Lord of Cages - Vessel

Chapter 1 - An Empty Cage

Chapter One

An Empty Cage

“I wonder how it feels…”

Nayara got up from her kneeling position, though her eyes didn’t leave the World Below. She sighed and slowly walked to her Ally and best friend – Lucian. The giant black panther closed his eyes with pleasure as she gently caressed his head.

Sitting on her majestic swing, Nayara closed her eyes and slowly rocked back and forth.

“I wonder how it feels to have the sun kiss your skin,” she mused, a delicate smile growing on her lips. “To see the stars against the infinite sky… I wonder how it feels to sleep and to dream, to dance, to be free to run in every direction. I wonder how it feels to make friends-“

Lucian interrupted her daydream by growling. She laughed.

“No, you’re right. I already know how that feels,” she agreed, before returning to her fantasies. “But I wonder how it feels to fall in love.”

The panther rested his head on his strong arms, visibly uninterested.

“Oh, don’t be so grumpy. I bet you would have lots of fun as well.” She sighed again. “When will Father give me a chance?”

“Oh, you poor thing.”

Both Nayara and Lucian immediately searched for the voice’s origin. It wasn’t difficult to find. Leaning against the silver bars of her cage was one of her older sisters, looking glorious in all her dark beauty.

“My poor, poor little sister,” she pouted. “The life of a Favorite must be so hard.”

“Lucia!” Nayara ran to her sister, a huge smile on her lips. She grabbed hold of her cage, struggling to get as close to Lucia as possible.

Lucia returned the smile, though hers was much quieter. She caressed Nayara’s cheek and played with her hair. “What is it that makes you so special?” she asked, though she looked out of touch, as if she was talking to someone else.

“I don’t know,” Nayara replied with honesty, shrugging.

“Yes…” Lucia whispered. “Neither do I.”

“Have you been to the World Below again?” Nayara asked, excited to hear more stories about Earth, clinging to the bars as if it would somehow make Lucia’s adventures more gripping. “What did you do this time? What did you see? Oh please, tell me everything, Lucia!”

“When will boring retellings and uninteresting stories seize to be enough for you?”

“They aren’t,” she answered, sad by her condition.

“Then do something about it. Be brave!” Lucia grabbed the bars and leaned closer to her sister. “You want to go to the World Below so badly? All you have to do is jump.”

“I wish I could,” Nayara replied. “But I can’t.”

“Of course you can. You won’t, though.”

“No, I really can’t! Father has forbidden me-“

“You could always disobey…” Lucia suggested with a devilish, seductive smile. “You wouldn’t be the first. We all do it.”

“No, I… I don’t want to-”

“Well then, I guess you much rather doom yourself to a meaningless life of imprisonment and boredom.” Lucia chuckled, ignoring the low growl coming from the black panther.

“Father will give me a chance,” Nayara said, a hopeful smile growing on her features. “Father will give me permission.”

“When? Tomorrow? Next year? Next century?” Lucia slowly paced the space outside the cage, her eyes never leaving her sister’s. “Face it, Naya… You’re a Favorite. Father will never let you go.”