*Sniff Sniff*

ALDRIC PARKER

"What did you do to my wife?!"

Henry's roar shook the stone walls of the dungeon, his fury pressing into the open wound of the bound worker. The man's shoulder sizzled, flesh burning where the red-hot metal rod had been driven in.

"What did you do to my wife?! Answer me!"

The worker's screams were raw, wordless at first, before breaking into desperate, stuttering pleas.

"Not me, My Lord! Not me! Not me!" Spittle foamed at his lips as his body convulsed in pain. "P-please—please, My Lord, I swear—"

"Your swearing doesn't mean shit!"

Henry's hand cracked against the man's skull with brutal force. The sound of breaking bone snapped through the air. The worker slumped, limp, lifeless.

"He's dead, Henry."