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I have been in a place like this before. I have been cut off from the light and from my freedom. It was a place like this that made me yearn for open spaces and making my own way no matter what.
Ark is moving deeper into the prison, through stony passages marked intermittently with bars that lead to cages of the kind even I could not get out of. The oppression in this place is so intense and so deep it sinks into my very bones. I take a deep breath to try to calm myself. It is only partially successful, air hitching and catching in my throat.
“Zain is in solitary for attacks on the guards. He’ll not have any visitors today.” A large, green-tinged guard with very sharp lower tusks materializes suddenly in our path.
“I have not seen my brother in months,” Ark replies. “It is imperative I see him today, and illegal for you to withhold my access. As head of my family, I am entitled to inspect his conditions four times per year.”
The guard grunts, not liking the fact that Ark appears to know his rights.
“The animal can’t come.”
“She’s my possession and she will come,” Ark replies calmly. “Please escort me to my brother at once. I do not have time to quibble over irrelevant details.”
I suddenly realize who he is channeling. He sounds like his brother, Kahn. He has the same officious and stern tone. It’s very effective. The guard, as high ranking as he seems to be, folds like a paper airplane, and we get the dubious pleasure of going ever deeper into the prison.
Ark
I feel my pet pressing close to me as we descend into the bowels of the Deep. This is a miserable place, and I feel somewhat guilty for bringing her here. She seems scared, and I cannot blame her.
Reaching out to put my hand on her back to calm her, I find that her presence calms me too. It has been a long time since I had someone I liked by my side. Someone I trust, too, though she has not done much to earn that trust. I know she will run if she can. I know she will disobey me to every extent I allow it, and yet there is a part of me that finds her eminently trustworthy.
Because she is your mate,my inner voice says.She is the one who was made for you in the beginning. She is your destiny.
According to the customs of our people, only another Euphorian can be my mate. A tall, statuesque creature of my own kind. That is who should be my mate. Not this chaotic little human who came to my world as a commodity.
You do not understand fate. There are events and consequences and forces at play far beyond your limited understanding of what is.
My inner voice is sometimes kind of an asshole, but I’ve overheard other people’s internal voices, and relatively speaking mine is only pedantic and whimsical, which I will take over the harsh cruelty some of my kind must tolerate inside their skulls.
An elevator takes us several thousand feet below the surface of the planet, to a dungeon more ancient than almost any other structure we have. The black spire building above is built over the ruins of the castle of our first royal family. Some say the land is cursed, but it does not matter. It is the vortex at the core of our civilization, necessary because one cannot have dark without light.
“They told me my brother was here to see me. I would never have guessed it would be you. I thought your shame at my existence would prevent you from ever setting foot down here.”
Zain greets me in the telepathic speech while he is still in the shadows. We have not so much as laid eyes on one another and already we are needling each other. I have a grim feeling about this meeting that is not at all aided by the stench of wet decay and blood that permeates the air.
“Wow!” I hear Jennifer exclaim as Zain looms out of the deep, first wrapping two big fists around the bars of his cage, then bringing the rest of his body into the pale light of the prison’s meager bulbs.
He does cut an imposing figure, of that there can be no doubt. Zain’s deep green hair has been cut close to his head. His tusks seem longer and more pronounced now. There are some legends that indicate our primary means of attack grow when we commit violent acts. Zain’s musculature is pronounced, and the color of his skin has faded to an unhealthy underground gray. He barely seems like the same species as myself, and yet he is my full blood brother.
He looks at me and then at the human attached to me by a leash. He seems confused, as well he may be.
“What do you want?” The question is blunt and gruff and given out loud.
Jennifer takes a step toward Zain, her expression one of pure sympathy.
“How long have you been here?”
Zain looks at her. I worry he’s going to curse at her or otherwise terrify her, but his expression softens. “Three years.”
“I was inside for three years as well,” she says. “By the time I got out, I barely believed in freedom anymore. But I found it again.”
Zain takes that information in for a second.
“You’re leashed to my brother.”
“True,” she says. “But… well. True. But that’s kind of a temporary thing. I’m humoring him. He’s having a hard time.”
“Is he?” Zain snorts. I have not seen my brother smile in years, not since before my father passed. For a brief moment, he is his old self. He is the younger brother I have always loved and wanted to protect. I feel a pulse of connection and sadness, and I know he feels it too. It zips between us, strengthening the connection that had withered with distance and fraternal neglect.
