Inside the city walls:-
Shaom, the capital city was bustling with activity but an air of tension loomed over its streets. Shaom was operating on high vigilance as the civil security department was determined to catch the skilled robbers who have been wreaking havoc.
The setting sun cast long shadows as the patrolling inspectors moved briskly through the streets, their armors were catching the attention of the watchful eyes of the residents and passers-by.
The city borders were sealed, and marketplaces, streets, etc under the vigilant eyes of strategically deployed men in green and black uniforms as well as the queen's troops. They wore different clothes and looked different but one thing was common - their stern faces and determined expression that reflected their unwavering commitment to safeguard the city and the citizens.
As promised by the queen, the Maythene troops had arrived at the capital city of Shaom before sunset, half the troops had secured the city as per Inspector General's orders while the other half was assisting the teams of inspectors to search the city thoroughly.
But the citizens were skeptical and nervous to witness the foreign troops taking over the streets, the big numbers of Maythene troops as compared to the Hannian officers were concerning to them.
The marketplace, usually vibrant with merchants and shoppers had an atmosphere tinged with caution.
Sumin, being the head of the civil security department was the one who was leading them, while his team scoured the city he had another important thing that needed to be taken care of- the captured thief.
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Interrogation room:-
A dimly lit room, suffused with an air of anticipation and tension. Sumin was standing outside the door of the cell made out of metal bars. His gaze fixed on the young thief who was visibly exhausted and tired, his hands tied and legs chained to the only stone wall behind him.
The thief, surely in his early twenties sat hunched against the wall, his eyes darting nervously while he kept himself from dozing off. His body bore the marks of captivity and hunger, his eyes were groggy, and his face swollen from lack of sleep, yet his determination to keep his silence remained steadfast.
An officer came to Sumin and he whispered, "As per the orders, he wasn't given any food or water. He wasn't allowed to doze off or lie down. He had been sitting like that since last night."
Sumin handed over his word to one of his subordinates and entered the cell. His tall frame had to lower his head to enter.
The thief recoiled even more, and his weak fists tightened.
"What is your name?" Sumin said as he lowered himself to face the prisoner. His voice was casual, without any hint of authority or threat.
The prisoner just lowered his head.
"You don't want to share that, I see…" Sumin said while he studied the thief from head to toe. "How old are you?"
"…"
'he is scared but refuses to talk,' Sumin thought and lifted the thief's head to take a good look at him. He hoped to get something so that he wouldn't have to opt for more extreme measures. A piercing mark on the thief's ear caught his attention, a tiny puncture on his upper ear cartilage.
"It is better that you talk or I will be forced to take a more painful and harsh route," Sumin said staring at the thief's small eyes.
The thief gulped, "I am prepared to die."
'You are not.' The fear on the young man's face was amiss. Sumin pinched his chin, "What a pity that you will have to live and experience things worse than death."
The thief's dry lips quivered. He was scared already and the calmness in Sumin's voice was scaring him further.
"You are prepared to die but are you prepared to starve." Sumin let go of the thief's chin. "How long have you gone without food? 2 days? 4 days?"
The thief was breathing slowly as he listened to Sumin.
"Will you have the same determination after days of starvation?" Sumin said as he gestured to one of the officers.
The officer came with a jug of water. "I have seen big determinations get taken over by hunger." He said and poured some water into his mouth.
The thief's thirsty eyes watched Sumin as he wiped his mouth after gulping the mouthful of water down.
"Let's say that you keep your determination by refusing to talk and watch your food waiting outside this cell rot. What about lack of sleep? Will you still be able to stay this determined?"
The thief raised his head to look at Sumin. He hadn't thought about all the other possibilities.
"I have heard that strongest men can't handle it. But maybe you can." Sumin said and slowly emptied the jug on the young thief's head.
The thief gasped but then surrendered to the cold water while he thought about Sumin's questions. He could handle starvation but he wasn't sure of the sleep deprivation. He had only been awake for one night and he was already losing focus.
"I hope that you handle it as it might lure your comrades here." Sumin made a hand gesture.
