The Princess Of Roohani

chp#17 The dungeon

The wind was howling, the cracking sound of the thunder was everywhere and from the dark clouds lightning struck here and there, lighting up the sky for a second before vanishing.

After hours of walking we finally reached the abandoned castle in the middle of the forest. Zinnia was locked up in the dungeon of that castle.

Five guards were standing in front of the castle. They were not ordinary human looking guards. They had reptilian facial features, scaly skin, with wings and tail. Each one of them was holding a spear in one hand.

The Prince handed me a small green leaf . I looked at him puzzled but before I could ask him anything, he said :
" quickly chew and swallow it.. it may taste bad but it's the only way you can go inside and get Zinnia out."
" What do you mean?"
I asked him trying to understand what he meant.
" This is a magical leaf , if you swallow it the djinns would not be able to see you. I'll stand out here waiting for you. I can't come with you inside because this leaf is only for humans."
He said with a Shrug.

I nodded my head and after giving him a quick hug , I put the leaf in my mouth. The smell and taste was very strong, bitter and unpleasant in my nose and throat but I quickly swallowed it.

I tried to walk past the horrifying guards without making a sound. A distinctive odor was coming from the guards that was very unpleasant.

I made my way to the dungeon.
It was a room that was crumbling into itself and in which a variety of big mushrooms were growing. There were some creatures camped underneath them, and the room was lit only by the moonlight coming from a small window in the corner. In parts the ceiling was very high. There were echoes and a musty smell. The bricks of the wall were damp and the grouting crumbled to the touch. Chains were hanging from the walls, with hammered metal shackles on the floor. I kept walking trying to find Zinnia. Unexpectedly there were no guards in the dungeon.

Finally my eyes hit the corner of the room where I  found a beautiful female lying on the cold ground. Her eyes were closed, her skin pale and cold, She appeared dead. Her hair was a glorious tumble of star beam gold . She had huge transparent wings. I sat on my knees and touched her wings. They were like silk against my hand, so beautiful it was unfathomable. Feeling their smooth perfect yet delicate texture made me feel like I was in a different world.

Her eyes suddenly opened and she tried to sit up . I helped her sit and after a minute I explained her everything as fast as I could.