Chapter 28: The Night Before Battle
Rainwall, 338 Solar Year

Lazlo was in a dream. He heard many echoes from the past start to call out to him from a great gulf divide. So vast was this distance even though the voices were shouting at him all he heard were whispers. They were all familiar voices encouraging him onward.

Walter, Kyril's father, told him, "Well, well! That's an interesting dual-weapon technique you have there. Nicely done!" "I always hoped he would emerge out of Snowe's shadow to fulfill his potential." added the voice of Konrad his old magic instructor from his days as a knight.

Then, he heard two female voices say to him, "He has such a deep look in his eyes. Those eyes tell me he will do something great." "There is an incredible power tangled around your soul. Interesting, I've never seen anything like it." He recognized their accents as belonging to Louise and Deborah, respectively. Both women had helped him during the war.

Next, his former commander, Glenn, whispered louder than the others had been prior and said, "You're much stronger than I remembered." This was followed by Ted, another True Rune user, concluding, "You're Amazing, Lazlo, you follow your own path unwaveringly, even with a Rune like that..."

In addition, the ex-knight heard Lino and his best friend Snowe say not in a whisper, but now in a clear audible voice as though the great chasm had been breached, "With that Rune, you must realize that a harsh fate awaits you. Fortunately, though, I can see that you have friends who care about you." spoke the former. As the latter added, "Lazlo, I don't understand. Why do people flock to you so much?"

Those same two voices told him other things as well. Snowe's voice, likewise, was now amplified as the words from his letter he wrote Lazlo prior to his death came to life, "There is only you! You are a hero in the truest sense of the word, and I have always strived to be my best, because that is what you do. You bring out the best in people without even asking them to do it. You are the better man; you are the best! It is your ship my Captain and I, Snowe Vingerhut, am your crew and I shall follow you to whatever end."

"I know you can do this, because you're my son!" Lino's voice boomed in the recesses of his subconscious. Also, his mother's music box started to play in his mind, and he heard those familiar words along with the melody, "Farewell, my children, my husband, I'm sorry." she added.

Now suddenly all these voices and a dozen others started to speak to Lazlo at the same time. There were cheers of encouragement and celebration at this one single man and the amazing life he had lived and the thousands upon thousands he had influenced over his several decades. He could make out all of these hundreds of voices as though they were speaking to him individually, and not at the same time as they were actually doing.

The yelling soon became a whisper again, say for one voice. The words from this familiar female voice echoed throughout his whole being, causing a rebirth of power to surge up within him. It was Leknaat and she declared to him speaking of the Rune of Punishment, "The trial of the Rune will end. The time for atonement shall pass. The time for forgiveness shall begin. That is Your destiny! That is your destiny... Your destiny... Destiny!

Suddenly, Lazlo flung up in his bed fully awake and aware. His heart was pounding, his adrenaline was flowing, and every fiber of his being was ready to engage. Not since that terrible day of using his True Rune to stop the explosion of the giant Rune Cannon at Fort El-Eal had he felt the weight of so many depending on him, but also encouraging him at the same time.

Lazlo was breathing heavily as he stared looking around the room. He didn't recognize it, but he knew by the expensive decorations it was some nobleman's home. He got out of bed as his body was still shaking with adrenaline. Lazlo had given plenty of pep talks to his men right before a big battle, but never had he received one quite like that before.

He remembered all their words still clearly echoing fresh in his mind. Despite all the physical injuries he had received from Razi's torture, he felt like he could take on a whole army of giant trees, he joked with himself.

The warrior looked over his surroundings and saw his armor and weapons laying at the front of his bed on a table. He quickly placed his armor back on, but was careful not to undo the bandages that had been wrapped around his chest. As he was dressing, he saw 5 empty bottles of Grade-A quality Mega-Medicine sitting on the table by his bed. That type of medicine was the strongest made as well as the most expensive. He wondered if that's why his body felt so light and agile despite his recent trauma.

Lazlo knew his wounds would heal quickly. One of the few advantages about being a True Rune bearer. He just hoped it would be before he faced Nyoka. Because he knew he would need to be at 100% if he was going to beat this renegade high priest and undead prince of ages gone by. As he was putting on the necklace given to him by Ren the next Elf Chief; he suddenly had a great idea.

