“They’re here?!” Nyx said, raising her voices louder than she had originally intended. With a swipe of her hand she grabbed the scruff of her hostage’s neckline.

  The man with the strange insectoid mask began to huff from his ragged breathing. Strange how Nyx’s attempt to remove his mask earlier resulted in a stream of blood, which prompted her to stop. She didn’t want the man dying before she had a chance to get the information she needed.

  There’s only so many hostages I can work with, she thought, trying not to repeat her last interrogation.

  “You’re *cough*…Nyxandria, aren’t you? The one from the Valkyries,” the man said. Like his compatriot, he suffered internal organ rupture from miniature explosions detonated by Nyx within his body. However, he spilled the beans about the Trepidor brothers much quicker than she had originally anticipated. Unlike the last man, which she fostered a hint of respect for, she didn’t have much pity for men like this who would sell out their comrades at a moment’s notice. Not because of honor or anything like that, though she did appreciate the sentiment, but because it made for a less exciting hunt.

  Nyx swiveled her head immediately to look at him. Crow’s feet dotting the edge of her otherwise unblemished face, she palmed the mask of the man, tied to his chair and began to lift up the mask. Blood flowing from his face, he began to scream.

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  “Where, is your leader?” she asked, voice cold.

  “Why are you here in the district?” he asked, between cries of pain. “I can’t believe you found out about our connection to Cadmi here. First you send the Siren, and now they send -”

  What was he talking about? She detonated the remaining bombs she placed within him, causing him to reel and cough up blood. “Where, is your leader?!” Nyx said, more aggressively.

  She pulled with more force and the mask remained attached. His face a bloody mess at this point. Undulating bellows rained from inside and Nyx began to worry that the man’s screaming would reach the outdoors. Suddenly, it appeared the strange insectoid mask began to glimmer, or so Nyx thought. It went back to its normal state in less than a second.

  “Underneath the monasteries of the Clan of Voices lies a series of canals,” he began in a much more reserved tone than earlier.

  “Why should I believe you?” she said, still holding him up by his now breaking mask. “In fact, I’m starting to suspect you’ve been lying even about the Trepidor brothers.”

  “I wouldn’t lie. I’ve seen them. I’ve seen it all. My master wanted this. He wanted you to find them. The brothers, the Clan, and what happened to your own kin…the connections, the connections, the connections. It’s all there…it’s all…noooo. Not like this! Not now!” His arms slacked.

  “Hey! What did you mean by my kin?”

  But the man had already died. That last statement of his felt off-putting. The intonation and the calmness – it felt as if he was a different person entirely.

  Dropping his body back onto his chair, she was left to ponder.

  Canals, she thought, ready to start her search again.

  Outside, a small woman began to report strange screams originating from a building nearby.