A Deal With the Enemy

Chapter 4

Rylee carefully arranged himself into a kneeling position before calling out softly, "Respected official." The whispers of conversation in the confined space ceased as all eyes fell on Rylee and Grey.

Immediately the man in purple looked at him. "Young Healer," he greeted in reply with a nod of his head. "No need for formalities now, aren't we all just prisoners? Please call me Dash," he continued unpretentiously.

"Sir Dash, I am Rylee. This man here is Grey," Rylee continued to speak respectfully. The official nodded his acknowledgement at Grey. Rylee continued, "We are all caught in an unfortunate and dangerous predicament to which our only hope of salvation is through cooperation."

Dash's gaze turned attentive, "Is there something you have in mind—." Distant footsteps interrupted their conversation as everyone turned their gazes expectantly toward the entrance of the room. Judging from what they could hear, an inspection of each room was taking place.

Finally, the red sashed man from before appeared at the entrance holding a torch in one hand and a set of keys in the other, ordering everyone to stand up. Behind him stood a tall man clad fully in rich black robes. His appearance was unlike any Rylee had seen before. His stance carried with it a look of power and strength. The way he tilted his head added an arrogant demeanour to his countenance. Long black hair blended into the dark of his robes, and eyes as dark as his hair stared intently at each prisoner before settling on Rylee. Precious seconds ticked by in suspense before he spoke, "That one."

Before he knew what was happening, Rylee was unshackled from the wall and pulled along into the tunnel. With one last desperate glance back at a stunned looking Grey, he was taken back up the tunnel to the cavern before being guided to a different tunnel. To his surprise, there were no bandits stationed within either tunnel.

A thought occurred to him. 'Perhaps they don't believe anyone can escape this place?' The current tunnel he was in branched endless times in all directions, twisting like a snakes' body, resulting in Rylee feeling dizzy and confused. One tunnel fork blended into another as they continued on. He stumbled a few times, even bumping into the guard in front of him. 'H... how am I going to get back to Grey?' He questioned himself in a small inner voice.

After they took the final fork in their journey, the tunnel opened up once more into a well-lit cave, complete with furnishings. Judging from the smooth walls, it was likely a man-made cave. "Place him on the chair," the king ordered the red sashed subordinate. "As you wish, Your Highness," the man replied in a tired voice, before shackling Rylee's arms to the arm rests of the chair. Bowing once to the king, he took his leave and headed back up the tunnel.

Shocked, Rylee barely registered the beautiful furnishings of his surroundings. Instead, his gaze was glued to the man in front of him. Here he was, face to face with the Bandit King! All the stories he knew of the king flew through his mind at that very moment. If his memory served him right, the king first made himself known roughly fifteen years ago, when he and his men appeared out of thin air and laid claim to the Desolate Lands as their own.

The king of Aura did not take too kindly to a bunch of bandits setting up home right next to his kingdom. In a rash move, the king sent a small garrison of troops to defeat them. None returned. This incensed the king further, and he continued to send his troops in greater numbers but even with the advantage of more men, they were no match for the strategies and smarts of their opponent.

The bandit king used his knowledge of the cave structures in his lair to draw the troops in and trap them. Oftentimes there were not even any clashes between the forces; instead, the greatest cause of mortality amongst the soldiers was dehydration, as they struggled to find their way out of the passageways both below and above ground to head back to camp.