BattleAxe First Read: Chapter Thirty-Two: The Prisoners

[teres]

Chapter Thirty-One | Table of Contents | Chapter Thirty-Three (Part I)

SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Axis arrived in Smeartown Smyrton, we met Azhure, and Axis learned that the people of Smyrton are holding Raum and Shra prisoner.

For the reader post:

Wolfgoddess notes that it makes little sense that the road to Smyrton is clear while the fields are not. After all, this late in the year the fields should be cleared, and it makes no sense that the road would take such priority.

Ill Logic: 165

Further, I am now convinced that the description of Smyrton, given how “saccharine” it is, should get this:

Tone Soap: 39

She further notes that Axis having Belaguez rear like he does would require him to pull back hard on the reins, which could tear up the corners of Belaguez’s mouth. Yes, Axis supposedly had him rear like this by “touching his heels to Belaguez’s flanks”… but we kind of need to know that Axis has trained Belaguez for this, so…

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 96

She also notes some further classism in the description of the villagers.

All the Isms: 28

Chessy notes that my gripe about “sixty or seventy houses” is not actually reasonable, as this construction is not uncommon.

PPP: 246 (-1)

She further notes that, if Douglass wanted this to be accurate to the Catholic Church, Hagen would have had to have married before becoming a Brother. I can see it as some actual worldbuilding, but I have the distinct feeling Douglass did not care to look into it.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 38

I also wonder why Axis even thinks that Hagen would have married while he was a Brother. Azhure is twenty-eight, so let me say that Hagen married thirty years ago. Since he is not mentioned to be old here, I would think he would have married in his twenties, and presumably on the younger side of that. Given that, I think it is quite possible that he would not have been a Brother yet. But naturally Axis just knows this.

Ill Logic: 166

She (along with Wolfgoddess) also points out that Axis and Belial are indeed laughing about Hagen’s wife leaving him, which is… not great.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 97

 

Finally, she leaves a fic with Ceolmund and the Sentinels.

 

Epistler notes that Faraday’s two sisters are both older than her, so why is Faraday so rich? Come to think of it, why would Annwin (the oldest sister) not have been the one to marry Borneheld?

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 39

She further notes that the older sisters should have moved from Faraday’s estate (Ilfracombe) if they are married.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 40

I am quite sure this is the result of Douglass only coming up with Faraday’s sisters around this point, and not bothering to apply that information earlier (or indeed to mention it in Faraday’s introduction!).

PPP: 261 (+10)

She also notes that there should be some kind of “law enforcement” to stop these bandits. Yes, Isend and Merlion are not available to help stop this, but should Annwin not be able to send some forces to stop the bandits? Yes, I know this is probably to show off how good the Axe-Wielders are, but you could also have them show that off up north, where they are supposed to be.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 41

Finally, I noticed that Yr said, in chapter 30, that the Axe-Wielders will be in Smyrton “on their way to Sigholt and Gorkenfort”. So yes, the Axe-Wielders will be going to Sigholt from Smyrton, even though there has literally been no mention of that whatsoever before that point! This is very sloppy writing, Douglass!

PPP: 271 (+10)

(I am also a bit pleased that I am the one to spot this when I did not even know they actually did all go to Sigholt.)

Well, let me go on with the next chapter, then!

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Prisoners

That is a quite accurate chapter title, since we will be seeing quite a bit of Raum and Shra in this chapter.

We open with Axis staring at Hagen, with his cup of ale in his hand. He is astonished and asks “You’ve what?” Belial puts his own mug down, “all traces of amusement wiped from his eyes”. Hagen is naturally pleased by the reaction he has caused. He explains that “[e]ight of the village men” were “out late checking the rabbit traps” when they chanced upon Raum and Shra “trying to cower behind Goodman Harland’s haystack”.

Hmm, would they really need eight people to check the traps? If these are close enough to the village that checking them leads them to the haystack, and since the village only has 60-70 houses, I do not think that would be necessary. Also, I get the impression they were walking in a clump, which would do nothing to make checking the traps easier. I am quite sure this is just a convenience of Douglass’s, and it shows.

Ill Logic: 167

Harland says “proudly” that it was “a battle worthy of a bard in King Priam’s court”. We are told he “omit[s] to mention that he and his family had hid underneath their bedstead until it was all over”. All right, his puffery is a bit funny, but then again, why would he not do so when talking to the BattleAxe? I doubt that Axis would exactly care to investigate this.

