Pyp had slept uncomfortably on his bag through the night, it had been hard to sleep due to all the plotting from the adults. He awoke to Rigel looking down on him saying.

"Come one lad it's morning."

Light shone through the windows which ringed the vault and illuminated the prisoners. Pyp was unsure how long they had been stuck in this vault, it had been dark when they brought him here. Pyp wondered if Arthur was looking for him, he knew the man at arms did not like him; Arthur got frustrated when they practised with swords and always glared at him when he played his flute. He was the only one who would call him Pyp, all the other guards called him "little lord" or "princeling". Even when he insisted, they called him Pyp, only Arthur ever did. Maybe he went off to find the Baron hoped Pyp, he had been sure that the Baron was alive when they first entered the city. The keep he lives in is enormous and said to be impregnable. Now Pyp wasn't so sure, how could he survive those devils that can jump onto roofs with ease?

"How are you feeling lad?"

"Tired" Pyp replied sullenly. Thinking about Arthur and the Baron had soured his mood.

"What’s wrong," asked Rigel sensing Pyp's unease.

"I was thinking about the Baron."

"The Baron" spat Rigel, anger settled over his soft features. "That man brought doom to this city, him and his mistress".

"What do you mean, Baron Wenceslas has always been a loyal servant of the High Prince."

"Know a lot about the Baron do you lad? Don't be fooled by what the townsfolk say, as a record keeper at the bank I was invited to balls at the Baron's court." Puffing out his chest Rigel continued "The Baron kept a mistress, she came to court a month ago claiming to be an envoy from the Splintren; she was a witch I tell you, she enchanted the Baron with her inhuman beauty, the Baron became distant not taking the advice of his closest men, ignoring the words of the Peace."

He looked over at Pyp "When you get out of here lad you have to tell them that it's the Baron who cursed the city and continues to know, until he is killed peace will never come to Finepoint Upon Maws," said Rigel his face intense with resolve.

"I will Rigel."

"Good lad, now get that flute back out play me a tune."

After playing a few songs on his flute Pyp sat down to clean it, he had always remembered to clean his flute.

"Get up lad it’s starting," said Rigel.

Pyp looked around and saw that the scion of house Mervard was rallying the other prisoners around him.

"What's happening?"

"The lock on the vault doors moving, they must be coming in to take away some prisoners", Rigel took Pyp to one side. "When the fighting starts lad remember what I told you, straight to the Dungeons; don't let those women keep you with the other children, wait for an opening during the fighting and run.”

"You have to be brave now, don't look back, don't listen to anything around you."

"I don't want to leave you" said Pyp, he'd left so many people behind, his Family, Joth, Arthur. He didn't want to lose Rigel as well; they hadn't spent long together but he was the only one who spoke to him and made him feel safe.

"Don't worry about me lad, I've got it easy compared to you; all I have to do is stay here and wait, you have to be brave enough to stand and face them."

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"But you'll die!" Insisted Pyp.

"Dying’s easy lad living is the hard part, and I've lived a long life and now you have to go live yours," Rigel stuck out his hand, "It’s been nice to know you, lad."

The creaking of the vault door grew louder, as the mob of prisoners formed up into a line. They clutched makeshift weapons, leather belts with iron buckles, long women's hairpins, and slings made from ripped shirts.

When the vault door swung open, the scion of Mervard shouted "FOR FINEPOINT FOR THE BARON!" And all the armed men charged forward. Pyp saw what the men were up against and knew they had no chance, the jailers consisted of a score of bone devils with another dozen possessed Baron's men. The prisoners numbered over 50 and when the two sides clashed the weight of their numbers pushed the jailers back. Then the screams began. Pyp watched in horror as the bone devils ripped through the prisoners, a man's head was sliced off spraying blood all over his comrades. Pyp saw four men pull down the devil and stab it through the eye with a hairpin. Their victory was short-lived as a heavily armoured guardsman ploughed into them swinging a short halberd. It took him moments to kill them all.

"RUN LAD RUN!" screamed Rigel from behind him as Pyp stood watching the carnage unfold.

All the jailers had joined the fight leaving none to guard the door. Pyp ran. He ignored the sounds of death all around him, Pyp had never heard such terrible sounds before and would likely never forget. He drowned out the screams in his mind by remembering all the gentle songs he knew for his flute. Pyp ignored the bone claws which barely missed cutting into his body. He focused his mind on the gate and what seemed like an eternity later he flew up the staircase into the bank's central atrium. There were more guards at the top of the stairs, but Pyp didn't even notice them as he continued at full speed toward the bank’s door. They hadn't bothered to lock it, so Pyp pushed through them and ran out into the city.

Pyp ran until his legs gave out from underneath him, he lay panting on the cold stone of the road. Looking around he did not recognise any of the buildings that were around him. All the meticulous instruction Rigel had given him, and he had been too scared to notice any of his surroundings when he ran. None of the guards had followed him noticed Pyp, he checked his bag and looked down at his clothes. His leather surcoat had been torn on his way out of the vault and some blood stained his blue doublet. Pyp stripped off the surcoat and tossed it onto the ground, the air was warm enough so he wouldn't get cold, but he would have to find shelter for the night. The sun was getting lower in the sky and night would soon be upon him. Pyp stumbled forward through the street, legs still burning from his escape; he wished he had the horse and cart. Pressing forward Pyp kept his eyes open for any lights, he remembered passing people in the streets before, but Arthur stopped him from speaking with them. The streets were silent, after being huddled around people in that vault for so long Pyp had forgotten how quiet the streets were.

"Hello!" He shouted into the silence, "Is anybody there!"

He stood for a moment hoping that someone would respond. When no one responded he continued to walk down the street keeping his eyes open for any of the buildings Rigel mentioned.

Pyp continued to wander the streets, as he walked his whole body ached and his mind began to remember the horrific sights he'd tried to forget. The silence of the streets gave way to the screaming of his mind as the deaths of all the prisoners replayed in his mind repeatedly. He desperately tried to push them out with tunes he'd played on his flute, or happy memories from home but nothing worked. Was this what happened to warriors after a battle, Pyp never remembered that in the stories, how the soldiers were tormented by the horror they saw. In the distance, Pyp spotted a house with light shining from its windows. Thank the dove thought Arthur as he limped up to the front door.

He rapped his knuckles against the solid wooden door and shouted, "Hello!"

After a moment the door slowly opened, and a frail-looking woman looked him up and down.

"Hello young man, my you look like you've been dancing through a butcher's shop; come in quick dear before any of those things see you." She herded him into the house and sat him down in a wooden rocking chair in front of the fire.

"What happened to you dear?" asked the old woman as she gently stirred a pot of stew on the fire.

"I was at the Bank, the possessed have been keeping prisoners there,” replied Pyp. "Some of them tried to fight back and escape," Pyp’s voice caught in his throat. "No one got out alive, I ran through the fighting only made it out because of the chaos."

"Have some soup dear, it'll help you get your strength back." She thrust a steaming bowl of vegetable soup into his hands, it was some of the best soup Pyp had tasted.

"Thank you," Pyp stammered out between spoonfuls of soup.

"Everything is going to be alright dear; my husband and I will take care of you for the night".

"Thank you," was all he could say, when he finished his soup, he lay back in his chair. He felt so tired.

"It's alright dear you can sleep safely in here". It was the last thing Pyp heard before the darkness took him.