Tonight's the night

Time passed swiftly and soon the next morning came. The sun had not long been in the sky when four guards did indeed return for me. They led me from the dungeon, through the halls and into the Emperor's presence.

The Emperor spoke, "I need a wide bridge from here, to here." As he said it, he illustrated the places on a hand drawn map.

'The bridge would span a large body of water.' I thought, 'Starting from the land on one side and reaching securely to the land on the other.'

"How wide exactly?" I asked the Emperor.

A guard cuffed me upside the head. "How dare you answer the Emperor this way!"

"No bow, no sign of respect..." muttered a second guard disapprovingly.

The Emperor came closer to me and grabbed my chin. "Watch yourself. I am long tired of your antics."

The Emperor looked tired, like he hadn't slept the night before.

"If you continue to displease me and disrespect me today, I will pour Holy water down your throat with my own hands." He threatened. "I know all about your bread trick of late and must say that your punishment wasn't harsh enough."

I didn't deign to answer him.

"Now," the Emperor continued, "about the necessary bridgework."

The Emperor waved a hand to a nearby man. The man brought over a sketch of a bridge with written dimensions included.

The Emperor set it on a table and I was brought closer to see.

It looked like they needed the bridge wide enough to easily fit four horses abreast.

"Emperor?" I asked, "Must it look identical to the sketch?"

"Yes," he answered, "Unless there is another form that would be sturdier."

I nodded.

The guards let me go, and took up their positions around me, with their Holy water dipped silver pieces at the ready. They were not afraid to reprimand me.

It took me a fair amount of time to get the bridge created where they wanted it, at the dimensions they wanted and with their preferred architecture.

By the time I was done the work, I felt tired. Some of the marks on my back still ached dully from the day before. I had only been able to heal them three quarters of the way. At the moment, they felt like they were sure to scar.

'Lately, there have existed just too many strains on my demonic energy.' I thought.

During the journey back to the dungeon, I thought about just how much of my powers the Holy artifacts drained from me and kept inaccessible to me. Of the small percentage I could access, I kept my body functioning, continued to make sure everyone got fed, worked on healing myself, kept my body temperature high for Hin at night and controlled the work projects for the Emperor.

I let out a sigh, hoping the Devil didn't send more work my way.

After being dumped back off in the dungeon, I tiredly made it to my feet again and gave Hin and Cadmus Brutus a tired half smile.

"Good to see you return, my Lord." Cadmus Brutus said.

"Are you ok?," Hin inquired.

"I am merely tired, Hin." I answered. "There is too much pulling my demonic energy in different directions."

Hin knew all about my situation and the Holy artifacts, and my work for the Emperor.

"Hin?" I asked to make sure he was paying attention, "Tonight's the night."

"Huh?" Hin asked with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean step one; we begin right after lights out."

He nodded solemnly at me; he was completely in on the plan.

The rest of the day went by slowly and followed the same boring routine that most of the other afternoons did. Dinner time came and went, and then it was lights out.

'Finally,' I thought, 'Took long enough!'

"Hin?" I whispered, as I gently touched his sleeping face. He had closed his eyes as we waited for the other prisoners to fall asleep. We were enacting the beginning of the plan in secrecy.

"Hmm?" he sleepily answered.

"Hin," I said gently, but firmly, "I, your master, command you to awaken. I need you to complete step one of the plan."

Hin's eyes snapped open, and he used his arms to push himself up to a seated position.

"Do you wish me to complete it exactly as discussed? You have no changes to add?" he asked.

"No." I said, "Time in the cover of darkness is precious. Go now."

Hin nodded and stood.

"Hin?" I grabbed his sleeve. "Be stealthy, but most importantly, be careful."

I stood and kissed his forehead.

I watched as Hin took out the iron lock picking tools that I gave him earlier, and used them to quietly pick the lock on the door of the adjoining room.

It was only earlier today, that I transformed the iron dagger into a set of lockpicking tools. 'Manacles to dagger, dagger to lockpicking tools...' I mused for a moment.

Hin came back from the torture chamber with his weapons of choice. They should keep him alive if it came to a physical altercation; or so I hoped.

Hin nodded at me and I nodded back before he started to work on the second door (the door leading to the rest of the fortress).

I knew I would feel nervous until Hin returned safely.

He got the door open and left.

The basics of the plan were that Hin would go to where the three Holy artifacts were located and steal them. Once in his possession, he would bring one of them back to me. (The third one that allowed the owner to channel my power however they wished.) Then Hin would leave the fortress with the other two artifacts and take one far to the West and bury it, and the other far to the East and bury it.

The idea was for no one to ever reunite the three of them again. The farther Hin went from here with the other two, the more my original power would be returned to me.

All I could do now was wait for Hin to return.