Chapter 349 Prison (1/2)

Arran did not struggle or resist as the Rangers led theeons below the keep

His Sense told hiher up in the keep — Knights, he knew If he tried to make an escape, the further away he was from them, the better his chances would be

But more importantly, he would need a plan

He could not simply rush out and hope for the best — not if he valued his life He was no longer the foolish boy he'd been when he escaped the Acadeer blindly — not unless there was no other choice

And for now, there ht be better choices yet The captain had not looked the least bit surprised by the steward's judgment, which could only

Still, Arran s as they were led into the dungeons If the captain's plans failed and he had to break free hi the layout of their prison would certainly be useful

He was relieved to see that the dungeons would be easy to escape The steel-barred cells were th

A bigger probleeons, constantly patrolling the narrow hallways, withthem And while none of theh for others to arrive

Although he had no immediate answer to this problem, he did not worry too much about it First, he would see what the captain had to say

After soers caeons, and one of them opened the door and motioned for Arran and the captain to move inside

While Arran had expected a few final insults, or at least soers didn't think theers closed and barred the door behind them at once, then departed without any further words

For athe cell's interior as he considered the situation There wasn't , just bare stone walls and a single bucket

Finally, he turned to the captain

”You expected this”

It was a statement rather than a question He'd seen the captain's expression when the steward announced his verdict, and there had been no trace of surprise in the man's dark eyes

”So I did,” the captain replied calmly

”Then you have a plan,” Arran said, this time with some uncertainty in his voice While he already knew the answer, he still needed the captain to confirm it — to confirm that their present situation wasn't the result of some disastrous miscalculation

”So I do,” the captain said ”Several, in fact”

At this, Arran let out a sh Then, he sat down on the stone floor, and for several minutes, he remained silent

”You're Darian, aren't you?” he finally asked He'd long suspected it — it was the only explanation for the captain's knowledge of the Imperium And when they entered the city, Arran's last doubts had disappeared

”Not exactly,” Captain Kaleesh said ”While I was born in the Imperium, I've never been a Darian citizen”

Arran frowned ”How is that possible?”

”Darian justice is a peculiar thing,” the captain replied, a wry s a loaf of breadjustice is in a particularly foul ht see it fit to irandchildren — even those who haven't been born yet”

Arran understood that the captain was talking about himself, and he looked at the man ide eyes The punishment he described was beyond excessive — insane, even