With the wall at your back, you push yourself slowly to your feet. As your vision clears, you see that you're in a cell, bordered on one edge by a narrow passage. Some bars separate it from the first of five others in the same passage. All the cells are empty except the nearest one, in which you see Drazha.
"Hello, Basileios," says Drazha. "I suspect you're wondering why I'm here."
"The deal with Utrio," you reply. "Did he betray us there, too?"
Drazha shakes her head. "The deal went ahead as planned. I went down to the docks. I saw them all leave Kurukana's ship, and I saw Utrio's man pay over the money. I was the last one to leave. I wanted to be sure that we'd gotten everyone. Then, just as I went to follow them, Utrio's guards appeared. They jumped me, and I've been in here ever since." Her jaw sets, and for a moment, she seems to be looking someplace far away, beyond the walls of the cell. "Vanya…we were never friends, but I can't believe he'd do this. You know he'll take credit for freeing our people? That was probably the plan all along."
Before you can respond, there is movement in the passage outside your cells. Utrio strides in, accompanied by two of his guards. He wrinkles his nose and looks about the place with an expression of disgust.
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