Chapter 1
Dark. Wet. Cold. Pain. Fear.
That was all he felt now. The man he used to be didn't matter now. He could never get back. He had lost his chance to escape; all because of his…he couldn't even remember why he hadn't gone.
He had lost everything that night. One night, long ago. He couldn't remember. There was no reason to remember. All that was left was life. A life he had tried to end, that he hoped would end since the day he saw… What had he seen? What had happened? It was all so long ago.
He hears the crunching of feet on gravel and immediately backs into a corner. His breath comes in gasps that he wishes were silent. But there was no point feigning unconsciousness anymore. They could tell if he were awake. They would beat him 'til he cried out. There was a clang of metal and the door creaked as someone pushed at it.
'Hello pet,' a voice crooned through the blackness. 'Are you ready for a little play?'
He could feel tremors coursing through his body as he shut his eyes tight.
'Don't you want to speak to me? You never speak to me!'
He never spoke to anyone. He had learnt that talking only landed him in more trouble. It had been so long since he had seen some one that he could speak to without being struck. He couldn't remember how to speak! Does one do it naturally? Or was it supposed to hard?
Another voice called from far away. The man in the door groaned. 'Sorry, mate. Can't play just yet.'
He allowed himself he sigh of relief as the door creaked shut and the metal clanged again. He almost laughed. They didn't need a lock on the door. He wasn't going anywhere. There were manacles around his wrists that were attached to chains that were, in their turn, attached to the wall. He didn't think he could stand on his own either.
He could remember the caves. There had been a lot of moving around when he was brought down. There were many turns, but he could remember each and every one of them, and where they lead. One of the few things that he could remember of the world outside was water. An accruing dream he had. Every night, he could see the sea, the moon, the stars, the sun. He could see people, but not their aces. Everything would blur before too much detailed could be revealed. And voices. These people would speak to him, although their voices were an emotionless drone. They would speak of charts and something about a pearl. They would ask him things, and long ago they would call him by his name. He felt that his name was the one thing they couldn't take away from him. The one thing that kept him sane. He would laugh at the thought of losing his name, for how can one lose their name?
His name…
His name…
He couldn't remember his name.