The True Meaning of A Warrior

Chapter Twelve: Escape (ZARA)

Everything was so familiar now. So, so familiar. My past life, free, was only the shadow of a vague memory in my head. The only things I knew now were hunger, thirst, and the everlasting image of the glittering, gleaming bars of my prison-cage. Oh, and darkness.

The prison was located in a cave dug out underground just under the Dark's main base. In it were three identical cages with silver bars, enclosing me, Eve, and Stella each in separate cages. We were the only prisoners in the dark, shadowed room-that was actually surprising. Until the guard at the only doorway out told us it was because they murdered all their prisoners, usually. But they needed us alive so they could interrogate us about our magical weapons-well, that sounded fun.

However, none of that had happened: yet.

Thing was, we could probably strip the guard blocking the doorway of his weapons and knock him unconscious for a few minutes, if we had our weapons. But they had been ripped away from us when we were knocked unconscious in that battle, and even Stella's moonstone necklace had been taken.

We had nothing.

We didn't even have food, or water-well, technically, food was served once every five days, water served every three days. We'd been captured for about two weeks, waiting helpless and feeling...hopeless. Drained of life, and spirit...only a single body waiting gauntly for death and destruction.

Right now, just like every worsening day, I was crouched in my cage, praying for sleep to acquire me. The ache in my muscles from our last battle with the Dark, our losing battle, still lingered. My stomach always hurt from hunger, my throat with an everlasting parched pain blistering inside of me. My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and fatigue, and I didn't think we'd ever see sunshine again.

Until.

The three guards at the doorway instantly perked up-their reaction led me to curiosity-one of the only feelings I'd had these days. I swiveled my ears in the direction of the doorway, and heard...

Footsteps.

Loud, echoing, clomping footsteps marching down the hallways. I continued watching numbly, feeling absolutely nothing, as in the doorway a single figure appeared.

The two or three guards patrolling the doorway to the prison instantly dipped themselves into respectful bows as soon as the figure appeared; for a second, I wondered if this could possibly be the leader, but there was no way I could figure out his identity, because he was also masked up.

But no, not the leader. One of the Dark guards patrolling the prison mumbled: "High general. Good to see you."

The other guard stooped into an even lower bow of acknowledgement.

The "high general" lifted his chin, and reached into his black cloak pocket. From that he pulled out a crinkled ivory scroll, and unrolled it. In one swift motion, he held the scroll straight up to the guards' faces. While the guards' eyes scanned the scroll, reading, the high general grunted: "I am on the order by our leader to replace the two of you for the mission of guarding these prisoners. As you know, my warrior skills are much more advanced than any of yours." He stuck his nose arrogantly into the air.

"Of course, yes." The two prison-guards finished reading the scroll, and scrambled to straighten up their bodies. The high general briskly rolled up the scroll and stuck it back into its safe spot in his pocket.

"Then move," the high general barked loudly towards the two guards, and they both flinched simultaneously. The high general pointed a straight, steady finger straight towards the hallway out of the prison and back into the Dark's main base... "Right now."