A/N: Ok, here's the second chapter! I'll try and get the next chapie out in a week and then I'm going to run two chapters together to make one after that. Then I have about two or three maybe four at a push, left before the end of the story! But I have an idea you'll be wanting a sequel. Bye!

Chapter 15- Found

Dom winced as his arms were held above his head again, and once more strapped, and locked, to the wall behind his head. The two men, as big and burly as the sailors before, soon left, chucking a chunk of mouldy bread at his feet. Not that Dom would have been able to eat it if he'd wanted to.

He sighed as the key turned in the lock and their footfalls faded away. He stared at the same blank, damp wall he had been staring at for days. The light was poor- only a few murky rays creeping past the bars in the single, small, high window.

Dom's bum was numb from sitting on the cold stone floor day in, day out, day after day. His arms ached from being in the same position day in, day out, day after day. His shoulder screamed at him; no-one had seen to his arrow wound and although he was now sure the arrow hadn't been poisoned, he was starting to wonder if the wound was infected. It could well be.

He pressed his back against the wall, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. The coldness of the wall seeped through him, soothing the fiery pain leaping off his wounds. Especially those on his back.

Dom let his mind play over what had happened since he had got off the boat. He had been brought here, to this cell, somewhere underneath some fort. They- the men here- had given him no chance to give over the information they wanted freely- they openly told him they liked to torture their enemies. That added strength to his determination and he gave nothing away, answered none of their questions. He would not be a traitor.

This thought, this strength, and the image of Kel helped him to survive and to keep his mouth shut. What he hated the most was when they strapped him down and then fiercely whipped his back. If he so much as groaned they whipped harder and for longer. During the whippings, Kel was all that filled his mind. Indeed, he was oblivious to the fact that he often called out her name while they tortured him.

Dom had no idea how long he had been there. He only knew that his cell stunk (he had vomited one of the first days and it still hadn't been cleared up), he was weak with hunger, thirst and pain and he gained new wounds everyday.

In the darkness of his cell and the darkness of his mind, Kel was his light.

~*~

Kel slipped along the streets, dodging in between people. She wore a Copper Island uniform Myles had sent with the messenger, along with a back up plan to get past the guards. Kel had long ago decided to make the back up plan the plan.

She was currently making her way through a very busy market. Luckily, most people left her alone (she assumed it was because of the tunic she wore). She stopped still suddenly, seeing the fort where the Tortallan prisoner was sure to be. Guards lined the different walls, walking back and forth and staring out across the city. Kel groaned. This was going to be harder than she thought. Sighing, she made a mental map of the guards' stations for Myles.

'Nothing is ever easy,' she muttered under her breath as she started off towards the fort again.

The fort was atop a hill so it had a good view of the country sprawled around it. The two guards at the main gate had seen Kel coming up the hill a long time ago and were puzzled as to why a woman was wearing breeches, shirt and tunic in the Copper Isles colours with the same badge on her tunic front that was on theirs.

Kel had seen the two men at the main gate when she had paused in the market place and had her story planned out. She made sure her pregnancy charm was on full view as she walked determinedly over to them and prayed to all the Gods listening that this would work. If the Copper Islander guards were half as stupid, crazy and gullible as they were said to be, then there was no doubt the far-fetched story would succeed. Hopefully, the mad strain in the Copper Islanders blood would help. Still, there was no harm in praying.

Kel walked straight up to the guards, stopping the correct two feet away for Copper Isles protocol and bowed, Copper Islander style. The guards stood still.

When Kel rose again, she met their eyes and said, 'Good afternoon, sirs.' They grunted in return. Silence followed.

Finally one of the men said, 'Well? Who be ya then? What d'ya be doin' here?' in a thick, rough voice.

Without hesitation Kel replied, 'Why, have you not been warned of my arrival?' The guards glanced at each other; Kel continued. 'I come from our master. My Lord heard very quickly about your…' she raised her eyebrows '…Prisoner.'

'The Tortallan one?' blurted out the other guy. 'Gods, that was quick.'

