"My Lord…" The two words came out in a hushed exhale that took the wind right out of the man's sails.

The single guard dressed in chain mail on the other side of the large metal door wore a stunned expression as he gazed at the black clad figure sitting on a big gelding in front of him. He was a tall and sturdy fellow but Bokeh didn't recognize the man or any of the other men further behind him as was becoming the norm for every subsequent visit back to this place. He had rarely kept up with the weekly reports sent to him in Arcadia and he noticed with a sturdy gaze through his thin black metal mask that much of the area had changed since he had come here last. For one, if the loud and numerous amount of voices coming from the other side of the wall in the direction of the barracks was any indication, his commander had done well with his task of recruiting and training men to join the ranks of Bokeh's own personal army. There were also many buildings he didn't recognize springing up or already finished that he could spot through the metal grate in the brick wall. That was also a recent addition. It seemed as though Kent had taken liberties with his given position. A brand new large dark gray wall, standing ten feet tall, was enclosing the much older wall and giving protection to the new large expanse of land that was now being thoroughly put to use.

When had he last visited? "Half a year? More… Too long…" he mused in his head. Bokeh didn't speak but his eyes narrowed behind the black mask before his gaze fell upon the nervous man on the other side of the gate. The effect was instantaneous. The guard shifted awkwardly, his rawhide buckler on his back making a slight scraping noise as it touched the hilt of the solitary short sword hanging at his waist. The guard cleared his throat and wiped at his brow with a stiff jerk.

"Erm… My Lord…" His voice regained its composure fairly quickly as he desperately tried to stand straighter at attention all the while opening the gate with shaky hands. It was a normal reaction from most men who had never laid eyes on the questioner before. Outside a few select areas, his name was usually spoken in whispers by mouth of the underground, telling tales of his standing at the right side of the High Lord Prescott as well as his… particular set of skills. Nobody liked questioners and he was so far in a league above those that sight of him tended to make the most courageous men step very gingerly in his presence. "I wasn't aware you were coming back so soon. Commander Kent told us at least a month gone that you were still in Beorf. He sounded as if you'd be there a long time on the High Lord's order. Did everything go well?"

The name of the damned city made Bokeh's blood boil and he dismounted and pushed the metal door in violently. It swung and slammed against the inside of the brick wall, narrowly avoiding the guard who stepped back with a yelp. That city. He cursed its name every day and hoped against all odds that one day he could come back to it and burn it down to ashes. The population included. He felt the ever familiar rage take him as it was so quick to do nowadays.

"And you are to be told of my comings and goings?" The words slipping from his mouth were bitter and dry. Anger shone bright in his tall posture and hard voice. The week long ride here from Arcadia had done nothing but sour his mood further and he tightened his fists at his sides to avoid impulsively reaching for the daggers hanging in their sheathes at his hip. He really wanted to use them right this moment. "Am I to send word ahead of my every movement like some retched seeker? Am I to report to you personally?" He stepped ahead and the guard backed and tripped to the ground. His face showed off the terror he most certainly felt.

"No! No! Of course not my Lord… I was…"

"Don't call me that! I'm no sniveling lordling!" He pointed a finger at the scrambling man who was shuffling back without bothering to stand. It only further enhanced the man's fear. Bokeh felt a stirring at the sight and he smiled behind his mask. The feeling of being able to reduce anyone to a state like this with mere words was nothing if not overwhelmingly exhilarating. Giving in to the feeling, he stepped forward once more, noticing the few closer guards that had come running at the commotion. None tried to step in however, they clearly recognized him for who he was and stood far back in absolute silence. "What kind of useless guard are you? Letting me in without trouble. I could have been an enemy under this mask!" Bokeh tilted his head to the side slightly. His every feature except his eyes hidden behind the cool metal that obscured his face. "Kent! Where is he?!"

"I… I don't know…" Bokeh didn't move but the man flinched as if stuck. "I swear it my L… I swear it!" Bokeh scoffed and stared up at the ten or so men surrounding the area uneasily. None spoke and all looked as if they wished they could crawl into the earth and be swallowed whole. He rested his hand on the onyx hilted dagger on his left hip and glared at them.

