Gem

Freedom

I wake up. I'm unsure of how long I've been here. I grab my sketchbook and flip to the back, trying not to wake up Luther.
I turn twenty in two weeks.
I sigh. Luther wakes up and looks at me, "hey... you okay?"
"I've been here for around two years. I'm almost twenty. I'm just... doing the same things every week, in a loop."
"We'll get out soon."
"You really believe that?"
"A bit."
He gets up and goes to the cell door, "guards!"
No response.
"Guards, we know we can last pretty long without food, but that doesn't mean you have to bring it two months late! Damien hasn't eaten in two years!"
He slams his hands against the bars, "where the fuck are you guards!?" He turns around, "that's it. Neko, pass me that spring. I'm getting us out of this bloody cell."
Atlas sits up, "say what now?"
"We are getting out of here, and finding out why the hell there are no guards at their stations."
I pick up the spring that he used to unlock my face guard and pass it to him. He reaches his arms through the bars and picks the lock. All of the rest sit up in anticipation. They've clearly been in here a long time. Maybe Daniel was the first in his line to actually try and help Night Bloods.
The lock clicks and the cell door swings open. Luther stands there, looking at it in disbelief.
Casta looks up towards the grate, "guys?"
We all go over to him.
"Is that ice?"
Luther goes over and puts his hand up to the grate and the draws his hand back, "yeah, that's Ice."
"So what," Percious frowns, "has the whole place frozen over?"
"It's summer," Kin exclaims, "why would it be frozen over?"
Altore nods, "he's right."
Casta doesn't speak, and instead, gets a box from out of no where and puts the light catcher inside. He then puts the box underneath his bed behind a brick.
Luther claps his hands together, "so! Shall we... shall we leave?"
We all nod. All of us leave and Casta is the last. He stands at the cell door, looking outside it.
"I haven't left this cell in 213 years, today. And now, I'm going to leave it."
He cautiously steps his toe out, "there isn't some sort of force field, is there? I can leave?"
Luther beams, "yes, you can! We're all free!"
I'd never seen him so happy.
Casta laughs with joy and steps out.
They all group hug and then Altore drags me in to join the hug.
This was the best feeling I'd ever felt. Better than falling in love for the first time, better than coming out, better than my wedding, it's like I'd finally found my family. People who had finally learned to accept me and didn't care what or who I was.
Casta burst into tears, "in all of the 231 years of my life, I never expected to find people who accepted me. I'm- I'm going to come out to you all, right now, and I hope you all don't hate me after this."
Kin grins, "we're here for you no matter what!"
We all agree.
"Okay, I..." Casta takes a deep breath, "you are the first people I will tell this to in 213 years. I've been closeted pretty much my whole life."
"You gay? If so that's fine."
"Yes, and another thing. I'm non-binary."
I punch their arm, "welcome to the club! I am too, if none of you noticed."
We all hug them and tell them their valid and they just cry.
Atlas shouts, "we should explore!"
A voice in a cell behind us says, "can I come along?"
I shiver as I recognise that voice.
Atlas frowns and goes over to the cell, "you will be let free, but you will not be coming with us."
"Can we take a vote on that?" I ask
"Yeah," Casta nods, "I agree with them, we should take a vote on wether to let him go or not."
"Okay!" The gremlin exclaims, "all those in favour of letting me go, say I. I!"
The rest of us keep our mouths shut.
"Fine. All those in favour of keeping me in the cell say-"
We all shout, "I!"
"Well, im glad that's sorted." Percy claps his hands together, "shall we go? And may I recommend that our half-breeds show their wings? Because yes, Night Bloods can survive pretty harsh environments, but for that, they mostly rely on their wings, for warmth and shade."
Atlas and I roll back our shoulders.
We all head up to the next floor of the dungeons and everything is frozen.
Luther waves his hand over me and now I'm wearing a shirt, waistcoat and blazer, and smart trousers and shoes. He hands me a hair tie and I tie up my hair.
I go over to a cell and look at a frozen prisoner. He's wrapped in a blanket.
"Woah..."
we all head up until we reach the top level of the dungeon. Right at the end I see a frozen over vase.
Casta looks at it closer, "I believe that is where Noctem comedenti is."
They run their hand along the floor by the bars and a floating line of salt appears.
"If it breaks free some how, it can't get past that."
We then stand and look at the stairs to the castle.
"Shall we go up?" Altore asks, looking up at it.
"Um... yeah..." Kin looks up as well.
"Okay then. Let's go."
We climb the stairs and it gets colder. Most doors are open. We make our way to the throne room. Piper and the Oracle are sat huddled together behind the thrones.
"Weird question." I begin, "do you think they'd of had a grave for me?"
"I don't know," Atlas shrugs, "where would it be?"
"If I were dead, I'd have my grave... in the clearing, in the forest in the back of the gardens."
"Lets go check then."
We all go outside and I look at the floor and then the balcony of my room above.
I point to the floor, "this is where I supposedly died! And where Daniel saw me and thought I was dead."
"Well shit!" Luther exclaims, "my condolences Damien. I hope you had a great life."
"Mm... not really."
"Oh."
"Lets go find my grave!"
I lead us to the forest at the back and then to the centre, and sure enough, there's a headstone with a painting of me leaning against it.
Kin tilts his head to the side, "you look angry."
"I do have very angry eyebrows."
"God, you aren't even smiling."
"I rarely smiled."
"Your eyes are also angry, how shitty was your life?"
"Quite."
"Your eyes Are the angriest part of That painting. It's scary. Why'd they use that painting?"
"I don't know. They got the skin pretty much on point though."
Atlas chuckles, "you're skins really white. Mines has a very slight blue hue. My blood is a really dark blue."
"I'm going to guess mine is black, because that's what was spilling out of me when I supposedly died."
"Fun!"
"Yeah... so, anyone got anything they want to say?"....