Slowly, Jeraddin came to.
Raising his head, the lynx took in his surroundings. He was tied to a chair in a room, whose only other piece of furniture was a table on which a series of implements of sinister purpose had been neatly arranged. Jeraddin also noticed that his clothes were lying in a pile on the stone-floor.
Well, he thought. That explains the draft I felt.
He struggled with his bonds for a bit. To no avail. Whoever had tied these knots knew what they were doing.
Someone was coming! Jeraddin decided to pretend that he was still unconscious.
A door opened and closed, two voices hovered above Jeraddin's head.
"What do you mean it's not here?" Demanded the first voice.
"I searched his clothes, Cap'n" said the other voice and this one, Jeraddin recognized. "Went through is coat and everything, he doesn't have it on him."
He thought back to this morning when the two watchmen had showed up on his doorsteps. Both of them had looked like authentic members of the city-watch and so, he had excused himself and had headed for his chamber. As he did, one of the guards had called out after him:
"General, don't forget to bring whatever evidence you have with you"
Jeraddin had intended to do just that. He had finished getting dressed and had just been about to pick up the black ledger and stuff it in his coat, when the words of the watchmen had made him stop.
Instead of taking it with him, he had stashed the ledger in his nightstand. On top of it, he had left a note, hastily jotted down, for Flora to find, when she would enter the room to clean it.
Jeraddin's suspicions were stirring in their sleep and they had been wide awake when the lynx had realized that the extremely official-looking black carriage he and his escort were travelling in, were not heading in the direction of the court-house at all.
Jeraddin had reached for the handle to the carriage-door. Before he had been able to pull it down and throw himself out of the carriage, cold-steel had touched his throat. It had been followed by a cloth, drenched in some kind of chemical, being pressed against his nose and mouth and, after a moment's hopeless struggle, everything had turned dark...
"Pity" the first voice growled. "Wake him up."
The Other voice grabbed hold of Jeraddin's head-fur, tilted his head back and tapped him on the cheeks. Jeraddin opened his eyes. Standing before him was Cerewan and the blue cat, his head covered in a bandage.
"Greetings, General" said Cerewan, wearing a smile of hollow joviality. "I am Captain Cerewan and..."
"I know who you are, Captain" Jeraddin said, cutting the tiger off. "And frankly, I don't care for this sort of treatment."
"Is that so? Well, General, I do not care for having my crew assaulted and my ship set ablaze.
Fortunately, we were able to put out the fire. However, it's going to take months of repairs to make the Maelstrom sea-worthy again. Repairs that you are going to pay for, General."
"Is that all? Very well, untie me and let's all go to the bank."
Cerewan shook his head and emitted a low chuckle.
"Not so fast, General. Before we do that, there is another matter that needs to be settled."
"Oh? What is that?"
The Smile did not vanish from Cerewan's face, but it did shrink considerably. Next to it, the tiger's scar reddened.
"Don't be coy with me, General, there were two ledgers in my cabin. Where are they now?"
"Oh, you mean those ledgers? They were destroyed in the fire."
"He's lyin' Cap'n" said the blue cat. "I saw him leavin' the ship with one of 'em when I was treadin' water."
"You hear that, General? Now, I'll ask nicely one more time: Where's the remaining ledger?"
"I've stuffed it where the sun don't shine" Jeraddin growled. "Why don't you come get it, you sweet-water pirate?"
With a sigh, Cerewan gave the lynx a look similar to that a parent might give an obstinate child and went over to the table. He stood there for a moment, contemplating which tool to pick. When he turned around, there was a rope in his paws. A rope which had a heavy knot in one end.
"I could tell you that this will hurt me more than you, General" Cerewan said, "but we both know that's a lie."
He began to swing the rope, faster and faster. Jeraddin watched as the knot became a blur and steeled himself for the inevitable.
*****
Jeraddin was fairly certain his shoulders, both of them, were dislocated. If not? Well, They hurt like hell at any rate. As did his chest for that matter.
He glared at his captors: Cerewan had lowered the rope and was wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I guess old age is catching up with me", the tiger shook his head in mock disbelief. "Let's take a quick break, shall we? In the meantime, General, there's something else I'd like to ask you..."
The Captain of the Maelstrom went up to Jeraddin and put a paw on his left shoulder. The Lynx groaned.
"How did you find out about me?" As he posed the question, Cerewan dug his claws in deeper.
"Arghh! A slave I met in Guanaca, one of your former 'customers'. She was the one who told me."
"Oh? What was her name?"
"Sorry, can't remember."
"And yet her words were enough for you to try to bring me to justice? A stranger? Unless..." Cerewan paused and looked closely at Jeraddin's face.
"Ah, yes" he chuckled. "I can see it now, the resemblance."
Cerewan released his grip and stepped back.
"Here" he said, handing the rope to the cat. "You take over, my arm's still tired."
"Right, Cap'n."
"Now then, General, I'm going to ask you again and if you refuse to answer, you shall be struck again. This time, however, the knot will strike in a more...sensitive spot. If you get my drift."
"I understand." Jeraddin sighed resignedly. "I'll talk, but before I do, would you answer one of my questions, Captain?"
"Very well, General, ask your question."
"What time is it?"
Cerewan's surprise only lasted for a moment. Then, he took out a pocket-watch and consulted it.
"About half past noon" he replied, slamming the lid to the watch shut and putting it back in his pocket. "Now then, if you'd be so kind as to tell us where the ledger is?"
"By now, I suspect its in the paws of the authorities" Jeraddin replied calmly.
Cerewan could feel the color drain from his face.
"You...you're bluffing" he muttered, but one look at the smug smile on his captive's face told him that this was merely wishful thinking on his part.
"By now every member of the city-watch must be out looking for you, Cerewan" Jeraddin said. "Why they could be here at any moment."
"Perhaps we should leave, Cap'n?" The Cat suggested, his voice trembling slightly.
"Calm yourself, sailor!" Cerewan snapped. "No-one knows where we are. By the time the watch finds this place, we'll be long gone." He turned back to Jeraddin. "You thought you were clever, didn't you, General? Alas, all you've done now is sign your own death-warrant."
With those words, he drew a saber from his belt and made some cutting motions with it in the air. Jeraddin watched him, without flinching.
Is this how my life ends? He wondered. I had a feeling that I wouldn't die in my bed, but I must admit that this is not the way I pictured it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the unpleasant sensation of Cerewan's breath hitting him in the face.
"When next I meet Risha" the tiger whispered in the lynx's ear, "I'll tell her that her father died, screaming."
He stepped back and raised the saber over his head.
There was a knock on the door. Cerewan dropped his weapon, the blue cat almost jumped out of his skin. Both of them, as well as Jeraddin, stared at the door.
"Well, Captain?" Jeraddin asked. "Aren't you going to answer?"
It was then that a voice could be heard on the other side and Jeraddin's heart sank again, for he recognized it.
"Captain, it's us! Open up!"
The Blue cat was closest to the door. He looked at Cerewan who gave him a nod. The Door opened and the false watchmen appeared on the doorstep. However, before they could enter, they were pushed aside; by a group of real watchmen who swarmed into the room.
