As I hurried to my destination I couldn't help thinking that, somehow, I was betraying my kingdom. I'd tried to convince myself that it was simple curiosity that drove me back to the dungeon every couple days, but doubt pulled at my entire being. These thoughts of guilt, no matter how irrational or how trivial, troubled me most at night. As I lay thinking in the gloom of my quarters my thoughts tended to stray to where they did not belong.

My feet pattered on the cobblestones and as I tiptoed down the familiar path my eyes darted around for anyone that might recognize me. I wonder, would I be in this position had I stilled my curiosity that first day? With a sigh I continued to where a lone figure was silhouetted against the silver door.

Jarek, my childhood friend and protector, stood guard at the door to the prison cells. He gave a curt nod; I've always told him not to worry about formality as we've known each other so long. He dislikes that I spend my time down here. However as my friend he keeps my secret, perhaps passing these visits off as curiosity, as I wish I could.

"Camille, I know I say this every time, but I'm really not comfortable with you spending time down there with them. Wouldn't you please reconsider? A lady of your stature shouldn't bother herself with those creatures."

An irrational burst of anger flashed trough me at his words. I held it back for there was no reason I should defend them.

"And I've said many times that you should worry about me too much," I reprimanded fondly. "Trust me when I say I can take care of myself. Not to mention you will be able to tell if something is wrong."

Jarek was chosen to be my protector because his father was a warlock. The sixth sense that humans don't have would warn him before harm came to me. I knew that he didn't like placing me in potential harms way but as a friend he allowed me to come down here without telling my parents.

He bowed. "Yes, princess," he relented stiffly. Inwardly I winced. Jarek was never like this around me unless he was displeased. However I carried on through the door. I would apologize later but for now I was set on my destination.

I walked slowly through the dank corridors and my eyes strayed to the numerous vampire prisoners sitting in their small gray cells. Most of them were here for simply entering our territory; relations were that horrible with their kingdom. Others were here because of their special abilities and the threat they could pose if a war broke out between our peoples.

Those vampires were stolen away in secret even though they had done nothing. I had brought up how unfair I thought this was with my father but he argued that it was necessary. There was to be no more discussion on the subject. The vampires imprisoned for more serious offenses, such as murdering humans despite the extremely fragile truce, were kept in a high security prison.

Some of the vampires here had very powerful abilities but they were not considered dangerous enough to be placed there. There were simply too many prisoners to keep them all in one place.

Bars made of highly concentrated silver are placed closely together so that a vampire would burn themselves if they attempted to break out. There is no possible way for them to get out considering the walls of the cells are underground, embedded in solid rock, and miles thick. Not to mention the cells are checked twice a day and kept bare. There are always one or two guards at the door and countless patrols on the prison grounds.

The cells are in groups of twenty, ten on each side of me. Between each group is another door. The doors too are made of silver which would make it even harder for a vampire to escape. They have also been made,through some spell so that vampires cannot hear through the doors. They cannot talk to each other either. It keeps the threat of a planned escape minute.

When I opened the final door my mind traveled back a year to the first time I had dared enter this place.

One year prior

I had decided to learn when Jarek's shift was because I knew he could keep a secret. I was curious about the vampires and wanted to see them for myself. At first he had flat out refused and it had taken a lot of convincing to move him on the subject. Finally he had consented to letting me down here and now I was scurrying through the passages.

A sense of adventure and excitement filled me at first but it was quickly diminished. Most of the vampires didn't even stir as I slowed down to a walk and observed them. An aura of hopelessness and defeat swirled around them in a heavy fog. I must have opened twenty doors and yet the reaction was always the same.

They were not even curious as to why I decided to intrude upon their prison. I knew they had recognized me, for acknowledgment dawned in a few of their lifeless eyes. Pity stirred within me at their situation. Why were they kept here like this for such minor offenses? Or what they might be capable of? The unjustness of it hit me hard and I was furious.

No one should be treated like this. If I was kept from the earth and the fresh air I would also lose my senses like they had. It would be unbearable to never feel the wind in my locks or soft earth under my feet. And to never feel the warmth of the sun...vampires might be a little sensitive to the sun but they functioned normally in it. Everyone, no matter the species, cherished the light. Vampires could just appreciate the splendor of the night as well.

Cautiously but determinedly I walked up to one of the cells; hoping to get some reaction from the girl inside. Looking back I realize this had not been such a brilliant idea as they probably had not fed them yet. Now I curse my stubbornness which is so uncommon in a girl of 18 years, or of a woman in general. The girl's ragged hair whipped upwards as she snapped her head in my direction. She bared her teeth in a vicious snarl; her face contorted violently and fangs glinting. I quickly backed up with a gasp but she leaped at me anyway. When she hit the bars her skin sizzled and with an inhuman howl she retreated back to a corner, cradling her face in her hands.

I bit my lip and nearly headed back to the entrance, the sunlight and open air would comfort me greatly now, but instead opened the next door. This corridor was nearly empty; save for the one vampire prisoner lying on the bed and staring absently at the ceiling. When the door shut he looked curiously over at me and tilted his head.

"Come to see the dreaded 'monsters' your people talk about?" he inquired scathingly. For a moment I froze in shock. This vampire was not like the rest of them yet.

"I never said I thought of your kind as monsters," I started cautiously. "But...I'll admit I'm curious...why are you not like the others?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I haven't been here as long. Only a few decades. And I find ways to keep myself occupied. The others have let their minds fall into a stupor; they've reverted back to their basic and primal instincts.I wouldn't go near them if I were you." Too late for that.

He lazily stretched out on the cot and crossed his hands behind his head. His whole posture conveyed boredom. "So what can I do for you, Camille?"

I started when he said my name. It generally implied that you knew the person more intimately, such as a friend or...well...closer than a friend. I was used to formal titles and an uncomfortable shiver traveled down my spine.

"Well...what's your name?" I asked. If he knew mine it was only fair that I knew his.

He smiled pleasantly. "Rhykon. It's very nice to meet you, princess."

My mind raced back to the present. That fateful meeting had turned my life upside down. For months I had been coming down here to talk. It had become a routine thing. I would tell him the latest news in the outside world and bring word of scandalous gossip. In his gloomy cell Rhykon simply wished to be entertained. In return he would tell me of his country. Rhykon weaved tales of the grand cities in his homeland and had me captivated. He told me about life in the vampire territory and recounted stories of the past.

During this time we had grown to know each other very well and now I considered him a close friend. Perhaps even closer than Jarek. That was what worried me. I didn't want to be in this compromising situation. And yet, at the same time I wanted it very badly. The vampires were supposed to be our rivals despite the "truce" and I was uncomfortable knowing one so well. It blurred the lines of black and white into shades of gray. And with Rhykon I could forget about the formalities and social standing which I grew so tired of.

When I walked into the hallway to see Rhykon beaten bloody I shrieked softly in shock and horror.

R&R!