IMPERMANENCE

chapter thirty eight - the dungeon

Ivan led the way in guiding the remaining members of the group through the Guntheran tunnels that would soon lead to the dungeons with determination. There were a few entrances and passageways he missed due to his memory, but his map of the dungeon stayed mostly accurate. The lack of guards posted took him by surprise, he believed they would've had to kill dozens of them by now.

But with Dagger's arrival at Court, the alleged Commander now in the Emperor's possession, it wouldn't be unrealistic to say that all of the guards wanted to witness the event unfold in the Great Hall. This left the dungeons unguarded and easy to seize. Regardless, they were still on alert because it was suspicious.

"Wait!" Thea cried out frantically. They were only a few feet from the entrance to the dungeons. Ivan knew of Thea's ability in detecting Zachariah as he shuffled about in the shadows. Maybe he was here now.

Ivan could feel it then. He knew the signs; the shift in the air, the light-headed throbbing that formed in his skull . . . it could only mean one thing. It was only a matter of time before Zachariah stepped out from his shadows. The reason remained unknown. Lennox and Zane clutched their scabbards and Naomi's fists closed so tightly on her two knives, her knuckles began to turn white.

But it wasn't Zachariah who stepped out of a cloud of inky smoke. It was someone entirely different.

"Zedo," Ivan breathed through his teeth. It was hardly a guess considering his ghastly and dreadful appearance.

This terrifying man, if one could even call him such, somehow worse looking than Zachariah, squinted his eyes and returned a horrid smile in Ivan's direction. Ivan could feel Zane and Lennox discreetly reaching for their weapons.

Ivan figured out some time ago that he was no match for people like Zedo. Like Zachariah. Like Alessia. And now, Dagger. That Zane, Lennox, and Thea, the greatest warriors in the Kintuin lands, were no match, either.

With a flicker of midnight smoke, Ivan found himself in Zedo's cold grasp, his black robes identical to Zachariah's, enclosed him in a rough embrace. Ivan stumbled around, not sure what to make of what just happened. He tried to collect his bearings, but it was no use. Ivan felt Zedo's curved talons dig and puncture into his skin. They drew blood.

Ivan even saw what he thought was Naomi's knife hurling into another dark cloud that ceased his vision. His body shuddered at Zedo's icy laugh that shot through his ears.

Ivan had been taken away from the rest of the group for a very important reason, no doubt to be used as a liability. He should have planned harder.

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Zane groaned as full awareness took over him. His senses exploded throughout his body. He woke on cold, wet ground and could not remember how he got there. He was alone, he could feel it. He could feel the close proximity of the walls surrounding him, meaning he didn't need to look around to know where he was.

He had been thrown into a prison cell. Zane ignored the pain jolting through his skull, the pounding headache that formed whenever Alessia, Zachariah, and now even Zedo used their powers and shot to his feet. He wobbled as he stormed forward to the rusted cell bars. His body clung to the metal as colors splintered his vision from his abrupt awakening.

"Lennox!" Zane cried out, his voice cracking halfway through. Deep colors continued to fade from his vision due to his hurried rise. With a hard blink, he tried to clear them away. His hold tightened on the rusted bars. He breathed in and out and in and out. It felt as if his lungs would shriveled up and disintegrate from the panic he was feeling.

He had been separated from everybody. The last he remembered was Ivan appearing by Zedo's side, and the next second after that, they were gone. That was all before he could act. Zane had lurched forward and made a risky grab for the Prince, but had ultimately failed. He only knew that because there he was, in the Guntheran dungeons, alone.

Zane's head whipped in all directions, the bars were too close together for him to possibly locate the others. Stone walls enclosed him inside. He couldn't see into the cell next to him due to them. He could only see in front of him. There was another cell directly across from his own. He could hardly make out the figure that sat inside of it, a woman he concluded. The dimly lit dungeons were harsh on his eyes as they attempted to adjust to the darkness.

"Th— Thea . . . Naomi? Is that you?" Zane squinted his eyes, his heavy breaths continued with no sign of settling until he knew everyone was alright. The figure shifted forward in their cell and came as close as they could to Zane; to the very edge of the bars.

"Your friends are in the other cells, you are the first to wake," an older woman's voice spoke to him. Zane squinted harder and harder and tried to assess the figures' features. With her pale skin, he could have mistaken her for Thea.

"Who are you?" Zane called across the dungeons hall. His vision slowly adjusted with every calm breath he took. He could see the older woman smile. She wore a run-down dress of all black, her midnight hair with streaks of grey was fashioned in a loose updo, bits and pieces of forgotten strands sprayed out of the hold. It was an odd question for him to ask, she very well could be another ordinary Guntheran prisoner. The dungeons stretched for miles, there could be hundreds inside for all he knew. And who knows how many of the prisoners held valuable information?

"It doesn't matter," the old woman smiled. He could feel the warmth in her voice.

A hand reached over from Zane's left and loosely grasped on the outside bars of his cell abruptly.

"Zane? Is that you over there?" Lennox's strained voice called out to him. Zane's attention snapped with relief as he brought his hand over to Lennox's.

Zane let out a breath of relief. "My gods, how is your arm not broken from reaching over here?"

"There are many perks to having long arms that replicate twigs," Lennox replied with a spark of energy in his voice despite the situation they'd found themselves in. Zane could feel the curl of Lennox's full lips through the walls of the dungeon. Zane's palm hadn't left the tips of Lennox's fingers that just barely clung onto his cell bars. He was so relieved to know that he was alive.

"I see Thea across from me and Naomi next to her. They're still asleep," Lennox called out to him. Zane took a mental note.

"What about Ivan?"

"I can only assume he's been taken up to wherever Alessia and Dagger are. We have to get out of here." Lennox's strained and urgent tone was felt through the stone walls that separated them. Zane couldn't agree more.

"Did you . . ." the old woman across from him worriedly croaked out from her cell. "Did you say Dagger?"

Zane looked forward to her. Grief and confusion were plastered on her face. The older woman across from Zane went pale.

Zane replied with confusion of his own, his fingers still intertwined with Lennox's through the bars. He could feel his attention perk up from the other side of the cell as he engaged with the unknown woman prisoner. "Who are you and what do you know?"

The woman took a few harsh breaths, her dark eyes widened at the revelation. "My name is Viola. Dagger is my . . ." she swallowed. "He is my son. Is he alright, do you know?"