A Bard's Tale - Chapter Five.
Chapter Five
"Get up!" a voice ordered as a boot rolled me out of something high off the ground, regaining consciousness as I fell, I landed hard finding out that my paws were bound to my back, making it impossible for me to get up. As I blinked the glare of sun was no where to be found, it was night then I concluded, my fur stood on end as the chill of the air touched me a shiver running down my spine and cumulating in my tail like an unwelcome guest. My breath misted as soon as I began breathing the cold air. I hit the ground rolling over, my head throbbed at the base of my skull, nausea building.
"Up!" the same voice yelled, a paw pulled me to my feet.
"What is this place?" I asked, my vision blurred, all I could make sense of was the darkness.
The voice, who I now knew belonged to the same guard which captured me and Faral laughed sardonically, "Ha! Welcome to The Spire, the prison of Malendri and your new home in fact, you'll be safe and sound here, it is a fortress after all."
I would have struggled but I had neither the stomach or the energy for a fight. I was back in the hellish forest, and this time there was definitely no way of escaping. As if to taunt me the dank smell of the swampy ground and old trees crept into my nostrils, I could tell Faral was behind me his scent also becoming clear. I was sure he was still knocked out as he was quiet, and he wouldn't be if he was awake, that was obvious.
Malendri spire has the most confusing appearance. The surrounding forest was dark and smelt rotten as does the rest of it, whilst the spire was a complete contrast, there was a rising causeway which reached halfway up the wall with gateway set in stone there, its colour causing the spire to reflect the sun which poured down from the circular break in the canopy. All in all it looked nothing like a prison, from the outside it looked like a welcome break from the dreary forest, it was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
We reached the top of the causeway a drawbridge connecting it to the gateway which could be lifted thus isolating the prison, we came to the spire which clearly held the prisoners as all the windows were barred. Down on the ground prisoners were walking around, sat in groups, chatting and relaxing a few looked up as we walked across the causeway but made no hint of caring. After traversing the corridors of the spire we came to a cell, number 429.
Faral and I were pushed inside and our bonds were cut, by the fat bodied hound of a prison master, it seemed he personally showed his new inmates around.
"Remove your clothes." He said, drool leaking from the left side of his mouth as he chewed on something. He was a disgusting specimen. The two of us removed our clothes until we were in our breeches, piling our dusty travelling clothes at the entrance of the cell.
"Keep going" He ordered, eyes squinting as he fingered his metal truncheon menacingly. It seemed he took pride in humiliating the prisoners, it was to show us who was in charge, a classic power play by someone with nothing better to do. We stood there naked as the day we were born. The Prison master eyed Faral's scars, a growl emanating from the Dalmatians throat as he did so. A mistake on his part I thought.
"Well, the mutts no stranger to a prison" he cackled to the other jailers and slammed the door in our face. Faral punching the wooden barrier just as it closed, laughter echoed from down the corridor.
"Hey wait!" I shouted, what about our clothes I thought, there was no light apart from a dim glow through the doors iron bars where a small window may have been. I could barely see.
"Sorry Zerah...I had no idea that Simeon had any knowledge of my whereabouts." He slumped forwards slightly banging his head against the cell door with a dull thud, "I hate cells." He finished venomously. I knew why, the thing that Faral hates the most is enclosed places, it means there is no means of escape.
"Why did he capture us in the first place? You said that your past wouldn't affect the future Faral." I said hotly, I too am not fond of cells, especially ones where I have no reason to be in them.
"I'm a thief Zerah!" The Dalmatian declared, "I steal to live, that's how it is and how it has always been, I have no other skills apart from those I've acquired trying to survive in a world that's left me to struggle by myself." There was real emotion in voice as he spoke, the usually hard and cold, calculating exterior was crumbling as the stress ate at him, later he would tell me there was guilt too.
"That doesn't explain that huge jewel that was around your neck when we were captured." I shot back.
"I stole it! It was incredibly valuable!"
"Who from?" I said voiced still raised.
"I stole it from the Duchess of Win Güden, about three years ago, Simeon, that weasel who captured us was set on my trail immediately afterwards, he didn't know who I was but he heard rumours of a Dalmatian thief and tracked me all over Gundir, we had a few meetings in the first year but after that I lost him in Sipak, and then I went looking for the scroll."
