As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much much, more than a moment. And then the moment was gone. -John Steinbeck
Leliana felt her breath catch in her chest. The guard stared at the trio, and Leliana could not help but notice that they were the same shade of grey as Aedan's, though they held none of Aedan's warmth. They bored into her with an accusatory glint that said he knew they did not belong there, that they had been caught and were about to face very severe consequences.
Time seemed to stop as Leliana tried to form the words that would create an elaborate lie that would save them from this mess, but she was finding herself at a loss. All of her training as a bard seemed to vanish and she suddenly found herself playing the role of a frightened child, a role she was not at all suited for. Her heart was beating at an alarming rate, and she was half certain that the guard could hear her rapid heartbeats.
"Found this lout causing trouble in the tavern." Alistair said indicating to Oghren. Leliana was impressed with how steady his voice was. "Had a few too many ales and began offending the nobles with his stench. Poor noble bastard found himself at the pointy end of an ax when he objected. Stained the dress of a noble lass with the blood. Tragic."
The guard captain raised an eyebrow that indicated he did not fully believe the story he was being told. "I don't recognize you. Where were you assigned?"
"Previously assigned to Arl Howe's estate before all that nasty business with the Cousland bastard."
A surge of anger rose up in Leliana upon hearing Aedan referred to in such a way. She clenched her jaw and tried to calm herself by reminding herself that Ailstair's words were only a part of the act. Any sympathetic words towards him would only jeopardize them and their chance of success.
His words seemed to have an affect on the guard captain who shook his head sympathetically. "Butchering a man in his own home. I tell you it's a damn shame Holden insisted on dealing with the Cousland boy himself. I wasn't fond of Howe but there's something to be said for a murderer who kills in a man in cold blood within his own walls. But if I know Holden, he will be sure to deal with the warden and give him a taste of true justice."
"Justice?!" Oghren roared suddenly, causing the rest of them to jump. "I've eaten things with a higher sense of justice than you. That boy is the only decent human on this piss hole you call a surface and you have the stones to-"
"A murderer and a warden sympathizer!" The captain said cutting Oghren off. "Holden will have a special punishment for you, just after he finishes with your little friend. If there is anything left of him."
Leliana felt her blood run cold. A quick glance at Alistair told her that he was feeling the same fear for the life of his closest friend.
"Is that a threat?" Oghren said, his voice showing no sign of fear.
"I assure you dwarf, it is a promise." He nodded his head towards the door leading to the depths of the prison. "Get him out of here. I can't handle his stench any longer." He turned on his heel and retreated to the side office, shutting the door with a loud snap.
"I didn't know you could act." Alistair said.
"It wasn't an act." Oghren said in a tone that was very out of character for the gruff dwarf.
"Come on," Leliana said swallowing her fear. "I want to pay a visit to this Holden."
"Leliana," Alistair said cautiously. "It sounded like, I mean, what if-"
She did not allow him to finish his thought as she strode forward towards the door that lead to an uncertain fate, and the man she loved.
Aedan was slipping in and out of consciousness. Each time that he felt himself falling unconscious, he prayed that it would be for the last time, and each time he opened his eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment. He had no idea how long he had been left alone, or how long he had been in the keep, or even how long he had been unconscious. It had felt like only a few moments, but it could have very easily been a few hours. He tried to adjust his position to ease the tension in his wrists, and realized with slight confusion that he could no longer feel his wrists. In fact he seemed to feel hardly any pain at all anymore. He knew that it was a sure sign that he was about to die, and rather than being alarmed he found himself welcoming death like an old friend.
He heard the door open and knew who the heavy footsteps belonged to without having to look up. Days of endless torture had made him quite familiar with Holden, enough to recognize the heavy and slow footfalls. It reminded Aedan of a predator slowly circling its prey, trying to pinpoint a weakness before they pounced.
The silence was broken as Holden began slowly clapping his hands together. "I must admit warden, you have impressed me. I have been doing this a very long time, and I have never seen someone withstand so much punishment. Though rather you posses impressive strength, or you are simply stubborn remain a mystery." Holden lifted Aedan's head up, causing him to groan as the sudden movement sent waves of pain through his neck and shoulders. "Unfortunately, I am not known to be a patient man. And I grow bored of these games."
Holden stepped away and closed the door with a loud clang.
"You have finally worn out your welcome, warden."