Robert heard noises coming from Lazlo's room. As he was walking down the hallway, he started to gaze out a window, where he saw the Sun was setting as the early colors of dusk were appearing in the far westward sky. Robert couldn't help but stare at it for a moment as it had been some time since the warrior had taken a moment to really look at something as novel as a sunset. As the last of the Sun's disc shape made its way below the horizon, the Queen's Knight resumed his course to Lazlo's room.

He heard voices talking as he entered. Lazlo had finish speaking as Robert walked into the room, "Thanks Iolis, I owe you one." The mysterious voice replied, "No, it is we who owe you." "Who are you talking too?" a puzzled Queen's Knight asked. Lazlo closed the locket and put it back under his shirt.

"Oh, Robert! Sorry, didn't hear you come in. I was talking to some friends." "How? With some kind of magic?" asked the puzzled halberd master. "You could say that. It's not important right now. Where are we? How did I get here?" a curious Lazlo asked trying to change the subject for a moment.

The larger man responded, "Honestly, I am surprised you're awake so quickly, but between that Mega-Medicine and that sage's Mother Ocean healing spell. Anyhow, this is Rainwall. This estate belongs to the Barows's family."

"My men and I found you in a nearby old abandoned house that was being used as a hideout by Razi and some of his cronies. We had captured a Nethergate assassin a day before last, and he was kind enough (a smile came over his face) to share that hideout's location with us after some thorough persuading." Lazlo needed no further explanation he knew what the large warrior was saying."

Robert added, "Besides finding you, we found a strange book as well. It was glowing with pure power! You were pretty out of it. I don't know if you remember what happened. The book was on the verge of destroying the whole house, when you did something with that left-handed Rune of yours prior to passing out. The book stopped. I closed it. We brought it here with us. While you were sleeping today, we tried burning the book in a furnace, slicing it with a sword, and even tried using runic magic, but nothing would destroy it. What kind of unholy thing is it?" he concluded.

"I guess, one may call it a Book of Condemnation. I am not surprised you couldn't destroy it; a very powerful rune now resides in its dark pages. But, as long as no one opens it. It shouldn't be a problem in the short term." stated Lazlo.

"For now, only Lord Barows knows about it besides me, you, and my men. And when Amoz's father saw its eerie glowing after it failed to be burned in the fire, he wanted nothing to do with its evil curse. Luckily, this mansion does have a vault deep underground. I told him to place it there and forget it ever existed. The old man agreed instantly." affirmed Robert.

The knight now turned the conversation in a new direction as the two started to look out the window into the night sky as a few stars began to come out. "Tomorrow is the battle. Commander Alen has instructed our forces to attack these zombies occupying our southwestern lands at dawn. Most of the population still doesn't know what's going on. They just think that Nagarea is up to something again. I suppose it's better to be ignorant, then to know the truth in this case. That the bodies of your dead loved ones have risen from their graves and are now doing the bidding of a genocidal undead cleric."

Lazlo wanted to say something, but remained silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. Reading between the lines of his words and hearing the concern in his voice he asked the knight, "You don't think Falena is strong enough to beat this enemy, do you?"

Robert became quite somber and stated, "I don't know. We've never... I've never had to fight an enemy like these things before. How do you fight that which does not care if it lives or dies? I mean, even if we can beat them. They've already taken so much. How much more will they take until they are defeated? I just don't know if I am strong enough to do it alone."

The aged warrior replied not really thinking about his words this time, added, "You're not alone man. Besides the land, what else have they taken from you that you can't get back?"

Robert's melancholy quickly turned to anger, "I may not be as cunning as my brother, but I am no fool. I know Nyoka killed him and has taken Cyrah. One of the last battalions to arrive from Stormfist the morning I set out to find Razi's hideout told me. I understand why Alen didn't tell me or Godwin about it, But, dammit! He was my brother! I have a right to know."

Lazlo now regretting his words was hesitant to speak again, but he did put his hand on Robert's shoulder as he was banging the side of the wall with his arm and clenched fist.

"Every time we kill a member of Nethergate, it feels like more just show up out of nowhere, you know? Razi was an amazing fighter, yet he was just this guy's servant. And Nyoka killed, my brother, the best warrior I've ever known with little effort. And on top of that he commands of army of undead creatures that fear nothing. How do you fight something, someone, so strong?" a despairing Robert asked in a lamenting way.