Further, I would rather like “neglected to mention” or “omitted” instead of “omitted to mention”.

PPP: 272

Edit: I checked, and it seems that this is a rather old-fashioned phrase. Chessy is right: Douglass does quite love those.

Also, are we really supposed to look down on Harland for hiding? He would genuinely believe the Avar are all proficient in evil magic, so staying out of the line of fire is the sensible thing to do.

Hagen glares at Harland, and turns back to Axis. He says the men trusted in Artor to protect them from the “dark magic”, and they have “brave men in this village”. So Douglass then tells us what really happened.

The men “had run in terror” when they first found Raum and Shra behind the haystack, “fearing their dark magic”. One of the older men tripped and dropped his lantern, which lit the haystack on fire. Raum and Shra tried to escape but fell themselves. The village men would have “skewered then with their pitchforks”, but Hagen, who was alerted by this fuss, came and ordered that Raum and Shra be imprisoned in the church cellar. He said Raum might tell them if “other Forbidden” are around, and tells them not to worry, since Artor will protect them from “[Raum’s] evil sorcery”.

PPP: 273 (badly constructed sentence)

Well, Hagen’s words proved right and, in the days since, the villagers have not only “be[come] increasingly bold” about the prisoners, but they have also changed the story until “their bravery” and not “a combination of panic and ill-luck” captured Raum and Shra.

Hmm, are we supposed to think bad of them for reworking this story? Yes, they are being untruthful, but they are expecting a visit from the BattleAxe, so, as I said, wanting to show off makes sense. It does not hinder Axis in his investigation either. I also get the feeling we are supposed to look down on them somewhat for fleeing? That is still the sensible thing to do, though.

I also gather from this that the villagers of Smyrton only fear Raum and Shra for their “evil magic”. That is positive, since it means they might be brought to reason by being shown that Raum and Shra cannot actually do that.

Axis nods at the story, and says he is sure the men are “extraordinary”. He does not think that “[t]wo against eight” is a great battle. Well, Axis, that depends very much on the abilities of the combatants, and a host of other factors, too. For example, good luck defeating Gorgrael and Borneheld with seven Smyrton villagers at your back!

Ill Logic: 168

Axis wants to see the “creatures” right now, and he gets up so quickly he nearly knocks over his chair. Hagen rises slower, saying that they have “interrogated them extensively”, but have learned nothing. “The beasts” refused to answer any questions, and they will all be relieved when they can burn them. Even in his haste, Axis notes Azhure blanch at this. Once again, has she not learned to keep her reactions hidden by now??

Ill Logic: 169

Hagen leads them outside and “across the courtyard” to the church. Um, what “courtyard”? There has been no mention of the church being connected to Hagen’s home.

PPP: 273

The church’s back door is unlocked and Axis looks “questioningly” at Hagen. He answers that Raum and Shra are under “close guard”, and they will not escape. (So they naturally will later on.) There is no one in the church, and they go to a stairwell and follow that into the cellar. Axis, whose heart is “racing” almost pushes Hagen to get to the bottom sooner. Well before he reaches the cellar, though, “a sickening stench” has him “choke momentarily” and he begins to ask what this is… but Hagen already leads him into the “windowless cellar”. Then he was not “well before” the cellar when he smelled the stench, Douglass.

PPP: 274

The rear quarter of the cellar is “partitioned off with sturdy metal bars” and is usually used as “lock-up for drunken husbands”, we are told. Now, though, it is used for a “more vile purpose”. The stench coming from it is overwhelming, and Axis needs to cover his nose and mouth until he adapts to “the smell of old blood, stale urine and faeces”. …That does not bode well at all for Raum and Shra.

Axis then says that every time he “encounter[s] unnecessary cruelty it sicken[s] him”, and now he can smell it in this cell. Well, let me keep this in mind for when Axis himself commits unnecessary cruelty. Finally, he manages to look at the cell and see Ogden and Veremund have already managed to find their way down here. Hagen is overjoyed to see them and “exclaim[s] with delight” as he goes over to them, “pointing into the cell as if showing off prized pets”. Oh my, how evil. I would rather see just what kind of state Raum and Shra are in. Well, Ogden and Veremund are “white with anger”.

