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Seneca’s eyes widened as two soldiers appeared behind them in a smoke vapor.
The front soldier sneered. “We’re smoke-travelers. You can turn your body into a moist vapor and boom, end up in another area, it gives a bit of an advantage.”
The second soldier nodded to Neo. “Francois, look. Sword of Stoicheion. He must be a mighty fine warrior already. What’s your name, Son?”
Neo bit his tongue. “Oh, um, Jacque. Jacque Louis.”
Francois smirked. “And the lady?”
The third soldier holding Seneca gasped and threw her to the ground. “Whoa!” He turned his palms inward and held them inches from his face, trembling. “Untouchable. Untouchable!”
Francois whipped around to face Neo. “A high-ranking member of His Majesty’s Armed Forces traveling with an Untouchable?” He drew his own Sword, this one a Sword of Philosophic which enhanced blood, wood, and metal control.
Neo drew his Sword and raised his hand. “I have good reason, Sire.” He edged closer to Seneca.
Francois beelined forward and grasped his cloak. “That’s a Southlandic Isle accent you have, Boy!”
The second soldier chimed in when Seneca leaped to her feet and hit her spot-on with a fire-blast.
“Sen!” Neo tore from Francois’ grasp and sprinted for a collapsed Seneca as the second soldier drew a Sword of Stoicheion, but numbness invaded his limbs and head.
Francois rounded on him and turned to the third soldier, who sat sobbing on a nearby stump. “Lafayette, go get backup.”
Neo crawled toward Seneca, who lay motionless, squinting. Two seconds later, the tree stump Lafayette sat on jetted out of nowhere and smashed into his head.
****
“AT LEAST KILL THE GIRL. She’s worthless and has already poisoned Lafayette.”
“We need to know for sure. The boy may be powerful.”
“He’s Southlandic. Clearly a spy from either the House of Skyehawk in Ddraigoch or House of Mayes in Southland.”
“Last I heard, the Southlanders may or may not have an alliance with Ddraigoch. Quite a different breed, they have. And rumor has it they’re invading western isles.”
“Shamaria, big deal.”
“Aye, the Shamarish are known for being fighters.”
“One conversation, one conversation.”
“Kill the girl. Just kill the Untouchable.”
“I’m in charge. One conversation.”
“At least see if any of them are awake.”
Someone slammed the chair and footsteps approached.
Neo opened his eyes. Great, Francois.
Francois saw Neo had awakened and peered at him between the bars. “Well? Are you or are you not a King Irvin spy?”
Neo hoisted himself to his knees. “Where’s Sen?”
Francois crossed his arms. “That shouldn’t be your number one concern, Boy.”
Behind Francois and those seated at a small table in what looked like an underground jailhouse, Neo’s Sword gleamed against the stone wall.
Neo shook his head. “Unless you bring her over here, I’m not saying a word.”
Francois cackled and whistled. “Andre, you and Chateau get over here at once and carry out an enhanced interrogation session.” He turned back to Neo. “Last chance.”
Neo leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
Francois cocked his head. “Your choice.” He waved two burly men over. “Andre, Chateau, do what’s necessary.” He unlocked the cellar door.
Neo sprung to his feet and spun by Francois before running into the arms of the man called Andre.
Francois laughed again. “Thought you could’ve escaped all of us, huh?”
Neo grasped what he could of Andre’s forearms, but they were like steel and his hand wrapped around less than half of this giant’s forearm circumference.
Andre forced Neo to the floor while Chateau took rope and tied both Neo’s hands and feet to the bar while Francois ripped off his cloak.
Neo shivered in the bunker as Francois tore off layer after layer until Neo’s bare back was exposed.
Francois strode to the table where an older man handed him a whip. He slapped the whip to the floor and stared at Neo before advancing back into the cell. He cracked the whip against the wall, where the sound echoed. “Sure you’re ready for this? You can always tell us who you are.”
Neo sneered. “And what would you do? Kill my best friend?”
Francois knelt and leaned into Neo’s ear. “Oh, that Thing is a Stoicheion’s best friend?” Laughing like a maniac, he cracked the whip.
