Relkay Rethianos was not having a particularly good time. After two weeks of beatings, torture and forced feeding and drugging, he had finally broken. He had admitted knowing about the secret tunnels underneath the cities, he had admitted to creating distractions so other Rethavok could flee to safer lands. He had also admitted to being a corrupt liar, having betrayed the High General’s trust and only pretending to be loyal to the Rethavok.
That last statement was only partially true. While Relkay had been unaffected by the flood of mind-control the Void Lord had used to take over Rethan society, he hadn’t. He had watched his Legion become influenced over the course of a few days and had decided to play along, using his position as a general to try and protect those who were like him. But after a week of pretending, Relkay had been caught out in the middle of a plan to sneak unaffected Rethavok to the Thre-Sypria space port by the Void Lord himself.
Hence the two weeks of torture.
Finally though, that pain had come to an end. While Relkay had spilled more than he had wanted, it turned out his broken secrets had very little value to the Void Lord. To the point that Relkay had realized he was being tortured simply for the sake of it. Somehow though, despite all the suffering, Relkay had managed to keep his biggest secret intact, until now.
“So, this one is the son of Rethais Rethianos?” the Void Lord’s voice boomed.
“Uh, yes, General Kenon, he is…”
Standing above Relkay were two Rethans he had not seen in a while, two Rethans he couldn’t really believe were actively serving the Void Lord, that Relkay had never thought would turn.
“Does he know the status of his father?”
“I would assume not.”
“Very well. Tie him to the bed. You keep an eye on him and let me know when he wakes up, you come with me.”
Relkay remained still, waiting until the Void Lord had left, before moving. As soon as the High General was out of earshot, he immediately jumped up and grabbed the remaining Rethan by the neck, pinning him to the nearest wall.
“Vaksavar, you traitor!” Relkay hissed, ignoring the agony in his arms and legs. “You sold out to that monster!”
The Rethan in question though simply sighed. With a twist of his arm and side, Vaksavar managed to almost instantly break out of Relkay’s hold, taking advantage of his weakened state. With a few more twists and turns, Relkay found himself pinned against the floor, his head pressed against the foot of the bed.
“I am sorry, Relkay, but you are insane to think that any of us can fight against a deity. Especially in our current state. You have not seen him in action, you have not seen what I have seen.”
Relkay sneered, trying to pick himself up and failing. “What have you seen, Vaksavar? Because I have seen plenty killed by that false deity and its hideous ways!”
“The same deaths, little one. You need to realize that more will die if we fight in the open than if we plot from the shadows. If you had known that from the start, you would not have been tortured.”
Vaksavar eased up on Relkay, allowing him to scramble back to his feet.
“I most likely would have been tortured anyway, because of who happened to birth me…”
“Perhaps. But if it makes you feel better, it is believed that both your parents are alive.”
“It does not…” Relkay sighed, trying to orientate himself. He hadn’t realized how bruised and battered he was. He sat down awkwardly on the bed, nausea welling in his throat. “You have no plan, do you? You are only working alongside the false deity to save your own skin.”
“And what is the alternative, youngling? Allowing myself to be killed so a yes-sayer may take my place? No. That will not do. We have a deity of all things ruling over us. My being by the High General’s side has allowed me to save numerous Rethans who would have been dutifully executed, had I not intervened. While that does, on the surface, seem like an awful thing, we might be able to change things, make things better. We have a god who wants to help us, in his own twisted way. We can make use of that.”
“I doubt it. We will all just get sucked in further.”
“The only other alternative, right now at least, is to die like the traitor Kenon believes you to be. Because from where I stand, you are the traitor here, Relkay. That is not true in any way, but that is what the Rethan State now considers you to be, as you are not loyal to the High General. The more pressing question is, do you want to die?”
Relkay hesitated, unsure how to answer. Normally he would have said yes. He would have gladly died to save the lives of other Rethavok. That was essentially what Relkay was born to do, he was born to be a hero to others. He was a Rethianos after all, the kid of the former High General, one of a lineage of purity and power. But now… who would he be dying for?
“Exactly what I thought!” Vaksavar tutted, cutting through Relkay’s silence. “Do you believe that I LIKE being treated like an animal on a leash? Of course not. But the other option is death. Not just to us, but to others as well.”
With a frown, Relkay straightened himself out. “How many free-minded Rethavok like me have you given this speech to?”
“Not enough. Never enough…” Vaksavar rubbed his eyes, still tutting. “If you follow my lead, then I may be able to keep you alive long enough to see your parents again. If you step out of line… well, Kenon has a very, very short temper…”