So Axis finally gets himself together and looks in… and “within the space of a heartbeat he completely and utterly [loses] his temper”. …That in and of itself is already a horror scenario.

Axis Is Angry: 13

Huddled in a corner are “a dark man” and “a small female child of alien although attractive features”. Um, Raum has “olive skin”; that does not go well with describing him as a “dark man”. Also, why does Axis only note that Shra has “alien features”? Finally, why does he think of only two has “attractive” features?? This is some very unfortunate word choice.

 

Consent No, Incest Yes: 5

PPP: 275 (why can Axis see Shra so much better than Raum?)

They are both “naked, filthy and covered with bruises and abrasions”. Ouch. Then we learn that there are “two village lads” who act as guards, and they are holding “long iron bars”. (Why did we not learn they were there when Axis first entered the room?)

PPP: 276

From that, he guesses that the “interrogation” consisted of “poking and prodding” (and probably also beating) them until they confessed to whatever crime Hagen wants them to. So Douglass understands that such torture would not actually work? I am impressed! Also, this torture is indeed quite brutal and pointless, so… making these villagers look evil has worked. Axis says further that obviously no one has been inside to clean the cell, or to offer them “the simply decency of a bucket for their bodily needs”.

They also have “[s]ores running across their lips and down their faces”, which suggest that they have not had water in the four days since “the good people of Smyrton” have imprisoned them “in this iron-barred chamber of horrors”. Well, that is appropriately horrible, though I might wish we had some solid evidence for this.

Also… I cannot find anything about dehydration causing “sores”. I would expect that their lips, at least, would be cracked, but I see that sores are rather caused by impaired blood circulation. Either way, four days seems like a quite short time to develop so many sores in.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 42

Further, they really have spent four days without any water. Axis also smelled “old blood”, so they would also have lost water that way. Combined with the torture they have been through… and I highly doubt they would have survived this long.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 43

I am quite sure this is because Douglass wanted to have a “dark” torture, but she shot past that into “idiotic”, as the villagers need to have them alive if they want to execute them.

Edgy Equals Mature, Right?: 19

Ill Logic: 170

Then Raum’s eyes, “full of velvet darkness”, meet Axis’s, and Axis comes into action. He calls Hagen a “curdled clot of whore’s piss” and slams him against the bars of the cell. Axis asks in whose name he dares to treat anyone like this. Hagen goes “as white as the underbelly of a fish”. We shift to his perspective. Axis has him pinned by his throat “so viciously” he can hardly breathe, and looms over him “with a look […] that suggest[s] Hagen [is] not long for this world”. He is bleeding where he hit the bars, and he can feel the hilt of Axis’s sword in his “ample belly”.

All the Isms: 29 (do we really need to hear about his “ample belly” now?)

Well, there we have Axis being “needlessly cruel”. After all, this does nothing to help! He should have Hagen open the cell for him and have him do something about the state of Raum and Shra, if he is to force Hagen to do anything at all! Also, given the condition Raum and Shra are in now, he needs to help them as soon as possible. He is actively hurting them by messing around with Hagen!

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 99

Further, Hagen has also given Axis a chance to rescue them; without him, Raum and Shra would already be dead now. That does naturally not mean this treatment was in any way good, but it is still better than outright killing them. Naturally, Axis does not recognise this… and he apparently also thinks that Hagen personally beat Raum and Shra up, which was also not the case.

Hagen asks what Axis is talking about, unable to understand why Axis reacted like this. The village lads stand helplessly aside, as Belial, who looks “almost as furious” as Axis, stops them from trying to pull Axis off. After all, it would not do if Axis is inconvenienced in trying to murder Hagen! Hagen finally whispers this:

“They are filth, beasts, there is no point in treating them as if they understood what was going on. This is all they deserve.”

…What kind of reason is this? I can kind of get the “they are filth, so we treat them like filth” reasoning, but we have notably not established that the Acharites look down on the Forbidden. Something like “this will weaken them, so they cannot do anything dangerous” would work much better. Also, what is this line about “no point in treating them like they understand”? What does this have to do with your treatment of them?

