Tiberius? ”
“ No, my lord. ”
“ What about women from the city? ”
“ No, she kept to herself. She spoke with people when she went to the market, but that wasn ’ t often and I was always with her. I never her saw her speak to anyone about anything other than the price of goods or how something was made. ”
“ Very well, ” Leonosis sighed.
He had known that getting any useful information from the servant was a longshot, but it had been worth the effort anyway. Lady Olyva had acted exactly the way he ’ d expected her to when he banished her. If Tiberius was planning something, he doubted that Lady Olyva had been privy to his plans.
“ Keep her here until I decide differently, ” Leonosis said.
“ Please, my lord, ” Hellen said. “ I ’ ll serve you well. I ’ ll do anything for you, but don ’ t leave me here. ”
Leonosis ignored her. He left the cell and walked back down the hall. He opened the door to Robere ’ s cell and found his torturer on the poor man ’ s chest. He had a metal device in Robere ’ s mouth and there were blood and bits of teeth on the elderly servant ’ s chin and cheeks.
“ Sit him up, ” Leonosis ordered.
The torturer looked disappointed, but he got up and set the wooden chair that Robere was tied to back in an upright position. Robere was sobbing. His hands were lashed to his sides and the rough ropes were cutting into his pale flesh. He ’ d been stripped naked before being tied to the chair. His thin gray hair was sticking out from his head and his lips were split open and swollen.
“ I told you not to hamper his ability to talk, ” Leonosis said angrily.
“ He can talk, ” the torturer said. “ I ’ m a professional. ”
“ Robere, ” Leonosis said. “ I have to say I ’ m very disappointed. ”
“ I ’ m sorry, ” Robere said, his words muffled by his missing teeth and swollen lips.
“ Sorry for what? ”
“ I took Master Tiberius his whip. I felt sorry for him. ”
“ You gave my brother his whip? ” Leonosis said in surprise. “ Robere, Robere, Robere. ”
He backhanded the elderly servant. The savage blow snapped Robere ’ s head to the side and split open the thin skin on his cheekbone.
“ Forgive me, ” Robere cried, drawing out the word in a long sob.
“ I want to know what Tiberius was planning. Surely he confided in you. ”
“ He was angry, ” Robere said. “ But I didn ’ t know why. He spent all his time at the temple. ”
“ He wanted to leave the city, that much is certain, ” Leonosis said. “ I had his room searched, a good deal of his personal belongings were missing. Did you deliver those to my brother as well? ”
“ No, my lord. I asked him about them and he told me he moved them to the temple. I had no reason not to believe him. ”
“ You were helping him! ” Leonosis shouted. “ Admit it! Tell me what he was planning! ”
“ I do not know, ” cried Robere.
Leonosis turned and picked up a mace. It was a cruel looking weapon, very plain with just a wooden handle and a rusty spiked ball fixed on the end. Leonosis held it in front of Robere ’ s face.
“ No, no, ” cried the servant.
Leonosis let the weapon ’ s heavy spiked end drop. There wasn ’ t much force in the blow, but the weight of the weapon was enough to break the skin on Robere ’ s shaking legs. Blood welled up between the spikes.
“ Tell me what he was doing, ” Leonosis said calmly, but loud enough to be heard over Robere ’ s wail of pain.
“ I don ’ t know. ”
Leonosis pressed down on the weapon. The spikes dug into the servant ’ s leg. Robere was not a big man. In fact, his legs were rather thin, but the mace dug into the thick thigh muscles. The rusty spikes weren ’ t sharpened, and they tore through the flesh rather than cutting. Robere screamed in agony.
“ Tell me what you know! ” Leonosis shouted.
“ I saw something, ”
“ No, my lord. ”
“ What about women from the city? ”
“ No, she kept to herself. She spoke with people when she went to the market, but that wasn ’ t often and I was always with her. I never her saw her speak to anyone about anything other than the price of goods or how something was made. ”
“ Very well, ” Leonosis sighed.
He had known that getting any useful information from the servant was a longshot, but it had been worth the effort anyway. Lady Olyva had acted exactly the way he ’ d expected her to when he banished her. If Tiberius was planning something, he doubted that Lady Olyva had been privy to his plans.
“ Keep her here until I decide differently, ” Leonosis said.
“ Please, my lord, ” Hellen said. “ I ’ ll serve you well. I ’ ll do anything for you, but don ’ t leave me here. ”
Leonosis ignored her. He left the cell and walked back down the hall. He opened the door to Robere ’ s cell and found his torturer on the poor man ’ s chest. He had a metal device in Robere ’ s mouth and there were blood and bits of teeth on the elderly servant ’ s chin and cheeks.
“ Sit him up, ” Leonosis ordered.
The torturer looked disappointed, but he got up and set the wooden chair that Robere was tied to back in an upright position. Robere was sobbing. His hands were lashed to his sides and the rough ropes were cutting into his pale flesh. He ’ d been stripped naked before being tied to the chair. His thin gray hair was sticking out from his head and his lips were split open and swollen.
“ I told you not to hamper his ability to talk, ” Leonosis said angrily.
“ He can talk, ” the torturer said. “ I ’ m a professional. ”
“ Robere, ” Leonosis said. “ I have to say I ’ m very disappointed. ”
“ I ’ m sorry, ” Robere said, his words muffled by his missing teeth and swollen lips.
“ Sorry for what? ”
“ I took Master Tiberius his whip. I felt sorry for him. ”
“ You gave my brother his whip? ” Leonosis said in surprise. “ Robere, Robere, Robere. ”
He backhanded the elderly servant. The savage blow snapped Robere ’ s head to the side and split open the thin skin on his cheekbone.
“ Forgive me, ” Robere cried, drawing out the word in a long sob.
“ I want to know what Tiberius was planning. Surely he confided in you. ”
“ He was angry, ” Robere said. “ But I didn ’ t know why. He spent all his time at the temple. ”
“ He wanted to leave the city, that much is certain, ” Leonosis said. “ I had his room searched, a good deal of his personal belongings were missing. Did you deliver those to my brother as well? ”
“ No, my lord. I asked him about them and he told me he moved them to the temple. I had no reason not to believe him. ”
“ You were helping him! ” Leonosis shouted. “ Admit it! Tell me what he was planning! ”
“ I do not know, ” cried Robere.
Leonosis turned and picked up a mace. It was a cruel looking weapon, very plain with just a wooden handle and a rusty spiked ball fixed on the end. Leonosis held it in front of Robere ’ s face.
“ No, no, ” cried the servant.
Leonosis let the weapon ’ s heavy spiked end drop. There wasn ’ t much force in the blow, but the weight of the weapon was enough to break the skin on Robere ’ s shaking legs. Blood welled up between the spikes.
“ Tell me what he was doing, ” Leonosis said calmly, but loud enough to be heard over Robere ’ s wail of pain.
“ I don ’ t know. ”
Leonosis pressed down on the weapon. The spikes dug into the servant ’ s leg. Robere was not a big man. In fact, his legs were rather thin, but the mace dug into the thick thigh muscles. The rusty spikes weren ’ t sharpened, and they tore through the flesh rather than cutting. Robere screamed in agony.
“ Tell me what you know! ” Leonosis shouted.
“ I saw something, ”
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