Nightwatcher

Part 1

Calen had three truths hammered into him since he was a young lad not even tall enough to clamber into his grandma's rocking chair; the first was that you should always be polite to the spirits of the world; the second was that you should never cross the Yanti river to the west no matter how desperate; and the third was that you should never, ever do anything to earn yourself a place in the undercroft beneath Stoneguard Palace. He let out a sigh that disturbed the dust of his cell and tried to smile. He hadn't violated the first truths at least but despite months of careful planning his clan had been caught trying to steal from the royal vault and Calen had been caught. The lone candle lighting the cube of seamless stone started to fade and his smile faded with it. The treason cells were not a place that smiles survived, at least not for very long.

There had been no torture or physical punishment when the guards had caught him although Calen might argue that the constant abrasive pressure of the manacles against his wrists was torturous enough in the cold. Instead they'd placed him inside the cell and left him with a single candle for company and the utter silence of the undercroft pressing in around him. Every day they brought water, food and a fresh candle and then left him to watch the candle in silence until the light faded for the rest of the day and night, not that he could remember the difference between the two any more. He wondered if he might go mad as the glacial tedium of the cell wore away at the edges of his mind but decided that might not be the worst fate inflicted upon him. The worst fate would be to keep his sanity and be aware of every passing minute.

In an effort to distract he let his mind wander to fond memories of the time with his clan. They were a family bond by word and deed if not by blood and although the price had been this cell Calen decided his sacrifice was worth it if it meant his family had escaped. He could imagine Freya and the storm of fury around her as she plotted to pull apart the palace piece by piece. For one glorious moment he allowed himself to dream of the rescue he knew would never come but only for a moment because the cell left no room for false hope. Possible-days drifted into maybe-nights and Calen felt himself drifting to a place where even memories of his clan couldn't find him.

"Thief"

Calen looked up and then had to shut his eyes tight against the light flooding through the open hatch to his cell. His brief glimpse hadn't revealed much save a blurred silhouette with the light blinding him to anything else. He risked another peek through his eyes though he kept them squinted to try and block out the light and could see a figure crouched before him, male if the voice was anything to go by, who seemed to be waiting for a response. He considered trying to frustrate the man with his silence but after shades knew how many days in isolation he realised that he didn't want this figure to go. However, he was not so addled that he was about to admit to treason.

"Not a thief" he slurred

The man tilted his head although the meaning of the gesture was lost to Calen but when he spoke again there was a touch of amusement to his voice.

"Do you have a name not a thief?"

A name which would lead to his blood family and then, if the guards were halfway intelligent, that would lead to his clan. He would have spat if his mouth wasn't sand-dry.

"People call me rabbit on occasion"

This time the guard did not bother to hide his amusement and let out a rolling belly laugh that echoed in the tiny cell.

"You think a rabbit would be harder to chase, harder to catch. I am not much of a hunter Rabbit so we'll skip the wordplay and get to the point. I want the names of the other members of your clan, I believe is the word. Give me those and your punishment will be reduced"