"We are coming in," said the guardsmen through the door opening.  

Adar stayed silent. What are they going to do? Have they finally decided to kill me? These thoughts ran through Adar's head as he heard the key being inserted in the lock. 

The guardsmen opened the door, letting light from the hallway torches enter. Adar was sitting at the wall opposite the door.  Suddenly three men came from behind the guardsmen and entered into the room. They grabbed Adar and lifted him up to his feet. They turned him around and smashed him face forward into the wall. Two of the men grabbed Adar's arms, twisting them behind him. The third man began to bind his wrists with rope.  

"Is he secured?" The guardsmen asked.  

The third man finished binding Adar's wrist, turning to look at the guardsmen. He was taller than the guardsmen by a head. He had a large chest; his arms were easily the size of the guardsmen’s thighs. He wore a gray and black uniform as did the other men.  

"Langstrom himself sent us to retrieve him. He will be more than secure. If he does not cooperate, then he will be in pain. " 

The guardsmen stepped aside as the three men hauled Adar out of the cell. He was non-resistant as they pulled him along, roughly. There was no point in fighting. He could feel blood trickle from his nose onto his upper lip. The men had smashed his face hard into the wall. 

Surprisingly, no noise came from the other cells, considering how boisterous the people usually were. They stopped at the door near the end of the short hallway.  

The guardsmen opened the metal door that lead to the stone steps. Adar could now see the stone carved work. They led upwards to another metal door. Torches lined the wall parallel to the steps.  

The three men formed a triangle around Adar as they lead him up the stone stairs; two men ahead, each man on either side of him, and the third large man was behind him.  

The two men on either side were built, but the one behind was a mammoth compared to the others.  He was seemingly the head of this group. 

Adar was only an inch or two shorter than the other men, but only reached to the top of the shoulder of the third man.

One of the front men opened the metal door at the end of the stairs. Light shone into the dark place. Adar flinched at the sight of sudden brightness. It had been a long time since he had seen anything but dark. The room he now stood in was a large, rectangular room, walls painted blue. Two windows were on the longer sides of the room; red velvet curtains decorated the windows. Trees could be seen outside, along with bushes. 

Adar stood side opposite the side of the doorway of the new room. It had no door, showing directly into the hallway.

He heard the third man close the metal door behind them.  

They immediately led him into the hallway. The floor was furnished wood, a professional job, he thought. 

Adar saw that the hallway was large, and several doors were on each side of the long wall.

The men led Adar into what was most likely the main hall of the building. He could see stairs lead up to a second floor which resembled a balcony, doors placed along the walls of it. The rugs placed there were made of animal skins. 

The men led Adar up the stairs, and then headed for a door at the end of the second floor hallway. Adar turned back to look down at the first floor. A large double door was at the entrance of the building. 

The building, Adar thought, was constructed as a mansion with added features, such as a cellar conformed to be a prison.  

The door at the end of the hallway was opened and they entered into a large rectangle room. Several men were standing at the corners. They glared at Adar as he was lead in. All of them wore their gray uniforms, as well as their black leather shoes. Many of the men held muskets, some held their swords. There was a desk, opposite the door, near the end of the room. A man was sitting at the desk, his elbows placed on it, hands clasped.   

The door was closed behind them.  

Adar was pushed forward on his knees, facing the man at the desk. There was a deadly silence. 

The man, sitting at the desk, arose and walked from behind it to stand in front of Adar, keeping a few feet of distance.  

"Hello, boy. My men have told me of an account that is hardly believable. They say that you single handedly killed three of my men while they raided a county. Is what they speak true? " 

Adar stayed silent, only looking down. 

A man came from behind, and hit Adar on the back with the butt of his musket. 

"Look up, boy; you are in the presence of Langstrom, the commander and leader of our militia." 

A spark ignited in Adar, one far more potent than when he had killed the men that had murdered his mother. 

