AN: This chapter was such a pain to translate. I used a lot of clomplicated sentences in Czech a so the google translator was more than a bit lost. As was I... I am sure the tenses are all mixed up, but I tried really hard and it took me insane amount of time. Can you tell me if the text makes some sense, please?
Also there is some swearing in this chapter and I must say the Czech is much more creative when it comes to curses.
In the camp, Henry first reported to Sir Robard and acquainted him with the change in plans. At first, Robard had doubts and tried to discourage Sir Capon from participating, however, Sir Hanush's permission overcame all his objections. He just shook his head and ordered the two young men to get out of his sight. Henry was given the rest of the day and night off, he was not to report for duty until the next morning.
After fulfilling this last duty, Henry suddenly became terribly tired. He thanked God for divesting himself of the plate armour before heading to Rattay. Now he just said goodbye to Sir Capon and stumbled into his assigned hut. There he took off the bare minimum of clothing necessary and then fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.
He was roused from sleep by a hand on his shoulder. He felt as if he had barely closed his eyes, but then he realized that it was dark in the hut. The only light coming in was from a torch inserted in front of the entrance.
"Wake up, sir," said the guard kneeling beside him. "Sir Robard wants to see you. You are to come to the smithy right here in the quarry."
Henry blinked furiously to drive away the drowsiness and hurriedly searched for the boots he had thrown away. "What's going on?" he asked.
"A moment ago, patrol dragged here some fellow. It is said they caught him trying to sneak across a bridge in the village. "
Finally, having his boots on, Henry grabbed his sword and outer coat and followed the guard out. There they parted; the guard returned to his place and Henry headed for the shed with the smithy. He put on his coat along the way but did not fasten the scabbard with his sword. He carried it in his hand. Even from a distance he could see many torches and a cluster of figures. As he approached, one of the men alerted Sir Robard, who disengaged from the group and waved Henry to him.
"Sir Robard," Henry greeted him with a slight nod.
"Henry," nodded Robard in return. Then he gestured toward the smithy. Henry turned obediently and saw a man tied to one of the poles supporting the roof. From the way he hung in the ropes he thought him unconscious.
"The patrol told us they lowered him down from the walls of Talmberg. Our men caught him and stunned him - he ran into them right behind the bridge. The moron... probably didn't want to get his shoes wet," Robard told him, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe the prisoner's stupidity. "We found this in his bag. They say you can read, so I have had you woken up." The Talmberg captain handed Henry a piece of folded paper and brought a torch closer to provide a better light. Henry reached for it eagerly with a trembling hand and held his breath – he might learn something about his father! But when he unfolded the paper, he was overwhelmed with disappointment. The writing was not in a language he understood. Only with great effort did he control himself so that his voice would not tremble.
"I'm sorry, sir, I am afraid I can't read it. I have never seen such words before… maybe it's Hungarian? It is probably a letter, I see some names - Tóth... Eric… oh, here is Sir Radzig's name…" Henry shrugged helplessly. "I can't tell you more."
The shadow of disappointment flickered in Sir Robard's eyes, but the knight quickly controlled himself. "It's all right, boy. We still have that one over there. He must know something and we will get it out of him," he said confidently.
"I doubt he will tell us voluntarily," said Henry, but in his mind he was already wondering how to approach the prisoner and make him talk.
"I wouldn't worry about that. There are many ways to make him sing," Robard replied in a sinister voice.
Henry shivered slightly whed he realized what ways Sir Robard had in mind. He himself was reluctant to resort to violence. Especially after that ugly episode with Runt. When the adrenaline had ran out of him and he could evaluate the whole situation in hindsight, he had been horrified by himself. He couldn't help but think about what his parents would have said; he had imagined the disappointment in his father's eyes and the sad face of his mother. He had looked into the face of unpleasant truth that day, and since then his fists had been the last choice used only when everything else has failed. The events of the last few days had somewhat eroded his convictions. The hatred he felt for Istvan and his companions was still boiling just below the surface, multiplied by worry about Radzig, but the memory off his dead parents managed to cool his blood – for now. He shook his head to drive away the gloomy thoughts and looked at Sir Robard with renewed determination.
