Heir to a Bloody Throne

Chapter Eighteen

Valor stumbled on an uneven part of the trail, and a large hand grasped his shoulder, keeping him upright.

"Careful." He heard Notch mutter. He offered no response, and they kept going.

Valor was blindfolded, his hands shackled behind his back with a short chain between them. They had been walking for at least an hour already, and had recently exited the mine tunnels, as evidenced by the birdsong he could hear and the cool breeze that wormed its way through the gaps in his shirt. He was just glad it wasn't any colder.

Lithian was with him, similarly bound - Valor had seen them chain and blindfold him first before they moved on to him. Whatever spell that muted him was apparently still active, since he hadn't spoken a word since his initial appearance.

The spell that weakened him, on the other hand, had lifted as soon as they had his eyes covered. Clever. Effectively, since he could no longer see where he was trying to teleport to, he could not escape. If he had tried immediately, he may have managed it, but the aftereffects of the weakening spell had proved too strong until long after he had left the area he knew. If he could get even a glance of his current surroundings, maybe... but he couldn't lift his blindfold with his hands behind his back.

If he could see his guards, maybe he would be able to wait for them to look away, then jump over his bound hands and remove his blindfold in order to teleport. But, if he could see, he wouldn't need to. Val muffled a sigh.

His foot landed in a hole, and he pitched forwards.

Valor grunted as he hit the ground, head ringing from the impact. A moment later, Notch was pulling him upright again, and Valor shook him off the moment he'd found his footing.

"Don't touch me." He muttered.

"I can see why a worm like you would prefer to stay on the ground," Notch's tone was icy. "But unfortunately we are on a tight schedule." Valor barked a laugh, taking a step and nearly buckling as his ankle throbbed with pain. And now he'd reinjured it.

"You insult me when you serve a thief and a murderer?"

"I have my reasons, boy. Are you not a murderer as well?" Notch gave him a little shove, and Valor continued walking, trying his best to keep off of his injured ankle.

"I prefer exterminator. I stomp out the rats and leeches upon this world. And when my father comes for me, you will be first."

"When your father comes, you and he will suffer the same fate." Valor scowled. So his fate had already been decided, they merely waited on Herobrine. They would not wait forever.

"I can't believe I looked up to you." Val muttered under his breath.

"To me?" Notch scoffed. "I suppose we're even, then. I can't believe I saw you as an honest, hardworking youth."

"Then I did my job well, unlike you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! You claim to take care of your properties and employees, and yet bow to the whims of a murderous specter!" Valor snapped. "You appeared to care for me, and yet turned on me so easily. I do not doubt you have done the same to anyone else who has gotten too close to your schemes."

"I did care for you! And you betrayed my trust!"

"You betrayed mine."

"You are a lawless vigilante who has wronged my master greatly." Notch snapped back. "I fail to see how I am at fault."

"I did nothing to him! All I've done was attempt to protect the people he oppressed." Valor hissed. "I don't care what my father did to him - I trust his judgement. And the moment Null set his sights on Hadleigh, he became my problem. Do you truly see no issue with a man who takes innocent lives in order to get revenge??"

"I hope you do not refer to yourself, Valor, as innocent, as you are far from that."

"I mean nothing of the sort. I speak of the murdered townsfolk in Hadleigh - the ones Null killed in order to get my father's attention." Notch said nothing, and Val went on. "The raised taxes, the increased surveillance, men being found dead in fields and alleyways. The people lived in fear, so I went to find the culprit on my father's behalf."

"My master has his reasons." Notch's voice had lost some of its conviction.

"And what about you?"

"Of course I do. Null provides me with finance and materials in order to run my business."

"So you assist him in the murder of innocents for a bit of coin." Valor spat. "He is tearing families apart, starving and beating them, all to get his own petty revenge on one man, and you follow him while claiming to have the moral ground. You sicken me." Notch said nothing.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence.

*

The door slammed, the ringing sound echoing through the small cell, and Valor winced and tried to cover his ears. It seemed he would have no luck escaping in this place, either.

After another few hours of walking (limping, on his part), they had arrived at their destination. This one was above ground, as they had transitioned directly from walking on a dirt path to hollow-sounding flagstones, but he knew nothing more since his eyes had yet to be uncovered. His wrists were chained to the wall, now, so he would have no luck doing it himself. His ankle throbbed with pain from having been ignored for the long miles they had walked, and he twisted, trying to rub it against the floor to ease the pain.

"Spot of trouble we're in." A soft grumble reached his ears, and he coughed to clear his throat before speaking.

"Lithian?"

"Aye."

"You shouldn't have come after me." Valor tilted his head back to press against the wall, trying to assuage his growing headache. "You weren't supposed to enter the town."

"That's it? No 'thank ye for comin' after my sorry self, it's th' thought that counts'?" Lithian scoffed. "We hadn't seen you in more'n a week... thought you may be'n danger." Valor heard the clink of chains. "Guess we were right."

"What about Steven? Did he come after me?" A knot of worry grew in the pit of his stomach. He hoped not. He would likely be caught already if he had.

"Not'at I know of." Lithian told him. "I slipped af'r he went t' bed. Figured he'd stop me."

"Probably should've." Val grumbled. Surely Null would take him from this prison at one point... and, if he played his cards right, would free his eyes. Then he could make a break for it. But what about Lithian? Maybe he could find Steven and they could come back together? They would have more luck as a duo than alone...

"Hey," Lithian spoke up again, voice quiet. "I wanted t' apologize."

"Hm?"

"Fer blowin' your cover the other night. Can't imagine I made your life any easier."

"Oh." Valor let a beat pass. "I'm sorry for electrocuting you."

"Call it even?" Lithian's voice had a teasing note to it, and Valor managed a little smile.

"Sure."

The door opened.
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