Oh boy, it's taken me forever.

But here we are.

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The Dark Land Of Light

Chapter Three
The Dark Dank Dungeon

The dungeon was dark and lank, it stank of dampness and something rotten; moisture dribbled down the cobbled stone walls, the air was cold and his breath floated upwards from his lips. Kai sat slumped against the wall, his head lolling to one side as he sat silently in the darkness; occasionally there would be the traipsing sound of soldiers passing by but none of them had bothered him, not even looked in on him.

Kai wasn't sure how long he'd been in here, it seemed like days but couldn't be more than a few hours; he felt restless, but too heavy to move and walk back and forth. It was just too much effort.

He was not alone in this box of a stone room; on the opposite side of the wall sat another, with their hands tied up above their head and their legs spread out in front of them. The only difference between this prisoner and Kai was the fact that Kai had flesh, Kai had eyes, and skin. Kai was breathing, his companion wasn't. The skeleton leered across to him in an immortal grin, its teeth were cracked and its bones were bleached white. Clearly it had been here some time. And it wasn't going anywhere now.

Would he become like that? Would he die here and decay until he was nothing more than tied up skeleton bleached white by time? No, it couldn't end like that. He wouldn't allow it. Somehow, he would escape; it was simply a matter of time and waiting for the right moment to take his chance.

He was a good fighter, he was strong and quick; all his life he'd been trained in the art of combat and taught the simple delicate movements of success. Once he was free from the chains on the wall he could overpower the guards and walk out of here unscathed.

That was a good plan, however it was a plan that would only work if a guard actually graced him with their presence; there was no point in planning to overpower a guard when none entered his dungeon.

He could hear one now, clanking down the stone passageway outside Kai's cell; it was coming towards him, the guard was puffing loudly under the effort of lugging around the heavy solid metal suit of armour in which he was encased. Kai listened as he came closer and closer; he waited to hear the guard breathe heavily passed him, waited to see the shadow flicker across the wall before the guard disappeared.

But it never came.

Instead the clanking ceased, the silence descended and for a brief heartbeat the world was still and unmoved; then a sweaty face peered in on Kai with huge curious eyes. Kai looked back, unafraid and undaunted by those eyes; they watched him and he watched them, there was another silence filled paused before there was the clank of metal and the rattle of keys.

Slowly, and with a loud screech as the old hinges were moved, the door swung in and the guard stomped him panting heavily; he lowered the keys and gave Kai another objective look through gap in his helmet.

Kai said nothing; he would be dammed before he would allow himself to beg for freedom, if this guard was here to kill him then Kai wouldn't simply roll over and expire. He would fight, fight to the death. Fight with all he had and more besides.

"Get up!" the guard ordered and instead of waiting for Kai to obey he grabbed Kai by his clothes and heaved the young man to his feet.

The chains clasping Kai to the wall held the phoenix in place as the guard looked him up and down; then, using the keys, he reached for the padlock holding Kai to the wall and unlocked it with a click. This didn't free Kai from his chains but it loosened him from the wall and he was able to stand away from it.

For a moment he thought about attacking, but his mind was changed when the guard spoke and interrupted his thoughts.

"The King shall see you now"

Kai lifted an eyebrow but continued to stay in silence; there was no point in fighting his way out when this guard was going to walk him out the front door practically. As soon as Kai reached the royal chamber in which the King waited for him he would make his chance and escape. It would be easier to fight in the big spacious room rather than a narrow dark passage way.

The journey there was staggered and uncomfortable; the guard hurried through passage ways and down corridors that become more and more ornate and decretive as Kai was dragged through the palace to where the King waited for him impatiently.

The air around him grew warmer, and candles were lit to light the way; but there was no time to really study his surroundings as he was pushed forwards. Several guards tried to stop and demand their business but Kai's guard merely shouted over his shoulder as he rushed Kai on.

After more corridors than he could count and up more flights of stairs than he could ever fathom they reached a huge golden door that stretched high above them; delicate patterns were engraved and in the centre of each door a huge shining ruby was set deep in the gold. On either side of this door stood two guards who straightened to attention as Kai appeared. Kai's guard spoke hurriedly to them and they nodded quickly and pulled aside their weapons to allow entrance.

Kai was studying everything he could lay his eyes on; it would be hard to escape this place, there were many guards and not enough hiding places. Still, it was better than the dungeons and Kai supposed he was just going to have to make do.

The doors swung silently open and a manservant ushered them in quickly; the guard pushed Kai through and the doors were closed behind them. The room they were in was huge and light; warmth was sought by several fires roaring on either side of the room; drapes hung from the ceiling, carpets softened the floor and the huge coloured windows shone down on them. The court, a straggle of beautiful men and women, stood aside to allow Kai and his guard through.

They were heading for the top of the room were a large golden throne sat framed by two smaller but equally striking seats; these two smaller seats were empty at present, but the one in the middle was occupied. It was taken by a large man, tall with a cracked smile and a crooked crown balanced on his head.

This was the King.

Oh, what will happen next?

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AngelVan