Page 87 of Storms & Sacrifice
As the group closes in and my hope fades, all I can think about is what exactly he means by “necessary.”
Chapter 18
“Where are they?” Councilman Murbank asksmecalmly.
“Have you checked all the bathrooms in your house?” I sneerup at him.
“Again,” he tells the orc standing next to me.
I try to brace for the incoming blow, but that’s hard to do when your hands are tied behind your back. I cry out as the fist connects with my stomach and the wind is knocked out of me, another orc behind me holding me in place on my knees to make sure I don’t move far. I think I taste blood inmy mouth.
“Your turn.” Murbank walks a few steps to Khazak, who is kneeling next to me.
“Your mother’s...bedroom,” he wheezes out, and I snort a laugh at his joke, even as he takes another punch for it.
He’s asked us both at least a dozen times now, and I’m starting to run out of funny answers. After trapping us in the hall outside, we learned that our hooded friends here were more than a little surprised to see us because apparently I amnotthe avakesh they are looking for. They’re after Ragnar and Nylan for some reason, and they’ve been interrogating us for the last ten minutes to find out where they went. There’s at least two dozen people in robes here, all orcs, men and women. I recognize more than a few faces, no one Ireallyknow, but rangers and officers Khazak and I worked with nonetheless.
“This is growingverytiresome, gentlemen,” Murbank complains as he saunters back in front of me. “If you just tell me where they are, I can stop allof this.”
“Yeah, I know how torture works, asshol—Oooof!” I double over after he kicks me inthe belly.
“Now, I will ask you again: whereare they?”
“What about the barn you met your wife in?” I don’t even see the fist flying toward me before it connects with my head.Definitely taste blood now. I think he knocked a tooth loose.Worth it.
When the ringing in my ears stops (other than the one coming from the pedestal), I hear footsteps down the hallbehind us.
“Sir, we have searched the entire area and can find no sign of them.” It’s Deputy Captain Keenguard—Ragnar was right about her. “Do you want us to trythe city?”
“No, they have to be out there somewhere,” Murbank responds angrily. “Were any of the other captives forthcoming?”
“No, they only know that the captain and human were filling in for them for the night, not where they went.” As she talks, there’s more shuffling behind me, and I watch as Glasha, Ranger Hazatin, and Officer Stonearm are brought in by more orcs in robes. Glasha is forced to her knees next to Khazak and me, but Hazatin and Stonearm are just dumped on the floor. I can’t tell, but I hope they’re not dead, just unconscious, poison no doubt coursing through their bodies. I’m surprised Khazak is still able to speak at all.
“Where’s everyone else?” I demand, thinking about Orim and Wu’dag and anyone else they’veattacked.
I get a slap across the face in response. “You are not the one asking questions here.Whereare they?”
“Are yousureyou looked in all your bathOOOFFF.” I take another fist to the stomach, and as I’m bent over in pain, something in me finally snaps, and I let out a laugh.
“I am losing my patience with these games, human.” Murbank paces before stopping in front of me again. “The longer you draw this out, the more I will have tohurt you.”
“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll tell you. C’mere.” I speak low, encouraging Murbank to lean in close, just a little. “They’re right behind you,” I whisper, before I start to laugh again, not stopping even when I take another punch to the jaw.At least he can’t hit as hard.
“Are preparationsstillnot finished? We do not have all night!” a new voice criticizes the man in front of me. A voice I know. I swing my head around to see someone else in robes enteringthe room.
“I am afraid we ran into a problem when our targets left camp early,” Murbank explains, cleaning some of my blood from his hand with a handkerchief. “We have captured their replacements, but they will not tell us where they have gone.”
“You are never going to get anywhere with that one, not like that,” the figure pulls his hood back to reveal the dark red hair of Advocate Naruk Redwish.
“You havegotto be fucking kidding.” I start to laugh again, sounding even more unhinged. Ofcourse,this asshole has a part in this.
“You two know each other?” Murbank looks between thetwo of us.
“Know each other? I wouldn’t evenbehere right now if it weren’t for this asshole.” My words immediately make Murbank eye Redwish suspiciously.
“Is that true?” It seems like these two already might not trust each other all that much, which gives me an idea.
“Hardly, I represented him and his friends after they—”