FYRP: 114

Ill Logic: 171

Papier-Mâché Villains: 24

I guess Hagen saying some “evil” things, like calling them “filth” and “beasts” and saying they deserve it, is enough to make this make sense. Or that is what Douglass probably thought, at least.

Axis goes white with fury, and mentally asks if Artor “call[s] for such treatment of prisoners”. I think you should know the answer to that, Axis. He says that Hagen himself is filth, and then grabs him by the hair and habit and “hurl[s] him against the far wall of the cellar where he crashe[s] senseless to the floor”.

I… Axis just flung him to the wall and now he is unconsciousness. Hagen probably has a concussion, too. So it is evil for Hagen to spare Raum and Shra’s life and have them tortured for information, but Axis knocking Hagen out for no good reason is good? Ah, that is probably his “righteous anger”, so he is ~justified~. This is still “unnecessary cruelty”, Axis.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 100

Because I am rather focussed on the analysis, I have not really had the opportunity to hate Axis before now, but this… (shakes head) It is also notably the first time he has tried to murder someone, so that helps, too.

Well, Hordley and Garland… wait, she called him Harland twice at the beginning of this chapter! Did you even read what you wrote again, Douglass??

PPP: 278 (+2)

So they back up against the stairwell, “terrified that Axis [will] attack them next”. Azhure stands her ground and retains her composure, however. She says that she brought water and food the past days, while pointing to “a bucket and a tray of food” near the base of the stairwell. Hagen would not let her, though. Axis “gruffly” tells her to get the water.

Then its the turn of the guards. Axis turns on his heel to face them, and they back up against the wall, “patently horrified”. They wonder what they have done wrong.

Let me explain, then, in language they might use: you have tortured this small child. She can barely speak, so you cannot get much useful information out of her, and, due to her age, she is unlikely to either be adept at dark magic or to have done much wrong. And yet, you have not only tortured her, you also want her executed for no adequate reason. It would be far better to adopt her, so she could live her life away from the Forbidden.

As for the man, there is no point in torturing him any further; he has already demonstrated that you can get no information from him, and so continuing this until his execution is simply needless cruelty.

I do not agree with what I said here, but I do think it should be possible to explain this to them like I did. So, Axis does not do any of that. Instead, he tells Belial to get the keys to the cell from “these craven deformities that think to call themselves men”. He does not trust himself to get “too close to them”. Then keep your anger under control, Axis. It truly is not so hard.

Belial grabs the keys from a guard, who “void[s] in sheer terror”. …You just used “piss” and showed Raum and Shra be graphically tortured, but we apparently need to use “void” here.

Tone Soap: 40

Belial then throws the keys to Axis for some reason, and their eyes meet in “complete understanding”. Whatever they might think about the prisoners, no one ever treats prisoners like this, nor does “anyone ever imprison a child that [can] barely walk”. …I am expecting Axis or Belial to do just what they deem unthinkable.

Arthur opens the cell, “feeling” Azhure behind him with the bucket. Garland “gasp[s] in horror”, and tells Axis not to go inside, because they are “dangerous”. They have also not eaten or drunk in four days, and Axis is the BattleAxe. I doubt he will be in much danger. Then we get this:

Axis turned and caught Garland’s eyes. “You do not know what danger really means, Garland,” he said quietly but menacingly. Garland paled and shut up.

Well, Axis, you do not know either, since I am quite sure it would be possible for me to go to Tencendor and give my own torture skills a workout on you. I am quite motivated to by this, at least.

Like, Garland tries to warn him in good faith, and Axis replies with a death threat! It would be the least bit understandable if Garland had insulted Raum and Shra or something, but he is only trying to warn Axis! And then Axis sees fit to reply with what I can only see as a veiled death threat, considering what he did to Hagen. I hate him!

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 101

At this, Ogden grabs Axis’s arm, and begs him to let the prisoners go, his “face completely distraught”. Axis, forgetting that Azhure is right behind him and “within easy listening distance”, throws Ogden’s hand off. He says that is not a sentiment “the Seneschal would approve of is it, Brother Ogden?”

Yes, the Seneschal would not approve of that, but Ogden might just want to get them out of this very unhygienic place, because that is bad for them! This does not have to mean anything about him not being a Brother, Axis!

Ill Logic: 172

This is also quite badly edited. We have multiple speakers per paragraph (which we also had when Azhure spoke).

