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A chill ran through her as she was frozen in place in fear. She began breathing rapidly. Yan Sha knew she had to make a decision quickly as her next action would dictate what would happen next. She wanted to scream, but to get out out of here she needed to make a good reaction. She could only succeed or she would be next.

"Master Guo, this is the torture pit. People who fail are thrown down this pit. The pit is full of bodies who are no longer able--"

Yan Sha jumped as a hand begin to loosen the cloth around her head. As the blindfold was removed. Light blinded her as she struggled to see. The blur settled away as details emerged.

A sound escaped from between her lips as she saw the head. She threw the head across the room until it hit the wall with a slick thud. The slime on it allowed it to roll back until the gaping mouth created an image she would never forget.

It was her father's face which was on the head which was rolling around on the floor. She had been told he would be safe and that she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. Her father had been one of the most careful and self evident men she had come to know. He would not have been easily tricked or assassinated. They were not important to the Caiwong Empire or it was unknown the role that they played. To see that he had been injured with a spear to the head was appalling.

He had been caught off guard - what a gruesome way to end a life.

=//=

Yan Sha turned to the people standing around her, "Explain yourselves! What is this? Why would you do this to me? This isn't right. You have nothing. You . . . You . . ." Racking sobs took her as she folded onto the ground in a wailing scream of emotion.

There was a chorus of laughter as the brevity of the situation hit her. Here, her elevation meant nothing. Neither was she a member of a royal family or the daughter of a rich official. Here she was nobody.

The hideously masked people around her began to sway as Yung Shu's calm face swam into view. He had the head in his hands and had taken the tongue out of the head. On the tip of the tongue was a winking purple jewel. He smashed it in his hands into a powder and took Yan Sha's chin. "You'll understand everything when you wake up." Then he tipped the powder into her mouth.