Love and Loyalty

"Gentlemen," he said gruffly as he pushed through the door.

"Lord Blackridge!" the men called out as they parted, surprised by his stormy demeanor.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

"Right in there, sir," one of the soldiers indicated, pointing to a door on his right.

He burst through the door without another word to any of them, his frustration at its peak. The room was damp and poorly lit with minimal accommodations. To the left, there was a large cell with black iron bars reinforced by maurium and fused with magic. Ahead there was a group of soldiers, some sitting at a table and the others standing around them. Their heads shot up as the door slammed open, the weight of the metal crashing against the wall.

"Get out," he ordered them.

The men froze in stunned silence.

"I said get out!" he roared, advancing towards them with anger.

"But Lord Blackridge," their commander protested, "we have been ordered to-"