Look, before we get into the last book of my famous Kathaldi Chronicles, I need to tell you something. I know a lot of you are unhappy about all the sad, mushy stuff that happened to me in Assassins of Kathaldi, but all I can say is: that's what happened.

Well, I guess I can say a little more, like, for example: I don't know why you're expecting books about the Kathaldi to only have ‘Good Times’ in them. Do you remember all of my friends who died? It's not a story for children, unless you like scaring kids, which I sometimes do.

Also, I know you all think I'm the big hero. Smart, tough, handsome and decent. I'm not going to lie to you. I am all of those things, and more. However, I'm not perfect. The point I'm trying to make is that I'm not usually a big torture guy. Most true heroes aren't. That's kind of a bad guy thing. I don't mean slapping a guy to get some information, that’s obviously no big deal. I’m talking more like ripping out his fingernails or scooping out his eyes, and maybe you’re not even trying to learn anything. Maybe just because you're evil, or they did something to someone you love so you’re really mad.

So, this next part gets pretty ugly. I was in a bad place. I finally fall in love and she turns out to be Kathaldi! I didn’t even get to work through that piece of information and maybe decide that perhaps we could make it work before she got murdered right in front of my eyes.

I'm not trying to make excuses, but I think it is understandable that I took out some of my anger and frustration on some of the other Kathaldi that we had captured. You know what, I guess I am trying to make excuses. I'm pretty embarrassed, now, about my behavior back then.

Not to say there wasn't fun times and laughs. Like when I tried to juggle with the two eyes from the Kathaldi I had just finished torturing and dropped them right onto the face of the Kathaldi I was about to torture. Now that I write that out, I don't think it actually is funny. I sure laughed hard at the time but now I'm starting to think that I was insane for a while there.

Ultimately, I don't know if I could have stayed with Jade knowing she was Kathaldi and had lied to me so much. I would have had to do some hard thinking about it. But her murder meant that was never going to happen. Not much point to making up my mind now that she's dead.

Basically, I was still in love with her when she died. I may not have been the next day, after considering everything, but at the moment she was shot and poisoned she was still my bride to be. It's hard not to hate the people who murder your fiance. Everyone should be able to agree on that. It's like puppies are cute. Or taxes are the worst. Just a given.

Chapter 4 - Picking Right Back Up

I had just informed Delik Slin, one of my closest friends, my second in command as Assistant Spymaster, and a half-orcin, half-elven master swordsman, and Venzik Saluur, the elvish captain of my company of guards, that my girlfriend Jade and I were no longer engaged. Because she was dead. I was trying to be a tough guy. “Can we get a mage over here to turn off these blasted alarms?”

Delik Slin nodded. “We need to get someone to fix the window, as well.”

“Are you alright, sir?” Venzik asked, kneeling near, but not too near, my ex- bride to be. “Jade looks to have been poisoned. Are you injured?”

“No.” I hurt, but I wasn’t injured. I was definitely feeling a lot of pain but there wasn’t a scratch on me, not even from the broken glass of the shattered window. There was a cold fury, though. And it just kept getting colder. I felt utterly powerless. I had no idea what to do next. And then, suddenly, I did. “I need to go see the prisoners at the mage compound.” I saw Delik Slin and Venzik look at each other. It seemed like such a great idea at the time. A lot of this next bit is pretty hazy to me, but I remember the feeling of certainty that I was making the right decision at that moment.

Both Delik Slin and Venzik accompanied me to the Mages’ Compound, along with a bunch of guards. Once we arrived Delik Slin led our old friend Stegen the mage back to the offices to end the racket and reset the magical protections. Venzik followed me to the rooms where the Kathaldi prisoners were being kept.

Finril, the old elvish mage currently in charge of all of Ansdron’s mages was there talking to some other mages as a couple of guards stood close by.

“Ah, Lord S’Vig! Your brilliant plan worked magnificently! We have almost forty Kathaldi prisoners sleeping in our dorm rooms. They are all also secured with manacles and chains, as you requested.”

I nodded. “Great work, Mage Finril. Please have two of the Kathaldi brought to a room where I can question them. A work room.” Finril seemed confused so I spelled it out for him. “A room you don’t mind getting messy. Very messy.”

“You intend to question them? I thought you had no plans, as of yet, for how to get information out of them.”

I just stared at him for a few moments, growing angrier. “Inspiration struck, you could say. The Kathaldi attacked my offices. Bring two of them to me. Now.” The look on his stupid old face made it obvious that he didn’t care for my tone but he finally agreed.

It turned out there was a suitable room in one of the basement levels. It had once been a workroom for mages to experiment on new spells, far enough away that they would hopefully only hurt themselves if something went wrong. Something had, of course, and the result was quite startling as I stood in the doorway and looked it over. All of the furniture had been removed and the walls, ceiling and floor looked like melted wax of every color imaginable. Lit only by the light of the small lantern I carried it was very eerie, like the ceiling could collapse at any second, or the walls. The uneven floor looked like it was moving and that we might start sinking into it like quicksand. It didn’t smell very good, either.

I smiled. It was perfect.