Grapevine (Zetheria Series #1)

Chapter 10: Stone or Bread?

The pale young man sniffled. His head was down and his shaking hands were tied by magical chains draining his mana, making him incapable of casting a single spell.

Selene was in the same state, although, she wasn't sniffling and gazing at the slightly damp, concrete floor like the pale young man. Instead, her eyes were moving around the place, looking for something she could use to escape their captors.

"Shut up!"

The captor kicked the back of the sniffling young man, causing him to lose his balance and fall facefirst to the uneven, concrete floor.

He was picked up by the captor with a harsh tug on his battle suit.

The light at the end of the dreadful corridor grew slowly. In no time, Selene found herself looking at a large stretch of land, with vibrant green meadows and a scattering of huts. A pillar of white smoke was billowing out of the chimney of the nearest one.

Selene was jerked forward and forced to walk to the pathway.

Meanwhile, the pale young man screamed and attempted to run back to the dark corridor. His efforts were for naught as his captor managed to put his arm on the way and hoist him up into the air.

Now, he wriggled while being carried like a sack of rice.

Selene shook her head, finding him stupid for wasting his energy on an unplanned escape. There's no way he will succeed. They don't even know where they are and how to get back to the mage army.

Trying to memorize the place, Selene focused her gaze on the surroundings. The houses' designs, the young tree growing beside the road with a bench leaning on it, on the verge of collapse. She observed it by making sure to turn her eyes only and not her head, as it would be quite obvious to their captors.

As they walked down the pathway, she saw a couple of girls hanging laundry on the wooden fence of their hut. They gave them curious glances as they continued on with their task.

Eventually, the group arrived at a wide opening. Pillars of smoke were everywhere and the inhabitants were occupied with various tasks, and running around the place.

Selene and the pale young man were brought to the far side of the chaotic place where a tall structure made of wood stood, guarded by several, angry-looking men.

Upon closer inspection, Selene realized that the structure was not a tall building but cages piled up on top of each other. A few cages remained empty, but the rest were housing people...

Kids... and teenagers...

Thinking about it, Selene noticed that she never saw an old person in the strange village, except their captors. But, even them looked like they were in their twenties.

But, the prisoners of the boxes are obviously children...

One of the guards standing on the side, wordlessly opened an empty cage and the pale young man was thrown inside. Just beside it, Selene stepped inside the cage on her own accord.

She watched as they closed the cage and disappear from her sight.

Selene sighed. The shock crash down on her mind like bricks and her whole body shook.

Trying to calm down her wildly beating, heart, she took the conscious effort of stabilizing her breathing.

"Take me out! You evildoers!"

The pale young man's desperate screams and the rattling of chains made her lose focus.

Sighing dejectedly, she glared at the prisoner.