Kel nodded. 'But our master does control all possible forms of magic. Which you will, of course, already know. He sent me immediately.'

'An'- an' what does our Lor' want ya to do?'

Kel took a deep breath: this was it. 'My Lord wishes me to see the prisoner myself… to inspect him. He has the power then, when I return to him, to see what I saw and inspect for himself the state of the prisoner.'

The second guard drew himself up, pondering. Then he put the stub of his pike in the ground in front of him and folded his arms over the top, leaning towards her intently. 'And why should we believe you?' he leered. 'You look more…Tortallan than anything else. You could be making this all up.'

Kel hoped she managed to fake a sound look of fear and pain at the mention of Tortall and said, in a hushed tone, 'I can't.' She wrung her hands together, darting her eyes from the men's hands, to their eyes, to the ground, to her hands, to the sky…..

'I cannot,' she continued. 'I cannot at all.'

'You cannot what?' impatiently asked one.

She met his eyes. 'Lie. I cannot lie, cannot lie at all.' Her eyes were darting again.

The guards looked at each other and sighed. 'Why?' they questioned.

'Because of the magic, my Lord's magic.' Kel tapped the pregnancy charm. 'Surely you know what this means? No? I am bound to him- he will know if I lie. He can contact me through this and-,' she took a deep breath- 'he can kill me through this. Quickly or slowly. Very slowly. And painfully. That's how the master likes it- slow and painful. He likes to watch it.'

The guards looked at each other. Oh Gods, please let them believe me, Kel thought to herself. Finally they looked back at her and one said, 'Fine. Five minutes.' He called another guard to him, a younger, smaller man. 'This er- lady's here to see our Tortallan prisoner. Five minutes, seven at top. And be careful- she be strange and connected to our Lord by terrifying magic.' The new guard nodded, bowed and walked off. Kel scurried after. Yes! she thought gleefully. Part one complete! Should be easier from now on. Neal would be amazed at how well she had acted- she knew she was amazed at herself.

The man led Kel down passages, some straight, some twisting, some sloping. All led further into the heart of the fort and sloped down. Kel concentrated all her energy on remembering the way and it didn't take her long to figure out the repeated pattern in the turns they made: right, right, left, right, left, left.

Kel, pondering what she was going to tell the prisoner, didn't notice that the guard had stopped. She thudded into his back.

'Oof!' he grunted, rounding on her. 'What d'ya think you're doin'?' he demanded.

'S-Sir,' she stuttered. 'For- Forgive me. I was- was talking to our master. I was blind to this reality around me. Please- I beg of you- don't hurt me.'

He backed off, nervous at the mention of magic. This Kel noted. Keeping his eyes on her, he unlocked the door.

'You've got seven minutes. I'll be waiting at that last door we came through. Call if ya need anything.'

Kel nodded and he walked off. She waited until his echoing footsteps trailed off into the thickening darkness as he carried the torch off with him. He had lighted another, smaller torch in a bracket on the wall before leaving, giving Kel just enough light to see by. Once she had heard the door he had referred to slam shut, she took the torch from the bracket and pushed through into the prisoner's cell.

The second she entered, Kel had stop, catching her breath. The smell- the reek- was absolutely overwhelming. She closed her eyes, swallowing the lump of bile (A/N: ???) rising in her throat. Then she opened her eyes again, taking a deep breath from the fresh air outside of the cell.

Determinedly, trying hard to ignore the stench, she stalked into the middle of the cell. It was goodly sized room but the prisoner was attached to a wall by chains around his hands. He was sitting down, his arms held up either side of his drooping head.

'I won't tell you anything,' he whispered in a voice broken with screaming and cracked with thirst. Kel didn't recognise his voice but then she was concentrating a lot on her surroundings.

'Look,' she said, running a hand through her hair. 'I'm not one of them. I'm from-'

'Kel?' the man interrupted, lifting his head up.

Kel gasped and took half a step back, dropping the torch. 'No…' she whispered, shaking her head.

'Yes, It's me,' he said hoarsely, resting his head back.

~*~

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