Page 87 of Bought to Break
‘By the gods,’ he exclaimed, ‘could this really not have been done in a tavern?’
The agent rolled his eyes.
‘A priest?’ Kane spat. ‘This is who we’ve been freezing our arses off waiting for?’
‘Formerpriest,’ the man huffed.
The agent gestured to Lana. ‘Is she what they say?’
The man looked taken aback as if only just noticing she was there. Then his eyes widened. ‘Gods,’ he breathed.
‘Well?’ the agent asked impatiently.
‘Aye.’ He spared the agent a quick look, his eyes returning to her. ‘Aye, she’s a witch all right.’ He breathed out hard. Then his eyes narrowed. ‘What happened to her face?’
Kane shrugged. ‘Just made sure she stays in her place is all. The goods aren’t damaged.’
The priest spluttered. ‘You would dare strike–’
‘Spare me, priest, and let’s get on with it.’
The exchange happened quickly. The money was handed over and the agent himself took the rope, leading her gently like a prize horse. He even helped her climb the slippery bank. She went with them docilely as they led her through the backstreets and over the threshold of a small temple. Down into the crypts they went, and at the end of a hall deep underground there was a passage. No wonder Viktor had lost them, she thought, as she was pulled gently through the darkness, their way lit by a solitary torch held by the first man. She hoped Viktor was following them closely enough now.
They came up from the floor in a stable yard, the horses not looking at all surprised by their sudden appearance. She was taken inside, down a corridor and left in a small but serviceable room. The priest cut her bindings, fussing like a mother hen over the wounds made by the ropes where they’d rubbed. He shook his head and grumbled that she had been treated most cruelly, and then he caressed her face, his eyes feverishly reverent. She stumbled back and he apologised profusely, bowing low in front of her as if she herself were a deity. Then he left abruptly and, in his haste, didnot lock the door.
She couldn’t believe her luck and wondered if Gaila was helping in some small way. Heart pounding, she waited until his footsteps had disappeared and then she bolted. She had to find Sorin and the Vessel. Once she knew where they were, she would be able to tell Viktor and Kane when they found their way inside. She walked quickly, hiding whenever she heard someone coming, before she saw some guards hauling a body through a doorway that led downwards. Her heart almost stopped, fearing they carried Sorin, but it wasn’t him. She snuck in where she’d seen the men come from, down the stone steps. There were cells here. He must be close.
‘Sorin,’ she whispered. ‘Sorin?’
Something rustled next to her and she almost shrieked, covering her mouth and throwing herself back.
‘Who are you searching for, girl?’ rasped an old woman’s voice from the darkest part of the cell next to her.
Lana peered into the gloom and could just make out the shape of a person. ‘His name is Sorin,’ she answered the prisoner. ‘He used to be a slave here.’
‘The guards whisper of a slave. That one who escaped long ago.’
She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. ‘Yes! That’s him. That’s Sorin. Do you know where he is? Please. I have to find him.’
The person moved closer to the bars and Lana could see that it was a crone. She cackled. ‘Vineri was very upset when that one went missing.’ She sobered as she regarded Lana. ‘You’ll never escape this place, child. I should know. Vineri’s had me here for years.’
‘Who are you?’
‘No one. Not anymore.’ The crone sneered. ‘Even the guards forget I’m here. They gossip like fishwives in my presence. They say he is in the hole.’
Where is that?’ Lana asked, her stomach sinking.
‘Just keep going down.’
‘Thank you. I will free you from this place, I promise.’
The woman shuffled back into the deepest part of the cell and did not speak again.
Lana went back out into the hall and began to go down the steps, descending into the depths of the fortress until she came to a door. It wasn’t locked, which she found odd in a dungeon.
She pushed it open. All of the cells were empty bar one. At the far end, she saw a man hanging by his arms. He was chained and badly beaten.
‘Sorin?’ she whispered, her voice breaking. The man’s head moved slightly.
