Scurvy made it to town in record time, although his mouth was dry and he was out of breath. He looked around to see the horses' water troth over by the saloon. Salvador Kelmner, the proprietor of the establishment didn't like him very much. In fact, he hated all dogs, but Scurvy needed water bad, even if it meant stealing the water for those spoiled, pampered dirty horses. He had only taken a few licks when Sal's daughter Rhona came out. She was a nice girl, so he wondered if she was adopted. Plus, the fact she looked nothing like Sal.

"Scurvy, what are you doing here?" she asked as he looked up at her. "I don't mind a visit, but not today. The word around town is that there's going to be an execution. The judge carted off some prisoner, but no one who knows who they are." Scurvy listened closely. Rhona could never keep her mouth shut when she got her hands on some juicy gossip. "The rumor is that he caught some demon by the old caves. The men at the saloon get drunk and go on and on about how that place is a gateway to hell. Imagine that."

Scurvy quickly looked up and saw someone he had never seen before. It wasn't too often strangers came to town, but Scurvy had a feeling that he knew this woman. It was odd that she was wearing an evening dress in the early part of the afternoon, but the way the woman carried herself was quite familiar. Then he saw the bracelet on her wrist. It was the same one Jenny described that she had lost.

He left Rhona standing there as she approached the woman. "Hey, Scurvy, where are you going?" Rhona called to him but he ignored her. He looked into the eyes of the brown-haired beauty and gave a smirk.

Hello there, Claudette, Scurvy said. The woman looked surprised. So why to makeover?

"Scurvy, you recognized me," she said stumbling over her words. She tried to walk away from him but he followed her. She stopped when they reached a private corner behind the courthouse. No one ever came there at this time of day. "Alright, fess up, you nosy dog."

That stolen piece a jewelry you're wearin', he said. He jumped up and tried to take it off of her.

She snatched her hand away and raised her arm so he couldn't reach it. "It's not stolen," she said defensively. "I found it, so it's mine."

I know the girl it belongs to, and not havin' that bracelet got her into a load of trouble. Now, you gonna help me get her out of it?

"Does it have anything to do with that prisoner they caught?"

It has everything to do with it, Scurvy said. That Judge Oakley's fixin' to make an example out of that girl, and if she dies the future could be fucked up for everyone. You've seen it, haven't you, Claudette? The town in ruins everybody dead, and all because of...

"Alright, Scurvy, I'll help,' Claudette said, "but I'm keeping the bracelet."

Yeah, will see, he said and took a few steps away from her. You comin'?

She hesitated for a moment then groaned and followed him. She hated to think about where they were going.

Because Rhona was more chatty than usual Scurvy knew exactly where to go. The Judge kept condemned prisoners on the south side of town in the underground dungeon. The execution sight was close by and if he was planning on killing anyone then his men would be preparing. The last hanging was right before he and Laela had settled here a few months before. The townspeople still talked about that one. It was three brothers all accused of horse thief, although none of them ever confessed. They were found guilty and hung. People joked about it like it was some form of entertainment, but it just made Scurvy sick to think about it. Still, he thought the whole situation was fishy.

As they reached the sight Scurvy instructed Claudette to stay out of site. There was a small monument that led to the underground dungeons that was more of a doorway to what some referred to as the tombs. There was very little light down there, but Scurvy could see in the dark, even when the sky was pitch black.

Stay here, Claudette, and out of sight, Scurvy said, while I check things out.

She agreed, because she had no desire to go down in those tombs. She saw in her visions what happened to people down there. Through the torture some never made it out alive and those that did ended up in the execution grounds. It didn't matter if you were guilty or not. If the Judge wanted you to be guilty he could get the people to agree. Confessions were often manipulated out of its victims through endless torture, until they had no fight left in them. Once the confession was signed the Judge was in his rights to perform the execution. If that didn't work a trial was held, but usually came to the same results. Guilty.

She still remembered the screams of two victims he murdered two years ago as they were crushed to death. They were two women who were accused of murder, although after their execution the victim suddenly reappeared. The young man was an employee of the Judge and would have done anything he asked. She wanted these two women dead because they knew what he was.

Since Judge had taken over the town more and more people were accused of crimes and killed for them. The crime didn't have to be major, but the Judge tended to play on people's fears, so that a crime as miniscule as petty theft would lead to death.

She stood back in the trees at the edge of town as she kept her eyes on the secret entrance to the tombs as Scurvy disappeared. She had no way of knowing if she would ever see him again.

Scurvy walked quietly down the steep stones steps of Judge Oakley secret dungeon. He knew he should have gone back to Laela's and reported his findings, but he didn't want any of those kids, especially Sophie to end up down here. He knew first hand want went on in this hell hole, and what a sadistic monster Judge Oakley really was.

