“Are you an idiot?” Braydon could hardly believe his ears. He knew that Viscount Sharpe was not the brightest of men from his first encounter with him but he did not think that it extended to such lengths.

“Not as much of one as you are!” The still defiant Viscount Sharpe all but confirmed Braydon’s suspicions with his response. Insulting his captor was not a very good strategy for staying in good health for long. If it was not for the fact that Braydon wanted to see if Sharpe knew anything at all about Duke Ryder’s plans, he would have long done the man serious harm.

“And what makes you think I am the idiot between the two of us when your own men handed you over to me?” Braydon could hardly think of a greater indictment on Viscount Sharpe’s ability to lead or at least control his own men than what he had witnessed just an hour earlier. He had thought that Sharpe’s guards would at least try to put up some resistance when he sent a contingent to capture him. Nothing of the sort, they were almost thankful that Braydon’s men had come to take him off of their hands.

“The incompetence of imbeciles has nothing to do with me.” Braydon had already guessed that Viscount Sharpe took those of a lower status to be less than dirt but to think that he would say such things about the very people that he was entrusting his life to. It was almost as if the man wanted to be killed.

“It does when you are the imbecile.” Braydon knew that he was not going to get any useful information from such an idiot. Someone like Sharpe would likely have started bragging about Duke Ryder’s master plan if he really had been told anything. And since that was the case, he was not going to spend his time listening to his prisoner insult him any further.

“Productive?” Cinar asked as the door to the room shut behind Braydon. The smile on his face showed that he didn’t expect much.

“Oh very.” Braydon’s response was just as sarcastic as Cinar’s question. He knew that he disliked talking to Viscount Sharpe when he had found the man shouting at Gerald, talking to him after defeating him was not much better.

“Got told some grand secret?” Cinar jabbed again.

“Only if you count the secret to stupidity.” Braydon shook his head with a laugh. He did not think that Viscount Sharpe could comprehend the meaning of the word secret.

“You can keep that to yourself.” Cinar laughed along, he was in much better spirits knowing that he did not have to look out for enemies coming from behind any longer.

“Can you believe this man took up Duke Ryder on his request to attack the bridge without even so much as a pledge from the Duke that he would attack at the same time?” Braydon was baffled, only someone who truly cared nothing for the lives of his subjects and subordinates would take that offer. It was basically a guarantee that he would lose all of his men.

“He really did that?” Cinar had thought that it was just Duke Ryder lying to the man to cause chaos in the Royal faction. It would not be the first time that Duke Ryder had left a pawn to die. But it seemed that Duke Ryder did not even have to go that far. Rather it was the pawn that had willingly gotten itself killed.

“The problem is that it leaves me wondering what Duke Ryder has been doing while our attention was taken up with shit for brains in there.” Braydon said with a solemn face as he nodded his head towards the room that they were keeping Viscount Sharpe in. It had once been a toll bridge when the merchants in Wathamalin did not hold so much influence. The local lord had quickly been ‘convinced’ that tolls were a bad idea on such an important bridge.

“I am guessing it will not be long before we find out.” Cinar also looked a bit worried. Whilst it was good that the men under his command did not have to fight a losing battle, that only meant that Duke Ryder thought that there was an easier way to win the war.

“Then my men should take all the chance that they can to rest, I do not think that it will be long until they are needed again.” Since Duke Ryder had made his first move against the royal faction, Braydon was sure that it would not be long until he decided to kick things off properly. And then the weeks of making sure that the various lords did not cause too much trouble in Mapjess would feel positively relaxed compared to what he would face.

“What are you going to do with him?” Cinar asked, more out of curiosity than any great care for the man’s well being. He knew that whatever Braydon decided, it would likely not end well for Viscount Sharpe.

“Have some fun. That battle was positively boring after all.” Braydon was still slightly upset that he did not get to take part in the fighting. While he had been planning to try and lead like a commander rather than a soldier, he had not even been given the chance to do that with how quickly it had finished.

“Make sure not to go too far.” Cinar was only mouthing platitudes, he really couldn't care less about what happened to Viscount Sharpe. This was the man that had planned to attack him from behind.

“I only need to bring back his head anyway.” Braydon was going to make sure that he had all the fun that he wanted with Viscount Sharpe. He was dealing with a traitor and a man who greatly insulted his knights and Braydon himself. There was almost nothing that he could do to the man that would be frowned upon.

“Then enjoy.” Cinar shook his head as he went back to making sure that the men did not get too rowdy. There were more than a few captives after Braydon’s battle.