Chapter 14: DVF to the Rescue!

He lay motionless in the center of his cell, in the same spot he had been tossed. The floor was grubby and unwashed. It smelled of rats and urine. Alas, movement was restricted when one was tied up like a pig.

It was a while before the prison guard came and doled out the vile slop they passed off for gruel. Groaning in hunger and pain, Kilek rolled on his side and tried for the life of him to drag the bowl towards him with his foot.

After eating it, he fell into a troubled sleep.

He was later jostled awake by the guard.

"Get up, the master wants to see you," He grumbled.

"I can't, exactly." Said Kilek.

It seemed to suddenly hit the guard that he was tied up.

He's a quick one, alright!

"Aye…"

So Kilek was roughly untied, then retied around the wrists.

"This way."

It didn't really matter which way it was, because the guard was pretty much hauling him along by the collar. They passed dozens of cells like his, and then went up two flights of stairs to a slightly cleaner, less stinking corridor. They then stopped at a door. The guard knocked twice, then licked his hand and slicked back his hair.

"You 'ed best be polite to Mr. Ruzak."

The door was swiftly opened and they were ushered inside. Mr. 'Ruzak' was obviously the jail supervisor, an ugly, greasy man wearing a patchy fur vest and cheap rings. His eyes were a watery blue, hidden behind fuzzy black eyebrows. Kilek was forced to his knees, held tightly.

The room was small, furnished with old wooden chairs and a cramped desk in the corner. Notes and special dates were tacked to the wall, along with a labeled map of the prison. On a wall rack, there were countless keys, most appearing to be of relative shape and size.

"Lemme see 'im." Ruzak said, taking a cane off the wall and using it to push Kilek's head up. His gaze was cold and menacing. Kilek cast his eyes down.

"It's one of 'em alright." He mumbled. "But where'r the other three?"

The guard answered.

"Frunden says they escaped, sir."

The man looked at the guard.

"What d'you mean they escaped!?" Ruzak snarled.

"Sir, you woun't believe me if I tol' yeh."

"What? Tell me!"

Kilek inwardly grinned. The guard would not be able to explain the pegasus.

"Sir, there was some sot'a flyin hoss, he says. They lost two men, they did."

"Well. I'll deal with Frunden later." He regarded Kilek again.

"We still have something to work with. For now at least."

For now, at least?

The man took the end of the cane from under Kilek's throat.

"What's your name, boy?"

He looked at the ground and didn't answer.

"Not talkative, eh?" Mr. Ruzak gently brushed the edge of the cane across his cheek. He swallowed, trying to conceal his nervousness.

"At any rate, that's not important right now." He turned his back and started to pace around the room. "Tie him up, Edgar."

Kilek didn't struggle. He was bound tightly against a chair, and his legs tied to the feet so he couldn't kick. When Edgar was done, he was dismissed. The door clicked shut, leaving the dim room in silence.

"Now. I'm not one to prance around the subject. You will tell me, or you will be punished." He paused briefly. "I need to know where your friends ran off to."

Kilek was silent again, hating the man more every second.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Take your pick." Ruzak paced around him slowly, tapping the cane on the floor.

Still, he remained silent.

"I see. Well, you four have caused us a lot of trouble, let me tell you. The municipal government has been accused of insufficient methods of handling slaves. There have been many complaints from peasants, saying there have been kidnappings. The police have been working around the clock hunting down escaped slaves, who have been undoubtedly inspired by the news of the recent break outs. More and more slaves aren't doing their job, and are sneaking out during the night." He paused for a moment, examining his fingers.

"Do you know how all of this was started?"

Kilek remained with his mouth firmly shut. This man would not have the satisfaction of getting him to reply.

"It started, when a farmer outside the city came and complained to the slave marketers. He said some of his slaves were missing, and had probably gone to the city. Naturally, news of this spread like wildfire among both peasants and slaves. Soon there was talk of an uprising. The total amount who had escaped was not known, and it was thought there were hundreds roaming the street, disguised as civilians. It has caused much trouble for us, you know."

