Luke awoke to the sound of someone groaning. At first he couldn't remember where he was. He lifted his head to examine his surroundings.
He had been placed in a small musty cell. A metal ring was clasped around his wrist, chaining him to the cement walls. Bones were scattered here and there throughout the cell. Every few minutes a rat would scurry across the floor.
Through the vertical bars of the cell, Luke could see across a narrow corridor. Another identical cell held a man, curled up on the floor. He held his head, rocking back and forth, groaning.
Luke's own head throbbed. He had been unable to break his fall when he was shot at. He reached out with the force, attempting to numb the pain. But he could sense nothing.
A Ysalamari was near.
Luke lifted his head again. He then sat up and leaned against the wall. The throbbing worsened and Luke let out his own groan.
The man in the opposite cell heard Luke and fell silent. Luke looked across the corridor, his eyes meeting those of the man. The man shook his head slowly, blinking once.
"Even you, a foreigner, will not be spared. Flee while your body is not broken." The man spoke in a raspy voice. Each word seemed like it took an effort to be spoken.
"I too am chained my friend," Luke answered. He saw the aged look in the man's face and eyes.
"They will starve you, give you hardly any water, and then break you, one bone at a time." The man's lips quivered as he spoke.
"It is too late for me. I am to be killed soon. They say that's what I get for siding with their enemy. A year…that's how long it's been. And I'm the only one still alive they say. But I know they lie terrible. I've heard the whispers of passing guards. And now you've been capture. You, an outsider."
Luke strained to hear every word, for the man's voice had drifted off into mere whispers. As the man spoke his eyes lit up.
"When they bring you to him, that is the time. They will not expect you to resist again so soon. I…" The man stopped suddenly. He jerked his head sideways, searching the corridor with bulging eyes.
A door moaned as it was thrown open. The man's face filled with horror and he crept back as far as his chain would let him.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, drawing nearer and nearer. They stopped in front of the man's cell.
Luke could see the back of a large guard. He heard the clink of a key in its lock and the heavy clanging of the bars being slid away from the entrance. The guard stepped inside, grabbing the man and pulling him up. The man let out a cry as he was pulled up off the musty floor. The guard let out a laughing that sent chills up Luke's spine.
"Better enjoy your few last days. Your time grows short." The guard fell silent for a moment. "Unless of course you are willing to speak up. An extension can be made if you merely state the information we need. It is a minor task, really, yet a reward of an extended life. It's a shame you couldn't have spoken sooner. You may have been able to save your young friend…"
Suddenly the man let out a shriek. He leaped at the guard, clawing at his face. The guard pushed the man down onto the floor in one swift blow. But the man seemed numb to the pain. He jumped back up, clawing once again at the guard. The guard pulled a rod from his belt. The man grabbed at it weakly and tried to pull at it. The guard pulled it loose from the man's grasp and swung at him. Luke heard a deafening crack as the man crumbled to the floor. The guard pushed the man's limp form with his boot. He then turned away and exited the cell. He pulled the bars back in place and locked the cell. He spun and met Luke's gaze.
The guard's lips curled up into menacing smile. "Let that be a lesson, or you'll be next." The guard let out another chilling laugh and walked back down the corridor.