"We do our best and leave the rest to fate. Besides, yeah, they're strong. But, so what! You know what the problem with thinking the strongest can just take whatever they want?" asked Lazlo boldly. "Oh, what's that?" asked Robert slightly intrigued.

The old warrior walked over to the table, grabbed his two swords, and sheathed them around his waist with great purpose and spun back around facing Robert. With his hands still on their hilts, he declared with great resolve in his eyes, "There's always somebody stronger!"

In that moment, Robert was in awe. He knew Lazlo was right. Moreover, he knew what he had to do. Strange that this foreigner was not only prepared to fight for a country not his own, but also die if need be. In that fact, Robert took courage from Lazlo's determination. He was now mentally prepared for tomorrow's battle.

However, Lazlo suddenly changed his facial expression, suggesting another idea of some kind had just come over him. He asked Robert cryptically, "You think your ship and men could make it to Lunas in just a few hours and get back to Doraat in time for the battle?" A more puzzled Robert asked, "I am not sure, why?" Lazlo retorted, "I have a few friends that want to help us fight."

At the main fortress in Doraat one last tactical meeting was being had. "That's basically the plan in a nut shell." concluded the middle-age diplomat in the confident tone of a seasoned tactician. The other four sat around the table staring over the map and the latest battle plans listening intently. Tanya had not only analyzed Alen's ideas, but had perfected them by adding a few tricks of her own.

Desmond was the first to speak up, "Lady Elenor, herself, couldn't have come up with a better strategy." Tanya blushed a little bit, "Well, I don't know about that, but the essence of the plan is one of her classic maneuvers."

Godwin now interjected and his tone wasn't as impressed as Desmond's. In fact, it was skeptical, "So, let me get this right! While Commander Alen is keeping the main force distracted. You want me and this half-naked woman here (gesturing toward the rune sage) to take out those three who are controlling the zombies?"

"Exactly!" Tanya replied, "According to what Ms. Jeane has sensed from those three generals, they each possess a unique rune that is allowing them to control these undead forces. So, if we can take them out, the zombies will just go back to being a mindless mass of slow dumb creatures. Which is a lot easier to defeat than an organized, strategic thinking force of undead warriors."

Turning more toward Alen then the group, Godwin expressed his concern, "And we are to trust the entire battle to the magical senses of this... foreign woman?" Before Alen could speak though, Desmond spoke up, "I've known Lady Jeane for many years. We fought together in the Island Liberation War. Her knowledge of runic magic is unrivaled.

Godwin now more confused, "Wait, what?! That war happened like 30 years ago, yet you are saying this young attractive woman helped you. How?" Desmond now realizing the same thing, looked over to Ms. Jeane. He hadn't really thought about it until now either, but she did look exactly the same as she had some three decades ago.

The mysterious rune sage spoke up at last, "Tee-hee. Oh, Mr. Desmond, Mr. Godwin, you say such silly things. I can assure you: defeating those 3 will put the rest of their army into confusion. They are controlling these creatures with a weaker, but similar kind of rune, I have sensed coming from Nyoka."

"All of their runes seem to belong to the family of the Moon Rune. But, don't worry, Lord Godwin, I can sense the magical prowess coming from you and that Pale Gate Rune of yours. I am sure between the two of us, we can deal with their leaders and give Lord Alen the time he needs." Godwin's ego seemed to appreciate the compliment about his 'magical prowess' as he raised no further objections after this about Jeane's abilities.

The commander spoke at last, "Her plan is a sound one. Ms. Jeane, also, seems to know what she's doing. Thank you for all you have done you three. This isn't even your home and yet your help has proven to be very invaluable. Moreover, I got word from Robert this morning. His mission in Rainwall was a success. They found their secret hideout and have destroyed it. And more importantly, Razi was there as well. He's dead now! Master Lazlo defeated him. Lucky for us, that's one less foe we'll have to worry about now."

"Also, per his communiqué, he and his forces should be back before the battle starts in the morning. Now then, everyone go get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day and everyone will need to be well-rested." finished Alen.

Later that evening, Alen was sitting in his room drinking the rest of his bottle of Kanakan wine, when Marcus knocked on the door. The old knight replied. "Come in. Oh, it's you Godwin. You're late! I was expecting you to show up some time ago."

