Nightwing #3

The Traitor's Death (ref. Front Page).

Nightwing is captured.

Dick has guns and lights pointed at him by two Kravian soldiers, however he makes quick work of them because they seem incapable of properly using both a gun and flashlight. He then swings up into a tree, uses a small electronic device to call Miggie who picks up, but the call quickly ends with him hearing an angry voice in the background and her crying out for help. Before he is able to pursue that matter further he hears cries off in the distance which he soon learns is a family on their knees in front of three more Kravian soldiers about to be executed. Without hesitation he leaps into actions taking out all three with ease and is thanked by the father of the family who he learns works as the kitchen staff within the State House.

The father gives him new clothes he puts over his costume and strolls into the State House, making note that its odd the father is carrying a metal pipe behind him. Low and behold the father betrays him knocking him out and Dick wakes up tied to the chair face to face with the Prince of Kravia. His mask taken off Dick leads the Prince to beleive that he is simply some mercenary hired by Dick Grayson and is subsequently sentenced to be execute, which the Father objects to and is shot in the head for by the Prince.

Dick is lead near a hole and then covered in honey before being lowered into the pit where he meets the former Prime Minister Heinmel Voncart who is already down there. Oubliette the name of the type of execution is explained to Dick to be being buried alive with thousands of starving rats while covered in honey, but Dick is unfazed and uses the knife the guards didn't check for to free himself. As he begins to climb up the side of the wall, he demands the Heinmel to explain Kravia's connection to Haley Circus.

Before he can explain the connection Heinmel first explains Kravia's history starting from how the Prince Kravik was scarred by an incompetent midwife and became king at the age of 6 due to the law when his father the King died. He was ruthful from the beginning and Heinmel who was part of a group trying to overthrow the King had a son named Kemper the same age and build as the prince, so Heinmel had an uncle replicate the scars on his sons face. Then when Haley's circus came through he used it as a cover to lure the prince and murder him, but the crime was witnessed by Dick's parents. Thus the threatening letter was sent, however they needed to be sure they would be silent. Heinmel's son appointed his father to the position of Prime minister when he became King, where he spent listening to his father's counsel, but over time he became more independent and eventually grew to be worse than the real Prince had ever been.

Hearing all of this, that this man had his parents killed, Dick starts cutting the rope he tied to Heinmel and was pulling him up with. Heinmel accepts his fate, but Dick refuses and pulls him to the top of the pit. However before they can push gate off of the pit a guard leans into the grate to check on them and Dick knocks him and pulls both him and Heinmel out of the pit. As they begin to stand up Heinmel is shot through the stomach and Dick is likewise hit by other bullet shot by another guard that appeared.