Rise of the Erifs (The Fire Song Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 28

Keppar

JAYDAR FELT THE COLD SEEPING THROUGH his shirt from the wall behind. He rested his head back against it. At least the cold numbed the aching pain in his body. He glanced at Jeb who was asleep a few feet away. Jaydar looked up, noticing someone approaching him in the flickering light of the torch.

An Erif stood before Jaydar. He recognized him as a solitary Erif. He didn't know his name or what he had done to get thrown down here. But there was one thing Jaydar did know: that he'd been pulled out of the prison a few times but why no one knew. He came back as silent as he went.

Jaydar now really looked at him for the first time. He was young maybe even younger than Jaydar and he was short by Erif standards. He was good looking except grubby because of the prison conditions and Jaydar realized that he had dark red brown hair. Jaydar had learnt that not all Erifs had the fiery red coloured hair but various shades giving way into reddish blondes and reddish browns. But they all had the red in some shape or form.

The young man sat down cross-legged before Jaydar. He stared at Jaydar and seemed to be studying him.

Jaydar broke the silence. "What do you want?"

"To help you and in return for you to help me," he said.

"How can you help me?" Jaydar said. "And what could I possibly do for you?"

"You are a Prince of Latainia, are you not?" the young man said.

"Yes." 

"Then you have influence and power, yes?"

"I suppose," Jaydar said, still not sure where this was going.

The young man turned his face away for a moment and took a deep breath. When he turned back again Jaydar could see the tears in his eyes.

"I have committed no crime, I am no criminal," the young man said. He paused trying to hold himself together it seemed.

"My name is Gage and I should not be here."

Welcome to the club, Jaydar thought.

"I'm a soldier and about two and a half years ago I was part of a diplomat's guard. We accompanied him on a diplomatic mission to Timedelle. While there we were given leave and I met this beautiful girl." He stopped.

Jaydar patiently waited for him to continue.

"And we fell in love. I had a month's leave and during that time I realized that I truly loved this girl. After that I tried to get on every team that went there and I made a few of them. We secretly got married. We decided that if we were ever going to be able to have a life together we would have to run away. But before we could I was followed and..." he trailed off, a tear trickling down the side of his face.

"I was captured and the Queen was so angry that she had me thrown down here. And she gave me this." Gage turned around, pulling his shirt off as he did so.

Jaydar gasped. Crisscrossing Gage's back were puckered scars. There were so many that hardly any skin on his back was left untouched. 

Gage turned back to face Jaydar. "Fifty lashes. Every single one dealt by her hand."

Jaydar didn't doubt it. He'd felt her wrath himself.

"I was apparently contaminating the perfect Erif bloodline," Gage said. "But I couldn't let them take Sari, I had to protect her and I did. She managed to get away but I don't know what happened after that. And I also found out that we are having a baby."

Jaydar stared hard at Gage. He saw the desperate plea in his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth.

"I understand but how can I help you?" Jaydar said.

"You can get me back to Timedelle. When we were attacked a Timedelle civilian got caught up in the fight and accidently killed. I can swear to you that I didn't do it but the death was blamed on me. For that reason I've been forbidden to ever set foot on Timedelle soil again. If I do it could mean my death."

"So you need me to have you pardoned on Timedelle?"

"At best yes but I know that may not be possible. I just need you to get them to let me be there long enough to find my girl and then leave," Gage said.

"Even if I could which I doubt, we're stuck in here and not getting out anytime soon." Jaydar gestured at the prison walls.

Gage glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot.

"I can get you out," he whispered.

"What?" Jaydar didn't think he'd heard right. 

"I've been planning my escape for a while now. I've been here for over three years and I need to get back to my family," Gage said.

"How can you get us out? This place is shut tight," Jaydar said, not really allowing himself to believe yet.

"I've got friends on the outside who know what's happened. They are going to get us out. I've been receiving messages from them for the past month now. It's going to take place soon," Gage said.

"Okay, let's theoretically say that you can get us out of here, where do we go from there? We need to get off Keppar if we're not going to get caught."

"I've got that covered." Gage waved away his concerns. "Now are you in?"

"Crimson will kill you if we're caught, you do know that right?" Jaydar said.

"It's a risk I must take. I have to get back to them otherwise my life isn't worth living." Gage clenched his jaw.

Jaydar glanced at Jeb who was still fast asleep.

"Either way I'm getting out of here tomorrow night. You have until then to decide," Gage said.

Jaydar shook his head. He didn't know what to do. He had to admit it was tempting; escape, freedom from this horrible place and finally away from Keppar. But on the other hand it seemed a little too good to be true. Gage was earnest, there was no doubt about that but he was also desperate. And desperate people do desperate things not clever or calculated things. Jaydar wanted to believe that Gage could get them out but he had a sick feeling in his stomach that it wouldn't be that easy.

"Well?" Gage said, impatiently.

"If I do agree, he comes with us." Jaydar nodded at Jeb.

Gage glanced at Jeb and then back to Jaydar. "Deal."

"It's not a deal yet, I still have to talk to Jeb," Jaydar said.

Gage stood up. "Okay but remember you don't have long to make a decision."

"I know." Jaydar bit his lip. "I know."