AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 16
Theo
My boots click on the black stone floor as I pace around my new cage. It’s been three days since the hellions of Umbra captured me and locked me in this damn cell.
My days have become almost routine. The brown-haired one I’ve heard called Captain brings me food and water at least three times a day. I refuse to eat most of it, sticking with items least likely to be poisoned, like their fluffy bread.
I don’t know why they insist on keeping me comfortable and well-fed when I know the horrors they inflict on outsiders. My father has warned us of all the tactics used by the beasts of Umbra. This fake generosity is only to give me a false sense of security before they either skin me alive or King Asher rips the air from my body with his shadows.
I’m sure part of my torture is forcing me to speak with the king daily. Each time, his shadows reach for me, aiming for my throat. I have no doubt they crave to wrap me in their darkness until I take my last breath.
They always pull back before they can touch me, prolonging the inevitable. I wish he would kill me and end this misery. The uncertainty is the worst part. The suffering of knowing my death is coming, but not when it will happen.
I pause my pacing and stare at the wall. Iron chains hang from it, strung through loops, the cuffs broken. I hate to think what kind of torture could have snapped the hard metal. The pain that person must have endured for simply being in the wrong gods-forsaken kingdom.
A throat clears behind me, and I turn to find their captain near the bars.
“Can I get you anything, Captain?” he asks, sounding genuine, but I know it’s all an act.
I stare at him for a moment before striding over to him.
His brown eyes are fixed on me as I stop in front of him. I give him a false smile before fisting the front of his shirt and slamming his face into the iron bars. His nose cracks with the impact. The captain groans in pain as blood drips down his face.
“What in the realm are you doing?” a deep voice shouts from down the hall before the gray-eyed guard called general appears.
I release the captain and take a step back, smiling victoriously. He stumbles backward, his eyes watering from the hit. The general assesses his guard before telling him to go see someone named Loma. He turns his dark gaze on me and stalks to the cell like a predator. His long strides close the distance quickly, but I don’t move. I refuse to back down.
“Why did you hurt one of my guards?” the general asks, gripping the bars.
“I’m getting sick of the good mortal routine. Maybe now he’ll drop the act,” I answer with a shrug.
“If we weren’t under direct orders not to harm you, I assure you Hiram would be the least of your concerns,” he says with a snarl.
“I’m right here, General. We both know I’m the better-trained warrior here. No sneaking around for Lux guards, unlike yours,” I reply, knowing I’d win that fight.
The general presses his face closer to the bars, nearly touching them. “Don’t worry, Captain. Once you mess up, and we both know you will, the protection order will be lifted, and we’ll have our time. Then, I’ll gladly beat you within an inch of your life. I have a score to settle with you,” he says through gritted teeth.
I don’t take my eyes off the general, hoping he sees he’d lose this battle. He glares back for a moment before stepping away and returning with my satchel. He shoves it through the bars, letting it drop to the floor. I don’t move. I’ll retrieve it once he leaves.
“Gather any useful information from my bag, General?” I ask, bringing my gaze back to him.
“You’re not important enough for me to care what you brought with you, Captain,” he hisses back. “Plus, I have no use for a propaganda-filled book likeBattle Strategies of Omnia.” He turns and leaves, not waiting for my retort.
I grab my satchel off the floor and drop into the comfortable but too-small bed. Searching through it, everything seems in place, but it is hard to be certain. I lean back against the headboard, trying to figure out my next move. Another day passes with me still trapped in the kingdom of beasts and monsters.
