His unsettled stomach made the ordeal even more miserable. After several days of sleeping on board the Emerald Storm while it was in dock, he thought he had gained his sea legs. The initial wretchedness had subsided only to return now that the ship was rolling at a different cadence on the open sea. While not nearly as bad as before, his nausea was still a nuisance and would make his work less enjoyable.

Thranic carried no light but did not need one. The sentry’s lanterns at the far end of the hold gave sufficient illumination for him to see. He passed several sentries, seret who stood rigidly at their stations, ignoring his approach.

“They seem quiet tonight. Have they been behaving?” Thranic asked as he approached the cages.

“Yes, sir,” the senior guard replied, breaking his statuesque facade only briefly. “Seasickness. They’re all under the weather.”

“Yes,” Thranic noted, not without a degree of revulsion. He watched them. “They can see me, you know, even in the dark. They have very good eyesight.”

Because a response was not required, the seret remained silent.

“I can see recognition on their faces, recognition and fear. This is my first trip to visit them, but already they know me. They can sense the power of Novron within me, and the evil in them instinctually cowers. It’s like I’m a candle, and the light I give off pushes back their darkness.”

Thranic stepped closer to the cages, each so densely packed the elves were forced to take turns standing and lying. Those standing pressed their filthy naked bodies against each other for support. Males, females, and children were jammed together tightly, creating a repugnant quivering mass of flesh. He watched with amusement as they whimpered and whined, struggling to move away from his approach.

“See? I am light, and the putrid blackness of their souls retreats before me.” Thranic studied their faces, each gaunt and hollow from starvation. “They’re disgusting creatures—unnatural abominations that never should have been. Their very existence is an insult. You feel it, don’t you? We need to purge the world of the stain they cause. We need to do our best to clear the offense. We need to prove ourselves worthy.”

Thranic was no longer looking at the elves. He was staring at his own hands. “Purification is never easy, but always necessary,” he muttered pensively. “Fetch me that tall male with the missing tooth,” Thranic ordered. “I’ll begin with him.”

Following the sentinel’s direction, the guards ripped the elf from his cage and bound his elbows behind his back. Using a spare rigging pulley, they hoisted the unfortunate prisoner by his arms to the overhead beam. The effort pulled the elf’s limbs from their sockets, causing him to scream in agony. His wails and the wretched look on his face caused even the seret to look away, but Thranic watched stoically, his lips pursed approvingly.