Empire's Oath

Chapter Three - Dreams, Torture and Reality.

The shuffle of boots echoed through the dark basement, Rowan didn't look up as the wooden stairs creaked and screeched. The boots hit the solid concrete and walked towards him. There were other prisoners here too, but all of them were too exhausted to scream or shout out anymore. The only sound was the shuffle of unshackled shoes on the concrete. The basement fell silent as soon as the feet stopped in front of him. Rowan lifted his head, a man stood outside the door, the small, windowless, cupboard-like room they had locked him in, the chains only allowed him to walk a few metres away from the wall, as if he could stand. He thought bitterly.

The man produced a key and stepped inside. Rowan had to bite his tongue to stop a sob escaping him. This man had beaten him the other day and told him he would stay here until he died. Rowan was dragged here in a wagon from Arlian. He had been caught trying to escape and sentenced to retraining. He had been here for two weeks, he had counted every single day of torture. Apparently the verdict had been changed over the last week. The man had said death. Rowan had heard rumours of escapees that had been caught and tortured to death but he didn't believe them until now. He had given up on hope. He had given up on escape. He had given up on freedom and life. So now he just sat in the corner and just breathed and ate because he had to.

His torturer just smiled and pushed him onto the floor. Rowan's body was too weak to resist. He gritted his teeth as various injuries split all over his body. He had to bite his tongue to stop and groan of pain from escaping his mouth, but it did anyway and the man laughed and kicked him in the back.

He kept on kicking until Rowan was begging him to stop. The man didn't, just booted him harder. Hot salty tears rolled down his face, falling in to his lips, hopeless and unable to stop the torture. He screamed and yelled. The man stopped only once. Smirking, the man brought his whole foot down and Rowan heard his spine crack before he felt the white hot pain that rendered him senseless, unable to shout out or cry, as the pain washed through his body. Still grinning the man forced him upright and left, locking the door behind him. Rowan was left there, alone, having gratefully laid down and waiting for the pain to stop, it didn't, he didn't know what the man did but his pain refused to let him pass out, to let him fall into the darkness that flickered through his body, although his senses begged him to. He was still awake when another man bound his back, tight enough to allow healing but loose enough to cause him agony when he shifted. When the man had left, he could feel the pain again as his body shook and spasmed while he cried, the pain lacing through him like poison. He wished they would just kill him. Hope, freedom and escape were once why he lived, why he hoped, now they were nothing more than words.  

Sorry for the short chapter! It just is, I won't explain why. 

Bye y'all

- Cass