The thief's eyes grew bigger. It was the same sign that his comrades had made when they left him.
"We will come for you." Sumin's eyes were squinted, he had found his clue. "This is what your fellow thieves meant when they left without you…"
The thief was panicking to know that he had cracked the meaning of their signs.
"When they come to free you, they will be dead as soon as they walk in." Sumin watched the frantic movement of his eyes. "You should stay determined and survive… How else will you witness when your comrades shall be skinned alive!"
The thief held his breath while Sumin waited for some kind of response.
"Followed by your family if you have one," Sumin added to push his imagination further when the thief remained silent.
He sharply turned to Sumin, "You all are cruel and selfish." The thief was all worked up with hatred evident in his eyes.
Previously Sumin wasn't sure if he had any family but now he was. He nodded. "To keep your pride you are willing to endanger the lives of your family. That is also selfish."
"you want to lure your comrades in the trap even after knowing what awaits them… is that true comradery?"
The thief pressed his lips while he reflected on what decision to make.
"I hope when we meet again you will cooperate, that will prevent many lives." Sumin got up.
"Whose lives?" the thief asked, he needed to know all the prospects to decide better.
"Your family, friends, tribe members…"
"My comrades?"
"They will be judged based on the severity of their crimes… they haven't killed anyone, only intrusion, and theft, so they are less likely to get a death penalty but…" Sumin paused intensionally to aggravate his anxiousness.
As a result, the thief was losing his patience, it was obvious that he wasn't as informed about the laws of Hanna as anyone who is breaking it should be.
"But if they are caught while breaking into the prison to get you out, they will have their hands chopped off before being hanged at the square," Sumin said with the most nonchalant expression while the latter was breaking into a cold sweat.
"And their families will be banished," Sumin added lastly.
The thief was on the verge of crying, his swollen eyes were red from the lack of sleep and watery after imagining the gravity of his decision. He was torn between whether to stay silent and risk harsh punishment for himself, his comrades, and their families or betray his comrades and save all their lives.
Sumin knew what the thief was going to choose, to help him open up he said, "Don't choose between loyalty and betrayal, chose between the sure death of your comrades and all your family and the 'possibility' that they will get caught."
The thief was confused but then it hit him, the words 'if', 'possibility', 'maybe'… there was a slight chance that they might not get caught, he knew they were great at hiding, and there was a slight chance that they could flee just like always. Then none of them was going to die, his comrades, their families, and him… they will all be safe.
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King's Palace:-
Maan lay on his soft bedding after his embarrassing return from the queen's chambers, adorned in his regal white silk attire. He was restless as the events of the royal court wouldn't leave his mind, it burdened his thoughts and the queen's indifferent behavior towards him had added to that.
"What would be the reason? She was relishing in my company last night." He thought again, "Why did she leave the detached palace early today, even before I woke up?"
"Was she not satisfied?" He was sure that whatever the reason was, it had something to do with the last night's events. "But I treated her well, she was moaning…"
As the stillness of the night enveloped the room and the thoughts of last night enveloped Maan's mind, a sharp sound pierced the air. Maan snapped out of his thoughts, his senses alert. He sat up and listened intently, analyzing for any more sounds.
He stood up and swiftly moved towards the area behind the wooden partition reserved for changing clothes, his royal robe billowed behind him.
In the corner of the chamber, moonlight filtered through a nearby window illuminating a small feathered object pinned high on one of the pillars. Maan's gaze sharpened, it was a feathered arrow. He once again looked around, closed the window then pulled out the arrow with one high jump.
The arrow didn't have a metal head, it was just a shaft with feathers on one end and a sharpened shaft on the other, there was a delicate scroll tied to it, it was too fragile to be used to write anything. He unrolled the parchment, his expression still composed. His jaws tightened as he scanned the writing.
After going through the letter once again, he placed the scroll on the candle flame, the delicate scroll burned in a blink of an eye without leaving any residue or smell just like the feathers that were attached to the arrow. Then he broke the arrow into two and hid under the second layer of his four-layered bedding before laying back in the middle.
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