For all the good it seemed to do them, the cities in Hannibal were once surrounded by impressive walls, but the Mad King thought those walls defied him and so they were torn down, leaving the citizens all the more vulnerable to their many enemies. The watchtowers on the outskirts of the city were all that remained.

Tobias was not going into the city, however. In days past, any judgments that needed to be passed down—those that did not warrant the attention of the King—were dealt with swiftly. One or both of the city's sufetim would make their judgment and the sentence would be carried out. The Mad King, however, had a taste for slow justice and so a gaol was constructed outside each city. This way all the delights of the castle's dungeon could be enjoyed closer to home. This was where Tobias needed to go.

The fact that the Witch was taken alive meant there was some use for her in spite of the danger she supposedly represented. Tobias suspected the court sorcerers had a hand in it. They always seemed to have the Queen's ear. There were those who said the Queen practiced sorcery and witchcraft herself. Perhaps she thought to harness the Witch's great power as her own. If the Witch was the danger she was made out to be, such a plan recklessly hazarded the safety of the kingdom. If not, an innocent girl was being made to suffer for a mad scheme. Either way, Tobias could not let it stand, even though he risked both his life and his honor to oppose it.

The gaols were the creation of Lord Morten, from the days when he was the chief magistrate of public works under the Mad King. They were circular buildings so designed in the theory that from the center the guards could see all the cells and also so that all the prisoners could witness any punishment that was carried out. There were certain to be other contrivances as well, for Lord Morten created nothing that was merely as it appeared.

There were two pairs of guards on patrol and one up in each of the simple watchtowers posted at the four cardinal directions. They had no reason to challenge a knight, so Tobias continued on unmolested. If he recalled, the standard complement was twenty-four guards—twelve by day and twelve by night—, the head gaoler and his two deputies, the quartermaster, the cook, the secretary, the master of torture, and the headsman. At least half of the guards would be trained as riders in the off chance there was an escape that warranted a swift pursuit and there were at least a dozen dogs bred to hunt men. Tobias would not likely last long if they were all turned against him at once.

It got worse as Tobias drew closer to the gaol and saw six black stallions belonging to the Black Guard hitched outside. He had some small chance of his bluff succeeding against the common gaolers, but how could he hope to talk his way around the Black Guard? His only hope was that audacity would prevail where common sense dare not venture. Lord preserve him.

After tying his horse to the hitching post, he went to the door and knocked on it, shouting, "Open in the name of the Commander-General!"

The spyhole opened and the guard at the door said, "Wot's yer bizness... ah, Sir Knight?"

Tobias pulled out a sealed letter fro the pouch at his side and held it up so the guard cold see.

Presumably he was talking of the head gaoler, who was called 'Sir' as a courtesy, since it was unlikely a sworn knight would be assigned to such a post.

The guardhouse was only a short distance from the gaol, built with a tower to complement the watchtowers posted around the gaol itself. Tobias went to the guardhouse and started the process over from the beginning. First he pounded on the door, shouting, "Open in the name of the Commander-General!"

A guard peered out through the spyhole, saying only, "Yeah?"

Tobias held up the sealed letter and said, "I'm under orders from the Commander-General to escort a prisoner back to the castle. Let me in so that I can speak to Sir Abibaal."

Normally Tobias was loath to swing around his authority like a club, but the less he acted like himself, the longer it would take people to realize he was the one doing these things. That was his reasoning, at least.

The guard opened the door ad led him to the head gaoler's quarters up in the tower. The guard knocked on the door, saying, "Sir Abibaal? Sir Abibaal!"

He could hear some muttered cursing before the door opened to reveal a sweaty and disheveled Sir Abibaal. He was dressed only in a wrinkled tunic, clearly thrown on in haste. Tobias caught a glimpse of woman lying naked in his bed but promptly averted his eyes.

Tobias held up the letter and said, "I have orders from the Commander-General to escort a prisoner back to the palace."

He snatched the letter from Tobias' hand, broke the seal and started to read it. He had to go over to the lamp on the stand at his bedside.

Of course Tobias could not entrust one of the palace scribes to write the orders, so he wrote it himself. His mother used to always scold him for his handwriting and the years had not done much to improve his skills.

Sir Abibaal cursed some more before going to put on his breeches and boots, gird on his belt and don his cloak and cap. He glanced back to the woman in his bed and said, "Don't go nowhere, love. Heh."

Though Tobias was generally trying not to look at the woman, he could not help but notice that her arms were strung up with leather cords. As Sir Abibaal closed the door behind him, he said to Tobias in a low voice, "Her husband was caught poachin' in the woods. Came here pleadin' for mercy. I makes her an offer. Won't help the husband, but she don't need to know that. Heh."

Men in power like Sir Abibaal were all too common, sadly, and many did not bother with the pretense of false promises to take what they wanted. Tobias would have liked to knock the gaoler's teeth out, but it would not help that woman or her husband, nor would it help the girl he came to rescue. He had to suffer it in silence and pray that one day justice would be done to such men.

