Night 6

The night in the dungeon was… interesting.

Autumn had been fed and she got to enjoy the meal with her kin.

At first, they had been worried when the women and children were taken. But once Autumn had arrived and explained that they had been released, they were overjoyed. Half of her surviving people were there. There was more of them than Autumn had dared to hope for.

Her cousin that she believed was dead, was in fact alive. She and Wyatt embraced. He had just been sent to work in another mine and her childhood friend was there too. She was a hero among her people and it felt great.

The dungeon was filled with laughter and singing. One would have thought wine was involved but it wasn’t. The other prisoners were not so joyful and they were not happy at all. Instead, the happiness of the Lovac tribe was a wet blanket to their already damp mood.

Autumn withheld that she had revealed their secret. She hoped it would never catch up to her. So, she enjoyed the night with her kin.

The now crowded dungeon got one more guest, Christopher Blighte. The Colombian smuggler was not happy to be there. Everything had been taken away from him. Before getting thrown in.

The singing of his neighbors was not the only irritation he experienced. Each cell had a communal bucket, and no paper. Dead bugs were squished on the walls and the floor was damp. He was sure it wasn’t water that made the floor damp. The air was musty and stank.

Autumn hadn’t even noticed him yet.

Chris regretted coming to the castle. He recognized Autumn but she hasn’t noticed him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

His cell was opposite hers and she was even dancing with other silver eyed men who sang out of tune and danced in their cell.

A man lying on the floor in his cell tried to talk with him. But the language barrier once again stood in his way. He examined the locks and hinges but they were solid. So, he tried the next best thing, or in this case the worst thing.

Chris picked a fight. He walked over to the little guy sitting in the corner and kicked him in the face. It became the big brawl he had hoped for. Everyone in that cell was involved.

Any minute now the guards will come in to break it up, any minute now… he thought

But the guards didn’t come. In fact, it appeared they were betting on who would win.

“Hello!” he called, “Need a little help in here”

But no one came instead he got a beating to an inch of his life. Possibly the last beating of his life.

The unconscious body of Chris was stepped on. Kicked, shoved aside and tripped over, as every man fought for himself.

Since the queen’s hunt for Sugar and Joe. People had been turning everyone in for that wagon of food. But they only got a day’s food instead. The wagon of food was only if they found Joe or Sugar. So, the dungeon was fill and when Tẽra ordered Autumn’s remaining two hundred people into the dungeon and then added Autumn and Chris. It had already been way too full.

The guards were over worked and afraid that if another prisoner escaped everyone’s heads would be displayed on the walls. So, they did nothing. Who would care if a prisoner died?

Autumn’s awesome reunion was rudely interrupted by the opposite cell having a rowdy brawl. She tried to ignore it.

She was just so happy that there were four hundred of her people still alive. She hugged everyone and the obviously introductions took time.

The brawl was finally calming down. She looked over and saw Chris lying in an unnatural way. She wondered if he was dead. She knew he was suspected of doing horrible things. But she was still surprised to see him there. However, her thoughts were taken elsewhere as they grabbed her and danced.

She danced with her childhood friend Chase. While others clapped and sang songs of joy.

He had grown. They had lost touch when his family moved away when she was twelve. After that she was betrothed to a man of good stature but then the queen returned with a reign of terror. She had every member of the Lovac tribe that she could find, put in the mines to work. Her betrothed had perished in the fight for freedom weeks after.

“Are you bonded?” she asked Chase her childhood friend.

“No, I am not. Are you?” he asked

“No”

She smiled; this was great.

Status means nothing anything anymore. She could be bonded to him. Some of the older men saw what was happening between them and it made them even happier. No Lovac cubs had been born during their imprisonment in the mines. The youngest was fifteen. Leaving a gap. They needed to repopulate and save their tribe from extinction.

Autumn was falling in love with the idea of her childhood friend who she had been reunited with.

In the other cell, Chris was injured and possibly dead.