Checkmate

Silent Move

"Lio."

The Dungeon Guard inclined her head and stepped to one side to allow me in before taking her place again in front of the entrance. Another Guard met me at the bottom of the stairs.

"How's he been?"

"Quiet, as usual." The Guard followed me down the corridor. 

"No attempts to engage any of you."

The Guard shook his head.

"He sleeps most of the time."

"And his wounds?"

"Healing. He should be at full strength soon."

"Good." I stopped at the small antechamber and began removing my weapons, starting with my dagger. "Watch him closely. If he hasn't tried an escape, it doesn't mean he won't. He might have been biding his time, waiting for his strength to come back."

The Guard nodded, taking the cross bow, bolts and catapult I handed him, and stepping back to allow me through to the holding cells. 

I walked down the dimly lit corridor to the cell at the end, stopping in front of it. The figure seated on the floor against the wall opposite me raised his head, regarding me with dark eyes.

We stared at each other in silence.

He was wearing just the regulation loose fitting bottoms we usually gave our prisoners, his bare chest showing a motley assortment of bruises and scars, the aftermath of my handiwork, already fading as he healed. He was muscular, but not overly so, just enough for me to know he was strong and could handle himself. 

Not that I'd doubted it. His eyes had that look in them, one I'd seen in every Intelligence agent I knew, the look of standing on the edge, having seen too much, done too much. 

He was the reason I was here every day. Regardless of how busy I was with the coordination and security arrangements for the Clan delegations that would be arriving any day now, I came every day to check on him. We never exchanged a word, always staying as we were now, him on the inside, me on the outside, wordlessly taking each other's measure, and then I'd leave him to his silence, and return to my chaos. 

Part of it was due diligence - keeping a close eye on our captive and witness so that there was no funny business before the delegations arrived.

Part of it was me waiting. I knew he had something to say, and that he would say it to me. We were too alike in the fundamentals, and I knew he'd recognised that, just as I had. Now, it was a matter of seeing who spoke first.

And just then, he did.

"You are back." His voice was low, but clear.

I inclined my head slightly.

"Should I be flattered?" He raised an eyebrow, a sardonic expression on his face. "Enardan Intelligence accords me this much importance."

I continued to regard him silently. He returned my gaze evenly.

"I have nothing more to say." He said, quietly, eventually.

"I know." I replied, mildly.

"Then why come?"

"Curiousity." I saw no harm in admitting it.

"Ah." He leaned his head back on the wall. "What was that saying? About the curious cat?" 

"That doesn't apply to males like us." I said, "Or we'd be out of work."

A faint smile touched his lips and stayed there, but he was too smart to respond to my gentle probe.