(Celosia's Pov)
Drip... Drip... Drip... Drip...
I sat on the cell's stone cold floor, with the only sounds around me being my breathing, the water dripping from the ceiling into the small puddle in the corner, and the sound of slow steps coming towards me. I looked forward, straight into the ginormous Black Dog's huge glowing white eyes. I didn't know if this one was for guidance, or a death omen. I didn't dare so much as open my mouth, knowing it would attack me and steal my soul if I spoke. It came closer, walking through the thick metal bars and sat in front of me.
My head suddenly surged with pain and my vision blurred. I saw flashes of my former partner and betrothed, sleeping peacefully on a nice bed. I saw flashes of a mansion, then what looked like a man's hand pulling out a knife. The last flash was one that showed the man stabbing Damian straight through the heart and then poofing away in a puff of smoke.
I came out of the vision to see the Black Dog had vanished and a single key in front of me. I picked it up and tried it on my cell's lock.
Click...
The door slowly opened with a loud creak that made me cringe. I scanned the area, then proceeded to stealthily sneak out. All the windows were barred up, and I wouldn't be able to kill all the guards in time. There has to be another way...
I felt the key in my hand shift and a breath on my neck. I turned around to see the same Black Dog from before walk past me and go through a wall the had a perfectly vertical crack in the wall. I walked over the wall, to investigate. The League always had rumors that Ras kept secret passageways in the walls.
I saw a keyhole randomly placed in the stone wall and looked around for a key. I looked around the wall and saw a tiny table around the corner. Nothing was on it, but as soon as I checked it out, I found a little key. I pushed it through the hole and the wall opened up. But there was little to no light.
Suddenly, torches lit on their own down the hallway the secret door opened up to. I turned around to the doorway and found another keyhole. I tried the key in this hole and the door shut with a small rumble. I turned to the lit hall and walked swiftly down it. I took a torch from the wall for safe measure, just in case I would need it later on. The path came to a divide and I saw two glowing eyes on the left path that belonged to the Black Dog and followed it. I reached the end of the hall, and found the same keyhole as before. I tried the key again and it worked, thankfully.
I looked around and saw that I was in the hallway that took you to the training arena, if I could get downstairs I'd be able to escape, but there were hundreds of League soldiers scouting out the palace. I decided to make my way to the kitchen, stock up on food, then get to the stairs. The Black Dog was gone once again, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last time I would see it.
I made my way to the kitchen quietly, avoiding guards as much as possible. I went into the kitchen area, closing the door carefully and then grabbing a burlap bag and stuffed a few apples, some roast, and a few pieces of bread in it. I packed a flintstone that the cooks used for starting the stone oven with, along with a knife, and cashews last minute. I tied up the sack with a long piece of twine and slung it over my shoulder.
I grabbed one more knife and exited the kitchen, jogging to the stairs, stopping to check for guards. This seemed really easy, almost too easy. I shook off the feeling and went down the stairs. The windows here were no longer barred up and I could jump from here. I tied the bag around my waist with a ripped off piece of my tattered, stained white shirt. I jumped fearlessly as far as I could and tried to grab onto the branches of one of the trees. The branches broke my fall, painfully of course, but it wasn't too bad.
I would have bid bruises tomorrow, but I got up with a quiet, suppressed groan and ran to the docks on the south edge of the island. I didn't allow myself to rest, I had to find Damian.I ran and ran and ran, finally getting to the docks and hiding in the bushes. I saw at least eight guards, but something caught my eye.
The Black Dog, it appeared beside me, looking off into the distance. I gazed at a small motor boat that would fit me and only me. It was far enough away that no one would see me get in. I felt the key that I had stuffed into my ripped jean's pocket earlier shift around. I pulled it out and saw that it was to the motor boat, at least I hoped it was. Th Black Dog walked over to all the guards. It was causing a distraction. Why was it doing this? What did it have to gain from this? I had no time to dwell on those questions.
The Black Dog was now ripping the guards to shreds and growls and screams were all I heard. I rushed to the motor boat and took off full speed, thankfully grabbing a can of fuel for it before taking off. No matter what happened in the past, no matter what Talia did to me, I still cared about Damian. And nothing was ever going to hurt him if I had anything to do with it.
Hey guys! For all of you that don't know what a Black Dog is, it is a spirit that is either a death omen, a traveler, or a guide, as seen in this story. This story focuses a lot on supernatural beings, Damian and Celosia. The Bat Family will be in a few chapters and as will Talia, but not too much. I know this chapter is pretty vague, but everything will unfold eventually.
