4.
The Reckoning
Pain brought Amergin back to consciousness. Suddenly he remembered everything, while simultaneously experiencing everything for the first time. For any other man this mental disruption might have threatened the fragile balance of sanity; but it was not the first time Amergin had travelled these paths…
Yet, the pain! Never before had he felt anything even approaching this level of suffering. His torturer had a rare talent, he had to admit. Stoic though he was, he doubted whether he could resist another session under her blades. But he remembered also, to his relief, that he had not divulged any of the secrets that he had learned since his arrival, and instead had managed to dupe his inquisitor by begging for his life. For he knew that if he had tried to show resistance,
