Rough hands pushed Karn forward, and as he stumbled, the walls and the sneering faces of his captors became a dizzying blur. The cold embrace of the iron collar on his neck sent a shiver down his spine, and his heart pounded loudly, trying to outpace the rising tide of panic.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Karn spat.

But his protest was swiftly met with a fist. Pain erupted, and blood trickled from his nose.

“Karn!” Hope's voice rang out, laced with fear and anger.

Laughing maliciously, a prison guard cleaned his bloodied gauntlet before jerking the chain binding the other prisoners.

Chained alongside Karn, Lady Amber, Hope, and Ralina wore identical, collars on a single chain. The cold, hard metal served as a stark reminder of their sudden status.

With a self-satisfied smirk, Warden Grail strolled past them. "Mouth off again, and you'll be headless before the noose gets a chance."

Although Grimhold Bastion appeared worn and aged to the casual observer, its mechanisms remained sharp and vigilant. The system, specifically engineered to detect intruders, had warned the wardens.

“You really thought your friends would rescue you?" Grail sneered. "…amusing.”

Grail knew how important Karn, and his companions were to the Norcas family. Realizing their potential worth, he had swiftly ordered his subordinates to transport them discreetly through the lesser-known passages. These were paths that the majority of Grimhold's prisoners never travelled, reserved for high-profile or dangerous individuals.

“Through here ya rats,” Grail barked orders.

The sounds of muffled discussions and footsteps echoed off the stone walls of the dimly lit corridors. Ralina, still in pain from the many blows she received when she got jumped, muttered words under her breath, while Hope's eyes darted around, always looking for a possible escape. Lady Amber, ever composed, wore a steely expression, signalling her refusal to be intimidated by their dire situation.

Karn tried to commit every twist and turn to memory, hoping the knowledge might prove useful later. Every so often, the narrow corridor would open into a small chamber, where other wardens stood, watching them with keen greedy eyes.

Suddenly, the suffocating confines of the bastion were behind them. The group emerged into the chilly night air, a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere they'd just left. Before them stood a cart, its wooden frame groaning under its own weight.

“In here ya louts,” said another warden.

The wardens wasted no time. With rough pushes, the prisoners were thrown into the back of the cart, landing atop one another in an ungraceful heap. The sharp sound of a whip cracked through the air, and the cart lurched forward, carrying its captured cargo toward an uncertain future.

Grail mounted a horse, taking one last satisfied look at his captives before guiding his mount to lead the convoy. As the Grimhold Bastion faded in the distance, one thought echoed in Karn's mind: the gallows awaited.

The rickety cart bounced along the uneven cobblestone streets, causing the prisoners to jostle against each other. Every bump and shake served as a reminder of their shared failures. The swiftness with which the Norcases executed the coup was indeed impressive. However, there had been numerous warning signs that Karn and his friends had overlooked, underestimating the audacity of the notorious family.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The cold metal of the collar pressed against his neck, and the weight of the shackles threatened to pull him down. However, the real weight pressing down on Karn was one of familiarity, an echo of a past he'd hoped to leave behind.

The current scene was a cruel déjà vu for him. He, Ralina, and Hope had found themselves in a similar predicament not long ago. Their previous captors had underestimated them, and their escape had been swift and final. But now, with Lady Amber among them, the stakes felt much higher. The thought of any harm coming to any of them fanned the flames of Karn's simmering anger.

But it wasn't just that threat that fuelled his rage. What truly infuriated Karn was the blatant corruption of it all. The wardens, self-righteous in their authority, seemed to relish their role in the takeover. They followed orders without questioning the morality behind them, justifying their actions as simply "doing their duty." To Karn, it was a flimsy excuse to wield unchecked power and commit atrocities without consequence.

Not only did the wardens display a cold indifference to morality, but as a new day broke, Karn noticed the heart-wrenching aftermath of the new soldiers' cruelty. The bodies of the less fortunate, once a concealed shame of the city, were now strewn about like discarded refuse.

"How did it come to this?" Lady Amber muttered to herself.

"You couldn't have known," said Hope.

But Karn could understand with the Lady’s sentiment, as he too couldn't shake off the guilt as he spoke, "I should've seen the signs. I was too engrossed in the university and…."

Hope placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We all missed the signs. And even if we had seen them, what could we really have done?"

Karn's inner turmoil raged on, grappling with the weight of guilt and feelings of helplessness.

As the cart continued its journey, the city's sprawling architecture came into view. Karn's gaze shifted to the towering spires and narrow alleyways, each a testament to the city's might and beauty. Yet, beneath its grandeur lay a rotting foundation. The streets were teeming with the oppressed and the innocent, victims of generations under a mad king's reign. The line between criminals and victims had blurred, and Karn couldn't help but wonder how many of the so-called "criminals" were just people who had been caught in the crossfire.

Karn's thoughts were interrupted by Ralina's hushed voice. "Karn," she whispered, eyes darting nervously toward the wardens leading the cart, "we've gotten out of situations like this before. We'll do it again."

Karn nodded, locking eyes with her. Traces of dried blood on her forehead, not entirely wiped away, was like a stab into his chest. Shifting his gaze to Hope, he found a mirror of his own turmoil. Without words, the three exchanged glances, their eyes conveyed the depth of their emotions, but a spark of resolve shone through. As Karn wrestled with his inner conflicts, the wardens above them eagerly debated over the contents of a wooden box.

"That's some fine jewellery," one warden sneered, fingering a delicate piece of Lady Amber's collection.

Another pulled out a leather necklace, earning a glare from Ralina. "Ooh, looks like this means something to one of our guests," he chuckled.

Karn's attention snapped to the warden who retrieved a smooth handle from the box. Recognizing it immediately, his eyes met Hope's. The Akanam handle was no ordinary item, and in the wrong hands, it could wreak havoc. That’s if they found out who to use it.

The cart's wheels creaked and jolted as they navigated through the city streets, drawing the captives' attention. Soon, they arrived at an imposing multi-story house, its grandeur contrasting starkly with the desperation in the cart. Patrons navigated the streets around the building, their behaviour suggesting a desire to remain unnoticed. Others lurked in the shadows, engaged in whispered conversations, discreetly gesturing to passersby.

With an assertive motion, Warden Grail signalled for Hope and Ralina to be unchained. As they descended from the cart, Karn's keen eyes caught a glimpse of a shimmering green metal tucked away in a warden's pocket. The significance wasn't lost on him; that piece was essential, and it seemed Hope hadn’t missed it either.

Hope and Karn exchanged one last glance, a silent promise, before she and Ralina disappeared behind the house's lavish doors. Warden Grail looked on, a mix of greed and lust in his eyes that made Karn's stomach churn.

“Don’t worry my boy,” he sneered with a chuckle. “They will be well looked after.”

Lady Amber looked as if she were about to say something but thought better of it when she saw the look on Grail’s eager face.

The cart doors were slammed shut, the outside world obscured once more. Lady Amber and Karn found themselves in gloom again. Warden Grail's voice, filled with malicious glee, filtered in. "Prepare yourselves. We're heading to your final stop."

Lady Amber whispered, her voice trembling but resolute, "Whatever comes next, we face it together."

Karn nodded, steeling himself for what lay ahead.