The King Returns

Chapter 19 - Bad dream

Eir had the feeling she couldn't breathe. Her throat was constrained by something. Then, her eyes opened. The room was dark so she couldn't see very well but when her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, Eir's heart sank when she found herself gazing upon thick rusty metal bars. Besides the bars, all around her were ancient brick walls. After that first impression, Eir noticed that her hands, throat and ankles were tied to the wall opposite the metal bars. More panic started to take form when she heard light footsteps coming her way. 'What was going on?' She thought to herself. The footsteps came closer and closer until finally, they stopped and, in the light of the single torch outside the cell stood a young man with a taunting smile on his face. The light from the fire only enhanced his terrible expression. 

  "Well, well," the man suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the dungeon. "After all these years, you've finally returned home," he said, arms outstretched in the air, the smile growing wider on his face. He was teasing her.

  "W-what do you mean? Who are you?" Eir spoke but became taken aback when she noticed her voice was that of a man. 'Wait, this... this is not me? I'm in someone else's body?' Eir thought to herself in surprise. 

  "What do I mean? Haha, perhaps all that time outside with the commoners have made you slow, prince Almar?" the man spoke in a patronizing, sort of teasing tone. 'Prince Almar? What?' Eir was now utterly confused. What was happening and why was Almar in this dark dungeon? 

  "In case you haven't noticed already, you're currently located in the deepest darkest parts of the dungeons at the castle of King Zyron!" the stranger continued. "And you are at the moment standing in the presence of his right hand. Venjamin is what they call me," Venjamin introduced himself by bowing jokingly at Almar, or rather, Eir who was seeing the situation unfold through his eyes. Venjamin, having finished his ironic bow, now took a few steps closer to the bars, making the light dance across his face.

  "Now that we've gotten our introductions, let's get right to the reason I've brought you here," he said with that twisted grin of his. 

  "What do you want?" Eir asked in Almar's voice. 

  "Oh, nothing much. All I demand of you is the two dragon's you've so kindly been keeping for us," Venjamin respond. 'So that's what this is all about!' Eir thought to herself. 

  "What if I refuse?" Eir answered the right hand with a sharp tongue. 

  "Well, I suppose you could go with that option too, although I can't guarantee it will be very pleasant... for you, that is," the young man replied with that same smile on his face. 

For a moment, Eir thought she saw a glimmer in Venjamin's eyes. And a cold shiver ran down her spine as she thought of what it could mean. Even so, Eir new that the dragons were more important than anything. If Zyron ever got a hold of all eight of them, it would be the end. And so, she kept Almar's mouth shut, just staring defiantly at the sadistic man in front of her. The wicked smile upon Venjamin's face grew even wider than before and the man laughed out loud. Then, as if drilling his gaze straight into Eir's soul he said, 

  "I was hoping you would go for that option."

***

Eir jolted up in her bed with such velocity, it made Sylvina fly across the room. She looked around and noticed she was back in her room at the hideout. 'I-it was all a dream, just a dream?' Eir thought to herself as she breathed heavily. 

  "What's wrong, Eir?" Sylvina flew back into the warmth of the bed, snuggling up in Eir's lap while trying to comfort her distressed looking friend. The little dragons eyes looked up in worry. Eir looked upon her dragon and then wrapped her arms around her. 

  "I-I just dreamt of Almar," Eir replied in a sad voice. 

  "Wouldn't that be a pleasant dream then?" Sylvina asked in confusion. 

  "No, not this time. He-he was being tortured, captured by Zyrons right hand Venjamin," Eir explained, trying to get words out of her mouth as she sorted through her mixed thoughts and feelings. 

  "What? Human is being tortured?!" Sylvina exclaimed loudly in panic. 

  "No, I'm sure Almar is alright, for now that is," Eir said. 

  "What do you mean?" Sylvina wondered. 

  "My grandma used to tell me about dreams that's called premonitions. They were rare and often seen as warnings of a possible near future," Eir explained to the little dragon. 

  "Then are you saying Almar is going to get captured by this right hand?" Sylvina asked with worry in her green dragon-eyes. 

  "No, I'm saying he might be in danger," Eir replied as she suddenly got up, out of her bed a made towards her dresser. Sylvina hopped down from the bed as well and flew up on Eir's shoulder. 

  "What are you doing?" Sylvina asked as she watched Eir hurriedly getting dressed. 

  "I have to warn Almar," Eir simply said as she tightened her shoelaces and stepped outside, Sylvina following right behind.

________________________________________

*gasp! Oh no!

//DragonChildren