Clash of Captains

Chapter 19

Aneira was unsure of how long she spent in the cell. It was difficult for her to tell the time, what with the lack of windows or anything else that would reveal the time of day; while the schedule by which she was given meals should have allowed her to figure it out, it seemed as if the guards came to give her food at varying times. At times she would be absolutely starving when they arrived with her rations, and other times it seemed as if the last meal had barely settled in her stomach when she heard the sound of their footsteps approaching. The meals were so meager that Aneira began to realize that she could see her ribs when she took off her shirt to bathe in the metal tub she was given every once in a while.

After about a week of this torturous stay, or so she assumed, Aneira was summoned to the throne room once more. She offered her escorts as piercing of a glare as she could manage as they grabbed her chains with more force than she thought necessary and tugged her out of the cell. She didn't bother to fight their hold on her; the guards' biceps bulged under their sleeves, and their grip on her was like iron.

Aneira forced herself to raise her head as the grand wooden doors were pulled open before them and she was led into the throne room. It wasn't as dark as the first time she had entered the space, almost as if Kemble had learned from his mistakes and had finally decided to keep the lanterns lit. The room looked almost welcoming with the lanterns flickering brightly on the walls, but Aneira tried not to let herself get too comfortable. Just because he's decided to make the room look nicer doesn't mean that this is a friendly space, she reminded herself. If anything, he's trying to get me to let down my guard so that he'll have an easier time manipulating me. She glanced cautiously up towards the throne. Kemble wasn't sitting upon it. Instead, he was standing just in front of it. Devyn stood at his side, a proud smirk upon her lips and her chin lifted upwards. Everything about her spoke of privilege and nobility. I know better than that, Aneira almost thought. She's not really as content as she's making it seem. But Devyn didn't quite look in her direction, and so Aneira didn't get the chance to pass her the silent message.

"Captain Aneira," Kemble greeted. If Aneira hadn't known any better, she would have thought that he sounded almost friendly. In fact, the smile upon his lips looked almost polite. She narrowed her eyes, made suspicious by his sudden change in demeanor. The man held her gaze as she looked up at him. "Welcome back. How are you feeling? I hope your time here has been nothing but pleasant."

There was mischief in his eyes; Aneira could tell that much. What do you have planned, chancellor? She forced a smile onto her own face and continued to rest her stare upon him. His eyes were dark, even darker than Devyn's. Kemble's eyes were black as ink, practically the same color as the raven perched upon his shoulder. "I've been fine," Aneira replied in a sickeningly sweet voice. "How about yourself, your majesty?"

Kemble drummed his fingers casually across the top of his staff. The bottom of it was pointy, she realized with a start. Sharp enough to impale something if used for that purpose. She let out a breath, willing herself to remain calm. He wouldn't bring me here just to kill me. He'd probably have a very public execution, something that would strike fear into all of his enemies. She rolled her shoulders, forced her head up again.

"I've been alright as well, captain. Have the dungeon guards been treating you well?" The man asked. Aneira's eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was strangely off-putting for the chancellor to be acting like this. It made no sense as to why he would be so interested in hearing about how she was doing, and that she would keep this pointless conversation going on for so long.

"Can we skip to... whatever it is you brought me here for?" Aneira finally snapped. Kemble's eyes flashed at her suddenly sharp tone, but she refused to back down as he fixed his gaze upon her in a challenging stare. She caught a glimpse of Devyn from the side of her eye; the young woman wasn't looking directly at Aneira, but she was still watching the conversation with interest. "I know you didn't summon me here just to share pleasantries."