Flashbacks. Every spasm of pain brings back floods of memories. Horrible, nightmares. I see over and over the face of the Eisen torturer. He does his job well. With every pain racked scream he smiles like a little boy who was just given a new toy. He alternates between us. Next to me I can hear Reynaldo scream. Yes, Reynaldo, whom we thought dead. He is alive, and here because of me. Attempting to help me, he is now lying next to me.

After our "discussions" at the Highmarchman's tavern ended, we all went about our own business in town. Once again DuChevalier proved his ever so quaint persistence in tracking us to this Eisen village. Every time we see him, he has more men. This time he has about two squads of musketeers, and what look like marines, about thirty of them. Survivors of the blown ship no doubt, and do they look pissed. A chase ensues. Turn into and out of alleys and side streets. Run. I think I lose them when I run right into a small party of four. Two musketeers and two marines.

One of the musketeers grapples with me while the other starts to prepare shackles. Smack! Suddenly, one of the marines drops. Hit by a...shingle? The grip on me loosens a bit, tensing my legs I kick myself up into a leap, breaking the Musketeers hold, I actually managing to flip around behind him. Surprised by my action I use this opportunity to free my sword and quickly drop the other sailor. Bang. Arrgh. Thump. I look over to see the other musketeer had fired a pistol at some unknown assailant on the roof of a nearby building. The poor schmuck who attempted to help me now lies in a pile of his own blood a few feet away. Anguish. Guilt. He hay have died because of me. With a scream, I prepare to fight the musketeers, turning to attack I stare down the barrels of several pistols. Reinforcements have arrived. DuChevalier is among them. Defeat! My shoulders slump. All is lost. I hand over my rapier, signaling my surrender. I am defeated. I have just given my grandfather's sword to my worst enemy.

DuChevalier speaks, but I do not hear him. They shackle me and stand me against the wall of a nearby building. I see that my unknown "friend" is alive. I would be relieved were it not for the fact that they are now shackling him in preparation for our imminent execution. At least I will not die alone. Pity. I feel pity for this man who helped me. His actions, while noble, have damned him to an ignoble death. Looking at him, I see he is not an old man after all. His hair is white, and he has scars, but he is actually quite young. Familiar. Somehow he looks familiar to me. Astonishment! Reynaldo! I can't believe it he's alive. Incredible! Joy then sorrow. He somehow escaped the belly of the river serpent, only to be executed with me. Poetic? No. Ironic.

Duchevalier keeps talking, I see his mouth move but hear no words. I wonder what death will be like. What does Legion have in store for me? What will the abyss be like? My life flashes before me as I see the firing squad begin to take aim. I see my grandfather, the academy, my parent's rancho, and Antonio. Everything. Duchevalier raises his arm, sword extended. I see faces, women mostly. Past lovers and friends. They flash by, one by one. Violante. I see her in all her beauty, just as a I last saw her. A pang of regret washes through me. I will never see those lovely eyes again.

"Ready, aim," I hear the words and snap out of my reverie. Desperate. I start speaking.

Kill us and you doom Montaigne, or some such nonsense. I don't exactly remember. DuChevalier isn't moved. His only response is a deadly glare. The hint of a smile just barely on his lips. Montegue. I am on my way to save Montegue's life. That catches his attention. His reply is that I was lying and would say anything to save my hide. Time. I ask DuChevalier for time. Give me time to explain and in payment for that time, I will give you the name of the individual who killed your musketeer back in Charous. Shudder. The look he gave me could have killed a dragon.

The next thing I know, Reynaldo and I are in the Eisen fortress. The compass, and our weapons removed. In fact, we now lie shackled to a table, the use of which I do not want to think about. DuChevalier orders his escort to leave us alone. We talk. Reynaldo and I both tell him of our mission to save Montegue life. We mention Dominique and discuss service to Le' Empereur. He is not convinced. DuChevalier then proceeds to question us about our flight from Charous. We argue for sometime, but ultimately we fail to convince him of the importance of our mission. In fact we even fail to convince him that the flight from Charous was not part of some rebellion. I even give him Remy's name, but still he is not convinced of our sincerity. He apologized and left.

When he returned, he was not alone, but with an Eisen. The gleam in the eye of this man is unnerving. Uncertainty turns to horror as I see him prepare some "tools" and I realize what his purpose is. I look over at DuChevalier, who will not meet my eyes. Despair.

Pain! Agony! I've never felt so much pain. Over my screams I can hear the maniacal laughter of the Eisen. DuChevalier, emotionless, commences his interrogation in earnest now. He grills us, Reynaldo and I, and when we fail to answer to his satisfaction the Eisen starts in. First one then the other. Our screams are like some twisted symphony played in dedication to Legion. I break first, telling more than I at first intended. I tried lying, but he didn't buy it. Later, seeing that Reynaldo hasn't broken. I pull within myself the strength to resist. Drawing upon Reynaldo's resolve, I found the courage and strength to look at the Eisen and laugh. I have lost all my sanity at this point. DuChevalier realizes that I will give him no more information, but that doesn't stop the Eisen. He enjoys his work far too much. Reynaldo breaks and fills him in on everything. I can not be angry with him, after all, were it not for his early resolve I never would have recovered my own strength.

DuChevalier, finally accepting that we didn't know anything else, left. The Eisen remained, and just when I thought he couldn't possibly hurt me anymore, I was proven wrong.

Noise. A muffled scream. A cracking sound followed by a thump. Darkness. I am lying on a stone bench in a cell. Agony. Every slight movement causes unrelentless pain. The door opens, and I am grabbed. Pain shoots up my spine as a man lifts me off the bunk. A hand clamps shut over my mouth muffling my scream. A voice, cold and cruel, speaks to me. Silence or he'll kill me. Light. Fellhand? Reaching down, he snaps my chains and frees me from my shackles. He hands me a broadsword and tells me to take point. Leaving the cell, I see the mutilated body of our guard. May Theus save his soul.

He frees Reynaldo next, but keeps a hold of him. They talk but I can't make out what is said. We move through the labyrinth. At some point, he tells me to stop. A welcome, brief respite. The pain is unendurable, but I have no choice, either I go on or I die. Fellhand pulls up a grate. The stench is so bad it temporarily makes me forget the pain I'm in. A fresh spasm serves to remind me which is worse. He tells us to enter the sewer and it will lead us to freedom.

We stumble around together in the darkness. The raw sewage is up to my chest. For Reynaldo, it is up to his chin. I can hear rats and at some point I feel something brush my leg. Splashing. We are not alone. Pain! Stench! Fear! I'm in shock and on the verge of panic. Light. I see light. Air, fresh air. We are in a river. Above us, the full moon smiles down upon us, reassuring us that we are in Theus and not the abyss. I lie in the water for a moment, the chill helps to numb the pain. Blackness.

Pain streaks through my body, jerking me awake. Somebody is shaking me, sending shivers of pain up and down my body. I cry out for them to stop. I can't take anymore. I am broken. I see familiar faces, then again blackness.

Morning. I awake to the dawn. I look around, hazy. I see William and the others arguing about what to do with the inhabitants of this house. I see them. Poor peasants, huddled in fear in the corner of their own house. If that's what you can call this. It's more of a shack really.

Laurent comes over to attend my wounds, but I shoo him away. I mutter something in Castillian. He bows and leaves me in peace. My vision is blurred. The pain, then blackness.

Moving, I am stumbling through the forest. Someone supports me, but I can't really see who. Pain. That is all I know. My whole world is nothing but pain.