Page 23 of Lhora
13
Deal
She was thrown into her cell, hitting the rough rock floor so hard it took some of the skin off her hands and arms when she threw them in front of her to brace her fall. She remained there, listening as the other prisoners were taken back to their rooms. After everyone was brought in, all the doors were slammed shut, and the keys had been turned in the locks, it all stilled.
Lhora crawled over to the pallet and collapsed on top of it. Closing her eyes, she managed to drift off, but her rest was interrupted by the sound of the food wagon coming down the corridor. It stopped in front of her cell, the little door opened, and a bowl and mug were inserted inside. After which, the cart moved on.
She mentally counted the number of squeaks made by the wheels.
10…11…12…
Pause.
It moved again. 1…2…3…4…5…6…
Pause.
Wait. Why did the wheels squeak twelve times after it left her, but only six times after that? Shouldn’t it be six squeaks between every pause in front of a door? Hadn’t she heard six squeaks before the cart paused long enough to feed the next prisoner?
It moved again. 1…2…3…4…5…6…
Pause.
Yes. Six squeaks.
The only plausible answer was that the cart had passed the cell beside her. The one that should contain the Vadris, if he’d been returned there.
She continued to huddle on the thin and dirty padding, and listened to the guards feeding the prisoners. Counting the six, sometimes seven squeaks, between each cell. When they were done, they wheeled the cart back to the cage. The door closed, and she heard it return topside.
Slowly, painfully, she crept over to her bowl. Inside was the same brownish-gray mash, but this time there were greenish flecks in it. This stuff wouldn’t kill her. She knew that now. They wanted to keep her alive so she could be traded for Coltrosstian prisoners. Same for the crewmembers. They would be freed once they’d served their time. So why didn’t the guards stop…
“Vadris? Vadris Lon?” she called out.
“I am here.”
“They didn’t give you anything to eat, did they?”
“Why would they? It would be a waste of food to give me something to eat when I’ll be dead this time tomorrow.”
Lhora swore, using words she’d learned from listening to the soldiers when they didn’t know she was around. It gave her a sense of satisfaction. Surprisingly, she caught Lon chuckling.
“For a Beinight solder, you’re very erudite,” he drily commented.
“The sword and dagger weren’t the only things I became adept at using,” she replied, earning her another chuckle.
She ate although she almost had to hold her nose to keep from tasting the stuff. She had to keep her strength up. When her mother got word of her capture, she had no doubt the Esstika would agree to the trade.
Lhora paused. “Or maybe not,” she whispered to herself. “If I heard my daughter was being held prisoner by the Coltrosstians, would I be eager to meet their demands so quickly? If situations were reversed, what would I think if the Sarpi acquiesced without question? Especially with regards to a common soldier?” She tapped her upper lip with the spoon. “I would ask myself why he had agreed so quickly without trying to make a bargain. I’d start wondering what was it about the prisoner that made him so eager to want the man back as soon as possible.”
She knew her mother was smart, as well as cunning and battle-tested. Still, she prayed the Esstika would not give in at first. “Make a smarter deal with them, Mother. We both know I’ll eventually be released back into your custody. But the Sarpi can never know who I really am.”
She caught the sound of the cage descending. It was too soon for the guards to be collecting the bowls, which meant there had to be another reason why they’d returned.
She couldn’t hear their footsteps, but she knew they’d stopped in front of her door when the key clicked in the lock.
Key clicked?
Scooting into the corner, she watched as her cell was opened, and a tall figure walked into the tiny space. She stared up at him in surprise as he looked around, finally spotting where she was sitting. To her shock, he came over and crouched down in front of her. His eyes raked over her filthy appearance.
