‘You showed them how to get past the sentries?’, the lieutenant asked, clearly struggling to keep from shouting. ‘To random strangers who paid for it with drugs?’
Al-Satar’s reaction was met with silence, or rather, complete disregard. It was hard to say why, but for now, that wasn’t what was on Darius’s mind.
‘What did those four look like?’ Bleist quietly hoped that one of these highly unusual travellers would match the description of the soldier Rocha had met before his death.
‘They had hooded cloaks, so there was no way to get a proper look, and even if they hadn’t, it would have been hard to focus enough to remember more.’ The soldier shrugged, and his voice began to lose its energy again, as if he were falling into a stupor.
‘Maybe they had something distinctive? A weapon, a symbol, something unusual?’ Earl pressed on.
‘Nothing. . .’ the young man replied hesitantly. ‘They just avoided the light and turned away whenever anyone tried to look under their hoods.’
‘Get to the point,’ Belist snapped. He was slowly beginning to lose his patience.
‘That's enough for now, Colonel,’ the surgeon interrupted him gently. Oxern entered the cell and deftly made his way past the officers. Shehed leaned over the cowering lad and gave him a quick once-over. ‘We won’t get anywhere with him today. He needs a bit of time to calm down and speak properly.’
Bleist reluctantly agreed with the medic and left the room. He had a lot to think about and even more pieces that didn’t fit. He headed towards the courtyard to get some fresh air and find himself a bit of space.
The square beyond the gate was almost empty and shrouded in deep shadow. The sun had long since begun to disappear below the horizon, so the high walls completely blocked out its glow. The sky above the courtyard was slowly filling with pale stars, for the time being. It looked as though a quiet night was on the cards. At least as far as the weather was concerned.
‘I should have done