PPP: 280 (+2)

 

Above, I do not think that “quietly” contradicts “menacingly”, since speaking threats quietly is often supposed to be menacing.

 

PPP: 281

Further, this last sentence should read “a sentiment the Seneschal would approve of. Is it, Brother Ogden?” Now we have two sentences merged into one.

 

PPP: 282

Also, if Azhure is standing directly behind Axis, it stands to reason that she can hear their exchange!

PPP: 283

Azhure frowns at this exchange for some reason (and why was this important?), but then Axis throws open the cell door, “leaving his sword and axe by the door”, and walks toward Raum and Shra. I… appreciate the gesture, though I wonder why Axis would find it necessary to leave his sword and axe. Azhure slips in, and Belial goes to guard the door.

As they are halfway across, Axis grabs Azhure’s arm. He tells her to wait and takes the bucket over from her. Axis hesitates before going to the prisoners. He says he always wondered how he would react to the Forbidden. So this happens:

Now, instead of the anger or fear that the Seneschal had taught him, Axis found himself regarding these two with sympathy and, even more confusingly, empathy. Looking into the great dark eyes of the man, Axis discovered that he was incapable of hating or even fearing this man.

Yes, thank you for repeating this, Douglass. I think I had best rename Hand-Holding back to We Understand Already.

We Understand Already: 19

That aside… yes, Axis feels no “anger or fear” toward Raum at all. Never mind that he helped burn witches for using magic, now he is completely unaffected. This makes no sense whatsoever.

FYRP: 115

Godmode Engaged: 7

This is also very easy to fix. Have Axis note that Raum does not seem very dangerous, that he is not hostile to him, and that Raum has been tortured. Those things, of themselves, would go quite a way to showing why Axis is not angry or afraid. That is all that is required and yet Douglass managed to miss it. Good going!

Cut to Raum, who watches Axis approach. He says he recognised the uniform of the BattleAxe as soon as Axis stepped in. That uniform “has not changed in over a thousand years”, which seems quite unlikely to me—

Cardboard Worldbuilding: 70

—and every Avar is raised to “fear and loathe it”. But, just when Raum was about to kill himself and Shra (and “commend [them] to the Sacred Grove for eternity”) everything “exploded” in a direction he “could never have foreseen”. Axis grabbed Hagen and “half-murdered” him in a rage “that would have done a Horned One proud”. …I guess? The only time we have seen one angry was when Axis was in the Sacred Grove, and even then, I would see he was less angry (and with more reason) than Axis here. Also… good to see that Raum actually says Axis tried to murder Hagen, who is apparently still not conscious by now.

Now, Raum says, after four days of “unimaginable terror, pain and thirst”, the BattleAxe has disarmed and comes with a bucket of water in his hands and sympathy in his eyes. I do think you are thinking quite clearly for someone who has gone through this ordeal.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 43

Raum hugs Shra to his chest “protectively”. She has been unconscious for the past half day and is now “scarcely breathing”. So, Axis, you apparently needing to threaten the villagers might just have meant death for Shra. You should have guessed that they needed urgent help from the state they were in!

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 102 (another point for just how close Shra is to death, which he should have seen in his look)

Axis puts the bucket on the floor and squats in front of Raum. He asks if Raum understands him and then Raum “nod[s] tiredly”. Axis looks at him. He notes that Raum is “strong, very strong, and of strange features”, but he can see nothing “about [Raum]” to warrant “the tales of cruelty and evil” that the Seneschal tells. He asks himself what “creature of evil” can hold a child “so lovingly”.

Oh, I do like this! Axis is using reason, finding that what he sees does not accord with what he is told, and deciding to go with what he sees. Raum’s behaviour indeed does not make much sense if he is supposed to be a “creature of evil”, like the Seneschal says. (Not that that is exactly accurate to the source, I think.) So I am quite sure that education would actually work in this case, unlike the mind-control that Ogden and Veremund see fit to deploy.

ETA because I was clearly not thinking while writing this: Axis's behaviour is naturally complete nonsense. He is the literal BattleAxe of the Seneschal, and, as he says, he is under oaths to kill them. He would not be getting over his beliefs this quickly. It is certainly possible, but something like this would take time. Now, I might expect him to kill Raum outright, as Raum himself says. What we get is a shortcut by Douglass to not have to deal with this process and to make Axis look "clean", I am sure. And, because I appreciated this after the violence Axis shows, wholly fell for it.

