Always ch 70

70. Greatest Advantage

My arms hurt.

As the world slowly emerges out of hazy blackness, I became aware that they hurt because they've been hauled over my head and chained like that, supporting the weight of my body for who knows how long. I blink sleep out of my eyes, hating the gritty feeling but not able to do much about it. Once I'm fully awake, the pain in my shoulders about triples, and out of sheer desperate instinct, I try to get my feet under me.

It works. My arms still hurt, speaking to how long I've been, but they did the chaining in such a way I can stand. Sleeping's going to be a problem, though--probably the point of this arrangement.

With that most immediate problem solved, I look around the room that holds me, feeling what's left of my braid slide against my back as loose locks of hair fall in my eyes. I huff them away impatiently.

Where's Zev? You could make equally strong cases for the Crows keeping us together or separating us, so I'm more than a little frantic as I continue scanning the dimly lit room.

A groan followed by a vague stream of mumbled Antivan emanates from the far end of the chamber.

"Zev?!" I hiss, not wanting to alert our captor if possible, but desperately curious if that is him.

"Ah, minx, I fear I have broken my broken my promise to you, no?" He sounds both woozy and grimly amused. "I believe this is considerably more trouble than you have ever gotten me in, wouldn't you agree?"

I bite back a sardonic bark of laughter at the gallows humor. "Yeeeaahh, I think you win. Though, long as we're still alive, there's a chance I'll top it."

"Ever the optimist, I see." There's a quiet grunt and the clank of chain as he finds his feet.

"Depends on who you talk to," I counter wryly, flexing my wrists against the manacles. "Some people have been known to think me pessimistic, but Jowan would agree with you."

"Indeed?" There's a definite note of amusement in his voice now. "And speaking of our good friend Jowan, you seem to be even more than just good friends, yes? Care to... elaborate on the circumstances of this development?"

I groan and huff my hair out of my eyes again. "Andraste's ass, Zev, you want to do this now?!" I rattle my chained wrists pointedly.

He actually chuckles. "What better time? You have no escape from my curiosity, and it shall take our minds off our predicament, no? Besides, you simply said 'somewhere else'. This is somewhere else."

I groan in frustration. He makes valid points. "Fine. Essentially, our continued friendship... evolved to include romance."

Zevran makes a 'tsk'ing noise. "Details, minx. I wish for details."

"You and your pervy mind... First off, there aren't any details of... that nature yet-"

"Really?" He sounds shocked. "With all that lovely build-up?"

I snort, amused at the absurdity of Zevran questioning me about my love life while we're chained up as Crow prisoners. "Sod, Zev, you know how long it took me to make... that step with Alistair, and that was with the threat of impending doom hanging over us every day. Are you of all people really surprised that we're taking our time?!"

"Calm down, minx," Zevran soothes, voice rife with amusement. "This is a touchy subject for you, hmm?"

"More like one everyone brings up," I mutter. "Gets boring answerin' the same disbelief, though Sig can have a pass, considerin'-"" Too late, I realize that isn't something I want Zevran knowing about. He'll be tossing me significant looks for all eternity.

"Considering what?" Zev presses.

I'm saved from answering when a door creaks open behind me. The light it emits throws my silhouette against the far wall and lets me see Zev.

The Crows have apparently been working him over again; even with distance between us I can see the fresh bruises and cuts leaking thin lines of blood down his chest.

"Ah, good, you have decided to join us," a voice purrs behind me.

Zevran glares over my shoulder. "You have what you wanted, Vittorio. You have captured both myself and the Grey Warden. Why not just kill us? I am very aware her bounty is for dead, not alive. And I cannot imagine mine is any different."

Vittorio chuckles, walking far enough into the room we can both see him. I lunge against all the give I can wring from my chain. He's the bastard who cut the rope.

"Now, now, none of that, Warden," he scolds almost gleefully, before facing Zevran. "To answer your question, Arainai, you were a lot of work to capture. Both of you. So we're going to have some fun first, yes? It's only fair..."

I'm torn between forcing him to kill me first and wanting to draw this out so rescue remains a possibility. The last thing I want is to learn his definition of the word 'fun'. But I have survived too damn much to get killed by the Crows.

"I thought you people were all about efficiency," I mutter, still tugging against the manacles. I know it's pointless, but he cut the rope. While Jowan was still climbing. I want to kill him for that, if nothing else.

"Indeed, yes," Vittorio confirms with a dark smile, standing squarely in front of bending down to look me in the eye. "But what is the saying? 'All work and no play...'?"

He hooks one finger under my chin to make me look at him, and I snarl as I whip free and try to bite his hand.

"Ah, ah, ah." The gleeful scolding is back as he straightens, pulling a stiletto from his sleeve. "Allow me to explains the rules, Warden." Menace creeps in, hardening his eyes as he paces back to Zevran. "You try anything like that again, I make him pay for it." He traces the stiletto along the tattoo that winds its way down Zev's torso, lightly enough that it doesn't draw blood. This time. But his message is clear enough.

He decides to drive it home even further by punching Zevran in the gut. Not hard enough to do lasting damage, just enough to exhibit the power he has over us.

"Leave him alone!" I bark, jerking against the chains, feet pressing hard against the floor, heedless of the splinters digging into my skin.

All I get for my trouble is bloody feet and a slap across the face. "I shall enjoy breaking that spirit," Vittorio hisses as he leaves the room.

The door closes with a thud and we're plunged back into gloom.

"So, minx..." Zevran coughs and groans. "You were saying?"

I squint, vaguely able to make out his form now that whatever they did to knock me is wearing off. "You okay?"

