Roshan’s vision started out blurry as he slowly gained consciousness. He could hear faint voices as his sight focused.
“He is waking.”
“Seize him.”
As his senses returned to him, Roshan could see that he was now being carried by his arms down a long stone corridor. Iron bars were visible on both sides of the hallway. He began to remember what had happened and realized that he was in prison.
Turning his head slightly left and right, he saw that he was being carried by two Knowms. At the end of the corridor, they turned right and proceeded to a set of doors with a Knowm standing on each side. As they approached, the Knowms simultaneously opened both doors and Roshan was thrown inside. The doors shut behind him with a loud slam. He slowly got to his feet.
The dark room was illuminated by only a single lamp which rested atop a desk. Sitting at the desk on the opposite side of where Roshan stood was a man dressed in a cloak similar to the ones worn by the Knowms. The only difference was that his cloak was colored a deep red. Nothing else decorated the room other than an empty chair which rested on the side of the desk closest to Roshan.
“Have a seat,” the man said calmly, gesturing toward the chair. Roshan gradually approached the desk and sat down. The man said nothing for nearly a minute. Roshan attempted to make out his face, but with only the light provided by the lamp, he couldn’t see any features under the man’s hood besides his mouth.
The moment of silence seemed to drag on forever. Finally, the man spoke. “I would like to make this as easy for both of us as possible, so I will be direct. Our spy informed us that you received a delivery in your restaurant from a blond-haired young man. From what I understand, this object that was brought to you is the missing fragment of Damiano’s Disk, currently in Spade possession. Therefore, I can only assume that our intelligence was correct regarding the possibility that you are a Spade. So tell me, Roshan, are you a member of the Spades?”
“I am not,” Roshan replied. “You have the wrong man. I’m simply a humble restaurant owner.”
The cloaked man chuckled. “Roshan, Roshan, Roshan... Do you think I’m stupid?” Roshan sat quietly, petrified with fear. “We are well aware of the gateway you somehow managed to construct in the backroom of your restaurant. Did you think we wouldn’t hear the explosion as you destroyed it?” The man reached below the desk and pulled out a slab of stone which was once a piece of the gateway. He carefully set it on the desk and slid it to Roshan. “Did you think we wouldn’t be able to identify the pieces? Now... I’m going to ask you again. And this time, I suggest that you try to be a little more honest with me. Roshan, are you a Spade?”
Roshan answered, “I am not.”
The man slammed his fists on the desk without warning, “Liar!” Roshan began perspiring. Slowly, the man removed his fists from the desk. “We were unable to locate the disk fragment in your restaurant or on your person while you were unconscious. Given that, we can only assume that you handed it off to a fellow Spade in the In Between shortly before our arrival. If you would be so kind as to tell me where I can locate the disk fragment, I might be willing to forgive how uncooperative you’ve been so far in this investigation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Roshan responded.
The man sat quietly for a moment. He then slowly got out of his chair and walked around the desk to the doors behind Roshan. The man left the room as the door slammed behind him. Roshan sat quietly, trying to keep his composure. He watched the flame dance inside the lamp, nervously awaiting the red-cloaked man’s return. Finally, after several minutes had passed, Roshan heard the doors open.
The red-cloaked man returned to his chair as two green-cloaked Knowms entered behind him and shut the door. After sitting down, the red-cloaked man spoke. This time, much more sternly. “We’re going to try this again. Where is the disk fragment?”
After a short pause, Roshan answered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The red-cloaked man’s mouth fidgeted in anger. “Now.”
Immediately, one of the Knowms standing by the doors grabbed Roshan and pulled him out of the chair. Then, both Knowms took turns repeatedly punching Roshan in the stomach while the other held him in place. This went on for several minutes as the red-cloaked man sat quietly and watched. Finally, he spoke. “Stop.” The Knowms ceased their assault instantly, throwing Roshan back into the chair.
After administering the brutal beating, the Knowms stood perfectly still as Roshan sat in agony, gasping for breath. Blood slowly seeped from his lips down his chin. Nothing was said for several minutes. The room was completely silent. Then, the red-cloaked man leaned forward slightly. “Where’s the fragment, Roshan? All you have to do is tell me and it will all be over.” Nothing was said. “Where’s the fragment?” His tone became increasingly aggressive. “Where’s the fragment?” Silence. “Where is the disk fragment?!”
Without warning, the door swung open. “That’s quite enough,” said a voice. “I’ll take it from here.” Roshan’s eyes widened. The door slammed shut as the man entered the room. Roshan could hear his footsteps slowly approaching, echoing as he walked along the stone floor. Bending down and putting his lips inches from Roshan’s left ear, he softly said, “Why must you insist on making this simple investigation so painstakingly tedious?”
Roshan was nearly shaking with fear. “Quinn.” Slowly turning his head to the left, Roshan saw Lord Javan Quinn’s face. His sharp nose. His long, gray hair. His dark-brown eyes, slicing and unforgiving. A malicious grin spread across his face as he slowly backed away from Roshan and gradually paced the area behind him.
“I understand,” Lord Quinn began, “that you feel some sense of obligation to protect your comrades. That is most noble. However, I am unbearably curious to know if your alignment would waiver if you were given the opportunity for a second chance... Think carefully, Roshan. Imagine... happily returning to your exquisite dining establishment in Cymbeline... resuming the extraordinary lifestyle of the entrepreneur. As it was, before you became a Spade.”
Roshan slowly turned around in his chair. The red-cloaked man grinned. Lord Quinn halted his pacing, stopping directly behind the chair that Roshan sat in. He stood there, patiently awaiting the information he sought. Slowly, Roshan raised his hand in a cup-like formation. Looking directly into Lord Quinn’s eyes, he said, “Go to hell. Ignis orbis!”
An orb of fire formed in Roshan’s palm as Lord Quinn smiled and replied, “Umbra disseptum.” Roshan hurled the fireball toward Lord Quinn, but before it made contact, the fiery sphere suddenly disappeared into a black void which vanished immediately after capturing the flame.
Lord Quinn shook his head and softly said, “Unfortunately, it seems that I will need to extract the information I seek at another time in the near future.” He outstretched both of his arms toward Roshan with his fingers spread wide. “Umbra obscurum fulgur!” Dark-purple bolts of lightning shot wildly from Lord Quinn’s palms, striking Roshan with unbelievable force. Roshan convulsed for a short period before losing consciousness and falling to the ground. Lord Quinn turned around and walked toward the room’s exit, pausing just long enough to address the red-cloaked man. “He will live. But he will wish he had not.”