Davos yawned. The timeless nature of his cell was taking a toll on his mind. The circular room was made of smooth stone, overgrown with moss. There was no windows, and only a barred wooden door that had a small opening flap and the bottom, where stale food was slid under. Only the meals gave any indication of the passing of time. He had no idea how long he had been in the prison. Davos had been put in the cell after his information leak to the Empire's soldiers. He had held out for long, and had lost two fingers on his right hand because of it, but he had eventually caved, telling the soldiers of the explosion in the woods that had happened when Kallistos had been hunting. Apparently, this was enough for the men, as two thirds of their numbers left to go to his house. The remaining ones bound him, blind folded and drugged him. He then woke up in the cell. No one had spoke to him, or told him why he was hear. He was hoping that he would have been released after telling the Empire what he knew, but apparently they had other ideas.
Davos stifled another yawn, as he paced around the confinements of his cell. It was dark, it was always dark in the cell, the only light that could be seen was a thing crack marking the location of the door. There wasn't even enough to light up any of the interior. Davos turned as he heard the cell door open. The sudden influx of light blinded him. The door hadn't been open since he had been put in the cell. He felt four strong hands grab his biceps, and drag him. He let out a cry.
"Shut it, you're coming with us."
Said one of the voices, to his right.
" What? Where?", Davos's voice was hoarse, and it his question came out as an indistinguishable croak.
Davos wet his pallet and tried again, he was more successful this time.
"To the chopping block, lad." Announced the voice to his left.
Chopping block? As far as Davos was concerned, he had nothing to deserve execution.
" Why?" He croaked again.
He received a sharp kick in the posterior, jostling his whole body.
" Shut your gullet, you'll hear your sentence in due time."
The men dragged Davos down a long winding hallway, and up a flight of stairs, his legs stumbling trying to keep him upright. These stumbles lead to more beatings.
A door opened at the top of the stairs to an exterior courtyard. The sun light blinded Davos eyes yet again, leaving him seing dots and blurs the the next minute. When his vision had settled, he could make out a cart and horse, surrounded by a procession of guards. In the cart sat several hunched over men, that has their hands bound. More criminals. The men dragging him stop abruptly a metre in front of the cart.
"Sir Adonus, we got the prisoner." Said the man to his right.
He was addressing a tall man standing near the front of the cart. He held his posture and head up high, he was clad in shining chain mail. On his head, rested a plumed helmet, with the likeliness of a wild carved at the front, so that the brim of the helmet made that top of an open jaw, as if the man wearing it's face was coming out of a wolfs mouth. On his shoulders was a purple cloak. A curbed sword swung at his belt.
"Well then tie him up, and shove him in with the rest of the lot, fool."
The men stumbled to complete his orders. Davos felt his hands being tugged behind his back, and a rope firmly bound them together. He was prodded in the back by a guard.
" Get I the cart," he commanded.
Davos struggled to oblige, his bound hands throwing him off balance. He sat between two men on the left side of the cart. Both had thick black hair, accompanied by face scars, and well toned muscles. One other man sat directly in front of him. His skin was as black as charcoal, and his head completely bald.
"Alright men, off we go, get the horses going. MARCH!." Yelled Sir Adonus.
The 20 soldier all fell into to marching formation around the cart. Sir Adonus sat on a white horse at the front of the procession.
The horse and cart, carrying the prisoners was lead out the gates of the courtyard, they followed a paved road.
The man sitting in front of him nodded his head towards Davos.
"So, what did you do?"
His accent was thick, but his voice deep and rich.
"You know, I'm not a hundred percent sure what I did."
The prisoners sitting either side of him chuckled.
"They all say." Said the one to his left, and they continued chuckling.
"No, seriously." Insisted Davos, and the fit of chuckling restarted.
Davos harrumphed, and look of to the distance. The man in front of him smiled and said,
" Why aren't you sure, friend. What's your story?"
Davos collected his thoughts for a second, and then started his tale. He told them of the events of the last months, about how their had been a massive green smoky explosion in the forest out while his brother was our hunting. Then how the soldiers came an interrogated him, how he withdrew and now he was here now.
The cart reminded silent, save for the baying of horses and the creaking of wheels.
The man to the left of him spoke, in a raspy voice.
"The empire will look for any reason to execute anyone with any affiliation to magic. To keep the crowd down, you know."
"We're being executed!?" This information bewildered him. His heart dropped. He wasn't getting out of this.
" QUITE BACK THEIR" yelled Sir Adonus from the front of the cart.
The dark man in front of him dropped his voice down to a hush.
"Not if we can help it, but stay quite for now."
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Sorry for the late post, I hit a bit of a wall in the story there. Also been busy with my other novel 'Foreign Lands'. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out on my page.