So, my apologies for forgetting what I set out to do (looking at this book critically), and I will certainly be better about it. This may be a "first read", but you are still quite right in expecting something better than this. I also want to thank Epistler very much for pointing out how I went wrong. Finally, have this:

FYRP: 125 (+10)
Godmode Engaged: 8

Axis thinks to what Ogden said about “these people” and asks if Raum is Avar. Raum is a bit surprised and then nods somewhat more strongly. Axis looks at Shra. She has been “brutally treated” and Axis can see she is near death. Her breathing is irregular and shallow, and “gurgl[es] through fluid-filled lungs”, and her “fingernails and lips [have] a bluish tinge”. Well, that sucks. Axis’s throat tightens, and he gets consumed by “compassion for the little girl”. Tears fill his eyes.

He very quietly asks Raum to let him hold Shra. After hesitating for an instant, Raum holds out “the little girl’s limp body”. After all, she will need Axis’s help if she is to survive any longer. Axis gently “gather[s] her [] into his arms”. Then he puts his hand in the bucket and washes some dirt off her face. And then… he begins to sing for her very, very softly. It is a “strange song”, we are told, “with no melody, filled with breathy catches and lilts, but extraordinarily compelling and beautiful”.

Can’t Argue With Icarii: 8 (of course it is “extraordinarily beautiful”)

Raum is shocked to “the core of his being”. He has only heard this Song (capitalised) once before, and then no human sang it. Only “the most powerful of Icarii Enchanters” can sing it, but even they are normally too weak to have it work. He stares unbelievingly, and he thinks that not even the Horned Ones can do this (because their powerset is very different, I presume) and certainly no human can!

So… then Axis’s father was a powerful Icarii Enchanter. We could already deduce this in chapter 2, and yet we have it revealed to us yet again.

This Is What the Mystery: 23

Azhure is puzzled and wonders what Axis is doing to Shra. Ogden and Veremund can feel the Song, and they get tears in their eyes. Veremund whispers at Axis to save Shra.

Back with Raum, he only has eyes for Shra and Axis. Axis’s voice “grow[s] in intensity, though not in volume”, and then… Shra begins to move! First she does so with “[t]iny, jerky actions”, but then stronger movements as she squirms in Axis’s arms. Axis stops singing, looks at Shra, and then smiles at Raum. He says Shra lives, “genuine surprise in his voice”. Ooh, that is nice! Raum has “the strangest feeling” that Axis does not quite know what he has done. Would you think?

This Is What the Mystery: 24

Raum holds out his arms for Shra, but Axis keeps holding her. She is now awake and stares at Axis “curiously”, and then reaches out to touch his beard. Axis says “very softly” that he can get her out of the cell for the night, but he is not sure he can save their lives. After all, as BattleAxe, he is bound by “oaths” to “destroy the Forbidden”. That is the first we have heard of that; it might have been nice to bring up earlier.

Then he checks himself and wonders why he is even trying to save them, as they are Forbidden. Oh, I like this conflict! Raum nods, as he understands that the BattleAxe is the “last person in the land” who will try to save them. Still, he thinks, what has Axis done for Shra? No BattleAxe could have sung that Song. So he touches Axis’s cheek with his fingertips. He says he understands, but he does not know why someone with “the soul of an Icarii Enchanter” wears the uniform of BattleAxe. After all, surely the Icarii “hate as much as [the Avar] do”? He then thanks Axis for bringing Shra back to life. As he drops his hand, he touches the axes on Axis’s breast.

Well, at this, Axis’s “face harden[s]” and he gets up, trying not to think about what Raum means. He gives Shra to Azhure and tells her to look after the child during the night. He looks back at Raum and then leaves the cell. He tells Belial to have two men clean the cell up. Then he glares at Hagen, who is conscious again (though he should have quite some trouble from this), ignores Ogden and Veremund and walks out without another word. There the chapter ends.

Well, the ending was not half bad (and giving Shra to Azhure to care for is about the best thing he can do here). I wish we could have had this for the entire chapter, instead of Axis beating up and threatening the villagers! And I note that has been mostly glossed over in the last part of this chapter…

Either way, until next time!