Bromley woke up and looked at the door of the cage. One of his his cell mates was being dragged out of it violently and when he tried to hold onto the bars the hooded man in charge of the orcs slashed against his wrist making him let go. He looked at Bromley and licked the blood from the blade before sheathing it again and smirked. It was as if they kept him alive so as to make him watch as new prisoners were taken and being sacrificed every now and then while he stayed alive and watching. This one was a young Eglain with whom Bromley exchanged only a few words in the three days that they shared the same cell. Now he was gone.
The other prisoner whose name Bromley didn’t know cowered at their corner, his eyes turned to the hooded man with the horror in them evident. The dark man saw that and pointed at him.
“Tomorrow at dawn it will be you…” he hissed and walked away.
The prisoner started breathing fast and deeply and soon he started shaking.
“Hey now, don’t do that, calm down!” cried Bromley from his corner, but the man didn’t hear him and he sprang to his knees and crawled near him. Bromley grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.
“Calm down, slow breaths. Deep and slow breaths. Yes, that’s it,” he squeezed and released slowly in order to give time to the man and he started to breathe in the way of the squeezing.
“I’m n-next… You heard them… They’ll kill me, like a pig. I didn’t d-do anything. Why?!” he said in one breath.
“Breathe, man. Breathe!” Bromley said calmly. It’s because they are evil and we are in their hands.
“But… I-I d-didn’t do anything… My mother will die from worry… My p-poor mother. Last time I saw her I told her that I don’t care about what she fears and now… Now I’ll die… I’ll never say sorry to her.” and sobbed.
Bromley retreated back to his corner when he saw another black clad man approaching.
“What’s wrong with him?” he asked.
“Your friend said he’s next tomorrow,” Bromley replied and the man shook his head.
“He’s not my friend. He’s a stupid worm.”
“Are you taking us with you?” Bromley asked.
“Yes, why, you have somewhere else to be?” The man joked.
“I- I- have a family in Br-”
“Not for long,” the man licked his broken lips to water them and grinned revealing stained teeth in the light of the torch nearby.
Bromley lost it for a moment and gaped.
“Oh, it’s nothing personal, man, Bree shall soon burn.”
“How… Why…” Bromley managed to stutter.
“I don’t know. I’d love to be there. I see that you care, you have family, eh? Good, good, I must tell the master. You’ll make a fine sacrifice. All your worries and troubles and cares will travel to the skies with the smoke and we will be blessed,” the man smirked and looked away at the orcs. “As we speak bandits are gathering and they will strike leaving no one alive. Keep thinking and you’ll make a fine sacrifice. Join us and you will be free.”
Bromley was too stunned to speak. His knees were turned to jelly and he had to support himself against the bars to stay as he was, slowly he sat down on his rear and sank his face in his palms. He had to escape. Somehow he had to escape. And fast… He had to find his family. He had to warn Bree.
