just waiting for right opportunity.” “Sure.” He smiled “At beginning we all thought that we would escape… but then we slowly started revealing our secrets. All we can do is to reveal them as slow as possible, so we could live long enough. But the day comes when you would have enough, then you tell them everything, and as reward they are burning you. Death in fire isn’t that bad, if you are lucky enough you can choke with smoke and die within a minutes, if not, couple minutes of suffering. It is much better than hours in that fucking room…” “Then why didn’t you give up?” “Because I hate those fuckers. Every minute that I managed to slow them down is a victory. The day will come when I would embrace the flames. But this day is far, far away.” He kept smiling. “If you would get out, what would you do?” “Left that bloody hellhole for sure, find nearest inn, got myself a hooker… or three, and then would got myself drunk while having nice company.” He showed me a dirty smile “You?” “I would get back to Neira, when my woman would certainly kill me. I can already hear her voice [I told you to be careful! So smart, yet so dumb], and such.”

He grabbed a dirty mug filled with water and gave me another

“That’s not a wine, but as we are lacking anything better…” he raised his mug “For freedom, my friend!”

Amelia jumped off her horse. Rest of her squad returned to the barracks of the order. She will finally see her sister! But not just yet, she knew that not only her father awaits her in the dine hall. She moved quickly, didn’t even stopped by her room to change her dress.

“Good to see you father…” she greeted head of the house “… unfortunately I can’t say same thing to you, legate.”

Middle aged man smiled creepy.

“Yet I am overjoyed to see you in good health, lady Scarlet, I heard that you fulfilled your mission…” “Yes. And lost four men in process. This is why I presume that my sister is completely cured and I can take her tomorrow on the fields to teach her horse riding.”

He sighed with sad expression.

“I am afraid that condition of young mistress did not get any better, but our finest healers by great efforts managed to stop is from getting any worse.”

She smiled at him, nodded once, twice, thrice, then she turned around and called his servant

“Zachary! Could you bring me a communication crystal, pretty please?” man only bowed and vanished behind the door. “I am afraid that bishops won’t be able to get healers working any betters, as I assure you – they already do what they can and…” “Fear not. I am not calling bishops.”

In no time watermelon-sized sharp crystal was placed on the table. Paladin leaned over it and whispered few words. Is started rotating and in few moments a faint voice could be heard from the [other side]

“It’s captain Wolfric from Crimson Lily, I await your commands, my lady!” “Captain, are you still stationing in fort Varin?” “Yes, my lady, as you ordered. We are here to aid the Kingdom in case of war…” “Gather your man and order them to retreat. You are moving back to the Order.” “M…My lady… No, it’s nothing. We shall do as you order. We shall move out before morning.” “Repeat this order to all brothers and sisters stationing in every military outpost of the church.” “What if we were to be stopped?” “You serve the people, not the priests, no inquisitors, no prophetess herself. They have bo legal authority to stop you… but if they would try…” “They won’t, my lady, for we shall answer with swords! The flame of justice shall burn the wicked.” “Only lone Lily can withstand its heat.” She finished, then looked back at the messenger of the church “For years you have been using my man as your hounds and me as errand girl. You have been using name of my order and honor of my family. What we got in return? Just more tasks to do.” He tried to say something, yet Amelia didn’t let him “You have failed to cure one, little girl. Is that the limit of Church’s abilities? If yes, then maybe we should ask somebody else? You have ten days. Ten days to cure my sister. If there would no results in five day, I will withdraw my forces from the capital, after seven I will call back personal guards of prophetess, and after ten I will make it known far and wide that house of Scarlet no longer supports the Church. How many other orders and families would do the same?” “You… You threaten me?” man was furious, but he forgot he is not in position to make any demands.

Amelia moved quickly – shortened the distance between them and hit him in face, cracking his nose, then she grabbed him by his neck and raised, suffocating him slowly

“Yes. I do. What are you going to do about that?” “You are.. gambling… the life of your… sister…” “I am gambling nothing. Her condition won’t get any worse. Do you know how I know that? Because then I would lose the only things that binds me not only with Church, but also with whole country. We swore to protect innocent and defenseless. And I assure you – there is plenty of innocent and defenseless in the world. Now begone! I wish to no longer see your face. Deliver this message to whoever you want. I want result. And I want them now… or actually, I want them yesterday!”