They stared at each other. Surprise was written on both their faces, but he quickly masked his astonishment and faked a smile. Ines suddenly had a feeling that she probably shouldn't have come.

'I can't believe my eyes! The kid we sold to the army stands before me in the flesh! To be honest with you, this look suits you better. I'm curious to know, have you told anyone about your..."condition"?' he snickered.

Ines worried someone had heard them and turned around to check. Luckily, they were alone, the captain having left already.

'We are not here to talk about me. I will be asking the questions and you will be answering,' she answered glowering at him. 'Do you recognise this weapon? Surely, you know about its origin.'

She showed him the dagger, but he only glanced at it briefly, his expression not revealing anything.

'I don't know what you're talking about. It seems pretty normal to me.'

Ines pressed him further.

'You carried these letters with you. Their text looks like some sort of code and the names are clearly fake.'

She waited for him to say anything, but the man didn't even fake interest.

'You could be accused of conspiracy and forgery of commercial transaction. Do you have anything to say in your defense?'

The thief kept his mouth shut. Ines was getting impatient with his stubbornness, but she bit her lip. If she wanted information, she would have to play along.

'What were you planning to do last night? Wreak havoc on the village? Maybe abduct one or two residents there and sell them in exchange for money?'

When the man still gave no answer, Ines squatted before him, observing his every move. After what felt like ages of silence, she tiredly rubbed her face and said.

'Listen, I think you know what is at stake here, so you could make it a little easier for us. Let's make a bargain. If you talk, you will get out of here without a scratch. No one will harm you. However, if you don't start talking...well, you know what ensues.'

'The day when I make a deal with you hasn't come yet,' he yelled.

The thief looked at the ground, refusing to cooperate. Ines would have to choose a different approach. If he didn't want to speak, she would do it the hard way.

'I am the only one here who'll stand for your nonsense. You see them?' Ines pointed at the guards and the thief turned his gaze at their direction. 'They will tear you to pieces, and there is nothing I can do for that if you don't talk to me.'

'I have faced worse. I'm not afraid of them!'

'You think they care? After they have killed you, they will hunt down all the people you hold dear. They will torture them and then dispose of them one by one. There will be no mercy!'

'They wouldn't because they still need me,' he laughed dismissively.

Ines came up closer and whispered menacingly.

'Do they really? Stay silent and they will find someone else who knows. Someone close to you. Do you want to take that chance?'

'They won't find anyone. If I don't speak, they won't be able to do anything!'

'What if I told them everything? You don't think I know where they are?'

'You are lying!'

'You wanna try me?'

Ines was obviously lying, but he didn't need to know that. The man kept silent and Ines took that as a yes, so she stood up and walked to the door. She was about to open the prison bars and leave, when he suddenly stopped her.

'Wait!' he held a hand up.

Ines crossed her arms over her chest, tapping one foot on the cold floor of the prison cell.

'They don't know anything!' she scoffed at his words.

The thief paled, terror overtaking his face. He looked at her with wide eyes full of worry. Ines hovered by the door for a while, before turning around and walking back.

'This is your last chance. You hear me? Your last chance! You'd better start talking right now!' she threatened.

The man was torn as to whether he should give them what they wanted or stay silent and risk his family's lives. A mental war was waging inside him. They were innocent, they had done nothing to deserve this. He would never put them in danger. Eventually, he begrudgingly decided to surrender.

'What do you want to know?,' he asked in defeat.

Ines' mouth twitched in satisfaction. Things were going exactly as she wanted them. She stood in front of him and started interrogating him.

'The letters are yours, right? What is the meaning behind them?'

'They record any trade of weapons in and out of the city. We used code names to avoid being identified, if caught,' he said through his teeth. 'Everything was going smoothly for the last months we've been trading, until you showed up and ruined our honest business.'

'Yeah, sorry for that,' she said rolling her eyes. 'Tell me about the weapon. Where and by who was it forged?'

'Our role was merely to transport and sell this kind of weapons in the black market. We never knew where they came from.'

'So how did they end up in your hands?'

'They were just handed over to us every full moon. Are we done now?'

'No, we're not! What did you gain from all of this?'

'But, of course, money!' he said matter-of-factly.

She ignored the provoking tone of his voice and focused her attention on getting as much information as possible.

'Who is behind all this? Who gave you the orders?'

'I have no idea!'

'You seriously want me to believe you?' Ines snorted.

'We never met their leader. Our orders were passed through others.'

'Who are they, then?'

'They wore black clothes and masks, so that we wouldn't recognise them.'

'Do you know what their goal was?'

'No. We didn't ask many questions because the deal was already risky. The less we knew, the safer we thought it would be.'

'People have gone missing in the area we found you yesterday. Is that a part of your doing?'

'Afraid not. We only traded weapons. We were not interested in participating in the slaves' market. That industry is reported to not be as profitable as it used to be, and we are businessmen after all.'

Ines gave him a dirty look, like a mother gives to her child when they refuse to acknowledge that taking an apple from the grocery without asking is still a theft.

'That is all for now. Bear in mind that we will verify what you shared today. I'm done.'

Ines turns to leave, but the man clearly hadn't finished.

'One more thing before you take your leave...'

'What, now?' she asked exasperated.

'I'm sure that after all this you will sit your pretty asses around a big table and boast about your superiority against us, but the clock ticks on. People go missing, at night darkness comes even faster. There are forces beyond your comprehension, lying in wait. They will test every one of you and nothing will be able to protect you. Prepare for the worst.'

'Thanks for the heads-up, I guess,' she answered without paying much attention to his warnings and exited the cell.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N:  If you liked reading this chapter, consider giving it a vote and comment. As always, thank you dear reader.

Phrase of chapter: χρήσιμ' εἴδώς οὐχ ὁ πολλά εἴδώς σοφός / a wise person is one who knows useful things, not many   - Aeschylus