Langstrom... I will kill you; I swear it!

Adar looked up to see the eyes of the man that had ordered his mother's death.  

Langstrom wore a gray and black uniform. 

He stood there, legs shoulder width apart. His hands were clasped behind his back. He was a head taller than most of the men there. 

His eyes were cold; his hair was dark and short. He seemed to have a body built for combat. His face had scars, no doubt the result of years in battle. 

"I ask once again, boy. Are these accounts true?" 

Adar's mind flashed with an image that was permanently seared in his mind, the flames crawling all over his mother's body, consuming her. 

Adar got up and rushed forward. He heard curses and yells as he made his attack. He rammed his shoulder into Langstrom's chest. Adar suddenly felt winded. He looks down to see Langstrom's knee pull away from his abdomen. 

Adar was quickly on his knees, leaning forward and gasping for breath. He felt a man pull hard on his hair, lifting his head backwards.  

Men stood all around him, some with their swords drawn and others with their loaded muskets pointed at his head. Langstrom stood there in the same position, only his right hand had changed position. It was raised. "Hold your fire, men." 

Langstrom gave a rough smile. "One who has the courage to attack me must have a reason for doing so, or just ignorance. Neither will save you from my wrath. Did you attack with courage or ignorance, boy?" 

"I attacked with Revenge!" Adar hissed, “I swore I would kill you!"

Langstrom gave a baffled look. "I am most certain, that before today, you have never seen my face." 

Adar felt a knot in his throat. He wouldn't cry. He would never show weakness in front of this man, ever.

"You ordered your men to kill my mother!" yelled Adar. 

Langstrom stared at him coldly. "Boy, are you sure you are correct? I was not there, so how could I have ordered them to do as you have stated?  " 

"I heard them speak," said Adar. "They spoke of the orders you had given them. They said you ordered them to kill her! " 

Langstrom turned his back and began to walk to his desk. Adar lunged toward Langstrom once more, and then felt a pull at the collar of his shirt. He fell backwards, hearing the men curse again. 

Adar struggled to get up, feeling the men begin to strike him. He managed to rise to his feet. He saw Langstrom stationed at his desk, and out his peripheral vision he saw the men closing in. Adar gave a final lunge, cursing, and yelled, "I will kill you!" 

He felt something hard collide with his head, and then his world went black. 

*** 

Adar awoke, finding himself once again in the imprisonment of a cell. Adar gave a frustrated sigh. He had a headache, and a bruised body. He must have took several blows from all of the men. 

A militia... mote like a band of thieves, thought Adar.  

Adar checked for the necklace, tied around his bicep, inside his long, sleeved shirt. He couldn't afford to have it stolen; it was his only comfort, the thing that kept him sane. 

It was safe. The dagger his father had given him had a hilt with a strap made for a leg. 

He double checked to make sure that, too, was there. 

***

Langstrom sat at his desk, pondering on what he had just heard.

"You ordered your men to kill my mother!"

Langstrom cursed under his breath.

"I never knew she had another child.” 

A knock on his door brought Langstrom out of his meditative mode. 

"Come in," said Langstrom, having authority in his voice. It was one of the many reasons he was the commander.

A man entered, one of the men Langstrom had sent to retrieve Adar. "Sir, What do you wish for us to do with the boy?” 

Langstrom was silent for a while, and then spoke. 

"I need to find out as much as I can about this boy. For now, give him real food and whatever he chooses to drink. Send Melanie to me as well; I will have a word with her. " 

The man gave a puzzled look, “But sir-"

"Do you question my authority?” asked Langstrom, cutting him off.  

"No, Sir.” replied the man. 

"Good, now go do what I have commanded."

                     End of chapter 

Please comment! I would like to hear your thoughts on what has been written so far.

Also check out ElishaAlvarez's book. It's called Thieves of Carnia. 

I'm also looking for some good stories to read on Wattpad . If you could refer me to any that would be appreciated.