Fairy Rock

Chapter 46: The Traitors

In the wretched, black mountains of the West Forrest in the World of The Fairies, Benny the Destroyer rests in a steel cage on a clean purple mattress. He covers his nose from the smell of the rotten corpses of deceased people in the cave. He peeps into the adjacent cell and sees bats and crows nibbling on a dead man's flesh.

A group of prisoners have metal shackles on their wrists and ankles. They sit on the black sand floor in the dark cell near a fire that they made with rocks and stones.

He observes a slender woman waiting as the ogre guarding the cell falls asleep.

Its snores echo throughout the dark cave.

She pulls a hairpin out of her dry, gray hair and sticks it in the keyhole of the chains on her wrist. She twists and turns until a clicking noise unlocks the rusty steel bracelets.

The woman does the same for the shackles on her ankles, getting them off as well. She quietly crawls over to one of the other five men still alive and attempts to get the sturdy chains off the heavyset man's wrist and ankles.

"Kenya, please hurry," the man whispers.

She unlocks his shackles. "Brian, I'm going as fast as I can."

"We have to get Steve, George, and Clarence free now," Brian mutters.

Kenya gets another hairpin from her bushy ponytail and gives it to Brian. The two set the others free from their chains. Brian crawls over to a loose rock in the black stone wall of the cell.

He pulls a shank made from a piece of metal that he chiseled with a rock.

The tall, athletic twins, Steve and Clarence, lift their ninety-pound father, George, to his feet as Kenya picks the lock to open the rusty cell.

"Are you sure there is only one ogre guarding tonight?" Brian murmurs.

"Yes, I heard the other two ogres run out of the cave; they must have gone on some mission or something," Kenya whispers.

She opens the cell door, and Brian sneaks up on the snoring ogre and slits his throat. The gigantic monster wakes up, clutching his neck as blood squirts out of it. It rises, roaring and beating his gray chest.

Clarence grabs stones from the sandy cave floor and chucks them at the ogre's humongous head while Steve stabs it in the kidneys until its bodily fluids leak out. The monster falls into a craggy boulder, splitting its head open as its corpse twitches on the ground.

"We killed it," Clarence says.

"Quiet, bro, help me carry Papa," Steve mumbles.

The group runs through the black, rocky, stalagmite floor of the cave, scaring bats and crows into the brown, stalactite ceiling. They make it to the entrance and see purple rays of light outside.

The shirtless Benny gets out of bed. The short, physically fit fighter has raw blue dragon meat chunks stuck in the hairs of his fuzzy chest from tonight's dinner. He exits his open cell toward the escaping prisoners. This is my chance to show my loyalty.

"Hey, you're Benny the Destroyer. The famous MMA Fighter," Clarence says.

"Please be quiet," Steve whispers.

Benny chuckles while eating another piece of blue dragon meat.

The group seems surprised that his purple trousers are clean, and he has no shackles.

"How did you get that food?" Clarence asks.

Kenya blurts out. "He's an informant. Run."

Benny punches Clarence in his face, knocking him unconscious. Steve takes a swing at him and misses his attack. Benny roundhouse kicks Steve on the side of the head and watches him fall motionlessly to the floor. Brian violently swings the knife at him with no success, and Benny snatches the weapon out of his hand and breaks the poor man's wrist.

Kenya hugs the ailing George as she looks at the corrupt man. "Why are you doing this? You are a traitor to the people of Fairyville."

Benny laughs loudly and bites another piece of the rough blue meat. "It's simple, lady. I want to live and not be in bondage."

A magical portal opens, and Selena flies out of it, hoovering over Kenya and George. The elder fairy blows black pixie dust in their faces, suffocating them to death.

Benny gets on his knees and bows to Selena. She shows off her purple royal dress, flaps her tiny body toward his head, and pats him on it.

"Did I do well, Master?" Benny asks.

Selena smiles, blowing gold pixie dust onto her prize servant's bruised knuckles, quickly healing them.

"Benny, you have stopped so many prisoner rebellions over the years. It's time that you meet Queen Vanessa," Selena replies.

Benny is aware of Mitch, Ron, Rhyme, and Denver leaning against the rocky walls of their cell, spying on him. Their eyes are dry from dehydration, and their dirty hair has grown to their shoulders. They still wear the same black t-shirts that read Team Rock from three years ago, as no one bathed since being in captivity.

"I'm going to do what Benny is doing. It's the only way I'll survive," Mitch says.

"Benny is a scum bag. Don't do it," Denver says.

"We can't come up with a plan of escape. Benny keeps snitching on us and foiling the plans. He is saving himself," Ron mentions.

"What are we supposed to do, man? We not going to survive in this can," Rhyme says.

"Screw it," Mitch says, "Master Selena, I know of some slave rebellions."

Selena unlocks the cell and makes them bow to her beside a pile of skeleton corpses. She blows purple pixie dust into Mitch's face sedating him.

"Tell me what you know," Selena commands.

Mitch coughs profusely and cleans the saliva off his mouth.

"Ron, Denver, and Rhyme are planning an escape."

"You little snitch," Ron says.

Selena finds a makeshift knife behind the three prisoners in the corner of the cell. She blows black pixie dust in their faces until the black poison leaks from their eyes and nostrils, and they choke on the floor.

Mitch remains coughing on his knees.

"You and Benny both will meet Queen Vanessa. She will be pleased with both of you," Selena says.

The elder fairy sprinkles yellow pixie dust from her fingers, and a magical portal explodes.

She takes Benny and Mitch to meet Queen Vanessa.