It was a long way down and one false move and he was done for. There were stone spikes that were hand carved that surrounded the steep steps that almost went straight down. If he wasn't careful he could have fallen and his life would have been over. He didn't survive the last forty years on pirate ships and tracking cut throat murders and other ungodly villains to buy it now. That girl Jenny was probably the last true Sadian left on earth, and even if she wasn't she was the first he had ever seen, and it was his duty to make sure she came out of this alive.

She's down here somewhere, he said quietly. I can smell her.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Scurvy turned to see Ethan Borden pointing a gun at him. He growled and snarled at him. He body started to change and he grew taller as the werewolf in him took over. "You're power won't affect me, mutt."

As scurvy lunged for him he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The gun wasn't a gun at all, he realized. It had shot out a dart that had hit him. He wasn't sure if it was poison, but it was weakening him at a fast pace. He slowly changed back into his canine form and fell to the ground whimpering.

He was losing consciousness, but before he did he saw Ethan hovering over him. "Sorry, I had to do that, old boy," If he was than someone was probably watching. "Don't worry. That dart won't kill you. It'll just weaken you for a bit. I promise I'll get you out of this and that demon girl too."

What the hell is your game? Scurvy asked weakly, not that it did any good because Ethan couldn't understand him anyway. It wasn't long before Scurvy eyes closed and he blacked out.

Scurvy awakened to realize that he was in a cage. He was back to his dog form again, and tried to transform into his werewolf form, but he quickly realized that he couldn't. He tried pushing on the bars, but he received a shock when he even slightly touched them. Why couldn't he transform? Then he remembered the shot that asshole Ethan Borden gave him, but somehow he believed the boy didn't want to shoot him. If indeed he didn't then someone had made him, and there was only one person he could think of.

He looked around while standing in the middle of the cage to avoid any more shocks. The place was dark, but he saw a shadow of a man, a large man, but the smell told him more of who it was.

Oakley, he snarled. Show your ass, if you're not afraid.

He heard a laugh as the man came into view. He was carrying a lantern, and the light illuminating below his chin made him look more maniacal than he already was. "Well, Scurvy, it's nice to see you awake." Scurvy only growled at him. "Well, I see dear Michael's pet hasn't lost that temper of his."

I ain't no pet, you dumb fuck, Scurvy growled out the words. What the hell did you do to my powers?

"Don't worry, Scurvy my boy, the dart young Mister Borden shot you with is only temporary, but..." Oakley stopped deliberately just to get Scurvy's temper up again. The Judge came closer to his cage and put his face close to the bars. If he had not received shocks from the bar Scurvy would have gouged his eyes out with his claws. "You'll be dead before they come back. I plan to rip every bone out of your body one by one... very slowly."

Scurvy didn't even flinch at his words. He could take pain, and he doubted that it would come to that. What about the girl? Scurvy asked.

"What girl?" Judge Oakley asked. "There is no girl, never was."

Yes, there is, Scurvy said glaring at him. Mind games don't work on me.

"Then perhaps pain will," Judge Oakley said. "Charles!" he turned towards the room's entrance and called out, and a boy about seventeen entered.

Scurvy assumed it was the one Jenny told Sophie about. The kid was blonde and would have been considered handsome by human standards if not for that scar. He held a crystal in his hand and held it up. Judge Oakley touched it, and it suddenly illuminated, slowly at first but then its light filled the room.

"Yes, the lost crystal," Judge Oakley said.

"And you knew she would find it in the cave," Charlie said.

"Yes, thanks to Gamgee girl," Judge Oakley said pridefully. "Any true Sadian would be immune to her power, but with a little manipulation it is easy to play on one's guilt."

You set her up, Scurvy shouted out. You just fucked us all up good. When Mike finds out about this...

"It will be too late," the Judge said in calm voice. He backed up from the cage. "Charles, you know what to do."

Just then the light from the crystal moved into one glowing stream of light aimed directly at Scurvy. As it hit him he screamed out in pain. The judge laughed as Scurvy's howls filled the room, but never once did he beg for him to stop.

"That's enough, Charles," the Judge said as Charlie put down the crystal. "If it wasn't for the girl, we never could have been activated it." He came close to the cage again. "Scurvy, it's the girl fault you're in so much pain, and I know you want revenge." After Judge Oakley's last words Scurvy eyes closed as he was about to lose consciousness. "Put him in with the girl." It was the last thing Scurvy heard.

To be Continued...

Now, both Scurvy and Jenny are both captured and it's up to Claudette to help. She won't be able to do it alone, but she knows of something who can aid her in the task. Laela. Will she make it in time?