"Sir, will you let me talk to him first? Maybe I can convince him to spill out what he knows," he said with more certainty than he felt. Robard narrowed his eyes and studied Henry for a moment.
"Why not, there's no harm in that. And if it doesn't work out, we can always squeez him." With that, Robard turned and headed back to the prisoner. "Come on, let's start, there's no reason to wait. Wake him up," he ordered. One of the guardsmen walked over to the tied man and slapped him with gusto so much that his head snapped back and then added another slap from the other side, just to be sure. Henry, meanwhile, leaned his sword against the anvil and waited with his arms folded. The guard was aiming for a third blow when the man groaned and opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to understand where he was and what had happened. Then a stream of curses and insults came out of his mouth.
Henry stood up so that he could see the man well and addressed him: "What do they call you?" The prisoner interrupted his litany and tried to spit on Henry. But he only managed to splutter his chin which infuriated him even more and more insults spilt forth. Henry gathered his patience and tried again. "Look, you can see for yourself that you're in a deep shit. We know that you were in Talmberg and that you helped Toth. For that, you're sure to end up in the hands of an executioner. But you can still choose how you will leave this world. Whether it will be beheading orhanging. I heard that if he wants to, an executioner can prolong the hanging most painfully…" Henry paused for a moment for greater effect. "All you have to do is answer our questions truthfully and I will guarantee that your death will be swift and painless."
During Henry's speech, the tied man grinned mockingly and in the end he laughed outright. "Go fuck yourself," he snapped. "It's you who are neck-deep in shit, you just can't see it yet. I won't tell you nothing."
Henry found the captive's answer somewhat troubling. "Think about it and think really hard. I am asking you nicely, but if the executioner is called… Have you ever seen him at work?" Henry himself had never seen a torture, but Herman in Rattay had told him about it once and it was nothing he wanted to experience firsthand. The beating he had recievedatVranik seemed like a caress in comparison.
"Go to hell" replied the prisoner.
Henry took a deep breath and prepared to try again, but Sir Robard grabbed his arm and led him aside. "It's useless, Henry. You tried, but this arsehole isn't afraid of words. Not even good old fists. We will send to Rattay for the executioner, and he will crack this nut for us."
"I guess you're right, Sir Robard," nodded Henry. "Should I leave at once?"
Robard looked at him in astonishment. "Now? In the dark? Do you want to break your neck on the way? Anyway, why do you think it should be you?" The Talmberg captain called one of the guards. "You will wake up two more men and keep an eye on the prisoners. You, Henry, will go to Sir Bernard at dawn so he cansend someone for the executioner to Rattay. They will be back quickly once the sun is up. When he arrives, I want to know about it right away. If anything else happens, wake me." Robard looked at the prisoner one last time and then went to bed.
Henry helped the guards to check and strengthen the prisoner's handcuffs, arranged with them to wake him at dawn and waited until reinforcements arrived. Then he lay restlessly in the bed for a long time and could not sleep.
The rest of the night went smoothly and the messenger and executioner arrived in record time. However, the speed of the journey was to the detriment of the executioner's comfort. Herman was not used to the saddle, so after dismounting he squirmed painfully and walked with his legs strangely apart. However, neither Sir Robard nor Henry had much understanding for the poor man's problems and as soon as he straightened up a bit, they ordered him to work.
The prisoner paled a little at the sight of the executioner and his instruments, but he continued with his false bravado, loudly throwing curses all around him. This lasted until the first special knife plunged into his body. Then the words turned into an incomprehensible screaming and howling. Henry did not want to be present for the torture. But because he knew his way around the smithy, he was put in charge of the fire and bellows. And so now he stood by the blazing hearth, shoving iron rods into it and trying not to think about what they would use it for. He preferred to imagine that he was back in the smithy in Skalitz and that he and his father were going to make horseshoes. It was a nice fantasy, but painful screams and the smell of blood quickly drew his mind to the day Sigismund's army had destroyed his home. Henry shuddered and stabbed the iron into the embers so angrily that a cloud of sparks erupted.