Sir Abibaal led him back to the gaol and this time they were let in without any trouble. Once they passed through the antechamber into the gaol proper, Tobias was overwhelmed by the stench of unwashed bodies, rotting straw and all manner of filth.

As they went around the center of the gaol, Tobias saw a prisoner being flogged, his back bathed in his own blood. It was an ordinary guard carrying out the flogging, so the prisoner must not have warranted the attention of the master of torture.

None of the prisoners dared to defy him in this. Tobias knew there were many who belonged here—thieves, murderers, rapers and the like—but how many had committed no greater offense than being a few coins short on their taxes or saying a rash word after drinking too much wine? However, like the woman in Sir Abibaal's chamber, there was nothing Tobias could do for these men. Of course, what he had come to do might well come to nothing as well.

There were two men of the Black Guard posted outside the door to the innermost cell.

The Guardsmen were armed with short spears besides the swords on their hips. As Sir Abibaal and Tobias got closer, they crossed their spears to bar the way.

The Guardsmen looked at each other, then the one on the right stepped forward and swiped the letter from Sir Abibaal's hand. The letter ignited in blue flame that engulfed the Guardsman's hand. When the letter was consumed, he extinguished the flames with a flick of his wrist.

The two Guardsmen steadied their spears at Tobias and Sir Abibaal.

With the sound of tramping boots, the four guards currently inside the gaol hurried to Sir Abibaal's call. The one who was flogging a prisoner was still carrying the bloody scourge.

It was not all that likely that the guards would have followed Sir Abibaal's order, but the Guardsman on the left must have gotten impatient and thrust his spear into the gut of one of the guards.

The other Guardsman made a thrust at Tobias, but his reflexes were faster than those of the unfortunate Eshbaal, He sidestepped the spear, moved in close and drawing the knife from his belt, he drove it up under the Guardsman's chin. The other Guardsman was mobbed by the other three guards before he could pull his spear out of Eshbaal's body. They then proceeded to savagely beat him senseless if not to death.

Eshbaal was not dead yet, but he was not long for this world.

The guard from the door looked to Tobias and said, "'Ave pity, Sir Knight. Give 'im mercy."

Tobias did not know what sort of man Eshbaal was, but even leaving his worst enemy to suffer the slow and painful death of a gut wound was something he could not do. He knelt down and mumbled a prayer for the man's soul before delivering the coup de grâce. He had only been pressed to do it once or twice in battle and he never relished the task.

While Tobias was dispatching Eshbaal, Sir Abibaal had taken his keyring and was unlocking the door to the cell. As he opened the door, he raised his voice and shouted, "You bastards best stand down! I don't wanna see anyone else dead today!"

He did not get his wish. The moment he stepped through the door, his body erupted in the same blue flames that consumed Tobias' letter. If Sir Abibaal were a more decent man, Tobias might have felt guilty for using his body as a shield as he burst into the cell. The remaining four Guardsmen were posted at the four corners of the cell. The two facing the cell door were armed with crossbows. One quarrel hit Sir Abibaal, not quite putting him out of his misery, while the other narrowly missed Tobias and hit the guard behind him.

Tobias flung Sir Abibaal into the Guardsman in the front corner to his left and he only paid the one on the opposite side a passing glance as he went for the crossbowman on the right before he could either reload or draw his sword. With the draw of his own sword, Tobias came just shy of taking the first Guardsman's head. As he went for the second one, the Guardsman blocked Tobias' swing with his crossbow, then took the opportunity to draw his sword.

Tobias dodged the Guardsman's wide swing, then buried his blade in the Guardsman's neck. The short spear of the Guardsman in the front corner on the right bounced off Tobias' cuirass, staggering him a little. By the time Tobias turned to meet him, he already had his sword at the ready. They exchanged a few swings, both of them dodging rather than blunting the edges of their blades by clashing with each other, but it was Tobias who found the critical opening first, forcing his blade up under the Guardsman's arm and into his heart.

The remaining Guardsman did not give him any chance to recover, charging at him before he could pull out his sword. Tobias used the dead Guardsman's body as a shield and when he could not free his own sword, he wrested the dead Guardsman's sword out of his hand to fend off the last one of them. Because this was not his sword, he was not so reluctant to use it roughly.

After hitting each other's blades a few times, the Guardsman swept his free hand down the length of his sword, igniting it in blue flame. Tobias did not dare cross blades with him now, avoiding his swings, but there was not much space for him to retreat.

Finding himself against the wall, he was able to sidestep a thrust from the Guardsman, then kneed him in the side to unbalance him. Getting behind the Guardsman, Tobias seized him by the head and smashed his face into the wall. He did this two more times before bringing his blade around and slashing the Guardsman's throat. As the Guardsman fell, the blue flames on the sword faded as soon as the blade left his hand.

His breath ragged from the ordeal, Tobias took a moment to survey the carnage around him. This was not what he wanted, but he should have known it would not be so simple.

