Chapter 5

Calintz had dozed off. Only moonlight entered the miserable cell. An offensive screeching sound awoke him abruptly. It was the metal door scraping against the stone floor as it was pushed violently open. He looked up, his vision slowly coming into focus on the shape of a man. He wasn't a cleric, that was for sure. He had short, white, hair which hugged his skull and was clad mainly in blue. He smiled and that smile sent shivers down Calintz's spine – it was cold,demented and evil. Calintz immediately noticed what he held in his hand; a whip. The man chuckled wickedly as he approached the prisoner.

"Who the hell are you?" Calintz demanded.

"Heh…you're worst nightmare I would imagine," his voice seemed to slide over his tongue, mocking and arogant. He slowly unwound the whip.

"What do you think you're doing!"

"Hehe, I was told to punish you and punish you well…punish you till you can't be punished any more!"

"…What? By who? Agreian?" The man just laughed at him. What was going on here? Did Agreian really mean to torture him? He'd never done anything like it before.

Hugo, why? Why this? You embarrass me as it is leaving me here, but nowthis? This is too far, what did I ever do to hurt you so badly? It can't be Reith…

Calintz began to struggle with all his strength but it was useless, the chains only cut into his wrists.

"Oh, there's no point in trying to get free, you'll only hurt yourself more,"the strangersaid, speaking the words as if to a child. The man raised the whip and sent it cracking down on Calintz. He screamed as he felt his skin rip, blood staining his clothes. Again, and again it came down, relentlessly. His body was on fire, as if burning threads were marring him inside. He gritted his teeth as the whip seared over his body. The man had some strength to bring it down with such force, such malice.

"Who are you? Tell me!" Calintz yelled between slashes. He could begin to feel his body go limp and hang from the chains. He pushed back against the wall to try and take the impact, but it only hurt more.

"Who am I? Don't you recognise me?" Calintz looked closely.

"Where the hell's Calintz?" Haren grumbled. Chris rubbed his chin.

"Last time I saw him, he was kickin' around in the garden…"

"Well, he ain't there now,"

"Maybe he's with Reith?"

"No, she's sleepin', damn clerics won't even let me near her room!"

Haren and Chris were in the kitchen, scrounging around for food. The cooks eyed them angrily as they prepared the dinner, which the two men kept pilfering ingredients from.

"How long till we bloody eat!" Haren roared, startling a maid so much that she dropped a pot of boiling rice into the foot of a chef who then careered into a stack of dishes which then scattered everywhere making more of the cooking staff stumble and completely ruin what they were preparing.

"Ah, shit, we better get out of here!" Chris said as a furious chef came at them with a kitchen knife.

The two finally found sanctuary in a small lounge beside on the second floor where the living quarters were.

"You clumsy oaf, now we'll never get dinner!" Chris yelled at the larger man.

"Clumsy? Seems rich commin' from your mouth,"

"Hey! I am as nimble as a cat and as skilled as…as…." Chris furrowed his brow.

"Heh, you can't even think of something to say!"

"Ah, shut up already, will ya?" The two men sat staring at the wall for a good few minutes until Chris couldn't bare the silence anymore.

"Right, let's just go find him!" he said, jumping to his feet.

"Huh?"

"Calintz!"

"Oh, right…"

"Eh…best if we avoid the kitchen for now, eh?" Haren grumbled in agreement.

The two men started down the corridor, checking in the various rooms and disturbing a few people who were trying to sleep. Calintz had a neck for disappearing, and man, it really pissed people off, especially Haren.

"He always bloody does this!" he moaned. Chris sighed as they made their way down to the main hall.

"He can't be far. C'mon this place ain't that big?"

"What? Are you blind or something, it's like a goddam maze!"

A half Yason, that's what he was. He looks so much like… But how had he infiltrated the Great Temple? Calintz had collapsed, now only supported by the chains which only inflicted more misery. How long had this torment gone on for? Somewhere, he'd lost track of time. The agony had become so intense that it overwhelmed him, making him giddy and nauseous. He didn't know what was real anymore, his thoughts were reeling with his vision. He was suddenly kicked in the stomach, making him retch.

"Passing out so soon are we?" his tormentor spat sadistically, a cruel smile tweaking his thin lips.

