[COMPLETE] R E V E R S E #NaNoWriMo2k17

Chapter 15

Ajax didn't bother resisting.

Five harpies versus one teenager with a sword? Sure. But an army? Not so sure.

They disarmed him, removing his sword and bag before marching him through the forest and entering an underground cave. Torches flickered dimly on the stone wall, their footfalls the only sound breaking the silence. A hundred talons, plus the duller thump of a dragon's feet. He tried to keep track of where they were going, but soon realised that it was impossible. All the corner looked the same to him, and he could swear that they were taking the longest route just to confuse him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity they entered a large spacious cavern. He stifled a gasp. Beastclans of all kinds, ranging from Talonok to Centaurs, were assembled silently at the sides, organised into neat ranks. Serthis coiled in corners, hissing to each other quietly. The only clans he couldn't see were the Maren.

Talona looked back from her position in the lead. "Blind him," she ordered. "Don't let him see the rest of our place. Silence him as well while you are at it."

Before he could react, a bolt of arcane energy hit him in the face. Searing pain erupted in both of his eyes, and he felt his throat burn at the same time. He slammed them shut, tears squeezing through. They roughly shoved him in one direction, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw nothing but darkness.

Panic seized him. Did they just take away his sight? He had heard Talona say to blind him, but he didn't think she meant it literally.

He opened his mouth to yell, but no sound came out. His voice was utterly gone.

"Don't worry," he heard something or someone hiss in his ear. A Serthis or Raptorik? "It'ssss only a temporary ssspell." He heard a low chuckle. "Don't get your hopesss up. Her Greatnesss never sspares any of your kind."

Well, at least he wasn't mute or blind for life. But no matter what, the spell made it practically impossible to escape.

They walked until his legs felt like they would fall off. Finally, Talona called a halt, and he ran into the harpy in front of him. Immediately, something slashed him on the face, and set let out a silent scream as his almost healed wounds reopened again, spilling blood on the floor. He vaguely registered a thump and a loud screech.

"Do NOT attack them! How many times do I have to tell you Cyran? The Shade wants their blood still inside of their bodies!"

The Shade. His ears rang. So the rumours were true. They WERE working with the Deathbringer.

A tingle ran down his spine and he shivered in fear. If the Beastclans were indeed allied with the Shade, they would grow more and more powerful over time. Soon, it would become impossible to defeat them. Their society would fall. They would return to the Dark Ages, when the Shade and the deities fought for control of the world.

He could see it happening in his mind, and it shook him to the core. He had to get back, warn someone. Tell them so that they could take action. And then what? Wait for certain death? No, he had to warn the deities themselves. Every one of them. That was the only way they could still win.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts he ended up tuning out the world around him. However, just as he finished his train of thoughts he felt someone grab his head and lift it upwards. A cool feeling spread through his wounds, and he could virtually feel them closing.

"...despicable. Never again."

There was a low murmur in response.

"He's heard too much. Deafen him too, can you?"

Once more, he felt the blast of energy and his ears practically popped. In one awful moment, the world was torn away from him as everything grew silent. He was blind, mute, and deaf. Great. He was pretty sure it couldn't get any worse than that.

They walked a little longer before someone grabbed him to stop. A rough kick sent him sprawling, and vibrations shook the ground as something closed behind him. A prison gate, presumably. He scrambled to his feet - which was extremely awkward with all of his disabilities - and slammed into some metal bars.

Lost, locked up in prison with no hope of escape. He didn't even know what the area around him looked like.

He managed to find the other wall and sat down, listening to the sound of never ending silence. If what the warrior said was true, at least he would have some hope by the time they had decided what to do with him. In the meantime though, he was just going to have to try and live for as long as possible.