"Mark! Stop it this instant! Did you wake with a burr in your undergarments this morning? I won't have you scaring my men without cause!" A strong, deep voice caught his attention. Bokeh turned his head and peered at a large silhouette that was hurriedly stepping towards him. Commander Kent was a thick burly man with the arms of a blacksmith and a heavy, two handed warhammer hanging in a loop on his belt. His unkempt beard and the scar above his left eye gave him a look of someone who you did not pick fights with. That wasn't all in his appearance though, the way he walked and held himself spoke of decades spent as a warrior. He was taking deep breaths, someone must've sent for him and he had clearly ran all the way to the gate from the main manor without wasting a step.

"Your men?" Bokeh met the man halfway. Already forgetting the guard who was now scrambling to his feet and practically running towards the barracks. "These are my private estates Kent. These are my men." Kent sneered derisively.

"I can count on one hand the amount of time you've come to your estates in the last two years Mark. These are your men in name only and I won't have you treating them like dogs." The voice of the huge man didn't waver as he stared into the eye slits of the metal mask.

It was one of the many traits that Bokeh admired in the man. Kent was part of a very exclusive group of people who didn't get intimidated by the questioner and was one of the even fewer that Bokeh allowed to use his real name. The man had earned the right way back when they had served a decade and a half together in various armies, fighting in multiple wars and skirmishes. That had been before Bokeh had left to make his name and come to stand in the High Lord's shadow. When he had finally run into him almost twelve years later after gaining his reputation, Bokeh had offered Kent the position of steward of his estates and military commander in an instant. The man had yet to disappoint in the five years of service since that day of reunion.

"Now. Are you going to tell me what this is all about? Showing up without warning? Last I heard by seeker, you were in Arcadia after the fallout in Beorf. I didn't expect you back here for months yet." There was no condescending tone in the man's words as he brought up Bokeh's failure. They were simply told, as if from one soldier to another.

"You heard about that?" The questioner gritted his teeth and scowled. Kent nodded.

"I didn't tell the men. Not something I want spreading but yes… I heard of it."

"The manor. Now." Kent nodded once more as if he had expected no less and the two men started towards the center of the very large estate. They passed dozens of buildings in the middle of construction, his estates really had grown since he had last come here. His mind went to his crossbow and tools wrapped up in his pack saddle that he had left behind but it was dismissed as quickly as it had come. Bokeh would give no second thought to his mount of the retainers that had accompanied him here from Beorf. The guards would handle his belongings and his gelding with the respect they deserved and if they couldn't, he would string them up by the neck.

The walk to the second older brick wall wasn't unpleasantly long. It was spent in comfortable silence and the two guards didn't hesitate in opening the gate quickly at the sight of the questioner and their commander striding purposely towards the manor. The manor was old and unnecessarily glamorous in Bokeh's opinion. He didn't care much for frivolous things. All he needed was a bed, his weapons and his tools. Everything else was a distraction. The hallway they took turned right and Kent reached for the handle on the second to last door. It was the study or at least, it had been. When the burly man opened the door to step in, Bokeh couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of bookshelves and other items that had previously been scattered around. The only thing in the room now was a very large rectangular table with a large map, report papers and notes of various importance. Bokeh didn't bother looking at any of them, he simply shrugged off his black hooded cloak and slipped his fingers along the bottom of his metal mask before pulling it off his face. Kent's expression didn't change in the slightest, the man may as well had been carved from stone.

"What have you heard exactly? Spare no detail." The commander didn't. Kent recited the information he'd received from seekers in brief but accurate sentences that covered almost everything that had happened in the blasted city. The commander's fingers traced the intricately carved fox head on the side of his warhammer as he spoke.

"…eard you went to Arcadia. That's when the reports stopped coming in. I assumed you were to face the High Lord's judgement."

