In the DungeonIndex | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | In The Dungeon
A few minutes after Vikund left, the guard knocked, and then pushed the door slightly ajar. "If you please, my Lord, the Prime Minister would see you." On the floor, Johann seemed to give a kind of a groan ... Without taking his eyes from the guard, Damien bent a knee and took Johann's pulse. "He would, then? Lend me a hand in chaining up Johann properly, then I shall be on my way..." he said as he indicated the wall shackles with his lace-wreathed hand. "Certainly, my Lord," said the guard at once. He was a man well known to Damion - a man whose father had served in the guard before him, and part of a fa,ily who had accepted them invasion with grim endurance and, more recently, some mellowing. Not a man likely to have listened over-much to anything Jonah had to say. He was calmly efficient in chaining the reprobate to the wall, glancing every now and then at Damien as he did so. It was very clear that he did not wholly trust him. After checking the restraints one more time, Damien turned and strode out of the cell without so much as a 'thank you' or nod to the guard for his help. In the corridor outside he found Mandor, giving quiet instructions to one of the guards. As Damien emerged he looked at him, unsmiling, and then flicked a hand in dismissal to the guards. But even when they were alone together, he was silent, simply watching Damien. Finally he moved, indicating a cell some distance from the one where Johann was confined. Damien stood still and examined Mandor in turn, insuring that if this was a shapeshifter he had at least gotten the color of both eyes perfect. If Mandor was looking for signs of deception in his expression, it was not there to find. When Mandor turned, he followed. "We can talk here," he said. "It's warded." "Good. I was beginning to worry I had some blood on my face," he said as he licked his thumb and wiped away an imaginary speck from his jaw. "I don't believe Johann will be able to escape on his own, but there will undoubtedly be attempts to assist him. Will we be waiting for Merlin to recover before the trial?" he asked frankly. "No," said Mandor. "That is - the trial will take place tonight - whether Merlin has recovered or not. I can always press his inked thumb against the warrant of execution." He regarded Damien for a moment. "And you ... no doubts at all? No wavering?" "To back out now would be laughably stupid," Damien scoffed. "Johann would still want revenge for his betrayal, and I'll still have the penalty to my reputation in certain circles. No... I made up my mind before I proposed the plan," he said with a sigh. "Hmmm," said Mandor. "And not hint of conscience at all?" Damien snorted. "I regret only that he was an idealistic and self-centered fool," he amended with a nod and a tight smile. "As for Vikund... was his reaction what you'd expect?" Damien asked with a raised eyebrow. "What did you expect his reaction to be, then?" asked Mandor. "If I didn't know better, I'd say I thought he was hoping Johann would succeed, or that he was more worried about Petra's skin than his own. Of course, neither of those circumstances are possible..." "Indeed," said Mandor, idly examining his fingernails. "He could, indeed, have been acting under my explicit orders, to see how far you were prepared to go in this matter." "Well, you shall see what evidence he chooses to bring to your attention, and what he omits," he said with a smile and a shrug. Mandor answered that smile with one of his own. "As for that. it's criteria I use with all my ... advisers. "Let's see what my first interview with Lord Johann brings to light." Damien nodded. "Should he try to damn me, I've already told you what he might say. I trust you wish to interview him alone?" "Indeed." Mandor turned his head and looked at Damien for a moment, considering him. "Although 'interview' seems a somewhat neutral term for describing what will happen between us now."
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