The Epic Tale of Cregan

Chapter 5: Before You Break

He closes his eyes and silently begs for a miracle.

Answering his prayers, before the man strikes the target again, another soldier walks up to him.

"Martyn, Lady Blackwell has requested our assistance with the prisoner. We must go at once," he says.

The soldier, Martyn sighs and puts his spear away. "Fine. Hopefully, she's right about this one so we can finally go back to Ecrin. I hate it out here." He begins walking away with the other soldier.

Regan waits until he hears the sound of the door to the prison shutting before releasing his held breath and opening his eyes. Hearing them talk about Sara dealing with Cree is motivation enough to move quickly, no time for delay. He also notes that the soldier mentioned returning to Ecrin. If these people are part of the Dev'al Ordon, that could mean they operate out of that city.

He turns and locates the stable only a few feet away from him. There's not much open space standing between him and the manhole cover, but he must wait for the right moment, otherwise risk being caught and getting both himself and Cree killed.

Without needing to ask, Romeow begins calculating. "Wait. The soldier in the northwestern tower is looking this way..." he warns. Regan stays in his place, feeling more than a little anxious for more than a few reasons. "She's looking away... You're clear. Move now and don't fuck this up."

Regan nods to himself and wastes no time before crouching low and swiftly moving over to the stable. He fears for a moment he was caught when he accidentally dragged his foot over the dirt, but after a pause and holding his breath, he hears nothing and sees no one come to start investigating.

He sighs with relief and looks down, slowly reaching down and grabbing the rusted metal cover. He has to cover his nose as he lifts it as the smell of sewage instantly fills his face. It takes all the will he has to not cough as he forces himself to lower into the small tunnel.

He starts climbing down the metal ladder and carefully lowers the covering back over his head to cover his tracks, which also covers the only light source. Once at the bottom, he hops off and Romeow jumps out of his bag.

The cat blinks a few times and his eyes illuminate the dark space, shining down the tunnel. There is a faint orange flicker of torchlight at the end of the hall that spills out through a rusted metal grate in the wall. The source of light is small, but it's enough.

Regan stops for a moment and thinks. Through those bars is likely where the prisoners are held, but if Sara and those soldiers are with Cree, he can't just pop up and not expect a fight. He needs a distraction. He turns his gaze down to his cat and smiles. "Romeow, head to the front of the prison and when I tell you to, I want you to follow my instructions, alright?" he asks.

Romeow huffs. "Whatever. Just don't get yourself killed because that would also get me killed. I'll wait for your signal." The cat turns and runs down the opposite direction of the light.

Regan is left without his flashlight cat, but he supposes it's better this way as he isn't at risk of being seen in the sewer from the metal grate. He makes his way over slowly, but swiftly as he doesn't want to risk being too late. He presses his back against the wall beside the grate to avoid being in direct view of the light and listens, briefly peeking over to see what's inside.

He has to fight his anger once he sees her.

Sara is standing close to the wall with the soldiers at her back and smiling up at something, which he can only assume is Cree who he can't see from this angle. The sight of her gives him a feeling he thought he had forgotten, similar to how he felt after Ivanna Cady killed Madhavi. The feeling of wanting revenge. Justice.