"Prescott!" The name was spat out of the questioner's mouth. "He pinned it all on me! The general's death, the rebellion in the city, the escape of those miscreants! Lord Kessal was the one who screwed up. He was the one who let that bloody hunter get her hands on my prisoner! He was the one who got himself killed at Kate Marsh's hands! And Prescott blamed me!" The name of the woman he had been so close to breaking down stung harder of anger than anything else. She had been his. His pet to break down and forge anew in whatever image he chose. And she had escaped.

"She's coming for you Mark. I saw her. The blonde woman with the scars over her face. She's become quite a fighter… You'd best be on your guard. I'd hate for something to happen to you."

Those words spoken by the Raven Knight thrummed in his head. She was coming for him? He would have her screaming and begging for him to kill her when he finally laid his hands on her once more. They all would. But her above all others. She would be his pet once more. Nobody escaped the questioner's knives. Nobody.

"What happened in that meeting?" The words jerked Bokeh from his thoughts and he glared back up towards the commander.

"Prescott exiled me from Arcadia just like he did his son. He told me that he was done with this foolish band of rebels and that if neither of us was competent enough to kill them, then he had no use for us." Bokeh scowled. "He brought the Raven in the room and told us both that he expected one of us to make up for our failures. Whoever can capture or kill the lot of them will be welcomed back to Arcadia with open arms. The other would be forced to serve as nothing more than a puppet lord to govern one of his many cities."

"High stakes." The simple statement was followed by a tightening of the commander's jaw. "What do you plan to do about it?" Bokeh smiled, it was a twisted sadistic thing that showed no amusement.

"I plan on doing just that. I won't give up all that I've achieved and be remembered as nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a lord. No. I will rise back up to my station and become second in line to his empire."

"The Raven Knight won't make this easy."

"Burn the Raven! Nathan is nothing but a temperamental idiot, a hurdle to be leaped over the way to success." Kent frowned and this time his face showed his clear disapproval.

"Do not underestimate him Mark. He is no idiot. I've fought some of his men before… his executioners. They are well trained, maybe even the best soldiers in this country. The worst of them is worth four good soldiers easily and he's no slouch himself. The Raven is a tactical genius even if he's prone to falling to his emotions. I have no doubt he could defeat any opponent on the battlefield if he set his mind to it."

"You doubt me?" It came out accusingly and with barely hidden disgust.

"Of course not man! I am telling you to get your head out of your ass and stop assuming that all this will come as easily as you seem to think! You're reeling from what happened in Beorf and not thinking clearly. Take a breather and collect yourself. Snapping at a guard, threatening your own men, speaking out in anger… This isn't you." Bokeh shut his eyes and didn't speak. He stood in the same position, hands clasped behind his back for ten… for twenty minutes. Kent didn't offer any more words.

"He's right. I'm rattled by the High Lord, by the Raven, by Kate Marsh, by Slither!" The last name touching his thoughts sparked new anger but he suppressed it easily. "I need to approach this clinically, with poise. With a cold, calculating mind."

"I'm done playing by the High Lord's rules." Kent raised an eyebrow at the vague statement uttered from Bokeh's mouth. "I'm taking the Raven Knight down. He's been a pain in my side as long as I can remember. He dies. It's the only way I can assure victory."

"The High Lord has forbidden infighting by his generals. If you kill him…"

"No." Bokeh cut off the commander's words. "Not directly. He can't suspect I was involved."

"Then how? We can't clash armies with him. I'm a good commander, a great one I've been told." Kent didn't say it with even a hint of pride, it was just something he knew. "But he is miles above me in tactical war and his men may be fewer and more spread about, but they will tear through ours as easily as a knife through butter. An assassination won't work. He's proven that he's not above fleeing when he loses the upper hand with that belt of his and he certainly won't let you anywhere near him." Bokeh looked at a plain crossbow hanging on the wall to his left but he shook his head slightly. He knew that if the Raven dropped to a bolt, he would be the prime suspect. There were few that could kill a man at ease from a large distance with a crossbow. It would look bad regardless of if he were the one to actually pull the trigger.

