19. Morning Star, 3E 430

Another bright morning, in the Imperial Prison- Mhezsura stared down at the floor at a small crack. It ran from under her blood-soaked foot to the Door He came through every day. She twisted her head slightly in morbid curiosity as her red blood filled into the black crack. She chuckled slightly, as a little pain struck her crumpled nose.
"Me nose, i' hur'z now. Where's the Man?" she said, her breath ragged, lifting her head to look at the Door. The notches of age were etched into the splintered wood, the little fractures running down to the small stone step below. It opened, and He came in. Mhezsura immediately straightened up in her chair, drawing her knees together - a wide smile played along her lips, as she saw the fine glint of tarnished, iron manacles. That smile deflated slightly when she saw an evil smile approach across Avidius's lips.
"Come now, dearie. I will hurt you, unless-"he said, his hands waving about as he spoke. Mhezsura's thick smile turned into a hard line across her mouth, her red eyes glaring at his ice-blue.
" 'Unless'. Nice word, I t'ink. Bu' I ain't gotta choice, du I?" she replied. He glared. And struck her around the face, with the manacles, the little chains crackling in her ears

A tuft of blood cracked against the rough cell wall, her head completely moved to her right- Sonnerset didn't cry. Her face stung, yet no tears were set free. Instead, she felt cold. Lone'y? No, no, no, tha's not i'. Now, she didn't feel cold.

Now, she felt empty.

And Audens didn't like it- no more fun but straight to the point, he couldn't get anything out of her, if she was numb. And now, it seems the bitch is dumb as well, he thought, as the icy stillness around them became even more frozen. She lifted her head up, matted strands of black hair waving across her face, crusty blood stains creasing slightly at the corners of her mouth.
"Le's play a lit'le game" Mhezsura said a malicious glint in her large eyes. The Door slammed shut, with a shake gliding across the dark walls. And they were alone. Audens blinked-just once- and when he opened his beady eyes, Sonnerset was gone.

The rope was undone... it was ripped apart. Savagely. Audens gulped, loudly.

"Here's how t'e game works. I ask- ya ansver. Ya ansver wrong, and ya ge' it. You ansver right...ya ge' it. " rang out her voice, indifferent to his agitation. He reached for his sword, down at his side, only to find it gone.
"Tu', tu', tu'- can' have tha' now, "she asked, in a little girl's innocent voice.
"Why should I have to explain myself, bitch?" shouted Avidius, twirling around carelessly. A stabbing pain breached his side- howling, Avidius, grabbed her stuck wrist, and tried to push her away.
"Here. Hav' ya sword," she said, finally, twisting the blade into his stomach. A short cry later, and he was dead. A stone-cold corpse, just lying on the ground, the red-drink pouring from his stomach over his arm, like a bouquet of poppies. She tilted her head, and dipped a finger in the congealing blood.

"Pretty cool nuh? Bye-bye, 'cause the little bird's finally out!" she shrieked, with almost childish glee. "How tho'?" she thought aloud, turning towards the door. She took a look back; at her first victim. She smiled happily and left. Well, more precisely, she opened the door-carefully- and ducked her head out. Left. Right. The corridor was clear so she left. Her feet were clumsy, they were frozen; just to keep balance, she had to hold onto the concrete walls. Sack-cloth rubbed against the stone, getting a little dusty- her frizzy, dark hair bounced.

Her feet began to prickle slightly, the pain numb to her; the slip and slide of her hand against the wall, as she walked more steadily. Mad ravings ran in the air, above her head, but she brushed them aside- hope t'ey burn, she thought as the flicker of torchlight lashed across her face. She squinted harshly, the orange searing her eyeballs; blinded slightly, she continued to stumble down the corridor.

Her right hand was grasping thin air as she trailed slowly out, dragging her left foot behind her. Thank the Nine for li'tle mercies, she thought as she saw an open door. It certainly was a pain to open as it was made out of pure iron. Panting slightly, she began to quicken the pace as her sharp ears could hear the clattering of a guard's keys. Then it stopped- phew. She warped her head around quickly, only to see a shocked Imperial. She held her breath and froze.

"You do know I can see you, right? And that freezing ain't going to help much?" said the Imperial, in a distinct Niben accent. Blonde wavy hair were like curtains across his broad forehead, which folded now with concern. His shocked look had become slack, instead becoming more relaxed.
"A'int ya goin' to ge' me?" Mhezsura said, straightening herself up slightly- her right hand clenched into a tiny fist.
"You poor thing. Avidius was a sick bastard; hurting a thing like you," the blonde guard consoled.
"What'cha mean a 'poor thing' like me, huh?" I dun't need pity, espekially from ya!
"Avidius was evil. I hope you got him good. Fixed him proper." The guard continued, walking closer to her.

She flinched backwards, readying herself for a backhand slap across the face. Instead, she felt her right hand being taken and something being thrust into her hand. A small, rusty key- about the length of her index finger- rested squarely in her palm. She looked back up, into the Imperial's apple-green eyes.
"Well," said the Imperial guard. Mhezsura cracked a small, genuine smile- "the easiest exit is through the sewer crate in the North Sector. Over your shoulder. This key will get ya in," he finished. Mhezsura twisted her head around, her dark eyes following down the length of the corridor. A sewer grate squatted on the floor, hung in shadow, about a couple of yards down. She looked back to him and gave a quick, small nod.

"Get to it then woman- you don't have all day. If it helps, you don't have to worry about Avidius or Dreth'-Dreth?-'they'll be handled with. Especially Dreth," the guard said with a shuddering of malice throughout his body.

Mhezsura didn't question him. She hurtled down the corridor; the harsh slaps of her bare feet across dirty-grey tiles, loud in the holy silence shrouding the corridor. She doubled over and slammed the key into the tarnished lock, slightly glinting in the torchlight. Fumbling, she cursed under her breath.

Crack.

Her ears perked up sharply in alarm. Kaoc! Her fingers wrapped around the key firmly, and pierced into the lock again. She tried to push the lock open but she couldn't. The mechanism would not engage. Peering down through the darkness, she realised something.

She had been turning the wrong way. Stupid!

Jiggling the key to her right, she could hear the pins disengage and loosen. She felt the lock fall off into her hand; and the sewer grate clatter as she peeled it up from the floor. Without a care, Mhezsura slipped through- and fell into the darkness below as the lid slammed shut above.