Free Myrkron (Volume Two of The Chronicles of the Myrkron) by Timothy Woods

felt the presence of two people within the ring.  He knew one to be Bastise.  He heard muted cries and a deep chuckle that could only belong to Bastise.  As he opened his senses, Micah realized there were others closing in on the ring.  None were close enough to be able to see him yet, so he moved, silent as a shadow, to the standing stones.  Once there, Micah opened his senses even further and realized with a calming breath that those approaching were elves.
    Micah turned his attention to the inside of the ring of stones.  Colonel Bastise crouched on the balls of his feet scowling down at a naked man, trussed up on the ground before him.  Micah caught the undeniable odor of Were.  So Bastise has captured one of them and has come here.  That must mean Joshua has been taken.  Micah closed his eyes and cast out with his mind, seeking to touch Joshua’s unique consciousness.  He could see nothing and hear nothing, but he knew Joshua was alive.  Still watching Bastise, Micah called to the elf silently approaching his position.
    " I know you are behind me elf.  There is no reason for you to fear.  It is I, Micah."
    At hearing the name , the elf abandoned any pretense at stealth and approached Micah, arrow still knocked but now pointed at the ground.  "Lord Micah, what brings you to the Portal?"
    Micah turned his head and eyed the elf, then gestured ou t into the center of the ring.  "A friend of mine has just arrived.  That can only mean there is trouble.  He has come from the other world, but he brings a Were with him."
    " We were unsure of who had come through.  Ataum has had a few of us watching the portal since you returned.  We were going to investigate when I saw you standing here, Lord Micah."
    " Tell your men to hold their positions.  I want to see what this is about," Micah ordered still watching Colonel Bastise and the Were.
    " Yes, Lord Micah."  The elf puckered his lips and blew, but no discernible sound issued forth.
    Micah’s acute hearing picked up the series of high pitche d whistles that came from the elf’s lips.  He didn’t understand the code used, but wasn’t really interested in trying to decipher it at the moment.  He watched Bastise and could hear him talking to the prone Were.
    " So all you told me was true, eh?  Which direction is it to find your friends?"  Bastise asked the man.
    Micah could still hear the muffled cries coming from the Were.  He didn’t know what Bastise had done to the man to get him to talk , but whatever it had been was certainly no more than he deserved.  Micah saw Bastise pull a small pouch from his pack and measure out a dose of liquid into a syringe.  Micah smiled.
    " Chemical interrogation," Micah whispered to himself.
    " My Lord?"  The elf asked puzzled.
    " Colonel Bastise is a master of extracting knowledge from those who do not wish to give it.  He is giving the Were a potion that will loosen his tongue," Micah explained.
    The elf acknowledged his words with a slight nod then turned to watch Colonel Bastise.  Micah saw Bastise jab the needle into the Were’s stomach, probably into his naval, a tender area that would cause considerable pain.  The man stiffened and tried to scream but the gag in his mouth prevented more than a muffle d whine from being heard.  Bastise returned the vial and syringe to his pouch and stowed it in his pack.  Bastise stretched his neck and shoulders, waiting for the drug to take effect.  After about twenty seconds or so the man’s screams abated and his body seemed to relax.
    Eyeing Tammin critically, Bastise reached over and lifted an eyelid, nodding to himself . He removed the cloth from the man’s mouth.  Tammin’s head lolled slowly from side to side.  Bastise landed a solid slap on Tammin’s left cheek.  The sound echoed throughout the night.
    " Which way is it to your friends?"  Bastise repeated.
    Tammin turned his head toward Colonel Bastise and tried to focus his eyes on the big man, but the