Chapter 21: Prisoners of war
Silver: Here we are with chapter 21!
Cynder: Welcome returning readers!
Spyro: Let's hope you enjoy the chapter!
Silver: I'll be handling the disclaimers today.
Disclaimers
Silver: I do not own the Spyro storyline nor characters, only my own OCs and story. If you don't like my story then just don't read it!
Silvus' POV:
Several Ghouls aligned the circular room and many banners were hung above them. They looked a lot like the giant ghoul sitting on the throne at the back of the room. I assumed that he was the Ice King.
As we barged in each and every head in the room turned towards us. I felt exposed and intimidated by their gaze. Their worldly gaze boring into my skull.
I did not feel safe at all inside this room.
When the King final spoke it made me jump.
"What bring Kaf-ta and Kaf-to from deh great Kan-zo family to my do-main?" His voice deep and sounding like gravel, it seems that he doesn't speak very well.
Kafto and Kafta looked startled at the mention of their name. As if they didn't expect him to know them.
Recovering from shock, Kafta spoke.
"I come seeking answers Ice King."
I began shifting uncomfortably as the Ghouls became restless. It's like they're expecting a fight to go down.
"What kind-of an-swers?" He asked with a knowing smirk.
"The kind that explains why you aren't out there helping us defend our home! The kind that explains why you and all your troops are sitting here doing nothing!" She said approaching the King quickly leaving us behind. "Especially the kind that explains why there are Ghouls! Your Ghouls! Preparing to blow a hole in the southern wall!"
Instead of defending themselves all of the Ghouls let out a deep chuckle. That was enough to cause Kafta to stop in her tracks a few paces away from the throne.
Kafta began to slowly backtrack. I followed in her footsteps and did the same until my tail was against the closed door.
A suddenly explosion could be heard in the distance. The whole room shook from the shock of it.
The Ice King chuckle darkly, he stood up slowly.
"Th-at was deh s-ound of your w-all go-ing boo-m." He said while slowly approaching Kafta, each step he took shook the room.
Kafta visibly tensed as he did so and she began to shake. In fear or anger I did not know.
"You will pay for your betrayal." She said lowly.
"I th-ink not." The Ice King said still walking towards her. "Your k-ind has been he-re l-ong. But no more, now you all die!"
He said while resing his massive sword that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The other Ghouls let out sounds that maybe was suppose to sound like cheers but sounded nothing like it.
"No!" Kafta jumped towards the Ice King but did not get far.
All the Ice KIng did was smile darkly before he leaned back and let out a great breath of ice that froze Kafta in mid air.
She fell to the ground along with my jaw. Kafta wasn't frozen in a block of ice but in a case of ice that covered each detail.
She looked just like a statue with her wings spread and her legs in a leaping position.
"No!" Kafto yelled running towards her frozen body.
He didn't get far before a couple Ghouls grabbed hold of him. They held him back and forced him of his knees in front of the Ice King.
"You are a-pa-rt of deh Kan-zo fam-ly you will be sp-ared." He said looked down at Kafto then looking at me. "Deh sm-all one's sc-ales will fe-tch a pr-ice of deh mar-ket."
My eyes widened in realization on what he meant. I tried to run away from the Ghouls that were coming at me, but I wasn't fast enough.
"W-wait!" I heard Kafto say as they grabbed hold of me. "H-he's my brother!" His voice shaking in fear.
I was about to protest of this cold lie but I met Kafto's eyes and realized that he was trying to save my life. I smiled inwardly at the attempt.
The Ice King looked in my direction, his gaze boring into my own, searching for some sort of lie. But my expression remained stoic, giving nothing away.
"True?" He said. It took me a moment to realize that he was asking a question.
"Y-yes!" I said my voice shaking.
The Ice King crouched down in front of Kafto and placed one of his skeletal hands on his head. I my eyes widened in fear of what the Ice King is going to do to him.
But instead he grasped Kafto's helmet and ripped it from his head throwing it behind him. He then proceeded to do the same for the rest of his armor.
Then he pointed at the Ghouls that were holding me and they started to rip of my beloved armor. I fell down from the forcefulness of the Ghouls. The leather straps the were my hel broke on my scales leaving my jaw in pain.
They payed no care for our armor. If dragon armor was not strong then it would have broke the moment it hit the ground.
The Ice King stood up from where he was and backhanded Kafto right on his check. If it weren't for the Ghouls holding him in place, Kafto would have been flung across the room.
The Ice King made several noises that I could not understand. It sounded like he was giving orders to the other Ghouls.
Suddenly something was attached to my neck and I was pulled out of the room forcefully, nearly choking me to death. Kafto was received the same treatment as me.
=0=
I was thrown into another room with bars near the door. The Ghouls that threw me in here just laughed at me.
Looking around my new home, I could spot nothing that could get me out of here. No window, the ground was made of metal so there was no digging out of here.
On the outside was a long hallway with rooms similar to mine. There were no Ghouls as far as I could tell.
Except of the ones the were dragging Kafto down the hall. He looked unconscious from what I could see. He didn't look too good.
The check that the Ice King hit him on was dyed redder than it normally was. His once bright scales, looked dull and dirty.
The shoved him in the room across from mine. They threw him on the floor and chained him unlike what they did to me.
Soon they're heavy footsteps faded away and all was silent except for Kafto's ragged breath.
I sat in silence playing with my tiny claws. They have just started coming in when I left weeks ago to Boyzitbig. That felt like forever ago.
My horns as always were little stubs but they too were growing slowly but surely. My tail blade is the only thing that hasn't changed one bit. It was dull with no sharpness whatsoever.
A sudden groan broke me out of my thoughts. I looked over at Kafto to see him stirring.
