Rebellion

Chapter 6

    Then, I dry my eyes and face the cell in front of me, where I find the man watching me. He had moved out of the shadows during all that. His pine green eyes burn holes into me as he stares, unwavering. The man looks as if he wants to say something, but wisely chooses not to.

   The guards move away from my side and three of them begin unlocking the handcuffs around my wrists, but one of them stands in front of me, his eyes sad and grateful. I realize he's the jerk from earlier.

   "We all heard what King Morwenys told you," he says and the other guards pause, a sign that they agree, "about killing us if you shift...and I'd like to apologize. For locking you up down here, for insulting you and for what you must do. I can't even imagine..." the man trails off, his eyes cast at the floor. "I had no idea what your life is like and I'm so very sorry you must go through this all. And I promise you that your secret is safe with us." I can tell by the look on his face that he's sincere, that he means what he's saying.

   "Thank you, sir. You're forgiven of course, and I'm glad you apologized." I tell the man genuinely. 

   "I'm not a sir to you, I'm soldier or servant. You are a princess, daughter of King Morwenys. But you're also the only hope Graeweth has, the only light we see. Your father reigns terror and fear on the entire kingdom, poverty coating the cities. But when we see how you fight, how you stand up for everything you believe in, as you did earlier today, you give us something to look up to. There is a new day for Graeweth on the horizon, so close. You're the one who can bring that day to us, to save us," the man speaks so highly of me, I nearly fall to my knees, now that my hands have been released. I rub my torn wrists tenderly as I listen to the man. I hope he's right, about a new day coming where my father doesn't rule the lands.

   "My name is Eldrin Morkian and I lead the Eagle squadron," the man tells me. The guards and soldiers of Chastershire are organized by squadrons, for organization purposes. Each squadron is named after a predatory bird and the Eagle squadron is the highest rank. Eldrin holds a very high position in Denleth.

   "If you ever need anything, anything at all, please know that you have the entire Eagle squadron, and all that we can offer you, at your hands. We bow to you, Princess Aurae Morwenys." Eldrin drops to one knee and bows his head respectfully. The other guards have finished unlocking my ankles and drop to their knees as well, their heads bowed. I have never been recognized as a princess before and the thought feels alien to me.

   "Thank you, thank you very much. I too hope that one day Graeweth will be free of my father and that it will thrive again, as it once did. Please rise, this feels so weird for me," at my request, the men rise to their feet, towering above me. "I have to interrogate this prisoner, there is not other option. Thank you again." With that, the guards file out of the dungeon after handing me the keys. 

   I take a lantern from its hook on the wall and clutch it in my hand as I unlock the prisoner's cell. I don't worry about him trying to escape, seeing as how I could easily block his path by shifting into a bear. I leave the lantern in the corner of the room and stand by the left wall, the stranger leaning against the right. Now, the room is dimly lit and I can see his face even better. He looks oddly relaxed.

   "Just be glad I didn't chain you to a chair, even though I was supposed to," I tell him, crossing my arms. 

   "Your name is Aurae Morwenys then, daughter of the king and princess of Graeweth?" He asks me, his voice deep and smooths.

   "Look, if you just tell me what your ability is, I won't have to hurt you," I don't reply to hsi question, wanting to skip the small talk. The more I get to know this man, the harder torturing him will be. "My father will find your family and he will make them suffer. He will not show mercy, and torture them before ending their lives, just like that," I snap my fingers in front of my face for emphasis.

   "Well, I don't see that happening, considering I don't have any family," the man replies.

   "None?" I know there are plenty of orphans in Graeweth, but he must have at least a cousin.

   "Not a single person on this planet who I share blood with is alive," he deadpanned.

   "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'd rather be alone," I tell him, then remember my promise to myself. It was never this hard though, to not talk to the prisoners. There's something about this man. But I have to interrogate the man and leave, tend to Everest and pray for a miracle. It's a shame I'm not religious though, thus I have no one to pray to. 

   "Don't be sorry. And it's quite lonely really. I got the opportunity to be in the Royal Guard and I figured why not? I need shelter and food, so it's a win win situation," the man continues. He doesn't seem to be planning on telling me his ability anytime soon, so I repress my string of curses and breathe deeply. In a moment, I took on the form of a slithering, large python. Good for interrogation because I can squeeze the prisoner slowly, promising death, without harming them. Sure, it hurts and they get all panicky, but it's better than having to injure them. The man's eyes widen and his jaw drops.

   "Did you - did you just turn into a snake?" He asks, sputtering. I shift into a series of animals to show him that I'm a shapeshifter: a green frog, a striped zebra, a mountain goat, etc. "I've never heard of a shapeshifter before..." the man's voice is so soft, I can hardly hear him. I slither over his feet and up his body, not squeezing, but scaring him a bit, with the snake's massive size and disgusting scales. But, he seems unbothered, so I begin to tighten around his body, squeezing tightly and then even tighter as I coil into him. 

   Then, I whip out my sharp, long teeth and bite into the man's arm, the shirt in my mouth, bu my teeth sinking into his skin. The copper taste of blood flows over my tongue and I spit it out the man's blood. I'm used to this method, which I use often. Sometimes it work and others times it doesn't. I can tell it won't for this man thought, because even though his breathing becomes labored, his face remains stoic, showing no signs of distress or fear.

   I give up and release my hold on the stranger, slithering back down to the floor. Most people would have cracked by now, but I have other methods as well. So I shift into a venomous scorpion and crawl up the man's pants, my tail flicking this way and that way. Before the man can even react, though he doesn't seem to plan on doing so, I flick my tail over my head and bury the point into the man's thigh. My pincers grasp his pants tightly, so I don't fall, as my tail squirts venom into the man's bloodstream. Then, I leap down from his body and shift into my human form mid air, landing on my feet facing the man, who is unfazed.

   "I just injected venom into your bloodstream. It will kill you in, say, an hour. If you simply tell me what your ability is, I will grab the antidote from the infirmary and you'll be fine, no strings attached, I promise," I tell him, waiting for any hint of emotion to flicker over his face. Nothing. "I'm serious it will kill you." The man's head cocks slightly to the right, his eyes analyzing my face. 

   "Have you interrogated people before?" He asks me. I can't believe this guy, he must be mad. I just told him he'll die in an hour and he wants to know about my experience in interrogating my father's prisoners?

   "Yes, many times," I answer him, tapping my foot impatiently. The longer I'm here, the longer Everest goes without medical treatment. The man nods slowly.

   "Why? Why do you do it?" He asks me, his head still cocked.

   "I have to," I shrug, not wanting to talk about this, especially not now and with a stranger. I have to because otherwise, they'll slaughter Everest, burying with him the memory of my mother, though they don't realize it. A look of understanding passes over the man's face briefly before he masks it again, expertly.

   "Don't worry, I'm not going to die from the poison," he suddenly says, shocking me more than anything else. Before I ask anything more, he explains. "My ability is pyrokinesis. I have the power of fire. As of right now, there is fire coursing through my veins, burning through every drop of poison you put in me."