The damp stone floor of the underground chamber was slick with water, and blood. It smelled of damp stone, iron, and fear.

The man hung from iron restraints bolted into the wall, wrists chained above his head, feet barely touching the ground. His breaths came ragged, chest , face swollen beyond recognition. Bruises colored his skin in dark purples and sickly yellows, one eye completely shut.His clothes were torn, dirt ground into the fabric, blood dried dark along one side of his cheek.He ...