The manor house’s jail was less a dungeon and more an old well. Forced to descend by a rope, Hadrian was left trapped at the bottom. He waited in silence, looking up at the stars. The rising moon cast a shaft of pale light that descended the wall, marking the slow passage of the night.

Cold spring water seeped in through the walls, leaving them damp and creating a shallow pool at the base. With his feet tiring, Hadrian eventually sat in the cold puddle. Jagged rocks hidden under the water added to his misery. In time, he was forced to stand again to fight the cold.

The moonlight was more than halfway down the wall when Hadrian heard voices and movement from above. Dark silhouettes appeared and the iron grate scraped as it slid clear. A rope lowered and Hadrian thought they had reconsidered. He stood up to take hold of it, but stopped when he saw another figure coming down.

“In ya go,” someone at the top ordered, and laughed, his voice echoing. “We keep all our rats down there!”

The figure was nimble and descended quickly.

“Royce?” Hadrian asked. “They—they captured you?”

The rope was pulled up and the grate slid back in place.

“More or less,” he replied, glancing around. “Not much on accommodations, are they?”

“I can’t believe they caught you.”

“It wasn’t as easy as you’d think. They aren’t very bright.” Royce reached out and let his fingers run over the glistening walls. “Was this just a well that went dry?”

“Hintindar doesn’t have much need for a big prison.” Hadrian shook his head. “So you let them capture you?”

“Ingenious, don’t you think?”

“Oh, brilliant.”

“I figured it was the easiest way to find you.” Royce shuffled his feet in the water, grimacing. “So what’s your excuse? Did they come for you with an army of twenty heavily armored men?”

“They caught me sleeping.”

Royce shot him a skeptical look.

“Let’s just say I was put in a position where I’d have to kill people and I chose not to. This is my home, remember. I don’t want to be known as a killer here.”

“So it is good I didn’t slit throats. I’m smarter than I thought.”

“Oh yes, I can see the genius in your plan.” Hadrian looked up. “How do you suggest we get out now?”

“Eventually, Luret will haul us out and hand us over to a press-gang, just as he threatened. We’ll serve in the imperial army for a few days, learn what we can, and then slip away. We can report what we discover to Alric for an added bonus.”

“What about Arista?”