Snippet #2346179

Yisol rises from the tub and grabs the towel Daiyu has waiting for him. She is confused; Yisol has been silent since he got into the tub and when he isn't silent, he says so very little. He's thinking about something. She's sure it's about his sister, except he seems more agitated than usual, something is up and she worries for him.

Yisol dries and dresses, saying nothing. His mannerisms and gait remain unchanged. "What is she up to?" he wonders.
Staring out the window the sensation is growing, he can feel a power rising in the distance. It's her power. "She's found someone else." he whispers. "If I could just get a bearing on where they are, I could find her and destroy them. She'd have to join me. She'd just have to." he tells himself.

"Lord Yisol." a male voice interrupts his muse. Yisol turns quickly. It's General Arwail, the Commander of his Shock Brigade.
"What is it?" he asks, more in irritation than in curiosity.
"Lord Yisol, the prisoners are ready."
"Good." Yisol says smiling. "Very good. Has the Crone been summoned?"
"She awaits your presence, Lord Yisol."
"Very good. Tell her I'll be there in a minute." Yisol watches him rise and waits until he reaches the door, "Oh and General? In the future I am to be referred to as King or Master. Make sure you spread the word."
"Yes, my lo... King Yisol."

Yisol watches the man exit. "He didn't even flinch." Yisol says half in astonishment and half in triumph to Daiyu. "That's true loyalty." He grabs Daiyu by the wrist and pulls her, "Come. Let's meet my guests. I don't believe you have ever met the Crone. Watch yourself, she's an ugly old thing. But she is quite powerful."

Down several flights of long winding stairs Yisol pulls Daiyu towards the room where the prisoners and the Crone await. Daiyu has never met the Crone, but she has heard stories. The Crone is a beastly, old hag, ancient and decrepit. No one is quite certain just how old she is, but the stories and legends span eons. The stories and descriptions change as often as the seasons, but the one similarity between all of them are - she's always an evil, horrid creature in every story.
Down a long, dank hallway the two move rapidly. It's hard to see in the torchlit catacombs. The twists and turns, the multiple directions you can turn are mind numbing. The tombs have been designed to disorient those who are unlucky enough to wind up down in them without prior knowledge of their design. Daiyu now understands what the Hedge-maze labyrinth that housed the minotaur must have been like and what poor Theseus must have felt as he wandered through the vines and bushes. Each time she thinks she understands where they're going, they turn a corner or come to a crossroads and the flickering torches confuse her.

They don't confuse Yisol. Finally they arrive at a large, dark black, thick wooden door. On the door are carved various demonic looking creatures. The faces on the door vary from a cackling demon with razor sharp teeth, to a man with a hideously deformed face, looking in anguish. Another is of a creature with long, pointy features; his nose, chin, ears all come to sharp points. The last is of some foul creature with a human head in it's mouth, a look of victorious satisfaction on its face.

Daiyu's grip on his hand tells Yisol that the figures unnerve her. "Pay these things no never mind. This area is thousands of years old. The door is hundreds of years. I don't know who put them on it." Yisol never turns to look at her as he explains. He's lying and Daiyu can often read his lies on his face. The door means more than what's there -- much more.

Yisol pushes on a large ring knocker and the door slowly opens. The room is quite warm and brightly lit from a large fire pit in the middle of the room. Six men all kneel when Yisol enters. Hanging from cages chained to the ceiling are five men, a woman and a girl, no more than seven. They are all dirty and thin, not just thin but malnourished. They look like they've been in prison for weeks, if not months. They look pathetic and defeated, waiting for the cold hand of death to take them.
As disturbing as the sight is, Daiyu sees something more disturbing, a short, human form wearing a cloak with it's back to them, slowly turns. It's a woman, she thinks. She's only certain because of her hair and clothes. Her face looks like a withered sharpee dog. Her eyes barely visible under all the wrinkles and layers of flesh that cover her face. The only other two features that protrude from the old weathered skin are her nose and lower lip. Her hair looks like straw, bleach white straw. It hangs down to her shoulder blades, plentiful, hiding her ears and most of her neck from view.
The woman slowly walks toward them. Her bony, lich-like fingers grasping a walking staff, the sleeves from her cloak hiding her arms and legs. Daiyu can't figure out why the woman wields the staff; she moves quite spryly for a man or woman of any age. The staff seems unnecessary.

"Yisol." the woman says once she is within inches of the two of them. The stench from her breath is over powering. Daiyu almost passes out, while Yisol merely turns away.
"Crone." he greets trying to brush away the stench. "And it's King Yisol." Yisol speaks to the woman as if she were his inferior. An odd behavior as the old woman is reputed to be a very powerful witch.
"Of course, Yisol." the woman replies dismissively, turning and walking away. "What is it you want?"
"I want information and I know these things have it." he says gesturing his hand towards the people in the cages.
"I see, It may not be an easy thing you realize?"
"Understood. That's why we have built this fire. I hope it is hot enough for you."
The crone waves her hand into the fire and nods, "It's more than hot enough."
Daiyu is struck dumb at how the old woman can place her hand into the raging fire and not feel anything. "What is she going to do?" Daiyu whispers.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Yisol whispers back, trying to reassure her.
"Why lie to the girl?" the Crone scolds. "I'm going to get information from them and I'm going to use this fire, this staff and those pointy metal rods to help persuade them to talk."
"Ev...ev..even the little girl?" Daiyu asks shocked
"Yes, including her. I play no favorites" the Crone cries.
"No. You can't. She's just a little girl." Daiyu whispers to Yisol.
"It's for the best. These are evil beings. Not even human." Yisol lies.
"Not human. How can you be certain?"
"If they were human, they'd be crying for help wouldn't they? See... nothing." Yisol leads her toward the door. "Do what is necessary Crone. I'll be back later."
"Oh, Yisol." the Crone calls out, "This may take more than a day. My magic is powerful, but it has its limits."
"Of course. Whatever." As Yisol's attention is turned toward the old woman, Daiyu grabs a handful of charcoal powder. As the exit the catacombs, Daiyu pulls them as close to the wall as she can, rubbing her fingers on the wall as they walk.