A Will of Fire and Darkness

Chapter 5

The sound of a door swinging open awoke me. Footsteps sounded nearby, making me open my eyes; my head disoriented. I was in the same position I had been in earlier, chined to the wooden post. One of the dark cloaked men walked in the open door, carrying a pack on his back. Many pouches hung from it and leaves of different shapes fit in the pockets on the sides.

My muscles were stiff, and my joints screamed at the heavy restraints. I squinted to try and see the person's face. They slipped the pack off, hitting the floor with a thud.

"Here, I was told to feed you," said a soft male voice. His features shadowed by the hood. He pulled out a couple of strange fruits I'd never seen before. One was bright pink and had green leaves along the fruit that almost looked like dragon scales. The other was a yellow-green smooth fruit. "It won't kill you, I promise."

He grabbed a tray from the pack and a dull knife and began slicing the yellow fruit up. I watched him carefully, the juice of the fruit glinting on his hand. I adjusted myself so that I was leaning against the poll instead of slumped over, staring at the ceiling in silence. My thigh ached from where I assumed the tranquilizer dart hit me. Not the same as the arrow, this ache felt like it radiated throughout my body and my mind felt fuzzy and numb.

I heard the man shift and I only glanced at him, refusing to move my head. "It will help, trust me," his voice was careful as if trying to persuade me that I wasn't chained in this hell hole. He took a step toward me, slowly reaching a hand to my face.

I flinched away and shot him a sharp glare. He retracted his hand quickly and put both out in front of him. "I'm not going to touch you, I just need to get the muzzle off, ok?" Silence. I studied him over, head to toe, and glanced back at the face of nothingness.

He let out a quiet noise of realization and lifted his hand to the hood. Pulling it away the light from the hall dimly illuminated his features. Though it was still difficult to see, I could make out his short side swept hair, the right side looking as if it had been shaved. The reflection of glass gleamed across his eyes, a small gold frame holding the glasses on his nose. His ears were rounded and small, human.

I turned my head slowly, looking down at the floor for him to unclasp the mask. He reached over, making sure to keep his distance, gently tugging on the strap and undoing the clasps. The mask slid away from my face, the immediate relief of pressure making me breath a heavy sigh. The man put it in his bag and picked up the trey of fruit, crouching down in front of me. The juice pooling around the fruit making my mouth water.

The man picked up a slice and extended his hand to me. I looked at him skeptically. "Why not unchain my hands?" I asked quietly.

"Ah well..." he paused. "I guess I could." He put the fruit down and stood.

"Wait, I didn't think you actually would," I said surprised and watched as he took a key from his pocket.

He reached for my arms behind my back, whispering something under his breath, "You don't deserve to be here... you have a home..." The lock clicked and my hands slipped free of the shackles.

I rubbed my wrists, staring in disbelief at him. His eyes were distant and shadowed as he bent down to my tail. The lock clinked, and again at my wings, and my feet. I stretched out my wings feeling the warmth of my lava come back. I patiently waited for him to unlock the cuff around my neck. He hesitated, looking me in the eyes, I stayed silent. He stepped back, running a hand through his hair and taking a breath.

"Before I release you... I need to know," his voice was shaky. "Do you have any living relatives?"

I opened my mouth to answer, stopping only to realize he meant another Eltrey. "No... all I can say is that my parents were confirmed dead." I said in a low voice, looking at the ground.