Miles under Sakura's room, in the dungeon below the glittering palace, Rormic sat in chains. He remembered back to when the councilor had ordered him placed in the dungeon. Sakura had yelled and Rormic himself had been shocked. Kiru had to lead him out of the office before he realized what was happening. Rormic immediately began to fight. He twisted his shoulders this way and that so that Kiru could not hold them properly. He faked to the left and sprinted towards the archway. The armed men that had been there earlier appeared again but Rormic made a sharp turn to avoid them. He was quickly moving towards the window.

"STOP!" Kiru's voice boomed across the lobby but Rormic paid it no mind. He braced his hands against the window frame and prepared to jump out. Rormic's feet left the ground and he felt freedom in his grasp. The feeling of freedom for quickly followed by alarm. Gloved hands grabbed Rormic's clothing and hair before his feet were able to touch the ground.

"You've made another mistake, boy." Kiru swore as Rormic continued to struggle and he yelled to the men to get irons. The iron shackles were tightened to secure Rormic's wrists behind his back. "Stop struggling. It won't help you now."

Rormic knew that Kiru was saying the truth but he could not will his body to be still. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and yelled for him to move and struggle. It took four guards to force Rormic into the dungeon. What he saw surprised him.

Rormic had imagined the dungeon as low after low of tiny cells but palace dungeon was one big room. He breathed a sigh of relief. Small spaces scared all the members of the Elk Clan and Rormic was no exception. Rormic was disappointed that he could not move around the room but he was still glad that the prison was not small. The guards that had forced Rormic down to the dungeon seemed to enjoy chaining the boy's arms to the wall and making the irons extra tight.

Rormic was forced to sit where they had left him with his arms above his head. His arms were tired of staying up and his back ached from rubbing against the course wall. Rormic tried to remember more comfortable places – and even tried to imagine that he was there – but thinking of anything was getting harder and harder with the constant sound of dripping water ringing throughout the large chamber.

"Garrahg!" Rormic cried out in his frustration. He was ready to kick at anything he could when a voice surprised him into stillness.

"Don't worry. After awhile all the little noises don't bother you."

"Wh-who's there?" Rormic's voice trembled as he asked. He silently prayed that it was not one of the councilor's men.

"My name is Brad Pilletera. I am not really anyone important. I don't even really belong in this world."

"You're Sakura's father! She is here, looking for you!" Rormic assumed that this news would please the father but he was very wrong.

Brad's face changed color from red to white and finally to purple. The older man's mouth moved up and down but it took a few minutes before words finally came out. "Sakura should not be here. She is supposed to be at home where she will be safe." He stopped and breathed deeply for a few moments to calm himself and compose his words. "She has no idea what she is getting into. I have to get out of here… I have to warn her!"

"She seemed to be doing a great job to me," Rormic explained. "Sakura traveled across the forest and tamed beasts. She even met the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded. She has been a messenger and a spy and everything in between. She can handle the councilor just fine." Rormic finished with a smile but Brad's face seemed to get even sadder and even turned whiter.

"The councilor will be the least of her worries." Rormic swore he could see tears streaming down the man's face in the dark of the dungeon.

"What do you mean? What is this really about?"

"Sakura does not know the real story and I fear that she will not recognize the enemy." Brad spoke in a loud whisper as if he did not notice that Rormic was there at all.

"Sakura is smart. She'll know when they try to trick her." Rormic tried to comfort the crying man.

"You have no idea what they are capable of!"

"Maybe we can warn her…" Rormic knew that it was unlikely that either of them would be able to see Sakura but he wanted her father to calm down so that they could come up with a new plan. "I need to know who the real enemies are. Sakura needs to know who to watch out for."

"Poor Ann has so many enemies. I hoped that she had warned Sakura but now I am sure. If Sakura knew what type of people really lived here, she would have never agreed to come."

Rormic wanted to shake the man and yell that he was not making any sense at all. He concentrated on breathing and slowing his racing heart. Rormic focused on calming his anger.

"Brad," Rormic began in the slowest, calmest tone he could muster. He took a breath before plunging into the hard part of the conversation – only to be interrupted by Kiru walking into the dungeon.

"The councilor still wants answers," Kiru stated this with a blank, expressionless face that chilled Rormic to the bone. "Come on," Kiru turned to face Brad Pilletera. "The councilor has more questions for you, Old Man."

Brad shook his head. "I already told him everything that I know."

"The councilor has met the girl and seen the heirloom. He has some new questions. You would do well to answer all of them." Kiru unlocked the chains that secured Brad's wrists to the wall and forcibly pulled the older man to his feet. Kiru pulled the stumbling man after him as he made his way to the stairs that led out of the dungeon.

"He's confused," Rormic tried to explain to Kiru. "He won't be able to answer anything."

"I'll be coming back down to get you shortly," Kiru replied curtly.

"Don't waste the councilor's time with the old man. Take me up now and just get it over with." Rormic knew that he should be more respectful but he could not help but let his frustration show.

"You'll get your turn," Kiru yelled down before Rormic heard the lock bang securely behind Kiru.

Author's Note: Hi Guys! I've got good news and bad news – the good news is that I have a new job . The bad news is that I will be back to updating every other week instead of every week. Sorry…