"We use Hev." That got Kent's attention and Bokeh pressed on quickly. "He's in service to the Raven Knight. He can get close to him without raising an alarm. Once he does the deed, if he dies or is captured and put to the question… It will be of no concern to us. He won't crack if placed under the blade, torture won't break him. I know that much from personal experience." It was true. Bokeh had only broken the man to his will after threatening and hiding away the man's wife. Torture had done nothing, he had made the man scream and bleed for months without success until he had captured her. Every man had his weakness and Bokeh had found it for the orange eyed man. She was here actually, many floors down in a dungeon he had built specifically for that purpose. Only the High Lord Prescott knew of his estate so it was the safest place he knew. "It will be untraceable and if he lives, then I get to have my hound back in his proper place by my side." Hev had been given to the Raven Knight against Bokeh's protests. The High Lord had forced him onto his son under the notion that he needed a right hand man that was effective, deadly and above all else, obeyed any command however outrageous they may be. That had stung. Hev had been his hound. It had taken so much time and effort to break him only to lose the man almost immediately after succeeding.

"Hev… He won't turn against the Raven no matter how much he may want to. The High Lord would order his wife's execution for killing his son and he knows it. Hell… I don't see him turning on any of us ever. He'd need a band of the best killers available and assurances of his wife's safety before even entertaining the thought."

"He'll listen and obey as long as it keeps her safe. Remember, I have the only thing he cares about. He'll betray the Raven and risk the High Lord ordering his wife's death if he's one hundred percent certain that she'll die anyways if he doesn't. We just need to make sure he understands that she will die if he doesn't obey."

"If you harm her more than you already have… This could backfire Mark. He might not listen to you. He might come for you himself and he is not a foe I take lightly." Bokeh scoffed at the warning.

"Please. I could tear her limb from limb and he would still obey as long as she still drew breath, no matter the shape she would be in. All he cares for is that she lives. He's easily manipulated that way. His love for her is nothing but an exploitable weakness and I will use it against him."

"That may be… Look, Mark. If you've come to the conclusion that you're no longer willing to play by the High Lord's rules. The Raven Knight is most likely thinking the same."

"Oh. He knows. I saw it in Nathan's eyes before we left Arcadia. We are at war and he knows it. It's only a matter of who will take down their foe first."

"I don't like this."

"It doesn't matter what you like Kent. And anyways, he doesn't know of this place. We can remain hidden and use Hev. I'm telling you, old friend. Our advantage lies with him."

"And what of the rebels?" Bokeh drew in a sharp breath and held it. He squinted and exhaled as he stared at the map on the large table in the middle of the study. He pointed to spot where a red mark circled a large hornet. It was a sigil and it marked the location of one of the few generals left alive.

"They'll be heading towards Lord Ingras next."

"You're sure of this?" There was no hint of doubt in the commander's voice as he posed the question.

"I'm as sure as I can be Kent. They've killed three of us and they attempted to kill the Raven at Fireheart Castle while he was still recovering from earlier wounds." He gritted his teeth. "Bloody shame that they didn't succeed" he added absentmindedly. "But I'm sure Nathan has come to the same conclusion as I have… They are hunting us Kent. They won't go to Arcadia. The capital holds too many of us and is reinforced with garrison after garrison of trained soldiers ready to fight for the High Lord. No… They'll strike at the ones on the outskirts. Kessal, Frederick, Senam, the Raven. All easily accessible when the rebels struck. They don't know where we are and the Raven is back in hiding. It has to be him they'll go after next." Kent nodded deep in thought.

"I agree with your assessment. Do you want to send our men over there to aid Ingras in killing the rebels?"

"No." Bokeh smiled. "No, no, no. We send a quarter of your men… My men. The best we have. We send them over to Lord Ingras and have them wait until they attack him. Let them lop off the general's head first. One less of us to share in the power once the High Lord takes over the country. Once he dies and they lay licking their wounds, we strike. They'll fold easily enough if we take them by surprise.

