Nikolai strode through the dark hallways of the prison. Located under the guard quarters, the place reeked of depression and agony. During the war, innumerable interrogations were carried out in these rooms. Whether it was the Vilinians during their occupation or the Ministry of War when the town became a staging point before the attack on Sieradz, the number of deaths was uncountable. Stories of the cartloads of bodies tossed from the ramparts into the bay still made their rounds among the elders of Konstanz.Nikolai had made an effort to improve the places reputation, not because he feared a dark reputation, that was a ship which had long since sailed but if criminals feared the prisons more than death, they would go out fighting. Too many deaths in the guard could be attributed to terrified gang members who just wanted to stay out of prison and the a.s.sociated horrors. With his magic as a guide, Nikolai swept the place of ominous stains of blood, carrion, rodents and even the odd bone here and there. He"d even taken it a step further, installing functional drains to take waste into the towns main sewer line. His Master explained many times how the spread of disease and illness through terrible conditions like this led to epidemics. It was unconscionable to leave a cesspool of illness like this in a place so close to the guard.
Even though the rooms were cleaner and the terrifying implements of torture melted into farming implements, there was no way to bring decent lighting to these corridors. He already haemorrhaged funds to a dozen different projects so, as long as the prisoners didn"t catch random plagues, Nikolai didn"t bother to make any attempts in improving the supply of tallow and oil. Those were expensive this far west.
Konstanz was currently a mess. Two districts lay shattered and the death toll updated every moment as people succ.u.mbed to injuries or rescue efforts found bodies amidst the rubble. Nikolai had declared the opening of his coffers for all the bereaved and a separate fund for rebuilding efforts. The response had been less than enthusiastic, the only saving grace being the horror the townspeople felt for the presence of slavers and Demons. The Dragon Lords sulked, claiming the Khan left them out of the battle and he placated them with a speech declaring his intent to lead them in a hunt for his enemies. Their cheers shook the town and Nikolai smiled weakly at their enthusiasm.
Finding his enemies suddenly became the number one priority.
He"d kept Elya in a magically induced sleep, fearing the woman would charge headlong into the problems and exacerbate her injuries. Lacking her presence, Nikolai became sullen, snapping at the bearers of bad news and remaining surly during meetings. Eventually frustrated by his att.i.tude, his mother cleared a small room near Elya"s for him to work from and he"d taken to spending every free moment in her room, even sleeping on the chair, set up to the side of the bed to keep watch on his patient. Patient and fiancée.
Every time he remembered the fragile woman he"d lifted from the broken street she lay in, anger and frustration would surge within. His father took to calming him down and keeping an eye on the law enforcement efforts, making sure that no excesses were perpetrated by Nikolai in his anger.
He hopped down stairs and stepped through a series of magical locks, entering the true depths of the prison where few were allowed, the guards who accompanied him left to guard the entrance as added security. There was no harm in taking extra precautions.
The holding cells in this area were sealed with powerful wards and thick magical woods traded for from the Illyri Sages. In any of these cells, let alone powerful beasts, even the most powerful Mages of the Reclamation could be sealed within.
Supposedly.
None of the Archmages from the Reclamation had walked the world in thousands of years but the tests on these rooms had proved they were capable of resisting a lot of damage and magic. The closest thing to unbreakable as the Empire had built in the fifteen hundred years of its existence.
The prisoner he was here to meet today was too sensitive to be held in the "regular" cells. They didn"t technically exist. As far as the Empire was concerned. Only Sevens actions during the battle uncovered them and faced with a Hand, their escape and consequent suicide attempts met only failure.
Tugging on a pair of murky gloves, Nikolai slid into one of the rooms, squinting as his eyes adjusting to the suddenly bright light which cascaded from the sconces dotted across the walls. Seven lounged near a table lined with various horrific implements, which Nikolai vaguely recognised from the crash course on interrogation he received at the War College before being dispatched to the Vilinian front.
Trussed up by chains in the centre of the room an una.s.suming middle-aged man dangled limply, veins bulging in his arms at the strain. By Nikolai"s calculations the man would have hung there for almost two days now, yet his eyes remained clear, if shrouded in pain, gauging the new threat which entered the room.
"So how has our new friend been behaving Seven?" Nikolai smirked and strolled deeper into the room hands clasped behind him, affecting a smug posture. He was well known and people would make a.s.sumptions as to his behaviour. It was simpler to act like they predicted to make them complacent and strike when they least expected.
It was also fun to gloat.
Seven signed his humour at the situation, pointing out how ridiculous this manufactured scene was. Nikolai dispatched Seven to keep a close watch on the Silver Serpents before the battle and once fighting had broken out the Hand had struck swiftly capturing the gang leader and his deputy in short order. He"d been surprised by the man who appeared to stop him though and recognised him as an Enforcer for House Demidov. The skills and abilities were a dead give away according to Seven even if Nikolai couldn"t tell the difference. Realising the possibilities the Hand acted quickly and subdued the Enforcer, bringing a grand total of three special prisoners into Nikolai"s tower. The gang members were quickly remanded into the guards custody but the Enforcer spelled disaster in the making and Nikolai sealed him in this room personally while the man remained unconscious.