Godwin entered the room and took the only seat next to Alen. There was already half a glass of wine poured and waiting for him. Alen had indeed been waiting for him after all, he thought. Godwin sat down and took a drink. It was a little warm from sitting for so long, but it was still very sweet and tasted smooth.

Alen lifted his good arm and took a sip himself. His other arm was still in a sling, injured from his fight with those two assassins from a few days prior. When his glass was empty Alen said plainly, "I have been in Her Majesty's military service for nearly 25 years. And have been Commander for nearly all of them. Tomorrow will be my last campaign whether I live or die. You shall take over as Acting Commander of the Queen's Knights after that Marcus. I am getting too tired and too weak. You won't need to wait for Cyrah to become Queen. No, you shall have command. I'll assume an advisory role to you and Queen Elemark." Godwin played it cool, "Oh, I see. Well, if that is your decision, Milord."

A few more moments of silence passed by before Godwin's ego had to say it, "I am surprised you made this choice. Not to step down, but to choose me as your successor." Aethelbald lifted an eyebrow in curiosity at these words, "You won the Sacred Games. You're the husband to the next Queen. Why are you so surprised by my decision?"

A bit annoyed, Godwin replied, "I thought you would have asked that Islander Ambassador, Lazlo, to do it. After all it was, he, and not I, you asked to go and rescue your daughter and my wife. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Well, I did. And I must ask, out of sheer curiosity, why do you trust this foreign man with such an important mission as this more than you trust me or one of the other Queen's Knights?"

Alen poured the rest of the bottle into his glass and downed it in one, before answering, "I am sorry for not telling you about it. I just wanted you to focus on tomorrow's battle and not be distracted by Cyrah's ransom. Moreover, this has nothing to do with trust, but rather experience. And that foreign man, Sir Lazlo, has more experience than you and I could even begin to imagine. (Godwin's face seemed doubtful at these words). He does! You'll just need to trust me on that Marcus. If I didn't think that he was our best chance at defeating Nyoka and saving Cyrah, you and I would not be sitting here right now having this drink."

After the bearer of the Pale Gate Rune finished his glass, he stood up and was preparing to leave. However, before Marcus left, Alen asked him strangely, "Are you worried about tomorrow and possibly sending men into a battle, knowing that many of them will die?" Godwin stood there silent for a moment thinking, before he said, "Those who hesitate in war, lose. Why do you ask such a thing?"

"I use to think as you do now. Maybe it's the inexperience of youth. On the night before my father-in-law's last battle, the former commander, asked me that same question and I said pretty much what you just said now. He looked at me and smiled. 'Did I say something wrong?' I asked him. He told me that 'a leader who doesn't hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.'"

"The next day he died in that battle. I then became the new Commander of the Queen's Knights. His words are forever burned into my memory. I would share those words with you now. This job is not for the weak or the reckless. So, if I too, die tomorrow. I want those same words to be always in the back of your mind as well. Now run along, we've got to walk through hell tomorrow."

Godwin left his father-in-law's room and returned to his own. A smile came upon his face. Despite his earlier plans falling apart after Nyoka's betrayal. Everything was still coming together for him, perfectly.

All he had to do was wait and see how the day would play out and then he would make his moves accordingly. He spent much of the night planning out different scenarios about what he would do based on the outcomes of tomorrow's battle until he fell asleep with the same satisfied grin on his face.

In another part of the Doraat Fortress, Daniel had finished writing in his journal when the two Knights of Razril entered the room. They were talking about what they were going to do after they return to the Island Nations after the war.

"You have a last name? Duncan Egan. That means your family must be rich, right? So, why not just retire, get your inheritance early, and enjoy the rest of your life while you're still young? I know that's what I would do if I were part of the Egan noble family." stated Clark.

Duncan rolled his eyes, "It's not that easy, especially not with my father. Besides, I like the navy. Seeing the world like this it's been fun and challenging. It's certainly better than being stuck in a house all day being bored. Or listening to my father ranting on and on with the mayor about how neither likes the Elves. No, I think I'll stay with the Knights of Razril a bit longer. Besides, I am an officer now. I need to see how far I can get promoted before..."

Both men stopped talking when they saw Daniel watching them a bit too intrigued. Adjusting his glasses, Daniel said, "Oh, sorry! Don't let me interrupt you." "It's alright, Daniel." replied the one knight.