"One quarter of my men? That's a little over a hundred soldiers Mark. They won't go unnoticed. That many men will announce our presence to every seeker this side of the ocean. No. Send fifty at most. The best I have, I will lead them myself. We separate them in bands of five on the way there and they can meet up together over in the south woods. It's the best position for an ambush and the rebels will come from the east more than likely. Plainclothes too. Armor will be too bulky and will slow us down anyways since we have to travel far to reach the lord's estates and set up an ambush before the rebels get there. Mmmhm… We stick to hardened leather as well, that's our best bet. Light and easily concealed from prying eyes. Fifteen of my men should be archers to make sure we keep Slither, the witch and Kate Marsh at a distance. I'll also bring Hadnar, he's the best bowman we have and the best shot at taking down the Blue Hunter and the Impact. That'll be his only task in this skirmish. We need the Impact to be the first casualty and her to be second. They are the biggest threats on this battlefield. The rest can be ground down given enough time." Bokeh nodded.

"Yes. Much better." He smiled at his longtime friend. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around." Kent chuckled but his face grew serious the instant his mirth died away.

"The Raven will come to the same conclusion we have if he's as aware of the situation as you make him out to be."

"He won't go. He'll be careful of an ambush by my hand just like I won't go for the same reason. No… He'll send his next best men to run the job. And who do you think that is?"

"Hev."

"Hev. He'll send him with executioners over there. They'll do the same as our troops I wager. They'll wait until Lord Ingras goes down and then charge. Nathan will want him dead as much as I do. The rebels will be stuck between our troops afterwards. They'll be the hot metal, crushed between the hammer and the anvil. And since Hev will be there… I can send my message with our troops. Two birds, one stone. We rid ourselves of the rebels, a general and set up our assassin in the Raven's midst." This time, Bokeh's smile widened to a true one. He smiled and laughed as he looked towards his commander. "This… This my friend, is exactly what we needed."

"The message to Hev… It will need to be convincing." Bokeh's smile darkened but showed no less teeth.

"That it will."

The darkness and humidity of the dungeon felt like walking back into his childhood home after a long absence. Bokeh loved that texture to the air, the smell of sweat and grime hanging on the walls and floors. The soft shuffling of skin on brick as the prisoner hears his approach and squares herself up to face whoever was coming. It made him want to smile broadly and so he did. Bokeh reached the heavy metal door and moved his tools under his other arm. They were bundled up tightly. It was of the utmost importance to Bokeh that his tools be cared for like his own child. The door scraped against the brick floor as he removed the key from the lock and pushed with his shoulder. It was a struggle to open it each and every time but it was worth it. Nobody could escape this cell even if they somehow unbound themselves from their long chains attached to the far wall. It also muffled loud noises. Like a person screaming in agony.

Bokeh stepped in and locked eyes with the only other occupant of the cell. She was a tall woman with auburn hair and orange eyes. Not having any exposure to the sun had done little to wear away at the complexion of her skin. Well… the little amount of skin that wasn't completely covered in scar tissue. He had worked her harder under his tools than Hev, a lot harder, and it showed. Where most men and women in similar positions had wasted away in less than a month. This woman had survived and endured for over a year. He had expected her to react, maybe with fear in her eyes or to even recoil or flinch as realization set in but the woman just stared at him with her orange eyes. The faint glow from the oil lamp hanging from the wall gave her eyes a glint much like fire or a hot coal. It certainly matched her personality as far as he remembered.

Bokeh had never come across any, man or woman, who had not broken down to his will. Even Hev had folded once he had found his weakness. But Dana, that woman… She had been as strong as Hev when under the blade and his sharp tools. She had screamed, bled, writhed like any other but every time he stopped, she had looked back to him with defiance. It was a look he had tried so bloody hard to rip away from deep in her eyes. "Burn those orange eyes!" She had no weakness that he had found. He had starved her, isolated her, burned, drowned, beat, sliced… What he had done to her would take hours to recite if not more. He had tried everything and yet she still sat looking back at him, after over half a year of no contact, with that same hatred and defiance. No look of surprise or shock. Just pure, unadulterated defiance. He felt himself grow angry at that look. "Burn her and those blasted eyes."