Fortunately, they did not get to the actual burning. Herman called to Henry to bring him one of the rods, but the prisoner only had one look at the shining tip and all the remnants of courage left him. He began to sob and the pungent smell of urine mingled with the smell of blood. Without a word, Henry handed the iron rod to the executioner and hurried out of the forge. He sat behind it for a few minutes with his eyes closed, thanking God that the man had given up before they could use the iron. He also wondered how would he behaved had he been in the prisoner's place. How much pain would have he endured before losing the last remnants of his dignity and turning into a sobbing wreck begging for mercy. For what or whom would he be willing to undergo such a pain? He hoped he would never have to find out.
As he emerged from behind the smithy, Sir Robard's knowing gaze rested on him. But the knight did not comment on Henry's weak moment. Herman, meanwhile, packed his tools and walked away to a nearby shelter, but he was still on hand in case the prisoner changed his mind.
As the morning was already underway, Robard decided to send for Sir Divish and Sir Hanush so that they could be present for the interrogation. Henry gladly took charge of this task. It was a good opportunity to stretch and clear his head. He found the noblemen at breakfast. As they ate, he informed them of the whole affair with the captured messenger. The two lords did not want to miss the interrogation and while they were getting ready to travel, Henrytook advantage of the remains of their breakfast. The whole expedition set out back to the quarry. In addition to the two lodrs, four bodyguards and a scribe traveled with them so that he could make a record of the whole thing.
In the quarry, Henry found out that Lord Capon had joined Sir Robard. When they reached the smithy, he noticed that someone had washed the prisoner and changed his clothes and the ground beneath him was freshly sprinkled with sand. Herman was still sitting nearby, sharpening the blade of his ax. Apparently he had been ordered to stay and be ready for carrying out the execution immediately.
When they came to the prisoner, he did not even raise his head. In front of them stood a broken man, deprived of all hope except for a quick and painless death. Gone was the swearing and arrogance. They were replaced by humility, resignation and an effort to please. And so he told them everything he could. His name was Zdenek and he had been born as the third son to a merchant from Kohl Janowitz. His father's business had been intended for his older brothers to inherit and he had decided to run away from home and try his luck in the world. This was followed by a story that all of them had heard in lot of variations too many times. One band of robbers had followed another, until he had finally found himself in the service of Istvan Toth. As a merchant's son, he had learned to read, write and count a little and he soon had had a not insignificant place in the gang. In fact, he had been quite lucky in his life - until now. The letter he had been carrying was intended for Eric, Istvan's aide. And Eric's task was to bring the army of Havel Medek of Valdek to the walls of Talmberg. At this point, Sir Divish perked up.
"Havel Medek?! What does he want here? Where is his army?" he asked sharply. But Zdenek did not know. However, his army was supposed to still be in Teinitz, waiting for a marching order to be delivered. Everyone present relaxed imperceptibly, reassured by the knowledge that there was no further catastrophe hanging above them right now.
"What about the Talmberg crew, how many men does Istvan Toth have?" asked Sir Robard. According to Zdenek, there could have been about fifteen of them, including him, which was less than Robard expected. Were it not for the hostages, they could have tried to conquer the castle with a direct attack.
"What about the hostages? Sir Radzig and Lady Stephanie? Do you know where are they held?" Henry couldn't stand it anymore and asked the question that concerned him the most.
"They're being held together, in the tower above the main gate. The door is locked and is always guarded by one guard. We couldn't spare more otherwise they would be missing elsewhere," replied Zdenek willingly. Henry almost cried out in joy. This would definitely help them in their night attack. Questions followed about the number of guards and the patrol system before finally deciding they knew everything they needed. Sirs Hanush and Divish then decided that Zdenek would stay alive for the time being in case there were other questions that he could know the answer to. Sir Divish also swore to him by his word of nobleman that for his willingness to cooperate, he was entitled to a quick death by beheading. Guards then led Zdenek, who was still handcuffed and sobbing with relief, to one of the huts. After that, Hanush and Divish went back to their camp to discuss how to defend themselves against a possible assault, and Henry, Sir Robard and Hans Capon began to make plans for the night expedition.