Ryder, Lord Of Astaroth

In The Dungeons

-- "You devil!" Eris trashed about in the chair. "You bloody devil!" --

Xanth watched him.

He stood in front of the man that had snuck into the castle and tried to seat Lyra away from them, he had found the man tied up and held by one of the guards, and together they had brought him here, to the lowest parts of the castle where the dungeon was. The man was tied up in a chair and unconscious, stripped of his armor and leaving nothing on him save for the very thin shirt he had underneath, which was now stained with blood resulting from his bruises which were caused by Ryder when he had flung the man across the yard with one hand.

Xanth could imagine that the man suffered from a few broken ribs, broken or cracked or grazed, whatever, but the pain could not be denied. He had a bucket of cold water and a towel beside him where he stood, he knew that he would need to wake the man up before Ryder got here because he would definitely come, and he would be expected to know some answers, answers he was supposed to get from the unconscious man.

Just as he took a step forward towards the man, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the dungeon halls, and he knew immediately that it would be none other than Ryder.

"Has he said anything yet?" He asked immediately he stepped into the cell where the man was being held. Xanth, without turning to look at Ryder, shook his head negatively.

"Nothing yet." He replied. "He fell unconscious."

"Unconscious..." Ryder grumbled and reached for the bucket of water beside Xanth, and with all the anger welled up in him, he threw the water in the man, startling him back into consciousness.

He coughed and spluttered water from his mouth and nose, shaking his head repeatedly and coughing some more. He struggled to breathe for a while and when he got himself, he looked up to the people standing in front of him. He frowned in anger and made to stand up, but when he felt restraints, he looked down at himself and saw that he had been tied up, it fueled his anger the more.

"You devil!" He spat out, yelling at Ryder and struggling against the ropes holding him to the chair. "You cursed spawn of the devil! You killed Lyra! You killed a princess of Dragonsbane and let me tell you that you will not get away with this! I promise you that Ryder of Astaroth!"

Ryder ignored his rants and Xanth remained indifferent, he just stood there, arms folded, and watched the man and Ryder battle it out with each other. Ryder walked up to him till he was mere feet away from him and he leaned in a little closer before asking. "Who are you that you had thought yourself so brave as to sneak into my castle and try to steal what is mine?"

He didn't yell and his voice was not loud, but they carried just the same amount of dread in them, and it would cause anyone to shiver. And the man did shiver, either from the fact that the Lord himself of Astaroth was this close to him, or it was from the cold water that had been dumped on him earlier, anyhow, the man did shiver.

"I would be the one to lead the whole army of Dragonsbane against Astaroth for the crime you have committed against Dragonsbane!" He struggled repeatedly against the ropes, his voice, and expression burning with anger.

Ryder stood upright and looked down at the man, then with a more serious and deeper voice, he asked again. "Who are you? And who is Lyra to you that you would risk your life for her?"

Once again, Eris ignored his question and said to him. "You would be a fool to think you can keep me locked up in here to hide what you have done, I am not alone, soon my men would storm here and they would capture this castle. One thing you failed to do, O great Lord of Astaroth," Eris mocked him, chuckling as he spoke. "Is that you failed to arm your castle with enough guards. And this is the great Lord that makes the other kingdoms cower? A Lord who can not ensure his castle's protection." He laughed.