Ascending Light

Dungeon

Crysen woke to whispering and shuffling. A child giggled a ways away that someone immediately shushed. So there were others here too. He couldn't remember if he'd seen them when he was put in or not. He would have to worry about them later, though.

"Should we trust him," one of his guards asked. It was Frenel, a timid fire fairy with red hair and soft yellow eyes.

"We'll ask him to finish telling us what happened when he wakes. We have no way of knowing whether he is bound to this Zacesi guy or not until he tells us. If he hasn't bonded with him, then we have nothing to worry about." Julian. The water fae made it sound as if Crysen was given a choice, which he most definitely wasn't.

Kayleen's voice joined the others then, "Either way, we need to come up with a way to get out of here." His voice rumbled compared to the others and Crysen could swear he felt it vibrate across his skin.

"No," Michael chimed. "We need to figure out what Zacesi is planning first." Michael was an earth fairy; he was more at peace here than the others could be. It's no wonder why he wasn't as worried about being in a filthy dungeon as them.

Kayleen sighed. "No. We need to focus on getting Crysen out. I don't think he's bound to Zacesi yet, but if we wait he will be." He paused. "If we can find out what's going on, great, it'll be a help. But I want to get Crysen out of here as soon as possible. He's already been assaulted. Next time we may not get so lucky and he could end up mated." He voice grew dark and silky with anger. "I don't think you'll want to be around me if we fail at getting him out of here safely."

Shivers shot down his spine at Kayleen's voice, and he felt the blanket move to cover him better. Someone stroked his hair and he smiled at the gentle touch. He blinked open his eyes and saw Kayleen's hand retreating to rest on his knee. He looked at Julian. "How long have I been asleep?"

Julian smiled. "Not too long, your highness. Would you mind continuing your story?"

Crysen sighed but continued anyways. He heard gasps when he told them of their plan to take over Faelyna. When he finished, everyone seemed worried about Faelyna and their plans. Frenel suggested Crysen be used to gain more information, but the look he received from Kayleen put that argument to rest immediately. As they discussed what plan of action they should take, Crysen looked past them to what he could see of the others in the cell.

From what he could see, the cell was pretty big with a crystal light-orb mounted in the ceiling. It was a purple color so he knew it would brighten and dim with the sun, Crysen had one in his bedroom at home. There was a large group of fae watching his guards, and guardian, in their discussion. They seemed to be a mixture of different fae, but most were water or air fae. He could only see mere glimpses when Julian moved but he could tell they were focused completely on what was being said.

He reached up and grasped Julian's arm to pull himself up and into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the now dull ache that reminded him of why he needed to leave this castle. All four of the men surrounding him fell silent and stared at him. He looked again at the other people in the dungeon. There were a few adults, a few more adolescents, and three or four children. Julian stood with him and helped him walk over closer to them. His legs were still a bit weak, but only slightly. He could've made it fine on his own, but Julian wouldn't allow it.

The children came up to him first, asking where he was from and why he was there. He answered them with, "I'm from deep in the Ancient Forest. I'm here because my mother was a special highborn, and I inherited her power."

One of the children realized the flaw in his statement, immediately, as children are known to do. "If your mother was a special highborn, why do you live in the Ancient Forest? All the highborns live in castles and temples."