Chapter 15
Sparke was gasping for air as he came within sight of the white walls of Cair Paravel. But in his mind all he could see was Ranger getting hurt, possibly dead by now.
"Open the gates!" Someone shouted.
The Fox pushed his quaking leg mechanically, ignoring the questions everyone was asking him. His one thought was of his friend.
Finally he stood before the king, his legs taking him of their own accord to the throne room. All eyes were drawn to him as he entered – alone. The queen's face paled and the king, who had been talking with his advisors, fell silent.
"Sparke? What happened?"
The Fox could barely meet his king's eyes as he says "They took him. They took Ranger."
A stunned silence filled the room. No one wanted to believe it, but it was true. Their friend–Ranger–was gone.
~o~o~
Ayron was aware of the pain before he opened his eyes. His whole body hurt, but perhaps it was his head that troubled him most. Then Ayron was aware of a voice.
"Hey, you alright?"
Turning his head he saw the small form of a dwarf in the cell next to his. His black hair was tangled and matted, his face had a battered, beaten look to it, but his eyes glittered like twin stars.
"Not really," Ayron replied with a slight grin that turned to a grimace. "Are we the only ones stuck down here?"
The dwarf shook his head. "There's one other–Moonbeam."
"Moonbeam?" Ayron asked.
"Maybe you'll see her tomorrow. Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Rikkle."
Ayron slowly dragged himself over to the bars that separated them. The rough stones snagged at tears in his clothes and scraped his already battered body. Gritting his teeth Ayron managed to grab the iron bars and felt his hands brush against Rikkle's.
He was about to tell him his name when footsteps sounded in the dark hallway, and Ayron dragged himself away from the bars as the light of a torch reflected off the slick, damp walls. The person passed their cells and continued walking. Ayron sighed and closed his eyes, trying to get some rest.
He didn't know what would happen next, but he wanted to be prepared–for anything.