After a moment of awkward silence, the other knight asked the pale-faced young man, you look like there is something you wanted to ask us, Daniel?" He stood up and hesitantly began to speak, "Like you said, we'll be heading back to the Island Nations after this, right? And from what I understand from the latest Nasel bird message from Lady Flare. We're going to be rendezvousing with the I.N.S. Kerzalik near Nirva. And, I was just wondering how do I get a girl to notice... umm... I mean, how do I... How can I be brave? That is to say… I mean, not to be afraid of so much. I want to be brave like you guys and Master Lazlo."

Both men looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Duncan was first to speak up a bit sarcastically, "Oh, the Kerzalik? Isn't that ship where a certain good looking female naval officer is now second-in-command, Clark?" "You know, Sir, I think you're right! Now why would our young seasick friend here, suddenly care about visiting that ship?" he retorted with the same sarcasm.

"Come on guys." countered Daniel, "I am being serious! I want to be brave too. I am tired of being afraid so much and getting made fun of all the time. I want to be strong. I want her... I mean, I want people to see some courage in me." Duncan and Clark stopped laughing after realizing the boy was being sincere.

The new lieutenant replied, "Look Daniel, you're a smart guy. You should know being brave, doesn't mean you are fearless. Quite the opposite really. Being brave means you are afraid, but choose to act anyways in spite of your fear."

"He's right, Daniel, only a fool has no fear. The graveyard is full of fearless men. Look, if you really want to impress that Commander Summer woman, then just show her what your good at. Be yourself! Look man, the gods made you an egghead. Deal with it! Show her how smart you can be. If she finds that attractive, great." added Clark.

The first knight concluded, "Clark is right. You don't have to be a warrior to win her affections. You're smart! Get her attention using your brains. You'll have to show her your courage in your own way."

"Thanks, guys, I'll think about your words. Hey guys, whatever happens tomorrow. Let us promise we'll do our best to protect Lady Tanya and Mr. Desmond." said Daniel with a little more confidence than usual. They all agreed and had a good laugh.

Clark revealed a bottle of whisky he had been saving for a special occasion. Their first toast was to being brave. Their second toast was to Commander Summer. Daniel couldn't remember what the third or fourth toast was about, but he knew he had made some good friends at last.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would." said Desmond to his two female traveling companions as they were now walking along the western high wall of the city. From here at this height, they had a complete unblocked view of the sunset. "Yes, it did. I am glad Alen and Marcus agreed to it. It's risky! But I don't see any other way of winning given the limited time and options we have."

"I was being serious before Tanya. Your plan is good and I am sure Lady Jeane would agree!?" "Well, it sounded good to me. I don't know much about battle tactics. I prefer runes myself, but I am sure it will be okay. These things always have a way of working themselves out. I've had many of these types of conversations the night before a big battle. People always reveal their doubts, fears, hopes, and dreams when they realize tomorrow that they might die. However, life goes on. Hehe." Tanya and Desmond looked at each other both a little confused by some of what she was saying, but neither asked her about it.

A lot of the men stationed along the wall couldn't help but stare at Ms. Jeane in all her beauty as they walked pass them. Tanya rolled her eyes at them and Desmond chuckled to himself. Jeane seemed either unphased or oblivious to the ogling, because she didn't pay attention to the soldiers as they walked passed them.

"Have you heard any word from your two friends or Sir Lazlo, Jeane?" asked Desmond trying to change the subject. "No, nothing new. Tee-hee, but I can feel them all even from here. I sense the Rune of Punishment, Dawn Rune, Twilight Rune, and even the Half Moon Rune. They are all drawing closer together, near Mt. Amdort. The conflict between them seems inevitable now. It's really fascinating to sense so many unique runes coming together like this." she said with a girlish giggle.

That many powerful runes gathering together, fascinating didn't seem like the right word to Tanya. No, terrifying, now that seemed like the appropriate word, she thought. "I hope Lazlo and the others will be alright." the aging tactician said with a hint of concern in her voice as they watched the Sun make its final descent into the western sky.

"They will be." added Desmond, "As I've said before: I have faith in Sir Lazlo. It's moments like this, when he is at his best. We should be heading back now. It's getting late. Lazlo's counting on us to do our part tomorrow just as much as we are counting on him to do his part. So, let's do a good job!" With that, the three returned to the fortress under the blanket of emerging evening stars.

