The fellow-creatures of his former dungeon had been vexed to nightmare by his defeat and awakened in full force when his mind was no longer there to tame them; they were assaulting one another and his master indifferentlly. A susseration; they crossed water, and a piercing shriek ended with a forceful plunging splash.
He could see what the future held for him; he would be trapped here, where he could do no harm to himself or others, wishing for death and sleep untroubled by dreams, released only for that customary exercise of his power which his warden felt was his due. He would become a mere animal like the ones that laid him so low, grunting and sweating as they were under the weight of their weary lives.
Running steps, halted suddenly every dozen yards to the sounds of battle. He heard them rage and fall and rest. He heard the deep, desperate breathing of his keeper as, one by one, the rough beasts under his command faltered and fell.
It was an outrage that his fortune should leave him to suffer so. Though he could not turn his daggers on his jailer he would at least speak them and make it known that his noble mind would not be a slave to passion. Some day, he would find a way to break the shell, and then to break his "master."
Clanking, shuddering, ladders taken too fast, a gasp and a crash, a malediction, a limping stride now. The splashing sounds again, this time unmarred. A secluded spot? Some sanctuary in the madness of his domain? It seemed so; there were echoes, but there was some distance. A clanking, a rummaging of cloth; objects of metal and plastic being sorted.
Perhaps this would be the end of it, already. Perhaps his warden would fall before he could escape. And then what? Would he remain trapped? It seemed unlikely there could be a failsafe. He would rot just the same, stuck in his nutshell, losing his mind slowly over the ages. Was that really preferable... yes. He would not be made a coward. His resolution was adamant. There was humming, now. It had started softly, but as the human regained its breath, he could make out the tune. There were intermittent pauses and the sound of something spraying, the shuddering breath of the other prisoners it kept, their tones slowly becoming oddly relaxed. What was going on out there? He couldn't fathom it. He only hoped the end would come soon.
The humming gradually gave way to singing. It was the first he'd heard of his captor's voice. "Take a melody, simple as can be..." What was this? Why was it singing? It had to know the other creatures would hear it, that they would come...
"Give it some words, and sweet harmony." He hated the creature, hated how stupid it was acting. It would die if it didn't shut up. There was something compelling about the voice. It seemed to be growing more forceful as he listened, sung less to dispel fear and more to express joy. But how could... And now there were others, low growls and a purring, joining in to the tune. What was this?
"Raise your voices... All day long now, love grows strong now..." He wished the singing would stop, so he could concentrate. The spray agian. Strange... He was certain that one of the growls was the voice of the creature he had felled. Suddenly, his prison was jostled, and a warmth overcame him. This must be it; he was being released to do combat. This would be the last stand, here in the cave, and he was resolved. He would do nothing to stop it.
But there was nothing for him to do. He was on a small island near the entrance of the cave, the entire team before him, their wounds healed. He blinked and stared around himself in confusion. Standing before him, holding a spray bottle, the human was smiling as it sang, and its voice became all that mattered.
"Sing a melody of love. Oh, love."