Chapter 5: The Vicer On The Wall (Click here to access Chapter 5)

Chapter 5; The Vicer On The Wall

/Unith

 The night had passed and dawn approached. 

’Well I’ll be damned. He’s heavier than he looks.’ Pires said.

‘Are you heavier than you look?’ Isolde asked, winking at him. 

Isolde, Shen, Muriel, Pires and Izaak were in Isolde’s chamber, the rest of the spies working on another minor mission—a detail they’d found.

The dark chamber, gloomy in the absence of wiola, was lit by a small candle at the edge of the room. Izaak hung from the wall; his hands were tied to a little hook as his legs dangled off the floor like threads. Saliva drooped from his mouth—he was like a dead piece of meat, drained of all life and energy.

‘Sir Muriel, when is Lady Theren coming?’

‘A forty-eighth.’ A forty-eighth meant fifteen minutes. ‘Must you get ever so impatient?’

Ugh, his poshness sickens me…He thought, rolling his eyes.

‘Oh, forbear on that, pretty boy,’ Shen said—he was the only one who could tolerate Muriel, ‘he’s done a lot for us, do not be so crude.’

Shen was one of few Nithronians who lived in Loazer. The Middlers—as they were called—didn’t really like it out in the West. Even though his heritage was of the middle of Erhin, he was born and brought up in Loazer.

‘As a coverlord, I need not do what I do, and I need not deserve what I get.’ 

Pires stood blankly, scratching his hair trying to fathom what Muriel had just said. He eventually understood.

Roughly fifteen minutes went by in talk when they heard a slight knock on the door. Muriel opened the door.

‘My Lady Theren,’ He greeted her, bowing.

‘Sir Muriel,’ She said, regarding him. Before any other words were said, her gaze turned to Izaak—the vicer hooked onto the wall, dangling like a sickly thing.

‘Wake him.’ She said. Without a second thought, Pires walked over to him and gave him a hard slap. To Pires’ confusion, nothing happened.

‘My Lady, he’s been given sap, straight from the poppy.’ Isolde said, staring him down.

‘Ah… I see,’ She said, eyeing him, ‘well, when he wakes, give him some comfort by telling him he’s not in Shen’s chambers now.’ She said. They all shared a slight laugh. 

‘But on a serious matter, it is vital to find where the rest of the vicers are. Do whatever you need to do with this one to get that information. We need it before the kingdom gets it—before my father does. So do whatever you can. Don’t hold back.’ She hated saying that—implying that need for torture; however, it was required.

‘Yes, my Lady.’ Shen responded, without flinching.

Before she walked out, she turned around, curious.

‘Where’s the other one? There was supposed to be another vicer, was there not?’

‘My lady, all dues to Pires; he did not make it.’ 

‘I thought you lot had knocked the other one out and brought him as well…chocked him, if I’m not mistaken.’

‘The white vicer took it a tad far, my lady.’ Muriel said, insulting Pires. He always called him that whenever he felt grudging. 

‘He squeezed his throat. At the time we did not know, but he had stopped breathing.’  Isolde said, coming to his rescue, ‘And I caused the death of the third. I acted faster than I thought.’ He added, feeling shameful.

Theren sighed, ‘Make sure the limbless one doesn’t die.’ She said, pointing at Izaak. All of the spies bowed as she left the room.

About thirty minutes past a sixth—two hours—went by since Theren left. Anxious, Pires, Shen and Isolde waited and waited and waited, but the sap that Izaak had been fed was very strong—he was not waking. They’d been waiting for a couple of hours, and a little while ago Muriel had left as well, his “knightly” duties called for him. 

‘What of the Triad?’ Isolde said. It was a very random question, but one which broke the awkward silence. 

‘Why do you ask?’ Shen said. The spy had a very narrow face and no hair, of course, typical of a Nithronian.

‘Well with the war going on by their sea, The Triad are three very important men the Kaandorians need, don’t you think?’

‘I’d say so.’ Pires said.

‘So why are they here, on our planet? Shouldn’t they be on theirs, fighting their own war?’

‘Ah, m’ro, the rebels won’t last whether The Triad are there fighting ‘em or not. No matter what the news here says. The Linteres’ will lose.’

‘They’re our allies, Pires. Speak carefully, or—’

He got cut off as his ears picked up a faint sound—a groan from afar. 

He took only a moment or two to realise it was Izaak. 

‘That Sap was strong,’ Shen said, ‘but not strong enough to keep him for the night.’ 

Shen began to walk toward him, but Isolde gestured to him to stop. Instead, Isolde walked towards him. The vicer grumblas his eyelids began to open. He had a coarse cry and a rough voice. He was sweating. His skin was not brown or dark brown like some people in Loazer, but vicers were the darkest kind, they were so tall, all of them, that they were not considered human at all. Their skin was a pure black colour; no human was even a shade as dark. 

The vicer’s eyes opened. He started wriggling his arms around as Isolde watched until his eyes fell upon him. He began speaking, ‘Y-you helped me…’ He had a couple of major bruises on his eyes and face. He was wearing baggy, sack-like clothes.

‘Why have you come to Loazer? What business must you and your kind heed in?’ Isolde asked. Shen was in the other corner of the room, with folded arms, standing against the wall, watchful of the situation. Pires stood behind Isolde, blank.

’I cannot tell you.’ The vicer said. Isolde sighed; he knew he had to hurt him to get answers. But could he do it?

Do anything you can. Theren had said. She did so much for them all—she deserved the least bit of respect and acceptance of her command from her own spies. 

‘Why… are you here? Tell me, and I will make you pass with ease.’ 

‘Make it as you please. Death will be death, no matter how it is carried forth.’ Izaak responded. Isolde had been outsmarted. He didn’t like to be outsmarted. 

He raised his hand, making a fist, and thrust it forward into Izaak’s gut. 

‘AHH!’ He shouted.

‘M'ro, I will not kill you if you just tell me!’ 

‘You will not kill me? Nonsense! I know how you and your giant friend hate my kind. That is why you chase after us.That is why you killed Sajh! That is why you killed Yuron! The others will know!’ He said, ‘And the others, they bigger than you!’ He looked at Pires and said. 

‘So you have come here to plan an attack.’ Isolde said. 

Shen began to frown, ‘With a strength of two hundred only? No, these are scouts! They will plan a bigger attack, do you not think?’ Shen said. Isolde saw the bigger picture, he began to open his mouth, but got interrupted, ‘We are not going to bring anyone! We will kill all of the Rolans! Nothing is left in Loazer but death.’ Izaak said. Isolde’s eyes widened.

‘False threats,’ Pires remarked, ‘A load of fekhin shit! He’s a senseless, loathsome Kaandorian vicer! Inept of carrying out the job he’s given. I derive that he is naught but a sack o’shit!’ 

‘Extract the truth out of this vicer. Do what you may, Pires, I have business to attend to. I leave this responsibility to you and Shen. Find the rest of the vicers. Do not disappoint me.’ 

‘M'ro.’ Pires said. Isolde nodded in acknowledgement.

‘M’ro.’ Shen said.

‘I will be back at the break of dusk. Have Connor clean this up, keep him in the empty storage room a floor below. I need a clean chamber to sleep in, for Krilin’s sake.’ Isolde said, strict and formal. When there was a matter in the sense of friendship, they all joked and laughed together, but whenever the matter was serious, Isolde was the last one to fool around.

***