The Ravens Winter: Wattys2014

Chapter Eleven: Ravens Tower

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Toby's P.O.V

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I screamed because that was all I cold do.

The guards had hold of me, gripping each of my arms so tightly that they went numb.

I was dragged through seemingly endless corridors and down flights of cold, stone stairs. It must have been at least five or so minutes before we reached the dungeon.

There was a long corridor running down the centre with cells on either side.

I saw some of the prisoners poking their arms out through the bars, in a desperate effort to be freed.

I heard their screams, pleading to be released, and their yells and cries replayed in my head like a broken record.

But I could do nothing to save them.

I was to become one of them.

I felt a tear rll down my cheek, watching the innocent prisoners begging for help, and I felt guilty that I could not save them.

At last we reached a cell on the right hand side that was empty.

One of the guards got out a key and the barred door swung open with a loud clang, revealing a small, crammed cell which I assumed was now mine.

The guards released me and threw me into the cell, making me fall onto the ground with a thud, followed by a crunch when my arm hit the cold stone floor. I screamed in pain, gripping my arm until my knuckles went white.

I heard the cell door swing shut and the jangling of keys, then the guards walked off, smirking.

I sat up and put a hand up to the side of my face.

As I looked at my hand again, it was stained with my crimson blood. My right cheek must have been bleeding.

I crawled up to the bars of my cell, gripping them tightly. I noticed a man sitting in the cell opposite me and decided that I needed answers.

"Excuse me," I choked. The man looked up at me.

He had white hair that was all ruffled. He looked quite old and I noticed dark circles under his eyes. His brown tunic was a mess, all ripped an torn and covered in mud.

"Where am I?"I asked timidly.

"The Mistress' Castle," he croaked in his hoarse voice.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.  

"What will happen to me?" I asked, fighting back tears.

"Every day the ravens choose one person. That person gets sent to the Ravens Tower, where the ravens eat them alive. You never know who will be chosen," he said, coughing.    

I felt my stomach churn at the thought.

"Here they come," I heard the man say, before he pressed himself up against the back wall of his cell, gesturing for me to do the same.

I leaned up against the cold rock, hiding in the shadows.

I heard a high pitched squawking and the flapping of wings and I saw a black mass of ravens fly by my cell. This must be when they chose who to take to the tower. I hld my vreath and slammed my eyes shut to block out the earsplitting noise of the ravens.

I gulped, hoping they wouldn't chose me. I felt sweat dripping from my face. 

As soon as the ravens had flown past my cell, I opened my eyes and watched as everyone they had flown by ran to the door of their cell, trying to see who would get picked.

I gripped the cold metal bars, peering down the dmly liti corridor.

The ravens stopped outside the cell of a man sitting down. He was crying, with his head in his hands. He obviously didn't notice the ravens coming.

My heart was racing, I could feel it pounding in my chest. The ravens picked the lock to the cell with their black beaks and the door swung open with a bang.

The man's head jolted upright and he screamed, a terrible scream, that echoed around the dungeon like a siren.

The ravens picked him up, the sheer number of them was able to lift him up easily. 

He kept on screaming, but the ravens had no mercy and they continued to carry him out of the dungeon.

I could hear his screams, even when he was out of the dungeon.

The tears I had been fighting back fell down my cheeks, landing on the stone floor beneath my feet.

I sat down in the corner of my cell, face in my hands.

The mans screams swirling around in my mind. I could still see the terror in his face. The fear in his eyes as they carried him away.  

That could be me tommorrow. Or the next day.  

I didn't know when that was going to me.

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Author's Note

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Hi everyone.

Sorry about the late update and the short chapter.

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and if you did, please vote or comment.

Also please folow me on wattpad, my name is thebiscuit. If you do follow me I will let you know when I update.

Thank you for reading.