New Vellarton #1- Cross the Kingdom

Chapter 8- Foolproof

Kit had no idea how much time had passed since he woke up in the cell. It could have been anywhere from a few hours to a few days. He wasn't even sure whether he really was awake. Everything that had happened since his arrival passed by in a hazy, dreamlike blur. Not that much had happened to begin with. Every now and then someone would bring him food and water. His meals were nothing glamorous by any means but it was usually enough to keep him satisfied. He had also heard screaming a little while ago. It had been a loud, blood curdling scream that sent shivers down his spine, but one of the men taking care of him had assured him that it was nothing to be concerned about.

"That boy they have in there is a threat to everyone," the guard had told him, "Its for everyone's safety and protection, including yours."

That had made enough sense for Kit to not question the man any further.

But that had been a while ago. Or at least it felt like a while. His cell had no windows, so it was difficult to tell what time of day it was, but time was the least of his concern. It seemed to have no meaning in the cell. He slept when he felt tired, and ate when the guards brought him food. It was quite a different routine from his life back at the castle, but It wasn't like the guards were hurting him at all. Besides, if he was missing for long enough then his father would surely send out some men to look for him.

Right?

"Prince Kit?" A girl's voice whispered, "Your Highness? Can you hear me?"

The voice snapped him back to reality. He looked around, trying to spot the source of the voice, but he was all alone in the cell. The only time he saw another person was when the guards came to check in on him. Even then, all the guards that he had were men.

"Kit," The girl hissed again, "I'm in the cell across from you."

He scratched his head. "You... huh? Who are you?"

"My name is Eva," The girl said, "Eva Ferris."

"Eva," he repeated. He racked his brain for anyone that he knew with that name, but none came to mind. Was he supposed to know this person?

"Listen to me, Kit," Eva said, "We don't have a lot of time before the guards come back, so listen closely. We--"

"Hang on," he said, interrupting the girl, "how do you know my name?"

"I can read your mind," Eva replied, "I hope that's not a problem, but I'm trying to get out of here and you might be my only hope."

"My father will get us out of here," Kit drawled, as he stared up at the ceiling, "He'll help us."

"You are aware that they're drugging you, right?" Eva asked.

Kit frowned. This had been news to him. The guards had assured him that they wouldn't do anything to hurt him. That meant that they wouldn't drug him, right? He didn't even know this girl. How could he even be sure that she wasn't lying to him?

"Oh no, Kit," He heard Eva say, "You're worse off than I thought. I'm not... you do know where you are, don't you?"

Kit looked around the cell. It didn't really look that familiar. He thought that maybe he had just been locked up in one of the castle dungeons. He could barely even remember the events that led up to him winding up in the cell. It was hard to say with any certainty, but the more he thought about it the less certain he was that he was still in Galtia.

"I... I actually don't really know where I am," he admitted. He hadn't realized how terrified the idea was until he spoke the words out loud. How were his father's men supposed to find him now? Maybe he would be stuck here forever. He shook his head. No, that was impossible. Eventually someone would notice that he was missing. But how long would that take?