Pass out…unconsciousness…wouldn't that be such bliss? But would it be over when he awoke? Perhaps he'd be dead. There was one thing that had managed to sustain him and that was rage. Rage that Hugo had done this, especially since he had employed a half- Yason. But why? Had he gone insane?

Hugo…I don't understand…How could you…? I thought that you cared, deep down…

"Ah, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you my name, after all, you'll soon be dead," Calintz managed to look up for a split second before his face was struck painfully and he fell limp again.

"It's Sdei, or "The Butcher" as I have come to be known. Wouldn't want you not to have a name to put to the face of the one who executed you, would we?" Sdei…? He laughed ludicrously as he lashed out again with the whip to Calintz's back.

"Pity, you'll be scarred for life, since you're not a bad looking guy," The slashes finally stopped and fresh stinging took their place. He heard the evident straining of leather against skin as Sdei wound the whip back into a neat coil. Was it finally over? Maybe he was dreaming. Rough hands grabbed him, tearing the remains of his shirt off. It stung his wounds even more, making dizziness overcome him once again.

"You know, it'd be so much better if you were a woman…but…at least you're pretty…" He ran a coarse hand over Calintz's bare thigh. It was then that he realised with even more repulsion at what Sdei was about to do. With one swift movement his lower garments were ripped off. Calintz's shivered violently as the cold air swept over him like a sea of ice.

"Feeling the cold are we? Poor baby…" Sdei giggled to himself, running his hands along the bare skin of Calintz's back.

"Well…Perhaps we can warm you up a bit, hmm?" His voice had dropped in volume and was now only a sly, taunting, whisper.

"Get…off me…you bastard!" Calintz spat in his face. Sdei's fist extended like lightening, hitting him hard in the cheek and he was thrownroughly back against the wall.

"Enough of the mouth, you filthy little whore!" He could feel Sdei's hot breath on his neck like the scorching pant of a demon. He forced himself to struggled, to try and lash out, although it hurt like hell. But the man was stronger than he by several times over, it was no use; he was trapped, doomed. Coarse hands were exploring his thighs and torso as Sdei drove himelf up against him. Calintz gagged at the first impact, his body tensing as new agony filled him.

"Sir, we need to talk to Calintz. Hasn't he been down there long enough now?" Chris asked the General. Agreian sat at his desk, filing through paperwork. He sighed and glanced up at the pair of halfwits standing before him.

"You do realise what he has done. The Alliance has suffered a severe blow due to you're Captain's incompetence,"

"I know and we apologise sincerely on his behalf, sir," Azel said.

"What good's it gonna do leavin' him down there? He's been in that cell a dozen times and it's never changed him!" Haren argued. Always the one to disrespect, wasn't he? Agreian brushed his hair out his vivid eyes.

Nevertheless, Haren was correct. Nothing seemed to change Calintz. He had felt a pang of shame as he called the clerics to take away the person he cherished the most. Calintz was the best captain Efferia had, apart from him. It abraded his conscience knowing that he was making him suffer. He had not been able to concentrate on any work since he'd sent him away, nor sleep well. It was indeed implementing on his life. The General rose to his feet.

"Very well, I shall release him…however, if this happens again, you will all be punished," he said sternly.

"Yes, of course, sir!"

Agreian carried the keys to all the cells in the basement. He ordered Haren, Azel and Chris to return to their rooms and Calintz would see them as soon as he was out.

His feet echoed on the worn stone steps leading down to the basement. He had lived in the Great Temple nearly all his life, ever since he left Fuget at the age of 14. Mistress Ladrienne had taken him in as her son and brought him. He used to play in the basement when he was younger, him and Calintz. It was an excellent place for hide and seek and great to play "cops and robbers". He had always been the "cop" and Calintz the "robber" – it seemed not much had changed.

He finally reached the cell where his best friend was imprisoned. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He had lost his temper, Calintz was only doing what he considered right. How would he apologise? He was right about him always jumping to conclusions, especially when it came to personal matters. Yes, I over- reacted…There was no need for such extreme measures…and who knows me better than you, Calintz? He would make this one up to him, somehow. Agreian unlocked the door, pushing it stiffly open.