“You will see soon enough.”
The burning beneath the gold band had stopped, but my broken hand still screamed in agony. Petrer choked and his eyes returned to normal. He looked at me in a daze and turned for the door.
I didn’t call for him to stop. I couldn’t stand the sight of him.
Dread mixed with panic and anger in my mind. I risked reaching for my magick, but the band lit up and burned with intensity.
It was clear that King Dalior possessed magick. A dark, evil magick.
MY BODY CRAMPED. I retched on the floor until all that came out of me was rasping breaths. I longed for water, the sound of it beyond the ship teased me to the point of madness. It’d been hours, days, years since Petrer left me. I was, at first, thankful for the peace. I flinched at every sound outside of the door, hoping to be left alone. But that soon changed. It was hard to grasp the concept of time whilst the gold band sapped all energy from my body. I would do anything for him to return, for King Dalior to return. Anyone.
The cell smelled of dried piss. The warmth of the sun penetrated the panelled walls, warming the cell and intensifying the smell. It was hard to tell the difference between my own scent and that of the room. Everything blended into one.
My broken hand was wrapped up in a strip of material I’d torn from my slacks. The burns beneath the bandage had also dried and crusted. I picked at them, allowing rivulets of red to run down onto the floor. The pain beneath the band was not as bad as it first was. I’d grown used to it, and stayed away from my magick which seemed to be the only time it created pain for me.
Being left alone was going to be the end of me.
I tried begging for someone to return.
“Please.”
I repeated it over until it was nothing more than a wheeze. My voice no longer sounded familiar to me.
I couldn’t cry. My eyes would burn, but tears never followed.
I was alone. All I could do was gaze at the four walls. My four walls.
Until sleep became my only saviour.
The door opened. Footsteps. They took me...
Hands pinched my sides, my feet dragged on the floor. I blinked, crust scratching beneath my eyelids. I no longer cared to see...
Wood creaked, a door slammed and voices hushed around me...
I was submissive to the pain...
Water splashed over my face. I woke gasping, driven by the need to drink it. My body moved before my mind would focus, my tongue lapping the water that dribbled down my face.
I groaned with pleasure, the liquid slipping down into my mouth, cooling my dry throat. Once my mind caught up, I stopped dead. Someone held a jewelled chalice before my face. I took it and downed its contents. I gulped the water down until I needed to breathe.
My head spun, and with it so did the room. I looked over the rim of the chalice, dread settling over me.
My hand relaxed and the chalice clashed to the floor, spilling precious water.
King Dalior smiled at me from where he stood, his head cocked in amusement.
“It’s good to see you.” His voice dripped with malice.
I recoiled back.
“I am not going to hurt you, Zacriah, I merely want to talk.”
I landed back on both hands and regretted it. Pain shot up my arm, my broken hand cramped. I brought it to my chest, aware of the incessant throbbing.
“I am very sorry about your hand. I am sure we can come to an arrangement to fix that for you.”
I brought my legs up and wrapped my good arm around them, ignoring him.
I dropped King Dalior’s gaze to get a look around the room for anything I could use against him.
The room dripped in red velvet. Behind where King Dalior stood was a wall of windows, looking out over the sea and endless view. Before it was a desk, covered in what looked to be a faded map.
Beneath me, the carpet of purple, silver and red looked new. Untouched. Papers scattered the floor beneath the desk, covered in drawings and marks that I’d never seen before. There was a strange smell that hung in the air of the room. I couldn’t place what it was, but I was sure I’d smelled it before.
To the left, beside the wall, was a strange shaped table covered in a ruby red sheet. The smell was coming from there. But nothing was on it and I couldn’t see what was beneath it. I looked back to King Dalior who pushed off the desk and walked over to me.
“Fetch him more water,” he said to someone behind me. I wanted to turn around and see who it was, but I couldn’t take my eyes of off King Dalior. I wouldn’t drop my guard.
He bent down before me and picked the chalice that I’d dropped. He passed it to the hand that reached over my shoulder. I flinched at the stranger’s closeness.
The chalice was back in King Dalior’s hands and he held it out for me. I was reluctant to take it, but my burning thirst was too much to ignore.
“It is only water. Drink.”
I took it and drank.
“It saddens me to see you in such a state, but you must understand it is what you deserve. If you had listened to me and not spoken to Hadrian, then we would never be in this situation.”
He looked sad when he spoke. Like he believed his own words.
“Leave us,” he said to the faceless guard behind me.
Boots clapped against the floor boards and a door closed behind me.
King Dalior was still inches in front of me.
“It pains me to see such a beautiful creation such as yourself wasted. I know your power and its capabilities and when Alina told me about your power it only excited me. The God has been looking down on me, blessing me with luck. Imagine my surprise when she told me about Hadrian. Two here, in my city. What are the chances?”
King Dalior stood and walked behind me. I followed him with my eyes and watched him place a wooden panel across the door. The only door. He was locking me in.
“My plan was to wait and watch. Something I’ve become quite good at. I’ve had years to perfect it.” I watched Dalior walk from the door to the desk, and he reached for a book. I knew what it was before he even turned back around.
“Recognize this?” He held it open on a page I’d studied before. He pointed with a black-painted nail towards the drawing of the Dragori, a smile plastered across his face.
“It has been a long time since I’ve heard of these creatures. A long time since my people created them. A long time since they were stolen from me. But now, you are mine. If only my brethren could see me.”
I shook my head, holding tight onto my arm and stared at him. He couldn’t be.
“You and Hadrian have both caused me a lot of strife,” he spat, slamming the book closed, “but I am willing to forgive you for it, if you consider my request. Join me, fight by my side against my enemies and your crimes will be forgotten.”
“Why?” I croaked.