NOVEL NEXT 93. Echoes In Stone
"How the hell did they capture a knight?" Tucker asked.
"Well… I don't know, to be honest. I just came down the stairs, and they were beating the shit out of him," Jones replied.
Tucker gazed at the Empire's knight. His armor was broken into tiny pieces, and around his wrists were iron shackles commonly used for prisoners to seal their aura. The effectiveness of such shackles depended on the quality of craftsmanship, but for now, it was good enough. The watchman slowly exhaled. He focused on the knight's azure eyes and long brown hair that was smeared with dirt.
"Captain Welford, it's good to see you join us," Brian grinned and patted Tucker's shoulder. "We have someone who wants to test the watchman's interrogation methods."
"Really now?" Tucker smirked. "How did you manage to catch this idiot?"
"Believe it or not, it was fairly easy." Brian chuckled and pointed at the enemy with his thumb. "This moron thought he could use his world in a room filled with knights who could do the same."
"So I guess the domains cancelled each other out and now he's left here."
"Exactly. You're quick to catch on." Brian gestured at the other knights to bring the soldier to his feet. "He's mostly harmless at this point, but you can never be too safe."
Tucker glanced at the enemy's limbs. They had broken both of his arms and one leg. If the knight was conscious, then maybe he would be screaming out in pain. However, right now, that wasn't the case. He let out a tired sigh and motioned for the knights of the Twenty-Ninth to set the Empire's soldier in one of the nearby rooms. Once the enemy knight was thrown on the ground, Tucker nodded at the soldiers so they could take their leave.
"Jones, fetch us a bucket of water." Tucker stared at the knight, who was still unconscious. There wasn't much information he could extract from someone fighting on the front lines. Only those in the command tents or had a high rank in the army would have anything useful.
The stone room was cold and bare, sealed off from the outside world with no windows or natural lighting. Only a single magic lantern hung beside the door, swaying gently from a string looped around a rusted iron nail. Its faint glow cast long, uneven shadows across the walls and behind Tucker. Barely lifting the gloom. There was no furniture or decorations. Just an oppressive grayness that seemed to engulf one's senses.
"Captain, I've brought it." Jones slowly walked into the room while carrying a bucket of water. He looked at the knight and lowered it to the side. "What is it you want me to do?"
"Splash him. We need to wake up this man and get some answers." Tucker leaned back against the cobblestone walls and closed the door to the room. The wooden door creaked, but the sound of splashing water quickly overwhelmed it.
The water hit the knight's face like a slap from winter itself. Cold and merciless. He gasped and shivered uncontrollably while forcing himself upright. His limbs were bound, and the burning pain caused him to scream. Tucker could see the fear and confusion in his eyes. Yet paid it no heed. Instead, he snapped his fingers, causing Jones to throw another splash.
The splash drenched their hair and sent shivers down his spine like crawling insects. The knight clenched his teeth against the shock, focusing on Tucker and Jones, who silently watched. His chest heaved with each breath as it clawed its way into his lungs.
"You're up, good." Tucker stepped closer and knelt on the ground. "I'll keep this simple and quick. Right now, you're our captive, and whether you survive this… predicament depends on your cooperation."
"Go fuck yourselves, I ain't telling you shit," the knight barked.
"You see, that won't work with us." Tucker glanced at the door. "We have your comrades captive as well. They said the same thing, but you see, some of them care more about each other than expected."
The knight kept quiet, hesitantly staring at Tucker. There was no warmth in his eyes. Only a darkness that was as black as the night's sky. The knight gritted his teeth and inched closer to the watchman, but before he could draw near, Jones pushed him back.
A cry of pain escaped the knight's lips.
"It seems we see eye to eye now." Tucker gestured for Jones to stand down. "This is how it works. We'll ask you questions and you will answer. If your response is different from what the others have told us, then that means someone is lying."
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"You… bastards…" The knight clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He ignored the pain and glared at Tucker.
"Good, it seems we have an understanding." Tucker took a step back, giving the knight ample room to sit up. "Now, we'll start with something simple. Why has the Avalon Empire declared war on us?"
The knight didn't utter a word, leaning back against the stone walls as the sound of his heartbeat filled his mind.
Jones narrowed his eyes. "Did you not hear the question?"
"I did," the Knight replied. "I'm just trying to collect my thoughts."
"You think you have that luxury—" Jones angrily drew closer, but soon felt a hand pull him back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tucker firmly glaring at him.