"Please, they threw worse at me during my training," he scoffs. "This is child's play in comparison. However, distraction is still welcome. What were you about to say before Vittorio's little power play?"

I decide playing innocent is my best chance. "Y'know, I don't remember... whatever they used to knock me out must've messed with my head..."

"Minx..." he tuts, and I don't need to see him to know his expression right now is a mix of 'not buying it' and 'ooh juicy secret'. "You will have to do much better than that if you wish to deter me. Allow me to refresh your memory: You had said Sigrun was allowed her skepticism regarding the... lengths of your relationship with Jowan, but were interrupted before you could elaborate."

Damn it all. "Alright, alright. One of the mornings traveling here, she walked in on us makin' out--suckin' face was how she described it--and refused to believe me when I said that was as far as things went."

"That's it?" he mutters, raising an eyebrow.

"Well... aside from the fact that was the first she knew of our relationship, Jowan may, um, havestillbeeninbed," I confess in a rush. "Which means I was perched on the edge of his bed, and... um... he may or may not've been wearing a shirt..." I cough sheepishly.

"Ah, so she caught you in the middle of a scorching kiss with a man all your friends have long suspected you had feelings for, in his bed and while he was not fully clothed." There's an edge of wicked amusement to his grin. "Yes, I see why you allow her her suspicion."

"It sounds a lot dirtier when you phrase it like that," I protest, tugging at my chains absently. "It was just a kiss..."

No just about it, boss Sigrun's voice rings in my head.

"Mm-hm." Zevran sounds about as convinced as she did.

"One thing I can promise you, Zev, any romantic bent to my feelings for Jowan started well after his Joining. So all those times I promised you we were just friends, I was telling the truth."

"I know, amica," he assures me. "The heart is a funny thing, yes?"

"It is that," I agree wryly. "So... you know this Vittorio character?"

"It would be more correct to say I knew of him. Before he captured me. Brutal and brilliant, like all the best Crows, yes? I am fairly certain that whatever fate awaits us will not be a pleasant one."

"They'll get us out," I insist.

"What they, minx?" Zev asks cynically.

No. Do not make me doubt. "Jowan and Sig an-and Aenya."

"Rahna, assuming they are even still alive--I assume your traitor had at least one cohort, yes?--how would they find us?"

"Zevran, are you honestly asking me to believe Aenya is anything other than a fiery little minx with a stubborn streak a mile wide?" I demand.

He chuckles. "More like two miles, but otherwise, yes, that sounds like her."

"Jowan and Sig are also stubborn as all get out when they set their minds on something, so I know they'll figure out a way." And don't you dare take that hope from me, or I will go insane. But I can't shake the nagging fear that he's right; if Melita was part of the trap the odds are good that Nevio was, too. Which means even if Jowan and Sigrun got away from the dockhouse, they still might be-

No. I am not going there. Both of them can more than handle themselves in a fight, and both would be on their guard, so Nevio wouldn't be able to catch them by surprise. "They're still alive. And they're going to find us."

"How?" My own internal cynic asks the question at the same time as Zevran.

"I don't know," I snap, "but they will."

He sighs. "I hope you are right, minx. The Crows took everything we could possibly use to escape on our own. It will take a miracle for us to get out of here."

"Well, then, I guess we're lucky those seem to happen to me a lot, huh?" I joke.

Zevran gives a half-hearted chuckle. "Indeed, we are."

Now we just need now to be one of those times.

oOo

She was pacing when he returned to his office.

Vittorio shook his head and chuckled. "The job is finished, amica. Why so tense, hmm?"

Melita tugged on a braid. "I think we should move them."

"Why in the world would we do that?" he scoffed, leaning against the wall.

She growled in frustration. "Nevio knows about this place, Vittorio."

"And I have prepared for contingencies like rescues," he assured her. "Anyone who cares enough to try and rescue them will make delightful tools to break them, no?"

"You and your schemes," Melita sighed. "One of these days, one is going to backfire on you. The human traveling with the Warden was a mage. Have you accounted for that?" The near-imperceptible twitch of an eyebrow told her he hadn't. "And how did we miss it in the first place?"

"It is of no importance," Vittorio waved her off. "We got who we were after, and we know now. I'll send word we need Kecian, and we'll be ready for them."

"I still say we should move elsewhere," Melita insisted. "Especially if you are still keen on your plan to have fun before we kill them. There may be other... surprises from their group, and you know as well as I the job is not considered done until we drop their corpses at his feet. Also, do you really think we have time to get Kecian here? If they prevail upon my brother to help, they may find us sooner rather than later."

Vittorio chuckled. "Why so strong an argument against Kecian, cara amica? Jealous?" He leaned forward and brushed a finger against her cheek.

She batted his hand away. "Don't flatter yourself, amico. What you do with your pet mage is none of my concern. I am neither a toy for your amusement nor your subordinate to play with in satisfaction of your ego."

"Whatever you say, Lita," he grinned. "Any interest in joining me the next time I visit them? The Warden's reactions may prove most amusing."

She matched his grin now. "Amusing is a soft word for it. She is a passionate individual and would likely respond accordingly, yes? It would be most entertaining. I may take you up on that."

"Eccellente!" Vittorio smirked, moving toward his desk. "So, I shall send for a bottle of wine and we can plot how to manipulate this to our greatest advantage, yes?"

"After you send for Kecian. If you think it worthwhile, may as well do it quickly."

Good thinking," Vittorio nodded, summoning a servant and imparting his rapid-fire string of instructions. The boy departed, returning shortly with the desired wine.

Vittorio took it, dismissing him with a curt wave, before pouring a glass each for himself and Melita. "So, then, to our greatest advantage?"

She smirked and clinked her glass against his. "I'll drink to that."