"How do you know where you are going?" Alistair asked as Leliana led the trio through the winding halls of the keep. Leliana had taken the lead heading towards the deepest part of the fortress. The halls led deeper and deeper into the keep, eventually leading to a set of stairs the led to the dungeons. The halls had become wider and darker, with long shadows cast by the torches that lined the walls every few feet. The flames did little to add warmth to the damp, cold passage leading to the dungeon that no doubt led to the torture chamber.
"How many torture chambers have you heard of that are held on the upper floors of a building?" Leliana responded without looking over her shoulder.
"Should I be concerned about your in depth knowledge of torture chambers?" Alistair asked as they made their way even further underground.
Leliana did not respond. Truthfully, she did not even hear what he said in the first place. Her mind was too focused on her mission to allow anything to distract her from her objective. She strode down the dark hallway, her eyes focused straight ahead down the long corridor. Each step she took caused her heart rate to increase and pound loudly in her ears. The corridor seemed endless, seemingly becoming longer with each passing step. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow despite the chilled air of the dungeon which was steadily becoming colder. She knew that they were getting closer, yet the thought brought with it a sense of terror rather than relief. The guard captain's words echoed in her ears, and she found herself feeling an increasing sense of apprehension at what state they would find Aedan in. She knew he was not a weak man, and he was not going to cave under the pain that was no doubt being inflicted upon him. But Aedan had been in Holden's clutches for a week, and if he was as ruthless as he was rumored to be, Aedan would not be able to withstand much more of his cruelty.
"You there!" A voice rang out behind them. The three stopped in their tracks, turning to see a guard walking towards them. "This is a restricted area, what are you doing here?"
"Better think of a convincing lie human." Oghren said as the guard came towards them.
Leliana unsheathed her daggers from her hips and strode towards the approaching guard. "I am done with words."
Aedan summoned what little remained of his strength to lift his head up enough to look at Holden. He watched as Holden reached behind him and pulled out a small object wrapped in a black cloth. Aedan watched as he unraveled the cloth and gingerly picked up a small dagger. The blade itself was the dark color of obsidian, black as night that glinted in the light of the fire. The hilt was made from fine metal that ended with an intricate carving of a dragon head with blood red eyes made of rubies.
"What do you think warden?" Holden said as he twirled the blade in his hands. "I call it 'Bloodwake'. Beautiful isn't it? It may not seem like much, but this beauty has sent many men to the void." Holden began circling Aedan in the same predatory fashion that he so loved. Aedan felt himself shiver as Holden dragged the blade lightly across his skin. "I'll let you in on a little secret warden, but you must promise not to tell. The blade itself is not particularly dangerous, in fact it would be useless against anyone with any skill in battle. The secret to this weapon's success is a special poison that coats the edges of the blade. It's a special concoction that I invented myself after much trial and error. You don't want to know the nasty side effects that occurred with the first bastard I experimented with. I would have felt pity for him had it not been so amusing to watch him squirm as his insides slowly melted. The clean up however was far from amusing, and I was forced to try again. It took nearly a year to perfect, but I finally did."
Holden circled back around Aedan and stood directly in front of him. Aedan lifted his head as far as his body would allow and glared daggers at the man who was about to end his life. Holden remained still as he stared down at Aedan with a satisfied grin on his face before striking with cat like reflexes. He drew the blade across Aedan's chest with a speed that would have impressed him had he not been in such a dire situation. Aedan was surprised by how little pain he felt, but then again it was nothing compared to what he had been experiencing over the last few days.
Holden knelt down in front of Aedan so they were eye level. "Now comes my favorite part. I am going to tell you exactly what is about to happen to you in your final moments. It won't happen all at once, where would the fun in that be? It will start as a stirring beneath your skin, just enough to cause minor discomfort. That stirring will soon become an itch. It will be subtle at first, but soon it will become unbearable. Soon that itch will become a burn, and not long after that your blood will feel like it is on fire. And just when you think that you cannot take anymore, it will get worse and I will get to watch as you finally beg for death to end your pathetic existence."
The sound of battle coming from the halls interrupted Holden's diatribe. The satisfaction on his face was replaced by a look of confusion as he rose to his feet, giving Aedan a quick kick in the ribs before turning and exiting the room.
Aedan watched as he left, feeling the first sign of his impending death begin to stir beneath his skin.