I saw his orange eyes snap open in fear and he stood up quickly. But not before the chains forced him to his feet quickly.
He let out a sigh of relief when he saw me.
"Thank the Ancestors you're okay."
I smiled at his concern but my smile soon faded upon his frown. He folded his paws in front of him and rested his head atop them.
"Why?" I said suddenly.
Without taking his head of his paws he looked at me with a confused look.
"Why did you lie to save me." I asked, my mom always taught me lying was wrong, yet Kafto used it to save my life.
"I just witnessed my sister being encased by her own element, there is no way out for her until the Ice King allows it." He said sadly. "In other words I just witnessed her death. I'm not just about to witness a friend's death."
I felt warm inside at him calling me his friend.
Even though he saved my life he still looked sad. Maybe over Kafta, or of the knowledge that we are stuck here, possibly for a very long time.
"Get comfortable." Kafto said. "We are going to be here awhile."
=0=
I was startled out of my slumber from the sound of a deep grumbling. Looking around I spotted nothing that could have possible made such a noise.
It took me another grumble to realize that it was my stomach calling for something to eat. I reached to where my satchle lay on my but my paw only passed through empty space.
I let out a gasp and it must have been loud.
"What! What is it!" Kafto said franticly trying to stand up but could not due to the chains.
"My satchel is gone!" I whispered loudly.
Kafto sat down after realizing I wasn't in troubling from anything.
"You think they would leave us with our stuff." He said resting his head on his paws again. "What was in it that was so important anyways?" Kafto asked.
"A map of the Dragon Realms!" I whispered frantically.
Kafto rolled his eyes at me but it looked painful at the same time. That scar on his check needed to be treated.
"They would already have one." He said, his voice wracked with pain.
"This one was different." I said. "Gabriel gave it to me."
This time his eyes widened and he slowly lifted his head to look me in the eye.
"What kind of secrets does it hold." He said. It wasn't a question.
I opened my mouth to speak but all that came out was a yelp as a Ghoul stepped into view and banged my cage. My heart was beating rapidly. The Ghoul gave a grin because of my reaction.
"No ta-lkin b-twin pri-sn-ors." He said before continuing on his way.
Even after the Ghoul's footsteps faded away I could not stop shaking from the scare. I kept my mouth shut in fear of a Ghoul hearing what I had to say.
"Don't talk, just nod your head in a yes or no." Kafto said whispering so low that I could barely hear him. "Does it reveal his location?" He asked.
I nodded my head frantically. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Let us hope that they do not look at it." He said and I nodded in reply. "Try and think of a way we could escape this place."
I nodded once again and set my head down on my paws.
My thoughts were filled with possible ways we could escape this place. Half of them didn't even seem realistic. I barely knew anything about places like this so I really couldn't come up with any ideas.
Gabriel and Ignitus probably should have thought about my age before sending me on these missions. I don't know how or why they think a little green dragon like me could get anything down.
Then again I did find out where Cynder truly came from.
Cynder….
She could be dead. I don't have to figure out a way to get my revenge anymore, yet. I wish I could have been the one to take satisfaction to bring such a monster down.
Perhaps I could find her body and give her my own mark. The same place she stabbed my mother to avenge her.
Sudden images flashed through my mind. Blood was stained all over a dragon's sapphire scales. Long talons were protruding at the source of blood.
A scream of agony could be heard. From? I do not know where. An evil cackle could be heard along with it.
Wisps of black smoke was seen on the owner of such talons. Their eyes were blood red, bur then suddenly emerald green for only just a moment.
The images stopped but I was left holding my head and screaming in pain. I couldn't even hear the door opening to my cage and the sound of a sword being drawn.
All went dark as a sharp pain was felt on my head.
=0=
I awoke with a dull pain in my right paw. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light.
I could barely hear someone calling my name.
"Silvus!" A voice called. "Are you alright!"
Finally adjusting to the light I saw Kafto standing without being pulled down. His check had some sort of blue stuff on him, but there was still blood on his face.
"Kafto?" I said my voice hoarse. "W-what happened?"
He looked visibly calm now that I responded, but he still looked stressed and weak.
"You fell asleep after our last conversation." He said hesitating. "Then you suddenly starting screaming and yelling, you were holding your head." He then walked closer to the bars of the cell. "The Ghouls came down here because of the ruckus you were making and knocked you out. They took you away...I thought they wouldn't bring you back."
He finished...his voice nearly cracked at the end of his speech. My head continued to pound and my paw felt numb.
I looked down at it and gasped loudly. My middle claw was gone and the same blue stuff that was on Kafto's check, was on my paw.
"Your claw is gone." Kafto said suddenly, laying down again.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"They said something about it when they brought you back." His response was. "They also-"
Quick footsteps interrupted him. I sat down waiting for whoever was approaching to pass by. But they stopped in front of our cells.
"You are re-q-ir-d in d-h h-all." A Ghoul stopped in front of our cell.
He opened my cell and put a chain around my neck and did the same for Kafto. The Ghoul wasn't soft and tugged on the chains, choking us.
It took a few minutes for us to get to the hall. The Ice King wasn't there like I expected. Instead there was several big apes in the hall.
Several loud grunts could be heard from all of them. It seems that is how they communicate with each other.
The Ghoul that was tugging at us forced us on our knees in front of the apes and forced our head up to look at them. The largest one in front addressed us head on.
"You two are the ones responsible." He said, his voice slow and deep.
"For?" Kafto asked.
All the apes and Ghouls around us laughed mockingly.
"The death of our general." He said with a smirk. "Cynder."
Silver: Here comes the end of the chapter people, and I am all alone this time around. Spyro and Cynder went somewhere for a bit. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you all next week!