Chapter 2: Interrogation

    

    Sonnia stood there watching the flames lick at the charred remains of the arcanist prisoners that were captured after the fight. The flames reflected off her iron mask, and the heat felt familiar and comforting to her. Even though he had been gone for a while, she could still feel his anger boiling up inside her, and with that, the reins of control felt more slack in her mind. She was sure that he would return one day because tyrants where never gone completely

    "Sonnia, you have been at this for awhile. Maybe it is time for a break?" Samael questions.

    Sonnia snaps back into reality and lets out a deep sigh.

    "Sorry Sam. They are loyal to him, I will give them that but it is such a waste of magical talent. It is all squandered for what!?" Sonnia takes off her mask and clicks it into place on her belt and looks back at the dying flames on the charred remains.

    "That is the biggest question. Now that the immediate threat is gone we have some breathing space to reinforce the Witch Hunter department. We lost a lot of good people in that fight." Sam says as he follows Sonnia's gaze. 

    He glances back at the women who hired him as a Witch Hunter so many years ago and thinks "She has gone through hell and back for what!? She hides so much behind her mask and more behind her scars. Those scars will leave a toll on her psyche for sure. She paid a huge price carrying a tyrant inside her mind and I still don't know how she holds it all together."

    "Does Justice know?" Sonnia questions

    Sam shakes his head "No, it sounds like she has had her own problems to deal with at the Condor Rail Yard. It sounds like there is a resurrectionist who has a beef against Anya and her Condor Rail, the showdown left Justice a little shaken."    

    "Alright let's keep it that way for right now. The less she knows about what happened the better. After all she is the only person I would consider a friend amongst the Guild leadership." Sonnia replies to Sam as they start walking out of the room.    

    "Oh, Sam could we please get someone to clean up this mess?" Sonnia throws her thumb back over her shoulder in the direction of the charred corpse. 

    "In the meantime I will meet you back in the office once I finish with the next one." Sonnia says as she limps down the hallway.

    She reaches down to remove her iron mask off her belt.

    "The less the enemy knows the better." she thinks to herself as she walks through the door.

    "Where is he!?" a masculine voice shouts from the mask.

    "I.....I.....d.....don't...know! The last we seen of him was right after the fight we had with your Witch Hunters." a scared voice replies.

    "Again..." the voice mutters follow by an incantation

    The smell of scorching flesh permeates the room followed by screams of torment. Sonnia snaps out of her intense anger and her voices returns. She mutters to herself "That was way to close. He still has a claw or two left in my mind. He still knows how to manipulate me".

    "We are getting no where with this tactic. We know you arcanist are loyal to each other but everyone has their breaking point. I know your friend in the other room gave up some information before he finally died." Sonnia says as she turns her back to the prisoner and gazes into the flames coming from a nearby brazier. 

    A few seconds go by before Sonnia speaks again "I am willing to give you more chances. Much more than my patience should or will allow. If you don't give me the information I want you know what will happen next. I know the rumors floating through Malifaux about what this department does with it's arcanist prisoners. Well, every single one of them are true!"

    Sonnia points to a few small figures hiding amongst the room "Those are the witching stalkers that are created in this here Yellow Crypt. Everyone single one of them had the magic burned out of their body and replaced with loyalty to their Handler and their one job.. Their one singular job right now is to sniff out unsanctioned spellcasters such as yourself. We turn your greatest strength into your greatest weakness!"

    The prisoner's eyes follow Sonnia around the room and glances over every one of the Witchling Stalkers. He let's out a chuckle and grins    

    "Oh you don't scare me! You realize that we arcanist all know that Damien was able to turn himself back into a human again after breaking your spell. He taught us all! He used YOUR greatest strength into YOUR greatest weakness."

    In front of Sonnia's eyes the prisoner's demeanor changes. He isn't afraid anymore, he isn't cowering or stumbling over his words instead he is gleeful about his situation.

    "You don't get it! Damien will always be a few steps ahead of you. Whatever you do to me doesn't matter one bit. As you said I am just a loyal grunt after all. You know what scares me! Damien! Damien scares me more than your pathetic little Witch Hunter group. He made a deal with Witness!" the prisoner declares with a maniacal laugh

    Sonnia inhales sharply as she takes off her mask. She turns it around in her hand and assess the damage it has taken over the years of fights. The pure misery that this relic put her through as well. "Shit, that was not what I was wanting to hear but it explains a lot." She mutters under her breath.