He tossed the Guardsman's sword aside and went to retrieve his own sword. He had to use his foot to pry it loose from the body and then shook off the blood. It was then that he really noticed the entire reason he had come here, He was so focused on the men trying to kill him that the Witch may as well have not been there at all.

The Witch was shackled to the wall but still had the collar and manacles the Black Guard put on her when they captured her. She was dirty and scared—of course she was scared. Tobias realized that having his sword drawn probably wasn't helping matters, so he put it away. He approached her carefully, but she cringed as he drew nearer all the same. He stopped, stooped down and tried talking to her in as gentle a voice as he could muster.

The girl did not respond.

Still no response. She was the Witch from Beyond the Sea, after all. He tried talking to her in his father's tongue, his mother's tongue and the scholars' tongue as well—what little he knew of it. Nothing seemed to work. He sighed.

He would have to worry about communication later. He got up and went over to the door, where Sir Abibaal dropped his keyring. He then unlocked the shackles that held the Witch to the wall, but none of Sir Abibaal's keys were going to fit the Black Guard's collar and manacles. The Witch did not move from where she was sitting, so Tobias was not to worried about her running off while he searched the bodies of the Guardsmen for a key.

Nothing.

He decided he could take her to a blacksmith in Taher. He did not dare tarry here much longer.

She said nothing, gave no response or even seemed to acknowledge him. They did not have time to waste, so he picked her up and carried her out of the gaol. She did not fight him, but she did not make any effort to cooperate either.

When Tobias stepped out the door, he noticed that the guards who were out patrolling on foot were gone and the watchtowers were empty. Apparently the remaining two guards in the gaol fled and warned their comrades to do likewise. If it was discovered they abandoned their post, they would probably hang for it, but it would seem that they were more afraid of what the rampaging Guardsmen might do.

This was the perfect time to make their escape. He set the Witch on his horse and was about mount when he recalled the woman in Sir Abibaal's quarters. He could not imagine anything good happening to her now that Sir Abibaal was dead, not that her lot was much better when he was alive. It was the very height of folly, he knew, but as a knight and as a man, he could not simply abandon her to whatever fate lay in store for her.

He went over to the guardhouse and pounded on the door.

No one opened the door or even went to the spyhole, but Tobias could hear a muffled voice from inside.

It was the guard who had formerly been at the door of the gaol.

Tobias was about to say that they were all dead, but he realized it would be to his advantage if the guards remained in the guardhouse a while longer. He did not know if this lie would work, but he would at least give it a try.

Tobias could just barely hear some hushed mutterings as several of the guards debated what to do. When they seemed to come to an agreement, the spyhole opened as the one guard peered out.

The guard removed the bar, then unlocked and opened the door. Six other guards were clustered in the entryway with spears in hand with more behind them.

As much to hide his own nervousness as to continue the act, he told them gruffly, "Out of my way," as he went to Sir Abibaal's quarters. Before entering, he unhooked his cloak and without looking directly at the woman, he walked up to the bed and covered her with his cloak. He then took his knife and cut the leather cords tying her up.

Confused and a little frightened, the woman asked him, "Where's Sir Abibaal?"

Tobias turned his back to the woman as she dressed herself. Once she was dressed, she stepped forward and offered him back his cloak.

The woman nodded.

The woman followed Tobias down the stairs. Most of the guards were still clustered around by the door.

The guards looked to each other nervously.

The guards unbarred the door again so they could pass. Once the door was closed behind them and they had gone a short ways, the woman said in a low voice, "Thank you, Sir Knight. I... I would've done anything to save my husband. How can I ever repay you? Do you...?"

Realizing what she meant, Tobias hastily said, "Don't confuse me for men like Sir Abibaal. I couldn't leave you there. It was my duty as a knight. What you do from here is your choice, but if you intend to use those keys, be quick about it and get as far from this city as quickly as you can."

Whatever she did from that point on, it was her responsibility, as he said. Tobias turned his attention back to the Witch. She had not taken the opportunity to run away. If she had, he was not sure if he would have gone after her or not. Which would have been the better choice? Even if it was in self-defense, he had killed men of the Black Guard and would have to face the Queen's justice, so the least he could do was ensure the Witch was taken somewhere she would not be pursued.

He continued on to the hitching post and untied the Guardsmen's horses. Of course they were too well-trained to just run off on their own and none too willing to be led away by a stranger. He found the one that was most receptive to him and made that one the lead as he strung the other five behind it. He quickly realized that he could not hold the reins to his horse and the Guardsman's horse while also ensuring the Witch did not fall off, so he tied the reins of the Guardsman's horse to his saddle before mounting his own.

He felt a little awkward having the girl ride in front of him, but until her arms were free, she could not very well hold on to him from behind.

The girl did not respond.

Thinking about what that would mean, he found himself repeating the words.

That was far easier said than done. He did not yet fully appreciate what he had gotten himself into. He thought he knew, but he would discover just how much he underestimated the situation.