Richie sat on the ship, Edwin in the cell across from him. They'd been brought to the cells and separated, both their hands tied behind their backs. Klais always claimed that Tenebrians were dumb and unable to function, but that didn't stop him from demanding that both Richie and Edwin be restrained.
For a nice ship, the cells seemed to be purposefully put in the worst section. They smelled like mold and sea water, everything was cold and damp, and there was an overlying cloud of dread surrounding them. Even though he knew he should be forming an escape plan, Richie couldn't bring himself to think of anything besides Eddie.
He hoped that he'd be killed before Eddie's ship arrived in Pona. He didn't need to hear Eddie's screams for them to let him go. He'd already heard Eddie scream for help before, and it was a sound he never wanted to hear again.
"I can feel your stress radiating from over here," Edwin said, making Richie look up.
He hadn't noticed their similarities before, but Richie could see them now. They had the same eyes and face shape, and they both had the same curls in their hair. The only difference was that Edwin's hair was a sandy blond color while Richie's was a darker brown.
"I'm surprised you expected me not to be stressed," Richie responded, not cracking a smile. "I don't want him to see me die."
Edwin knew who he was talking about, smiling sympathetically at Richie. "He won't have to. We'll get out of here, Rich."
"Your bond is a sea away and my dragon is captured by Lucantians. Any allies of ours don't know we're caught and are either hiding or too busy trying to prepare for a war. We're fucked, Edwin," Richie said, feeling no regrets.
Edwin rolled his eyes. "You have no hope."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"If Eddie were the one in here and not you, you'd want him to hope that you'd save him."
Richie glared at his brother, his jaw clenched in anger. "He doesn't know we're here. He can't save us. He's on a Lucantian ship and they're going to make him watch a genocide and force him to be one of them!" he yelled, standing up and kicking the bars of the cell, nearly losing his balance in the process.
Edwin was about to respond, but Klais walked into the cells before he could. He looked between Edwin and Richie before opening Richie's cell.
None of Richie's attempts to get away were successful, as he was barely able to move and Klais was much taller and stronger than him.
"Let's go," Klais said in a dark voice, dragging Richie up the stairs and into an office type room.
He was forced to sit down and Klais sat across from him, surveying the boy. He was silent for a few minutes, just staring at Richie as he tried to tug the ropes off of his arms.
"How did you get off of Tenebris?" he asked, making Richie look up with a hard glare.
"Like I'd tell you," he snarled, not willing to throw Mike under the bus.
Whether he was on Pona or not, Richie knew Mike would be screwed if Klais knew he kept them onboard instead of bringing them back to Divisus. It wasn't worth letting a friend get hurt, even if it'd save his own skin.
"I am asking for cooperation."
"Bold of you to assume I'd give it," Richie retorted, tugging harder at the ropes. "Your people murdered the king of Pona and Konilla."
"So they did kill him? That's good, knowing they don't have a leader anymore." Klais shot Richie a wicked grin. "Makes taking over easier. As for you, I want to know why you left Tenebris."