"Excellent news!" Nikolai beamed at the prisoner, pretending Seven"s signals indicated something deeper than the admonishments they were. The man struggled against his bonds for a moment, standing upright and glaring at them, red eyes burning in rage.
"So are you ready to talk?" Nikolai circled the prisoner taking his time yet maintaining some distance. Even tied up an Enforcer was dangerous, it was only the man"s misfortune to face a Hand otherwise Nikolai would remain in the dark. The prisoner screamed, or tried to, his chains lighting up with a grim purple light, suppressing the mans voice.
Nikolai clicked his tongue in disappointment and shook his head. "You should already know that if you raise your voice, you"ll be suppressed. Let"s all behave as the civilised people we are."
"You won"t get anything from me monster." The man rasped.
"Well I wouldn"t expect anything less from an Enforcer from House Demidov. Don"t look so surprised. Do you think the Emperor is blind to your actions?" Nikolai searched the man"s features for any changes in expression but he"d only twitched a little at the mention of House Demidov so Nikolai probed further. "The Son of Heaven lets your House carry out its reprehensible training program simply because he doesn"t care. You couldn"t even scratch his Hand."
Seven mimed laughter and gestured rudely, a signal that needed no translation. The man hung his head at the words, the sting of failure sapping what little strength he reserved.
"Let"s just skip all the foolish insults and anger. You"re not getting out of here." Slumping further, the prisoner hung his head in abject sorrow. There was no hope of escape from this prison and they all knew it but saying it aloud shattered even the tiniest expectations he buried within. The truth hurt after all. "Except for some of the upper echelon of House Demidov, no one even knows you"re in Konstanz. Even if they figured out you were held captive and not killed outright, no one can enter this prison without my knowledge. There are few who would make the attempt under the eye of a Master Mage."
"Kill me and be done with it. Torture won"t work."
"I"m aware of your training techniques and you"re probably right." Nikolai waved at the torture implements, ominous malicious devices each more terrifying than the last. "But a Hand may know a few tricks which could get past your defences."
The man flinched at the sight of Seven twirling a wicked looking corkscrew with a dark smirk. Even Nikolai felt a moment of terror at the scene despite knowing it was all an act. Averting his eyes, the prisoner glared at Nikolai.
"No need to look so insulted. While I could hand you over to the very capable hands of Seven, I think you"ve missed the point." Scratching his cheek Nikolai waved with his other hand, dismissing the man"s a.s.sumptions. "I"m a Master Mage. I can cause you pain in ways that you can"t even imagine."
The prisoner didn"t seem to hear him, his eyes locked onto Nikolai"s hand. Specifically the glove which he now wore.
Nikolai grinned and pretended to glance at the glove. A dark vortex spun angrily across its surface, struggling to get out.
"Oh. You recognise your companion. Warp-lichs are notoriously poor at making friends I"ve heard but you seem to have gotten along quite well with it." That was a bare-faced lie. He had no idea of their relationship but anyone capable of putting up with one of these things either had a strong stomach or required some boon of it.
"What did you do to it?" the prisoner couldn"t tear his gaze away, fear settling on his face.
"Just a soul binding." No such thing existed, it was more like a seal but using the word soul terrified people in general. "I can add you to it as well if you like?"
"No!"
"Are you sure? It wouldn"t take much effort and if you don"t share what you know I"m sure your soul can nourish it until I can hand it over to the Avarian Council." He wasn"t sure if the warp-lich subsisted on souls like a true Demon but he really would hand the cursed being over to the Avarians. They payed the most for Dark creatures like this and their containment facilities were the best in the known world.
"No. Please don"t put me in with that thing!" The man"s chest heaved raggedly. Demonic ent.i.ties did that. As far as these people were concerned it was one thing to make deals and sacrifice others but strangely those who dealt with Demons had the least desire to imbibe Demonic powers or essence. Seeing the effects of Demonic corruption up close meant you"d have to be an idiot to do the same to yourself.
"Then tell me what I want to know!" Nikolai loomed over the prisoner, eyes filled with deep dark flames.
"I… can"t!" Sweat poured from the prisoner and he struggled against his bonds.
"Let me show you what your new home would be." Nikolai gently placed his gloved hand on the man"s head and released the prepared spell connecting the prisoner"s mind with pre-selected memories of the warp-lich. The prisoner convulsed, face draining of all colour as he experienced the horrors and ancient chasm of being that was a warp-lich. No human mind could face it and even Nikolai had picked the memories by skirting around their edges. Experiencing a memory didn"t take too long, and the prisoner gazed wide eyed into the distance, body shaking at the sensations.