"Dana. How good to see you again." His words reflected his anger that had flared up at her lack of reaction and the woman smiled. She had caught that little detail. It infuriated him. After all these months of not seeing her, it still stung that she was the one who would not bend to him. "Not yet. She hasn't bent yet" he reminded himself.

"Back so soon after kneeling over and licking the High Lord Prescott's boots? Did he finally grow unsatisfied wit…" The woman's reply cut off as Bokeh placed his tools on the table by the door and swung his fist into her face with as much strength as he could muster.

The resounding crack sounded through the room as her face snapped back violently and slammed into the brick wall behind her. She groaned and lay there for an instant before struggling back up to her knees. Blood leaked from her mouth in a fast stream and her the back of her head had a large gash that was bleeding through her auburn hair. Bokeh was breathing shakily, anger making it difficult to think clearly as he looked at her, fist still extended in the arc it had taken. She locked eyes with him and even though they looked glazed from the hit, they shone strong with defiance. The woman smiled, or at least tried to. Her bleeding mouth made the sight a grisly one. Bokeh turned away and began unfolding the bundle of tools with shaky hands, prompted by the rage at the loss of his composure.

That was why he hated her so much. He loved the feeling of power that came with being a questioner. Having people scream and beg, to ask if there was anything, anything, they could do for him. Destroying their morals, their beliefs, until all that remained was a broken shape that would commit the most heinous acts simply to make the pain stop. And he wouldn't stop there. He would keep going until they believed so deep inside themselves that they wanted to do what he wanted, until it was all they could do. That border where their innocence fell away to reveal what could so easily be shaped and forged to his heart's content. He breathed in and turned back to the smiling woman. "Burn those bloody eyes!"

"Nothing but a hound begging for scraps from his mas…" Her slurred speech from her native land grated at his resolve to hold his composure as much as her words and he once again found himself lashing out. He kicked her in the face, hard. The sole of his boot connected with a nose that had already been broken and reset time and time again with a sickening crunch. She fell back to the floor and Bokeh kicked her in the ribs until she folded over in a curled up ball on the floor. He turned and grabbed the first of his tools, seeing red. He held a long filet knife he had sharpened himself and gotten forged by the best blacksmith he could find in Arcadia. The woman sputtered blood, coughing and holding on to her stomach with pained groans. Her broken nose was leaking blood over her ripped and stained clothing. They were no more than slivered rags at this point but he hadn't given her anything new to wear since she had first been brought into the dungeon. It did a poor job of covering even the slightest bit of scarred flesh.

"A strong message. One he won't mistake as an idle threat…" Bokeh looked at the knife in his hand and turned back to the table. There was a larger cleaver on the table and he frowned at it. "A hand? Almost impossible to identify." He looked back to the woman who was struggling back to her hands and knees once more. "Finger and toes? Not strong enough of a message." He turned back to his tools and walked back over to the table calmly. He placed the knife back on the unrolled cloth before lifting a thinner knife that glinted with the hue of the faint oil lamp. "An ear?" He turned back to the woman who was barely keeping her eyes open. They bored into his own, orange meeting brown. She would not back down from him and cower. No matter what he did to her. "Those bloody eyes…" It made the anger rise up once more and Bokeh turned to pick up the second last of his tools.

He rarely used this one. It was a silver tool with a sturdy handle and an oval disk ending in a razor sharp curve at the top. He walked over to the woman and kneeled in front of her, careless of the blood that seeped into the fabric at his knees. One hand holding her shoulder as she wavered slightly in his sturdy grasp. He put the tool over her left eyebrow and skimmed the flesh with the cool metal until it rested just below her left eye. She didn't flinch or breathe. Then he saw it. That tiny flash of fear. So small, almost impossible to spot and yet so, so sweet. It brought the familiar thrill of power rushing through his body and he shuddered pleasantly. Bokeh smiled, the same smile he always wore when putting people to the question. It was a twisted, animalistic smile. He was going to enjoy this so very, very much.