Page 56 of Lhora
“Every cell door?”
“Everycell door,” she emphasized, and held out a hand. “Give me the key. What cell is he in?”
The man double-checked the log. “Number two on the first sublevel.”
Shoving the key into her pocket, she turned to take the stone steps leading down to the next level.Not a barred cage that goes up and down,she noted to herself.We take the stairs.She snorted, amused.Less noisy, too.
Reaching the door to the first level, she paused. She made a mental note to mention that every door leading into a cell block had to be re-keyed, also.
As far as she was aware, the Sarpen should be the only prisoner on this level. Unlocking the door, she went inside, subconsciously observing the sameness in the floors, the walls, the low light, and the stench.Right down to the cell door. But instead of the feeding slot being at the bottom, it’s in the middle, beneath the little barred window.
She peered through that little barred window. Duren was sitting on his low cot, his head bowed in his hands.Another difference. The Coltrosstians give us a thin, infested pallet on the bare ground. We give them a cot to at least keep them off the cold floor.
“Duren.”
She startled him. Lifting his head, he squinted his eyes in the semi-darkness, and she realized her face was in shadow. And yet he recognized her voice.
“Lhora?” He snorted softly. “Guess you’ve come to gloat.”
“Gloat?”
“Over how the tables have turned.”
“In more ways than one,” she whispered. “I’m here to give you an offer.”
One eyebrow lifted. “An offer? Or a counteroffer?”
She didn’t try to hide her smile. “You could call it that.” Inserting the key into the lock, she opened the door. She left it open as she went inside and took a stance in front of him, forcing him to look up at her. He wasn’t in much pain, from what she could read from him, but he was resigned to his fate.
She knelt, careful to keep herself from reaching out to him. It was torture being this close to him, when what she wanted to do was wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face against the hollow of his throat. “Come with me,” she softly begged.
“Why?” He was fighting not to touch her either. The revelation gave her hope.
“Because I want you to. Because you want to.” It didn’t take much more than her words to ignite the fire within him.
He squirmed slightly. “And you’ll just waltz me out of here without anyone challenging you?”
“The same way you rescued me from your dungeon.”
He snorted again. “You must have some pull with the Esstika.”
“She doesn’t know I’m here,” Lhora informed him.
He eyed her in surprise. “So you’re using your position to have me removed from here?”
Lhora gave him a crooked smile. “You could say that.”
Sighing, he ran a hand over his face. “Where are you taking me?” It was as close to agreeing to her offer as she would get.
“Back to the manse. To my room. For the night.”
At his quick intake of breath, she congratulated herself for being three for three.
“To the manse? You’re high enough on the ladder to get a bunk in the manse?”
“Not a bunk. A bed. In my own room.”
“What will your soldiers say when they see you bringing a Coltrosstian into the manse?”
