Nicolas was sitting on the cold floor of the Saris Castle dungeon, shivering.  It was the best thing that he could do to get warm.  He tried standing and lying on his back and stomach.  No matter what he tried, he still felt cold.  He finally tried sitting on the icy cold rock floor.  It felt like needles stabbing every area of his legs.  It was a sharp, numbing pain that worsened by the second.

Nicolas just sat there, still wondering why The Master put him here in this dungeon.  Maybe The Master is done with me.  But why?  Maybe he found someone else that would be more useful?  Someone that wouldn’t just go and screw things up?  I’m a failure. This, he knew.  A failure destined to rot in the Saris dungeon forever.

He thought of the words that The Master told him.  I am of great use to him?  Forget it.  “The only use I am to him is to be disposed of….” he muttered.  “I was chosen to get captured and then die in this accursed dungeon….Yeah, that’s useful.”

Nicolas then heard a faint sound in the distance.  It sounded like someone screaming.  Judging on the faintness of the sound, he figured that it was coming from the castle above.

He then heard the sound of quick footsteps, click-clacking against the stone floor.  The footsteps got louder and louder with each step.  He then began to hear the jangling of armor and the formation of dark shadows.

The shadows appeared to be two Saris soldiers, one of them holding a ring of keys.

The one with the keys opened up the door to Nicolas’s cell.  He lunged forward and yanked Nicolas back.  “The general says it’s time to talk.”

“Yeah!” the other one said.  “And you better talk.  You’re coming with us.”

Nicolas shuddered.  “Where are you taking me?”

The one with the keys sneered.  “That’s not important. All you need to know is that you’re going to be interrogated and you better cooperate with us.”

“Yeah Will!” the other one shouted.  “You tell him!”

Will turned back and scowled. “Shut up, Bill!”

The two soldiers took Nicolas up some stairs and down a few hallways.  They finally entered a small room with a table and a couple of chairs.  A couple of Saris soldiers were summoned to stand in front of the door, to make sure that Nicolas wouldn’t escape.  A third soldier was summoned, and was given a whip. Will sat down in one of the chairs, and motioned the third soldier to stand behind Nicolas.  The interrogation was ready to begin.

Right as Will was about to ask Nicolas a question, another soldier, with different armor and a cape entered the room.  “I sent some other soldiers to apprehend the princess,” he told them.  “You two, see if that Tulinite peasant knows anything.  I then want you both to report back to me, understand?”

“Yes, General Tarmis!” Will and Bill shouted.

“Good.  Begin the interrogation!”

The general left the room.

Will stood up and walked forward.  “Okay.  Let me handle this.  It only takes one person to do this job.”

Bill frowned.  “But the general says that….”

“I don’t care what the general says.  I’ll interrogate him and I’ll call you back when I need you, okay?”

“Fine! Have it your way.”

Bill stormed out of the room.

Nicolas faced the nearby door, which was guarded by two Saris soldiers. He turned back and faced Will, who grinned victoriously.

“There’s no way out.”  Will grinned, as he pulled out his sword.  “Don’t even think of escaping, or this blade is going through your neck.”

Nicolas stood firmly, and remained motionless.

Will returned the sword to its sheath.  “Good.  Now here are the rules.  I’m going to ask you some questions and you’re going to answer them, okay?”

“Alright,” Nicolas choked.

Will brought his face close to Nicolas.  “Where is the Seed Relic?  King Saris wants to know.”

“I have no idea where the Seed Relic is,” Nicolas’s voice quavered.

Will motioned the whipper, which struck Nicolas directly in the back.

“OW!” Nicolas quivered in pain.

“Wrong answer!”  Will growled.  “You live in Tulin.  My troops found you there.  Since you live there, you should know something about the relic!”

“Only the king knows anything about the relic….”

Again, the whipper struck Nicolas in the back.  Nicolas cringed, and began to whine.

“Incorrect.” Will responded, becoming more furious.  “Some Tulin nobles talked.  If they talked, then you must be hiding something.  Where is the relic?”

“I already told you!  Only the king knows where the relic is!”

Nicolas was struck again, and Will continued asking him questions.  They were more detailed, and were aimed at Nicolas’s ignorance of the relic.  Will even asked the same question repeatedly, hoping to get a response out of him. Following each answer, Nicolas was whipped once again.  Nicolas wanted this interrogation to end, as his back was extremely sore, and beginning to bleed in certain areas.  It was a horrible sight to behold, and the interrogation was beginning to be tiresome.

Finally, Will raised his fists in the air.  He raised his right hand and slapped Nicolas in the face.  “Don’t you Tulin peasants know anything?  Fine! Okay then!  What do you know about the king?”

“OW! I only know that he’s the ruler of Tulin!  I know nothing else!”

“So what you’re telling me is that you know nothing.”

“I am not telling you that.”

“What I mean is that you don’t know anything about the relic.”

“YEOOOOOOW!!! What else could I tell you?  I don’t seem to have the answers that you’re looking for!”

“In that case, we’ll just kill you.”

“Don’t do that!!”

“You’re useless and you know nothing!  Why would we keep you?”

“I’m a skilled swordsman.”

Will and the three soldiers exploded with laughter.  “Every Saris soldier is very proficient with a sword.  We have more than enough soldiers that are skilled with using a sword.”

Nicolas bluffed.  “I may have some information that is of use to you.”

“You already told me that you know nothing.  You’re lying!”

“I have some really valuable information!”  Nicolas pleaded.

Will shook his head and scowled.  “Forget it!  You’re useless!  Bill!”

Bill came running into the room.  “Is it time, Will?”

“Yes, it’s time.  Let’s kill him!  He doesn’t know anything.”

“Yeah! Let’s kill him, Will!”

Will and Bill raised their swords.

“Normally, we would use the guillotine….” Will grinned.  “But the guillotine is too far to take you.  The general wants it done quickly.  Say goodbye, dirty peasant!”

“DON’T KILL MEEEEEEE!!!!”  Nicolas screamed.

The two soldiers began stabbing Nicolas everywhere.  Blood gushed out everywhere, and a series of screams drowned the room.  Nicolas tried wiggling free, but was stopped immediately by Will, who squeezed the arm firmly with his other hand.

The stabbing continued.  “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Blood began to trickle out of Nicolas.  They stabbed his temples, his chest, and his arms.  “STOP IIIIIIIIIT!!!!”

Will took his sword and thrust it into Nicolas’s chest.  Blood continued gushing out of the wound, forming a puddle on the ground.

Nicolas closed his eyes, gasping in tears.  If he was going to die, he didn’t want to see his mutilated body.  He didn’t want to remember how he died if he did reach the heavens.

Nicolas gasped again, and coughed up blood.  “STOP iiiiiiiiiiiit…..”  his voice faded.

And that was it.  Nicolas swooned forward, and hit the ground. All movement ceased in his body.  His eyes were open, with his mouth agape.

“Yeah, Will! I think he’s dead!”

“Think?  He is dead!”

“What should we do with his body?”

“Let’s throw it outside the castle.  We’ll take it to the bone yard later.  We have to report to the general!”

Will and Bill carried Nicolas’s body outside the castle and threw it on the ground.

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©2011  K. L. Walker