"Think wisely. I'll give you a minute, but the longer you take. The more grim it'll look." Tucker stared at the knight and watched as he hesitantly nodded.
The knight swallowed his saliva to ease the dryness in his throat. A conflicted light emerged in his eyes. What was the point in answering their questions? He didn't know. There was a chance for survival and a greater chance for death.
"Honor."
The word that came out of the knight's mouth caused Jones' blood to boil with rage. Yet Tucker remained unfazed, staring at him with eyes that held no warmth.
"Is honor worth the lives of a generation?" Tucker asked.
The knight sat there while staring at the ground. "I don't know."
Jones scoffed at the knight with disgust. "And yet you're here fighting for the Empire."
The knight glanced at Jones. "All knights have to answer the Emperor's call. It's our duty."
"And for that duty, you're willing to sacrifice thousands?" Jones asked.
"If need be."
Jones clenched his jaw. "And for what?" He kicked the bucket to the other side of the room, watching it roll as water drenched the ground. "What could be so important that you would break decades of peace!"
The knight kept silent. Unable to answer Jones' questions. He kept his head down and took a deep breath. Honor and tradition. Those two words drifted in his mind. If there was a greater purpose than those, he wouldn't know.
"Is that all you have?" Tucker stared at him with a distant gleam. He slowly opened the wooden door, twisting the metal handle as cold air seeped through the cracks.
From the narrow gap, faint screams entered the knight's ears. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before, as if a beast was being torn limb from limb. Sweat trailed down the knight's chin. He gritted his teeth and tightly shut his eyes. "No, but if I'm to answer, then you must promise me you won't harm the others."
Tucker slowly nodded. There weren't any other captives except for the knight. He had no clue who was screaming outside the room, but it helped them tip the odds in their favour. "That depends on your next set of words."
"I…" the knight bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood. "I don't know if this is true, but there was a rumor drifting around in the camp."
"What kind of rumor?" Tucker asked.
"They said the Emperor was searching for a relic that belonged to the Everheart family."
"A war of this scale for a relic?" Jones rolled his eyes. "If the Emperor really wanted a relic from our kingdom, he would have requested it."
"Look, I don't fucking know alright?" The knight pressed his back against the stone walls, holding his arms before him. "It's just a rumor."
Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Did this rumor mention what the relic was?"
"No one knows what the Emperor is looking for, could be immortality or something to level nations for all we know." The knight's chains rattled on the damp floor. "But if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that we'll win this war and get it if the rumors are true."
A fist shot forward, slamming into the knight's jaw with a powerful thud. His head snapped sideways with a spray of blood hitting the cobblestone walls. For a moment, he swayed, the metal cuffs grinding against the floor as the knight steadied himself.
"Struck a nerve, huh?" The knight smirked and spat a mouthful of blood out.
Jones felt his blood boil. His eyes blazed with rage, but he knew he had gone too far. From the side, his captain had already moved closer, and if he made any sudden movements, Tucker would immediately stop him. There wasn't anything he could do except step back and let his captain handle the rest.
"The others didn't mention any of this." Tucker met the knight's gaze. "We'll have to confirm this later, but for now, tell me. Why Stafford? Out of all the bastions, why would you choose this one? The Empire knows how close this location is to the dwarven realms, and the relationship between the two nations is already dwindling."
"I wouldn't know. That's a question for my captain."
"What's his name?"
"You'll have to kill me if you think I would sell him out."
Tucker crossed his arms, tapping his fingers in a slow and steady rhythm. It didn't make sense. The dwarves had sealed their strongholds, but that didn't mean they wouldn't intervene if the war between the two nations escalated to a point where it endangered their homeland. The southern border of the Everheart Kingdom met with the Avalon Empires. While the dwarves were to their east and the Harmonious Sea to their west. If they wanted to secure a stable foothold to attack the Everheart Kingdom. Then, strategically, it would make sense to target the Candia bastion by the coastline since the other nations would be far more hesitant to provide support.
He slowly exhaled and scratched the back of his head. There wasn't a point in continuing their interrogation. Asking too many questions at once would raise suspicion. For now, they needed to take a step back and reorganize their thoughts. If there was a relic hidden within the Everheart Kingdom, his bet to finding it would be with the scholars of the Order. But such a thing wasn't possible.
They were stranded with no support.
Yet, as Tucker was lost in his thoughts, the knight smiled.
Not in victory, but with grief.