"Stupid boy," snarled Hanif, watching him on the floor. "Did you think I wouldn"t be prepared for your rescue attempt? Did you not think you were being watched from the moment you stepped on my property?"Hanif pointed to the corner of the room, and Stephen"s eyes followed. A camera, mounted in the corner, stared back at him. "I have this house wired up like a downtown bank. Nothing escapes my eyes here! Although," his grimace turned into a malicious grin, "I am surprised you made it past the trip wire."
Stephen managed to get back up on his own two feet, using the bat to help stabilize his legs, and push himself up. Hanif was watching him with calculated risk, trying to judge the young man"s actions before they even happened.
"I"m here to offer you a trade," coughed Stephen, looking back at the warden.
Hanif frowned, "A trade? What possible trade could you offer me?"
"Me for her. Take me instead. Just let her go and I"ll go with you willingly. Whatever you need to do."
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Hanif began to laugh, as if having heard the ultimate joke. "You really are a stupid one, aren"t you, boy? Why would I take you? You"re entirely human, like myself. My Order seeks to destroy magic, you fool. Your life is worth nothing to me."
Stephen removed the portal from his pocket, producing it in his free hand. "What about the portal then? It has magic of it"s own? A trade for this? Then you can still say you destroyed magic while letting her go." It was a weak bargain, but it was all he had to offer.
"The portal will have to be destroyed as well," said Hanif, looking at the ordinary puzzle box in his hands. "But you do not get to choose who walks away from this house. This is my domain, and my mission, and I will let no one interfere with my task!" Hanif produced his knife, which had been buckled against his waist. He held it aloft to Stephen in a threatening manner.
"Which is it going to be, boy? Your life or your death?"
Stephen gulped. His knife looked particularly nasty. His mind briefly drifted to the scene from yesterday, when he had threatened to stab the man from the car accident. Yet, despite his intense fear of the powerful warden, Stephen was ready to offer his life for Grace"s. In the end, that simple choice won out over every other possible rationalization. He loved Grace too much to back out now.
He shook his head from side to side, a silent announcement of his intention to fight.