Chapter 8

Charlotte, Durik, Damon, Caroline, and Klaus were the first to interrogate Murtagh. The rest were to gather the dead, prepare for the funeral, and keep watch. Durik had chained Murtagh up by his wrists, but he was not conscious yet, so his feet dragged on the floor and his body stood limp while his head lolled to the side. Damon advised Durik, "Leave this to me. I've had a lot of torturing experience."

Klaus said, "You're forgetting the person who invented many of the most popular methods of torture."

Damon scrunched up his eyebrows and squeezed his mouth together. "Fine, torture ahead, O' skillful pioneer."

Caroline gave an amused smirk, and Klaus turned to glare at Damon.

He said to Caroline, in a quieter, more private tone, "You see, love, he just completely dismisses all my centuries of study! It's incredibly disrespectful." Caroline just laughed at his indignant tone and gently pushed Klaus's shoulder.

Not wanting to waste time in case they got ambushed, Durik grabbed a bucket of water and emptied it on Murtagh. Murtagh gasped, regaining consciousness. He had blood streaking down the left side of his face from where Damon hit him. He tried to stand up properly, but the pressure caused a sharp pain to shoot up his injured leg. He tried to balance on his other leg alone, but in his exhausted and dizzy state, he kept falling back down.

Before Klaus could object, Damon went up to Murtagh. "So here's how it's gonna go down," he started. "You answer my questions properly, and we all go home happy. Peachy?"

Wearing a smug expression, Damon looked intently into Murtagh's eyes and used vampire compulsion on him as he interrogated, "What is Galbatorix planning? Tell me everything you know."

Murtagh said, "I don't know anything."

Damon was surprised. "No, that can't be true. Wait, do you have vervain? How can you resist my compulsion?" He searched him for vervain, a herb that could protect humans from being compelled by vampires. He couldn't find any. He couldn't smell it on him either.

Murtagh looked puzzled. "Vervain?" he asked.

Damon just said, "Yeah, whatever, doesn't matter if you don't have it."

Charlotte was confused. How was Murtagh not feeling the effects of Damon's compulsion? Could he be immune? Was it one of those 'enhancements' that the evil king had given him?

Klaus stepped forth and beckoned Damon back. He grabbed Murtagh by the chin and turned his head to the right and to the left, as if to examine him in a bored manner. He took out a knife and said menacingly, "Tell me what Galbatorix is planning, or I'll cut your skin, turn it inside out, wrap your left kidney inside it, and feed it to you." He smiled politely, holding out his hands as if to say 'Your choice.'

Damon raised his eyebrows and made an expression of disgust.

Murtagh gulped. He looked afraid, but he stubbornly insisted, "No, I said I don't know anything!" He glared defiantly at Klaus.

Klaus smirked. "Now now, that attitude won't do you any good, will it? And we all know that's a lie. Your heartbeat quivered." He twirled his knife around before asking, "Now… do you think I was bluffing?"

Murtagh stared at the knife, his pulse quickening. "No," he answered.

"Okay then. Let's get back on track, shall we, friend? What. Is. Galbatorix. Planning?"

Murtagh said, "Well, he doesn't tell me many of his plans. He likes to keep secrets, but I did overhear him saying that he has the last dragon egg. And he's planning to - aaaaaaaargggghhhhhhh!" Murtagh suddenly screamed in pain. He had his eyes squeezed shut, and he was turning his head from side to side. He tried to hold his head in his hands, but the chains stopped him. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

What had just happened to Murtagh?

Durik prodded, "Yes, you were saying?"

Murtagh said, "I can't. I really can't say anything."

Klaus questioned him, "Are you so desperate for food that you are hungering for your own left kidney?"

Murtagh breathed heavily in fear, before composing himself. He mustered a steely reply, "If that's what it takes, then so be it."

Klaus looked about to do the deed, so Caroline said, "Wait! Klaus!"

Klaus sighed with slight annoyance and said, "What, love? I was about to honour my word."

Caroline said, "Just wait for once before going crazy!" She turned to Durik and asked, "Can Charlotte and I try to convince Murtagh? On our own? Just for a few minutes?"

Durik considered it for a few seconds, then said, "Give it a shot," before leaving the room. He beckoned for the others to follow.

Charlotte was confused and curious about her previous encounter with Murtagh. She asked, "Do you know me? And what did you mean by 'you?'"

Murtagh looked up at her, turning emotional again. "Do you not remember me?"

Charlotte stared back at him blankly. "I honestly don't recognize you. I really don't think I've ever seen or met you before in my life."

Murtagh looked disappointed, but he was not ready to give up yet. He pushed on, "Remember? That day?"