leaned against the bars next to him.
“Who are you?” he whispered.
“I am Si Kon. But my name is of no significance here. I am…was… just like you. A Knight of—”
The man stopped short and looked at Dalton with fear in his eyes.
“You mean a Knight of the—?” Before Dalton could finish, the man reached through the iron bars and slapped his hand over Dalton’s mouth. He held it there tightly as he slowly shook his head, his eyes wide.
“Do not speak that name here,” he whispered, then slowly removed his hand.
Dalton looked left and right and could see many cells each way. As near as he could tell, all were occupied.
“Why don’t the cells have doors on them?” he asked softly. “Is there an outer chamber that is locked?”
“No,” the knight replied. “There is no outer chamber, and the passageway out of the prison is not guarded.”
Dalton was confused. “Then why don’t you and everyone else here leave?”
“Because I”—Drox’s dark voice echoed through the prison cells—“will stalk you, hunt you, and utterly destroy you!” The warrior stooped to enter Dalton’s cell. Si Kon scuttled away to the far corner of his own cell and watched in horror. Fear swept over Dalton again as this beast of a warrior strode over to him.
“You begged for mercy once before, and now I offer it.” Drox’s smilemanaged to be both terrifying and enticing. “Renounce your foolish beliefs, and you are free to go. Many have done so, and it is a simple thing, especially since you don’t really believe all that nonsense about the Prince anyway…yes?”
Dalton’s mind raced through the possible outcomes of Drox’s apparent trickery. Could it be that simple? Is this all the massive warrior truly desired, for Dalton to renounce the Prince? Dalton considered it carefully, but deep in the center of his heart, something would not let his lips form those words. Every fiber of his body ached to be free, no matter the cost, and the pain in his arm and head screamed against his defiance, but still Dalton resisted.
“No,” he said quietly.
Si Kon looked away as the wrath of Drox erupted in a vile string of curses. He reached down and grabbed Dalton’s upper arms with his huge hands. Dalton screamed as new agony shot through his broken left arm.
Drox lifted him into the air and shook him. “You will, fool. One day you will—and I will revel in that day!”
Drox threw Dalton into the corner of his cell and left. Dalton’s mind wallowed on the fringe of consciousness, for the pain took his breath away. A few moments later, Si Kon entered Dalton’s cell with some cloth and two flat pieces of wood.
“You are brave,” he said as he gently helped Dalton sit up again. “Perhaps foolish like the rest of us, but brave nevertheless.”
Si Kon set to splinting Dalton’s arm with the wood and the cloth. The process was incredibly difficult to bear, but once it was complete, Dalton felt mildly better. They fashioned a sling from Dalton’s belt, which helped immensely.
“Thank you,” Dalton said.
Si Kon nodded.
“How long have you been here?”
“Many, many months,” Si Kon said sadly. “I miss my wife and two daughters.”
“Have you ever considered escape?” Dalton asked.
“At first, every day. But now…” His voice trailed off. “Some have tried, and they were killed. It is our fear of Drox that imprisons us, not the iron bars.”
With Si Kon’s help, Dalton stood and walked to the front of his cell. The prison was inside a massive underground cavern. An open area in the center was surrounded by hundreds of cells just like Dalton’s. Some had iron bars, but some were just alcoves in the granite walls. The walls and ceiling were grungy and black. The ceiling rose in a jagged arc from the cells to a height of thirty to forty feet. At the top, Dalton saw birds flying in and out of a ragged opening that must have led to the outside world. A steady stream of water dripped from the
“Who are you?” he whispered.
“I am Si Kon. But my name is of no significance here. I am…was… just like you. A Knight of—”
The man stopped short and looked at Dalton with fear in his eyes.
“You mean a Knight of the—?” Before Dalton could finish, the man reached through the iron bars and slapped his hand over Dalton’s mouth. He held it there tightly as he slowly shook his head, his eyes wide.
“Do not speak that name here,” he whispered, then slowly removed his hand.
Dalton looked left and right and could see many cells each way. As near as he could tell, all were occupied.
“Why don’t the cells have doors on them?” he asked softly. “Is there an outer chamber that is locked?”
“No,” the knight replied. “There is no outer chamber, and the passageway out of the prison is not guarded.”
Dalton was confused. “Then why don’t you and everyone else here leave?”
“Because I”—Drox’s dark voice echoed through the prison cells—“will stalk you, hunt you, and utterly destroy you!” The warrior stooped to enter Dalton’s cell. Si Kon scuttled away to the far corner of his own cell and watched in horror. Fear swept over Dalton again as this beast of a warrior strode over to him.
“You begged for mercy once before, and now I offer it.” Drox’s smilemanaged to be both terrifying and enticing. “Renounce your foolish beliefs, and you are free to go. Many have done so, and it is a simple thing, especially since you don’t really believe all that nonsense about the Prince anyway…yes?”
Dalton’s mind raced through the possible outcomes of Drox’s apparent trickery. Could it be that simple? Is this all the massive warrior truly desired, for Dalton to renounce the Prince? Dalton considered it carefully, but deep in the center of his heart, something would not let his lips form those words. Every fiber of his body ached to be free, no matter the cost, and the pain in his arm and head screamed against his defiance, but still Dalton resisted.
“No,” he said quietly.
Si Kon looked away as the wrath of Drox erupted in a vile string of curses. He reached down and grabbed Dalton’s upper arms with his huge hands. Dalton screamed as new agony shot through his broken left arm.
Drox lifted him into the air and shook him. “You will, fool. One day you will—and I will revel in that day!”
Drox threw Dalton into the corner of his cell and left. Dalton’s mind wallowed on the fringe of consciousness, for the pain took his breath away. A few moments later, Si Kon entered Dalton’s cell with some cloth and two flat pieces of wood.
“You are brave,” he said as he gently helped Dalton sit up again. “Perhaps foolish like the rest of us, but brave nevertheless.”
Si Kon set to splinting Dalton’s arm with the wood and the cloth. The process was incredibly difficult to bear, but once it was complete, Dalton felt mildly better. They fashioned a sling from Dalton’s belt, which helped immensely.
“Thank you,” Dalton said.
Si Kon nodded.
“How long have you been here?”
“Many, many months,” Si Kon said sadly. “I miss my wife and two daughters.”
“Have you ever considered escape?” Dalton asked.
“At first, every day. But now…” His voice trailed off. “Some have tried, and they were killed. It is our fear of Drox that imprisons us, not the iron bars.”
With Si Kon’s help, Dalton stood and walked to the front of his cell. The prison was inside a massive underground cavern. An open area in the center was surrounded by hundreds of cells just like Dalton’s. Some had iron bars, but some were just alcoves in the granite walls. The walls and ceiling were grungy and black. The ceiling rose in a jagged arc from the cells to a height of thirty to forty feet. At the top, Dalton saw birds flying in and out of a ragged opening that must have led to the outside world. A steady stream of water dripped from the
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