"Will you talk now?" Nikolai whispered.
"Yes… I"ll tell you."
Smiling, Nikolai reached out with his other glove and released the spell he"d bound to it.
"Wha…?" The man"s eyes glazed over as the magic took hold, weakening his will and making him pliable.
Interrogation was an art. One he was poor at so he used magic instead. This spell required the subject to be off balance and shocked enough for it to work. His entire act led to this moment.
"Who sent you?" Nikolai asked.
"d.u.c.h.ess Larissa."
"The second daughter of Grand Duke Demidov?"
"Yes."
"Why does she have the ability to order you?"
"She"s in charge."
"In charge of what?"
"The Enforcers."
That was surprising. Known for being an eccentric party goer Larissa Demidov spent more time in brothels among a group of like-minded brain-dead Ladies. Being the leader of an elite force was out of character.
"What were your orders?"
"a.s.sist the Silver Serpents in causing havoc and finding ways to stop the marriage."
"Why do you need to stop the marriage?"
"An alliance between House Suzdal and you would be detrimental to the Grand Duke"s objectives in the newly conquered territories."
"What objectives?"
"Don"t know."
Nikolai tapped his lips in thought. Influencing the situation around the new princ.i.p.ality didn"t seem to be a good enough reason to anger the Suzdal"s or himself.
"Do your orders include dealing with the Vezani slave traders?"
"No."
"Is anyone in House Demidov involved in the slave trade?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
The prisoner rattled off a list of low level functionaries and members of the branch families. Nothing which could be used to really shake the Demidov"s power base. At most it would be a scandal and they"d draw ire from the people for some time but if he was a betting man Nikolai would wager the Demidov"s quickly distancing themselves from those involved.
"Are the Demidov"s involved with Dark Magic?"
"No."
"Who summoned the Demons among the Silver Serpents?"
"The deputy leader convinced the leader and they"re both involved."
"Was there any outside influence which brought Dark Magic into the gang?"
"No."
Deeper questioning revealed the fallacy in that negation. The Enforcer joined the Silver Serpents long after their involvement in Demon summoning began. It bore careful scrutiny in the future. If any of the strange Demonic cults was on the move, things could deteriorate rapidly and the battle along the docks would seem like a scuffle between children. Despite the threat Nikolai was most interested in something else.
"Who was the target?" He asked, eyes blazing in intensity.
"What target?"
"The a.s.sa.s.sination attempt with Shades. Who was the target?"
"I don"t know."
Nikolai frowned, something wasn"t adding up.
"Did you or anyone among your a.s.sociates issue an order or have any knowledge of an attempt on me or my fiancée using Shades?" The problem with this spell was the need for accuracy. It only made people answer questions without hiding things. Unfortunately the questioner had to be specific to gain appropriate answers.
"No."
"Well that"s a bust. Do you have anything to ask?" He turned to Seven, leaving it to the Hand now that his major concerns were dealt with. Seven gestured and Nikolai spoke out loud.
"Does the Grand Duke want to rebel?"
"No."
"Are there any signs of rebellion among House Demidov?"
"No."
"What is the Grand Duke"s att.i.tude towards the Emperor?" Nikolai added that question himself, sure the Hand wouldn"t bother, only being interested in direct threats and not potential ones.
"He"s terrified and full of resentment."
"How do you know?"
"d.u.c.h.ess Larissa complained about how the old man is too afraid to make any moves in the open after two of his sons fell in the Purges."
So it was internal politics as far as House Demidov was concerned. Nothing which could harm the Empire directly at least. The blowback from their involvement in Dark Magic and the slave trade would keep them quiet until the waves settled. They continued questioning the prisoner until they ran out of ideas.
"Take him to the Capital then. The spell will last another four days approximately so the Ministry of Interior can dig into what he knows." Nikolai sighed in disappointment. He"d expected more but all he learned was that more factions than anyone realised lurked within the town.
Seven nodded and moved to untie the prisoner for transport.
Nikolai"s thoughts churned at the revelations, only giving him more questions. The biggest problem was the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt. No new leads had turned up, and it meant that both random Mages who controlled Shades and Dark Magic pract.i.tioners targeted him.
For separate yet equally unfathomable reasons.
Shaking his head to remove the thoughts, Nikolai reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope which held an invitation. Natalia Suzdal requested his presence for tea this evening. That was even scarier than Demons, meeting with his in-laws. Checking his clothing, which Chen had picked, Nikolai tried to loosen the tight cravat. His throat felt tighter the closer it came to the meeting.
Exiting the prison, Nikolai tried to come up with a way to apologise for putting his fiancée on bed-rest after getting her smashed by a giant Demonic snake.
"Wait… how come I have to apologise for Demons?" gazing at the wispy clouds and contemplating the absurdity of it all, Nikolai continued to grumble, ignoring the surprised glances of the bodyguards who returned to his side.