Chapter 10

The first building that drew Abel's attention was a rustic tavern. It wasn't extremely large, but a steady stream of people flowed in and out of its swinging doors. With a determined expression, Abel headed that way, subtly slipping inside and doing his best to blend in among the patrons. Taking a seat at the bar, he scanned the tables that were clustered inside the small room for anyone that looked of interest.

"Haven't seen you here before," a voice startled Abel out of his concentration, and he turned to see the barkeeper staring at him with curiosity. "The name's Telemachus, but everyone calls me Tel. You new in town?" His demeanor was friendly and welcoming; his eyes were full of youth even as grey hairs poked through his head and chin.

"Just passing through," Abel responded simply.

"Ah," the bartender nodded, then gave a short, dry laugh. "You sure picked a bad time to come through these parts."

"Oh?" The green-haired man's eyes sparked with interest. "Why's that?"

Tel gave a shifty glance around, as if to make sure no one else was listening. "You seen those four towers outside of town?" Thinking about it for a moment, Abel had seen the peaks of some kind of fort just before he and the others had reached the town; he hadn't thought much of them at the time, but he nodded to let the man know to continue.

"People 'round here call it the 'Hell Hole'. Every once in a while this big pack o' guys comes barreling out to attack whatever poor soul is unfortunate enough to be closest to 'em." Tel shook his head and made a 'tsk' sound with his teeth. "Some poor sucker got pulled in about a week ago. No idea who he is, probably just a traveler like yourself."

Abel's heart pounded and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm and not sound too eager. "My, er, traveling partner, went missing about a week ago." His eyes studied the bartender for any reactions. "Do you know what happens in that tower?"

Narrowing his eyes, Tel rubbed on his greying beard thoughtfully. "Suppose I never thought about it," he admitted. "No one that's gone missin' has come back though, so I can't say it's anythin' good. Shame about your buddy, though." Pausing for a moment, as if he was considering whether or not to say something, the bartender leaned in towards Abel. "Tell you what though," he said in a lowered voice. "There's a fellow in this village, yeah? His sister got taken to that place 'bout 5 years ago. He's been posing as a guard there ever since, trying to get the lass out. He comes back every day 'round this time, and he'd know a lot more than me if you want to ask 'im."

Abel thanked the kind bartender for the information. A few minutes later, the door to the tavern swung open and a large man in a dirty guard's uniform stepped inside. He swaggered over to the bar, heaving a sigh as he ripped off his boots and placed him next to the seat that he plopped in to. "Hey, Tel!" He had a loud voice, but it wasn't unfriendly. He ran a hand through his dark purple hair, pushing it back and out of his face.

"Welcome back, Kel," the bartender spoke in a casual tone as he waved. "The usual?"

The 'guard' grinned. "You know it."

Tel twisted a couple nozzles on the kegs behind him, mixing up the juices and alcohol in a strange mix. Sloshing it around a bit, he swung the finished drink up on the top of the bar within the guard's reach. He waved his hand, gesturing for Abel to come over and join them.

Abel got to his feet immediately and moved a couple seats down to be next to the strange fake guard. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion, but his instincts wanted to trust this man. "You're a guard in those towers?" He questioned.

"Uh, yeah," The man answered, not understanding the point of Abel's question. "The name's Kelgar, or just Kel."

Kel and Tel? Abel thought with a hint of amusement.

"Yo, Kel, any luck on your sister?" The bartender seemed genuinely interested as he lazily ran a cloth over a dirty glass to clean it.

Taking a swig from his cup, Kel shook his head. "Not yet. They don't trust any of us guards to be on duty alone so it's always a big group, and there's no way I'm sneaking her out with all those people watching. Hell, I barely even get to see her anymore." He shook his head in annoyance. "What a bunch of morons. I just had to stop some dumbass from beating one of the new prisoners to death."

Abel paled; was the prisoner Cain after all? If so, what on earth were they doing to him? Tel leaned over the counter, motioning to Abel. "This guy says his friend's gone missing 'bout a week ago. He's uh," the bartender hesitated. "What was your name again, lad?"

Swallowing hard, the green-haired cavalier frowned. "It's Abel," he said, but his attention was focused on Kel, and his green eyes narrowed.

Noticing the reaction, Kel stared back at him questioningly. "You know the guy? Strongly built, red hair? He's a real tough bastard, never spilled a word of information."

Abel's heart pounded loudly in his head. That description fit Cain. Still, if it were true, what could be done? From the sounds of it, the towers were crawling with guards, and even if Kel could be trusted, there wasn't much he could do. Abel clenched his hands into fists, frustrated.

Kel frowned. "If you want to get him out, you'd better hurry," he advised, taking another sip of his drink. "They've just about pressed the poor guy to the limit, and they don't like keeping people in that place needlessly, ya know?" Feeling a bit sympathetic, Kel set his half-finished drink down. "Look buddy, I've been trying to sneak my sister out for years. If you can come up with a way to get both of 'em out, I'm help however I can."

"I'll find a way to get him out," Abel responded without hesitation. "Your sister, too. Do you have a map of the place?"

Nodding, Kel pulled out a crinkled piece of paper from one of his pockets. "I've been there for so long I don't really need this anymore, so here ya go." He slid it across the counter towards Abel, who immediately picked it up and began to study it. Kel watched him for a moment before turning his glass over and downing the rest of the drink in one gulp. "If you've got any more questions, kid, you better ask them now." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I've just got a short break today, and the other guards will be wondering where I am by now."

Abel clutched the map in his hands, his face hard with concentration. "I'll… find a way," he repeated again, his voice low as if he was murmuring to himself and not to Kel.

The guard nodded. He laid a couple coins on the bar's counter and said his goodbyes to Abel and Tel. Getting up from his seat, he stretched, before taking long strides towards the exit. He pushed the door open and took a few steps towards path to the towers.

"Kel!"

He turned around as his name was called, and he saw Abel bursting out from the tavern entrance and jog up to him.

The green-haired man's face hadn't changed from its hard expression. "Could you do me a favor?"

"What do you need?"

The ghost of a smile pricked at the corners of Abel's mouth, and his green eyes shone with fiery determination.

"Tell Cain I'll see him soon."