Tesaldia's scream woke Shai the next morning. They had made camp in a small grove of trees not far from the castle.

Shai jumped up. What was going on? He looked around. Sharaes was on a halter and was fighting the man that held her. Tesaldia had handcuffs on and her mouth was gagged.

Then Shai saw what was going on, Vyrdaes had found them and he was going to take them into the dungeon.

"Vyrdaes, it's you, what do you want?"

"I want this girl to cooperate with me, and you're going to help me."

"I'd never help you. I'd never throw my life away doing something for someone so evil."

"Then you will be used as a slave, not a servant."

"You can't control me."

"Oh no, I believe that you were signed over to me and you aren't eighteen."

"I won't help you and you won't ever make me."

"Well that's just too bad isn't it," an evil grin stretched across Vyrdaes's face.

Shai looked at him with a look of complete hatred. Shai wanted to run over and kill him. Shai knew that this was impossible, Tesaldia and Shai had camped too close to the castle, and now they were paying the consequences.

Shai was dragged after Tesaldia toward the castle. The gates opened up and they were hastily thrown inside.

Shai sat up against a wall of the dungeon. He hated it here. The smell was terrible and the hard floor didn't make the room any better. Icy water dripped off of the walls and landed on the two, making them shiver.

"I wonder what he's doing with Sharaes," Tesaldia said nervously.

"I don't know, but don't worry he wouldn't kill her, he wants her for himself, remember."

"I think Sharaes would rather die than be his horse."

Shai thought about this and sat down. He wondered what they could possibly do, but there was nothing. They were stuck in the dungeon and there was no mending the situation, they would just have to wait.

Shai laid down and tried to fall asleep. He held his egg close to him, Vyrdaes had not taken the egg because he had thought that the bag Shai had been holding, would only hold worthless junk. Shai smiled, well Vyrdaes had been wrong.

Shai rubbed the egg's shell and traced the design with his finger. He hoped it would hatch soon. Shai laid his hand on the shell. It was very warm and the pulse was quite strong. It was not ready to hatch though.

Tesaldia watched Shai as he sat with his egg. He acted like a mother hen protecting her egg. Tesaldia almost burst out laughing, imagining Shai as a giant chicken.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps. She got up and looked through the bars of the cell. The cook was hurrying down the aisle. She pushed the food under the cell door and was away before Tesaldia could say anything to her.

Tesaldia just shrugged and picked up her food. She shoved the other tray toward Shai. She smelt the food. It actually smelled good. They had not gotten any eating utensils so they were forced to eat with their hands.

Tesaldia gulped her food down. She had been so hungry. They hadn't had a decent meal for a long time. Tesaldia had noticed that her ribs were starting to show, and her hip bones protruded. She was sickened by this.

Tesaldia did not actually want to continue the journey. She just wanted to go home. Tesaldia wished none of these things had ever happened to her. She knew she could not back out though, because she had to defeat Vyrdaes, for her parent's sake. Tesaldia didn't know where her parents were, but she was sure they were probably working for Vyrdaes.

Tesaldia shivered. The dungeon was freezing cold and she was not wearing very thick clothing. She hoped that she would soon be able to leave this awful place.

Tesaldia pushed her tray back into the aisle once she had finished with it. She sat back down against the wall. She thought about all the things that had happened to her. She wondered if she would ever be able to lead a normal life. Tesaldia also wondered if she would live through the fight with Vyrdaes.

A few minutes passed before Tesaldia got up again. She walked over to the cell door. She looked at the lock. She wondered if she had anything to pick it with. Tesaldia looked through her bag and her pockets but she found nothing that would work.

Tesaldia walked back and forth. What was Vyrdaes doing? Was he planning to make them both into slaves, or just Shai? If she wasn't a slave, then what would he use her for. Tesaldia thought of a few things she wanted to do to Vyrdaes.

"Tesaldia will you stop pacing around like that, you're making me nervous."

"I can't help it, Shai, I can't stand the suspense."

"Just calm down and wait, he won't come any faster with you pacing around like that."

"I guess you're right."

Tesaldia tried to sit down, but was soon up and pacing around the dungeon again.

"Tesaldia, sit down."

"I can't sit still."

She shivered in the cold air of the dungeon. Maybe walking around would warm her up, she hoped so.

"Tesaldia, he'll come soon."

This did not reassure her. Vyrdaes could take days, or weeks, or even months. He had no reason to rush.

"What are you so nervous about anyway?"

"I just want to know what he's doing to Sharaes."

Tesaldia did not have to wait long for her answer because as soon as she went back to the cell door, she heard Vyrdaes shout something. There was a loud crack of a whip and a whinny of pain.