The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 5

'Wait!' he held a hand up.

Ines crossed her arms over her chest, tapping one foot on the cold floor of the prison cell.

'They don't know anything!' she scoffed at his words.

The thief paled, terror overtaking his face. He looked at her with wide eyes full of worry. Ines hovered by the door for a while, before turning around and walking back.

'This is your last chance. You hear me? Your last chance! You'd better start talking right now!' she threatened.

The man was torn as to whether he should give them what they wanted or stay silent and risk his family's lives. A mental war was waging inside him. They were innocent, they had done nothing to deserve this. He would never put them in danger. Eventually, he begrudgingly decided to surrender.

'What do you want to know?,' he asked in defeat.

Ines' mouth twitched in satisfaction. Things were going exactly as she wanted them. She stood in front of him and started interrogating him.

'The letters are yours, right? What is the meaning behind them?'

'They record any trade of weapons in and out of the city. We used code names to avoid being identified, if caught,' he said through his teeth. 'Everything was going smoothly for the last months we've been trading, until you showed up and ruined our honest business.'

'Yeah, sorry for that,' she said rolling her eyes. 'Tell me about the weapon. Where and by who was it forged?'

'Our role was merely to transport and sell this kind of weapons in the black market. We never knew where they came from.'

'So how did they end up in your hands?'

'They were just handed over to us every full moon. Are we done now?'

'No, we're not! What did you gain from all of this?'

'But, of course, money!' he said matter-of-factly.

She ignored the provoking tone of his voice and focused her attention on getting as much information as possible.

'Who is behind all this? Who gave you the orders?'

'I have no idea!'

'You seriously want me to believe you?' Ines snorted.

'We never met their leader. Our orders were passed through others.'

'Who are they, then?'

'They wore black clothes and masks, so that we wouldn't recognise them.'

'Do you know what their goal was?'

'No. We didn't ask many questions because the deal was already risky. The less we knew, the safer we thought it would be.'

'People have gone missing in the area we found you yesterday. Is that a part of your doing?'

'Afraid not. We only traded weapons. We were not interested in participating in the slaves' market. That industry is reported to not be as profitable as it used to be, and we are businessmen after all.'

Ines gave him a dirty look, like a mother gives to her child when they refuse to acknowledge that taking an apple from the grocery without asking is still a theft.

'That is all for now. Bear in mind that we will verify what you shared today. I'm done.'

Ines turns to leave, but the man clearly hadn't finished.

'One more thing before you take your leave...'

'What, now?' she asked exasperated.

'I'm sure that after all this you will sit your pretty asses around a big table and boast about your superiority against us, but the clock ticks on. People go missing, at night darkness comes even faster. There are forces beyond your comprehension, lying in wait. They will test every one of you and nothing will be able to protect you. Prepare for the worst.'

'Thanks for the heads-up, I guess,' she answered without paying much attention to his warnings and exited the cell.

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A/N:  If you liked reading this chapter, consider giving it a vote and comment. As always, thank you dear reader.

Phrase of chapter: χρήσιμ' εἴδώς οὐχ ὁ πολλά εἴδώς σοφός / a wise person is one who knows useful things, not many   - Aeschylus