Eclipsis: Water

Chapter 10

Any hope of escape was wrenched from Ondine's heart as soon as she stepped into the dimly lit hallway.

The place was teeming with Moons standing guard at each cell door - doors that looked identical to the one that Ondine had been behind only a moment ago. She had been kept in their prison like a criminal. She wondered if the other cells held any other Sun, any creature from the other three kingdoms in Sol, or if they were trapping Moons. There was no way for her to check. The doors were completely solid, like walls.

Each cell had a Moon guard posted in front of it, in varying shapes and sizes. Ondine quickly realised that there was no guard stationed in front of her cell. Did the Moons really think that little of her? Saw her as that little of a threat? No, not even a threat at all.

Before the realisation could make her heart sink any further, she felt her mood lift slightly. They underestimated her, viewed her as a small, weak Sun, and she could certainly use that to her advantage. Perhaps they would be less cautious with her if they thought that she couldn't defend herself.

"Follow me, girlie." The ponaturi, Tai, giggled, beckoning Ondine forward.

Ondine didn't particularly want to walk behind him, but she figured it was better than him walking behind her. At least in this way, she would be able to see if he tried to touch her. She almost shuddered at the thought.

None of the guards paid any attention to Ondine as the group of three walked past them. Ondine tried not to stare - some of them looked like they could break her spine as easily as snapping a fish bone. Her webbed hand instinctively reached up to the middle of her collarbones, only to find nothing. She had forgotten that she had removed her sea-shell necklace before going hunting, and felt a new surge of anxiety through her. It wasn't helping that the akhlut walked so close behind her - Ondine could practically feel the fur on her exposed legs. Images of her biting a chunk out of Ondine's calf flashed across her mind.

The ponaturi, Tai, had reached the main doors to exit and enter the prison. He stood with his back holding one door, allowing Ondine and his fellow Moon to walk through. A warning snarl from the akhlut stopped him from leaning forward to smell Ondine's hair.

Ondine had emerged into an outside part of Lune. The wind was unforgiving and cold, immediately biting her exposed skin and ruffling her pixie-cut. She was not fit for this weather in the slightest. The skin on her usually-bare feet was not quite thick enough to protect her from the freezing temperature, but at least Lune's ground was not hard enough to cut them as she walked.

"Don't complain, a change of clothes will be given to you shortly." The akhlut said to her.

Ondine didn't reply. Easy for her to say, what with her thick fur. She probably doesn't even feel the cold, she thought to herself.

A sharp nudge from the akhlut against Ondine's hip and they had begun walking again, the moon shining down on them. Ondine clamped her teeth shut together to stop them from chattering. She took in her surroundings discreetly so as not to draw attention to what she was doing, trying to see if there were any exits she could use to escape. The population of Lune looked like it far exceeded that of Sol; everywhere she looked, there was a Moon. It didn't help that there was a incredibly tall wall surrounding where she was. Escaping seemed impossible.

After about a minute of walking, Ondine realised that they were nearing a castle. It was imposing, intimidatingly so, making Ondine feel uneasy. Someone with a castle that size was surely someone to be feared.

Two faceless guards in armour and visors were stationed at the doors of the castle when the three had reached it. They had passed a sufficient number of them on the trail. Ondine hated that it was so cold. She wanted to meet whoever this "boss" was without him confusing her shivering for additional fear. She wanted to present herself as if she was unthreatening, not completely helpless.