Cyrah could feel the cold wind blowing into her prison cell from the window above her. She wondered if she had just watched the sunset for the last time. The chilly night breeze sent a shiver down her spine. Whatever the dark ritual that Nyoka was preparing for right now. She had a feeling deep down inside her stomach that it would be ready tomorrow.

She looked down at the crest of the Twilight Rune on her left hand. She could feel it's energy still coursing throughout her body. She wanted to use its power to maybe start a fire to keep herself warm. But she dared not try to use the rune's power again.

When she had first awakened in this place, realizing she still had possession of her rune. She had tried casting a spell to blow her cell door away and escape. However, the moment she started channeling its power, a strange red glyph on the ground that looked like a six-sided star with a circle around it started to glow like ambers being stoked in a fireplace, but only red instead of orange.

When this happened a great surge of pain flew into her left arm and then through her whole body. It was excruciating agony! It was definitely an experience of pain she didn't want to repeat any time soon. So, instead of using the rune, she curled her knees up to her chest and put her arms in her dress and sat there holding her legs and arms close to her upper torso for warmth.

Cyrah was never a girly girl. She didn't cry much or get emotional when things got tough. She was to be Queen; she couldn't afford to appear weak in front of her subjects and she wouldn't be weak now in front of these scumbags she told herself.

Moreover, she knew help would come. She was the future ruler of the Queendom after all. Her father, the Knights, Marcus, someone would come rescue her eventually. She just had to be patient.

Then, she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. The princess rose to her feet, placed her arms back in her sleeves, and waited for her visitor. It was one of Nyoka's acolytes that had followed him after he left Nagarea for the last time.

About a dozen had followed their dark lord. The three chief followers had been chosen to receive the Crescent Moon Runes, but the other lesser sycophants became no better than slaves; serving Nyoka's every whim.

This particular slave brought the captured woman some food and water. He sat the tray in front of her door and had turned around to leave without saying a word, when Cyrah spoke up, "Wait, don't go! Come back!" The man turned back around looking at her, but still said nothing.

"Do you know who I am? I am a Princess of the Falenan royal family. If you could free me, I will reward you. I swear it. Gold! Jewels! Treasures! Beyond your wildest imagination and all yours. All you need to do is maybe accidently drop that key there on your belt." she said with a passionate plea in her voice.

The man smirk and shook his head, "I serve my master faithfully! And you'd think I'd betray my lord, for what? Material gain? Gold? My master has offered us something greater than your stupid gold. When he finishes his ritual and then gains control over all 3 solar runes, he will become a god. And when his apotheosis is complete and his godhood secured, he has promised to share a great gift with us his true and faithful followers: immortality. The same magic that has kept him alive for all these centuries. He will then use it to give us eternal life as well!"

Cyrah was speechless. She had figured that he wanted the Sun Rune because of greed and power. But this becoming a god idea was new to her ears. She was taught in school that those who inherited the 27 True Runes gain great power and immortality, could that be what this guy met?

However, only the true Queen could bear the almighty Sun Rune, or so she had been taught by those same teachers. How was Nyoka going to gain possession of it? He was not of her royal bloodline of that much she was certain, or so she hoped.

Then she said, "If your master is so hellbent on becoming a god and getting the 3 Runes of Falena, why does he still need me? Take the damn thing and let me go already." "Watch how you speak, woman! Royalty or not, I'll cut out your tongue if you speak about Lord Nyoka like that again. His will is law! And he has decreed that you shall live until the ritual is over. Besides, he's not even here right now. He left some time ago saying he had one last thing to do before the ceremony would be ready."

With that the man turned to leave again, but Cyrah stopped him once more, "Wait, before you go. It's cold! Can I at least get a blanket or something?" The man had a look of derision on his face. "Please!?" she asked as kindly as she could. The servant rolled his eyes. He removed his black cloak and tossed it into her cell. She walked over and picked it up off the ground as she could hear him walking back up the stairs to the floor above her.

Cyrah wrapped it around her body. It was frail and worn out, it even smelled funky to her, but it was warm at least. And in a place like this, she knew it would be the closest she'd ever get to an act of charity or mercy.

She ate her meager rations of bread and water. She reasoned it wasn't poison. Since if he wanted her dead, he'd do it himself, and not secretively using dinner. Afterwards, exhausted from the day, she fell asleep.