It was as if a swarm of angry bees simultaneously stung Neo’s back. His eyes watered and he bit on his lower lip as he thrashed about.
Francois again leaned into his ear. “Ready to talk yet?”
Heaving, Neo shook his head.
“Have it your way.”
Crack!
Neo howled and those looking on wore sick grins, laughing at his reaction along with Francois.
Crack!
Neo’s howls turned into screams as the stings became burns. Blisters formed as he hung there, writhing. In the unsanitary state of this place, one blister infection meant certain death. Any doctor treating it would just open him up and drain his blood, which never worked.
“Who are you?”
Neo closed his eyes. “None...of...busine—”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Now a voice unlike Neo’s own escaped him. He toppled over, hanging off the jail-bars to which he was tied. His skin bubbled and burned. If his back wasn’t deep red or even purple by now, it would be come morning.
Francois walked over and opened a hearth. Within seconds a fire roared and he stuck the whip inside. He turned back to Neo. “You won’t suffer the worst if you confess who you are before I walk over there. You have sixty seconds.”
At this point, Neo couldn’t open his eyes. With each passing second, the burning on his back intensified. He lay unable to move, as each little jolt meant pain beyond pain, as if white-hot knives were being repeatedly stabbed into his back.
Whoosh!
A smooth palm rested on his shoulder.
He opened his eyes a fraction and lifted his head. “S-sen?”
Seneca held a finger to her lips and nodded to the men. She tiptoed in front of the bars, took an athletic stance, spun, and sent a whirlwind, blowing each of the twelve men into the opposite wall, Francois straight into the fire.
She sprinted ahead and closed the door on a screaming Francois. Twenty seconds later, she opened the door, took a bucket of water sitting beside the hearth, and threw it in. Francois’ charred skeleton toppled out and found the floor.
Seneca looked to Neo and ran over. “Just lay still, okay? I’m going to get you out of here.” She knelt, untied the rope, and laid him on his stomach.
“H-how?”
“Spirit portals.” She ran back to the bucket and tore for what must’ve been a corridor.
“Sen?”
“Give me a minute!” Seneca hurried back, the bucket full. “Don’t move.” She applied a cloth to his back, soothing the burning sensation.
“There’s a Spirit portal?”
Seneca dipped the cloth back into the bucket. “They were about to torture me, too, but instead went over to your cell. One of them said something about killing me.” She looked at the unconscious men. “The big one. Andre, I think they called him.”
“Yeah. How’s your shoulder?”
“Burned.” She flashed the area where skin hung from a crimson wound. “But I’ll take care of it in a minute. They didn’t do anything else to me.”
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah. But Neo, these look bad.”
“How are they?”
“Bubbling. Quickly, too. You’re lucky I found a Spirit portal when I did and it led to another one in here.”
“Is there a way out?”
She looked at the room entrance. “Not that I’ve seen. Just a corridor and cells. We need to find a way to release those other prisoners. I’m not about to let these people get tortured and some of them look beyond bad.”
Neo winced as he raised his arm an inch off the ground. “My Sword. Get my Sword.”
She strode over, grabbed the Sword, peeked out into the corridor, and ran back. “Here. Don’t use unless you have to. I can feel you’re low on energy.”
“I feel like I’m going to die.”
She dabbed his back again with the cloth. “You’re not going to die. Just like you did with me back in August, I’m getting these early. We need to find something to cover them up. If they open or anything, we don’t need dirt getting in them.”
“My shirts.”
She took Neo’s undershirts and his Sword. “I’m just going to cut these so the clean side goes against your back.”
“They’re not going to stick.”
Seneca looked about the room, where two men stirred. “One second.” She spun and conjured another whirlwind, blowing them against the wall a second time. She scrambled the whole area and snapped her fingers. “Nothing.”
Neo hoisted on all-fours. “I think I can stand. Let’s just drape them over me and tuck them in. Here.” He threw his undershirt back on and tucked it into his pants before taking his second layer plus his cloak. “Oh Mother Gaia, this hurts, but it’ll do.”
“Are you going to be okay to free the others?”
Neo nodded. “But I need some food after this.”
“Just hang in there.”