Something in his tone made Medart glance at him, then do a quick
surface scan. Cortin's unconscious Talent had done its job; the
warrior was thoroughly in love with the High King's Inquisitor. That,
Medart thought, was a complication he didn't need--but it was also one
he couldn't do anything about, so disregard it for now. Just make a
point of getting hold of DeLayne as soon as he could find a reasonable
excuse to be alone.
"Let's go, then." Cortin led them outside and to the rear of the
Lodge, where a cave-like entrance led underground. Above it was
carved, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
"Dante's Inferno," Medart commented. "I take it, then, that this is
the prisoners' entrance?"
"Right," Cortin agreed. "It isn't really Hell, of course, but it is
the anteroom to it for most. A few escape that by repentance, but they
still have to pay the worldly penalty for their crimes. What happens
after that is between them and God; all I can do is administer the
Sacraments and finish my work. If it's an interrogation, though, I'll
kill one who repents as soon as he's given me any information he has."
"You don't even try to save them?" Medart asked.
"Their bodies, no," Cortin said, leading them down the stairs. "I told
you, I get the stubborn ones. By the time I break them, forcing them
to live longer than necessary would be a torment even Cortin the Bitch
doesn't care to inflict."
At the end of a short passage, she unlocked a massive door and gestured
them through, into a dimly-lit corridor with doors along both sides,
some with small lights turned on above them. "These are the holding
cells, under constant monitoring from the Detention Center and periodic
monitoring by my people. Troops from the Center take care of the
prisoners, then remove bodies when Lt. Bain and I are done. Or our
colleagues, who're free to use any suites we aren't, if they have an
overflow."
Halfway down the passage, she unlocked another door. The corridor this
one led to was wider and brightly lit, much like a hospital corridor;
she led them straight across, to a door marked "Interrogation Suite
Alpha", the "In Use" light above it lit. "This is the one I normally
use," she said, ushering them into the office area. "The layout's
standard, but it's bigger than usual, and I have quite a bit of
experimental material, both equipment and drugs. This section's
normally used for Stage One, which rarely happens here; today is
unusual." She nodded in the direction of her desk, and the chair in
front of it which held a prisoner, flanked by Odeon and Bain. "He's
all yours, Ranger. Do you need anything special?"
"A chair would help, so I'm not standing over him; otherwise, no."
Cortin nodded; Bain left, returning moments later with a folding chair
he handed to Medart.
Medart positioned himself facing the prisoner and introduced himself,
then said, "Colonel Cortin has some doubts about your guilt, but since
you can't talk, she can't question you very well. I can read minds, so
I don't have that problem. Do you understand?"
The man nodded, but his attention was obviously on Cortin, not the
Ranger, and when Medart mind-touched him, all he could read was fear.
He turned to the Inquisitor. "He's so terrified his fear's acting like
a mind-shield, Colonel. I could get through, but not without hurting
him; is there anything you can do to calm him down?"
"That might be difficult," Cortin said. "I generally want my subjects
afraid of me; this is the first time I've had to calm one." She turned
her attention to the prisoner. "Kenneth Shelton, isn't it?"
The man nodded.
"I'm sure you've heard the usual rumors of my methods; it should be at
least a little reassuring that you're dressed and in this suite's
office, rather than hanging naked in my third-stage room."