Ben turned and saw him. He was a short man of unassuming physics, dressed in expensive clothing meant more for the court than for the battlefield. His powdered wig was neat underneath his wide-brimmed hat.
"Sullivan," Ben growled. He trained his cutlass on the man.
Ben felt his rage returning. Sullivan was unarmed. There was no sword nor pistol hanging from his hip. He was completely vulnerable. Ben could just lunge and free his head from his neck.
Ben shifted his feet, ready to lunge. But Sullivan remained unfazed and held up a hand. "I'd pick my move carefully if I were you."
Sullivan beckoned. Two Dawnspawns came at his call, carrying an injured Hagrene. They threw her into the ground and trained their blades at her.
"Hagrene!"
Ben stepped towards the Dawnspawns and they edged their burning blades closer to Hagrene.
Ben froze, though his entire body screamed to move.
Sullivan grinned. "Ah, you should see the look on your face. Do you have any idea what you look like right now?"
Ben glared at him. "What?"
"No humour. No bargaining. The great Ben Hollow, the great trickster, now so serious!
"Tell me, how many enemies have seen that face of yours? That true face underneath your lies and your wit?"
Ben faced greater foes than Sullivan. He faced monsters and men far more terrifying than him and lived to tell the tale. And throughout those times he kept his mind sharp and his sword sharper, always outsmarting and outgunning his enemies. Sullivan was just a man. He wasn't even a fighter. But he always found a way to get underneath his skin that no one else could. Ben figured it was Sullivan's calm demeanour and shit-eating grin. But mostly, it was because he knew where to hit that counts.
"Sullivan, I swear I'll kill you for this."
"Now, now. You've been rash enough for one night. You came here guns blazing to drag her across the prison. You didn't even suspect why a group of Dawnspawns are even here in this shithole. I expected more my rival."
He was right. Ben had no idea what he was doing. He was in uncharted waters, and he was sailing dark. He has no idea what the next second would hold, but time keeps on ticking.
Sullivan cocked his head. "Ah, you hear that? Looks like you're running out of time."
Ben turned to the prison. It began to stir. Shadows flickered through the windows as men marched through its corridors. Shouts of orders echoed throughout the building.
Hagrene craned her head up from the ground. "Run, Ben. Just run."
Ben met her eyes. "What?"
"You can't fight them all. Just run!"
Ben clenched his teeth. He had come this far, should he really abandon her now?
His eyes darted between Hargrane, the Dawnspawns, and Sullivan. His grip on his sword tightened.
'If I try, I can kill him. I can kill them all.'
Sullivan read his mind. "Kill me would you now? Like you killed those wardens? Those Dawnspawns? Like you killed those you swore to protect? Choose carefully, hero."
"I made my choice, and they made theirs trying to stop me," snapped Ben.
"And a poor choice you made! You could rule the world with the power and the knowledge that you have, Ben. Why toss it all away and take the path that would doom you?"
Guards and wardens, men in thick metal plates and long spears and shields, poured out into the harbour. Their heavy greaves beat against the wooden platforms like war drums. From inside the countless windows and openings of the prison, rifle barrels stuck out, aimed at Ben and Hagrene.
"Just leave, Ben. Don't doom yourself," Hagrene cried.
Hagrene's right. Sullivan's right. He could've followed his destiny, be the hero of Gaedsea. But he threw it all away.
Before Hagrane, everything had gone so well.