Kilek stared at his knees.

"The city is in panic. There has even been talk of assassinations. And now, I have ahold of the one tool I need, to put an end to this. And to reap my reward." His lips cracked into an evil glare. "Now…Tell me where your little friends went."

Another long pause. Mr. Ruzak started to get flustered.

"Tell me where they are!" He said loudly, pressing his face close to Kilek's. When he received no answer, he took his cane and struck him across the face, just under his cheekbone. Kilek could feel the bruise forming already.

Alas, physical pain meant nothing.

"Tell me!" He said angrily, smacking Kilek again. His head twisted back to its frontal position. Still he said not a word.

Kilek didn't listen to Mr. Ruzak. He didn't care what he said. . Kilek simply withdrew his mind and hid within the recesses of his body. As long as he knew his friends would come and rescue him soon, this didn't matter.

The interrogation went on, but to no avail. After a while he didn't even notice that a small trickle of blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.

That night he lay in the corner of his cell, awake only because of the rancid fumes of the prison. But he was used to it. He was used to being treated like scum all the time, to be treated like an animal who didn't even deserve the least bit of respect. Tiredly, he sighed and pushed away the hunger, which was slowly consuming him. They had skipped cell number eighteen while doling out the slop.

As the night wore on, visions of Fenna drifted in and out of his mind. Soon, his head was swimming with questions.

When will they come?

Will they be able to get past the guards?

How will they unlock the door?

Will Fenna be alright? Last time I was with her she couldn't walk properly…

Where did Afriila go?

Why did she disappear?

Will we ever see her again?

Will I ever see any of them again?

Somehow, he managed to wonder himself to sleep, curled up in a ball on the floor.

"For the last time! I did not abandon you! I had to temporarily leave. My arrest would have been far worse than anything that happened if you got caught."

Fenna turned and frowned, hiding behind a curtain of hair.

"Well, we ought to find out where he is." Said Den, wiping the dust off his face.

"Oh yeah, brilliant." Vaz retorted. "Like we can just look into a crystal ball and see where the soldiers took him."

Afriila raised an eyebrow.

"Actually…"

She wouldn't explain why, but she made them dig a shallow scrape in the dirt floor, and then fill it with wine from a dusty old casket on one of the shelves along the wall.

Afriila leaned over, looking into the bottom of the silly little puddle. She held her hand out and closed her eyes briefly. Then, she said something. It sounded like the same language she had been using all along.

Elvish…

And then the strangest thing happened. In the pool of wine appeared a picture on it's surface. First it was quite blurry, then suddenly clear and sharp. A scruffy, huddled form was all curled up, fast asleep.

"Kilek!" Fenna exclaimed suddenly.

There he was, except…where exactly was he? It was impossible to know. The background of the picture was pitch black. It was strange, seeing him lie there but not to see his surroundings. Then again…it was fairly strange to see anything in a puddle of wine.

"Can he hear us?" Said Vaz, fingers running through his hair.

"No. He can not see nor hear us. And we cannot hear him."

"Why is the background dark?" Asked Fenna.

"The magic only lets you see what you have already seen."

Den peered at the image, then remember something.

"Say, Fenna's ankle hasn't healed properly. What was wrong with that magical bandage you gave her?"

"Who said it was magical?" Afriila said, eyes unrevealing.

Fenna said nothing.

"How long did you wear it, Fenna?" She said coolly.

"T…Two days."

"See? There's the problem. Just because you feel better, doesn't mean you are better."

The image on the pool of wine dissolved. Afriila set her gaze on Fenna.

"What's your point?" Fenna said, trying to hide her eyes.

"My point is, you should have worn it longer. Like anyone with proper sense would do."

Hmph.

"Give me your foot."

She wasn't sure what the strange elf was going to do, but she figured it for the better. (She didn't let her know that, though.)

Afriila had cool and smooth hands. She took Fenna's foot in one hand, with the other held over it.

