Blood for her Crown

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ciden

Several days must have passed. It was hard to tell because there was no light in the chamber and no sound could get through the walls. His stomach felt as empty as a pit; the blood had drained from his arms, and he felt as if no oxygen reached his lungs.

And that wasn't even the worst part. He was drying out.

As far as he knew, humans couldn't go more than four days without drinking, so he assumed he'd been sitting there for about three. His head was spinning, and he could feel his consciousness slipping away once more. He couldn't remember how many times he'd passed out. If it had been three days, the next time he closed his eyes might be the last. However, he doubted Dyon was unaware of that.

He finally gave in when he couldn't resist the slowing of his heart and the fading of his consciousness any longer, knowing he'd wake up to face his brother.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And there he was.

He saw something other than the all-consuming darkness the moment he forced his heavy eyelids open. Even though his head was as heavy as lead as he hung there, only held upright by the chains, he saw another set of boots in front of his own.

Slowly, he raised his head further, only to discover his brother standing there, holding with glass of a clear fluid. Since this could either be water or some kind of acid, he didn't raise his hopes.

"I thought you might like some water," Dyon began innocently, having the nerve to grin at him. "We wouldn't want you to die of dehydration before the real fun begins, would we?"

Instead of untying him or helping him drink, he promptly splashed the contents of the glass in Ciden's face. He could have seen that coming...

Nevertheless, the few drops of water that trickled down his face and into his open mouth were more valuable to him than gold in that moment.

"You know, I'm going to leave you in here for another three days, so," his brother started once more, reaching for the table behind him. "I suppose I should actually let you drink this one."

This time, Dyon held the second glass to Ciden's mouth, allowing him to finally down the cool liquid in three seconds.

Without further word, the king smashed the glass against the side of Ciden's face. He barely felt it, but the warm streak that joined the water running from his hair told him Dyon had achieved what he wanted. 

The dying candle and the door slowly closing were the last things he saw before drifting off into the darkness once again.