The Sun's Awakening

Chapter Twenty-Two

The spirit within the encampment shifted dramatically. Previous hopes now stained by the drastic death toll. The losses were heavy. Hushed whispers of abandoning Sacrupala and heading towards the mines to escape through the mountains began to scatter amongst even the bravest satyroids and faenixes alike.

Sterling, the ever-hardened warrior, approached Anja as she sat by the fire, her eyes staring into the dancing flames. He hesitated for a moment before laying a hand on her shoulder, his voice softer than usual. "Anja, I'm sorry about Jehvani. He was a great warrior and, from what it seems, a loyal brother."

Anja looked up, her eyes red-rimmed but dry. She nodded slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you, Sterling."

Eledorah caught them chatting from the corner of her eye as she sat around the circle at another fire. Her heart softened at the sight of Sterling offering his condolences. Roman followed her distant stare.

He poked the fire with a stick, moving a log back into the center of the pile. "I know you're avoiding it, and that's fine. Oxin and I will question him, you don't have to be present for it."

She shook her head, "No, absolutely not. I need to hear the words from his own lips. I need to hear him admit that this has been the council's plan from the very beginning and that he knew about it. Only then will I begin to heal, and maybe even forgive myself for being so damn stupid."

A couple hundred yards away, at the base of the mountain behind the castle, Kaanan languished in the dungeons. The air was damp and cold, the only light coming from the flickering torches lining the stone walls. The weight of his chains forced him to sit and soak in the impending victory. If the remaining dragons were struck down, then they'd plow through these horned and winged beasts with ease.

With torches of their own to light the way, the three traveled to interrogate the prisoner. Oxin led the way while Roman held her hand, encouraging her every step forward. When they reached it, the men went in while Ele lingered outside the dungeon, sucking in a mouthful of the crisp air. She had come so close to succumbing to the demons within her, and the memory of it gnawed at her conscience. She could hardly bring herself to face Kaanan, knowing that her actions had almost led to their downfall. 

Deep down... She knew she needed to do this. 

She released the breath that she held in and entered, walking deep into the cavernous mountainfront that housed rows of primitive, metal enclosures. She walked past countless empty cells before reaching the back, where Roman and Oxin awaited her to begin. 

"There you are." Kaanan beamed. A genuine, rotten-to-the-core smile. "I was starting to think that they were here to finish me off. Then I thought to myself, 'Ele would never let them do that'."

She bent down to his level and suddenly the metal bars and the chains that held him down didn't seem like enough. She needed to make him aware of the dire straits he found himself in. "Don't think for a minute that my voice has any leverage here. All the satyroids want to rip you apart for bringing war to their lands. And don't get me started on what the faenixes want to do to you."

A scoff left her lips as she rose to her full height and backed up, letting Oxin slide in to get the questioning over with. His imposing figure cast a shadow over the shackled prisoner. 

"Let's not waste any time," Oxin began, his voice a low rumble echoing off the stone walls. "What are the council's plans? What do they hope to gain by killing off, not one, but two species?"

Kaanan's smile widened, and he leaned back against the cold, damp wall of his cell. "You really think I'm going to spill everything just like that? Come on, Oxin. Give me a bit more credit. Even your brother, as much as we pushed him, never budged. I practice all kinds of torture tactics on my prisoners, there's nothing you can do that will get me to talk."