She murmured something long and strange.

Fenna felt an icy cold sensation on the tip of her toe. It slowly engulfed the rest of her foot, and then went partway up her shin. First the sensation was only on the surface of her skin. But suddenly it condensed, and withdrew into her deep tissue. Fenna felt the pain being soothed away. And then, all at once, it stopped.

She stood up. Completely without assistance.

"Th…Thank you." It was hard to say it. Fenna didn't like Afriila one bit, but…her ankle was…healed?

"Let us retrieve Kilek. There is no time to waste."

Four figures snuck along the sides of buildings like alleycats. It was quite dark out.

"You're sure that's it?" Murmered Vaz.

"Positive." Replied Den, his face hidden by shadows. "There's only one prison in the city which doesn't I.D. the inmates. That's it right there."

It was a shabby, dirty, and obviously well traveled prison. Above the heavily armed door was a sign. However, Kilek was the only one who had competent reading skills. Except, of course, for Afriila. But she remained silent. They snuck into the alley alongside the building.

"Let's go inside!" Whispered Fenna. Suddenly they heard footfall on the pavement, and were forced to press into the shadows. It was a soldier, out on nightime duty. Hours seemed to drag by as they waited for him to pass. Finally, he was out of earshot.

"Fenna." Said Vaz. "You go. We'll stay and keep watch."

"Why won't you guys come?" She said, afraid to go alone.

Den stepped in. "It's too dangerous for all of us to come inside at once. It would make too much noise."

"Alright." She said, swallowing hard.

She crept around the corner, glancing both ways. Nothing but empty stalls and garbage tumbling in the late night breeze.

Fenna peered through the bars of the door to see a pitch black corridor, lined with cells. No guards were in sight.

She opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped inside.

Soft breathing could be heard. But it was not the smell that Fenna noticed, it was the most horrible smell that consumed the entire place. A strong mix of urine and unwashed bodies. It was not for the faint of heart.

She tiptoed along, checking each cell closely. Then, suddenly…

Kilek heard a footstep behind him. And it wasn't the heavy clunking of a guard's foot, either.

He sat up, turning to face the aisle.

A slender female silouhuette stopped in front of the bars.

"Kilek? Is that you?" She said, her voice barely audible.

"Fenna! You've come!" He crawled over.

"It's you!" She whispered, crouching down to face him.

She reached through the bars and squeezed his hands.

"Fenna…" He breathed, trying to see her face. He could hardly believe she was here.

"You sound terrible. What have they done to you?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about me."

A sliver of moonlight beamed shyly through a window.

"Your face, you have bruises everywhere!"

"I…I…" He looked into her eyes. Something in his mind stopped working.

"I'm just glad you're okay." She said, voice quivering. Her grip tightened.

Kilek let go and hugged her through the bars.

After a few minutes she pulled gently away and cast her eyes on the ground.

Something inside him was soaring. He gathered his courage for a moment.

"Fenna?"

"Yes?" Her reply was barely a breath. She slowly looked up at him. He stared into her eyes. Her olive green eyes that seemed like they went on forever.

"I love you."

Am I dreaming?

Everything seemed to swirl in an unreal haze. The words she heard him speak seemed distant. Distant, yet so very close at the same time. Was it real? Was it true?

Her whole body froze, thoughts unable to be processed.

Was this really her wildest fantasy come true? Fenna tried to speak, but somewhere between her brain and her throat there was a problem.

Harsh words cut like an icy knife into her dreaming trance.

"Fenna! Now!"

She saw Afriila, motioning at her furiously.

She ran out, unsure of what just happened.

He regretted it. The moment the words left his tongue, he knew he had made a mistake. When he saw her eyes fall to the floor, he knew it was all wrong.

What was worse than regret was the silence. She did not answer. Her eyes seemed glazed, her mind in another realm.

Cold was slowly creeping into his chest.

She didn't answer.

She didn't answer, because she doesn't feel the same way.