"He did find us though and look where we are, lovely Malendri! Your excellent array of skills proved invaluable!" I was angry, the cooped up environment, the prospect of a life in prison and the idea of never seeing Daram again made me lose my grip on my emotions.
"I know Zerah!" We stared at each other for a few seconds, my face angry and his contorted in a mix of shame and regret, looking back I realise this was hell for Faral, he'd spent five years already in captivity and now he was back in the same situation, naked and humiliated I new as I looked at him it was his childhood being replayed, his body a testament to his hate.
"It isn't fair, I shouldn't be here" I said, more to myself than my cell mate, who nodded.
"I know...It is my fault and...I am sorry." I looked at him in the dull light and sighed, whilst nodding in sympathy and agreement.
"How are going to get out of here? We have to, I don't think I could last here long Faral."
"We'll think of something" The dog said, hope entering his voice, his white paw resting on my shoulder as I stood looking at the door. After a few moments of silence we quietly went to bed, the corners of the cells had two bedrolls in them, if you could call them beds, a thin layer of straw in a cloth case served as a barrier between us and the cold stone floor. I didn't sleep that first night, I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts drifting to the fabled eagle, the warm fire, free ale and company, good company at that.
Time Passed. The walls closing in, that was how it felt, we sat in darkness for what seemed was like forever, periods of hunger passed, not talking often, only to just confirm that the other was still there the lack of food taking the fight out of us occasionally water and bread was put through the small door at the bottom of the cell door. Constant semi darkness turned everything monochrome, Faral sat unmoving during those first few days, well I guess they were days, staring at the grill, his eyes glinting blue now and then, he really was thin, there was some muscle definition on his chest and arms but that was all, he looked gaunt in the light, his scars adding to the effect, like he had been here much longer than he had. Like a sentinel he watched.
"We will get out Faral...We will, just drink something, please?" I said sitting down next to him, offering him the bowl of water that had just come through the base of the door. The dog looked at me and then at the water and then back to the door, he had drunk and eaten at first but these past few days he had stopped, although I had lost sense of time the regular meals provided some clue as to how long we had been here, it could easily have been a week or two...or three.
"I can't take this Zerah" He croaked, his throat must have felt like he had been drinking sand. "The walls, they... they feel like they are crushing me, the light taunting me with hopes of outside. I need to see something, just a tree or a cloud."
"I know...they are trying to placate us, by grinding resistance out of us, you have to stay strong or you'll waste away." I told him. "Faral, it's you, you don't give in, if there is one thing I've learned on our journey it's do not try and tell Faral what to do." I leant on him a little, to show him I was still there.
"Come on have some water, and a bite of the bread." He took some water, and a bite of the bread to my delight.
"Don't nag me Zerah," He said a classic response, leaning his head on my shoulder. An odd feeling, the dog and affection or any display of feelings apart from laughter and that signature cold stare of his didn't mix. I let him keep his position though, I didn't know why but I don't think I had ever felt as close to him as I did at that moment, we understood each other then, we were in the same situation, it was worse for him though, his eyes said enough, but at least now I knew why, and I was being strong for both of us, I didn't try to be, I just was.
"Thanks" He mumbled.
"That's what friends do."
"Yes...Friends...you know, I've never identified anyone as my close friend Zerah...I never stick around anyone long enough to become one...but I think you'll do." he chuckled.
"I'm glad to hear it Faral", I replied and I really was.
Fierce banging shocked us into upright positions, the guards were banging the hilts of their swords on the cell doors, the iron bars causing the clang to reverberate for a few seconds. A hound, slimmer than the prison master, opened our cell door, "New Prisoners eh? Put these on and then get to the mess, now!" He ordered spittle flying from his muzzle, two pairs of knee length grey breeches landed in front of us, everything here was grey and dull, it dampened your spirits and made you tired, more obedient too. We quickly covered ourselves glad to regain some dignity, we never saw our old clothes again, bare chested and confused we both hurried down in the what we thought was the direction of the mess hall, we followed the rest of the prisoners too the place, it was a large circular room with black wooden tables and stools, at one end cooks deposited a meaty mush, complete with a vegetable containing mush, into a bowl. It tasted of nothing, the meat full of gristle and bone, it was raw too, which wouldn't do us any harm but for taste and texture made the experience vile considering the quality, or lack of it. Whilst sat down on one of the tables at the edge of the hall, we made our first acquaintances in the prison.
"New scents in the mess hall means new inmates!" Voiced a vixen as she dropped her bowl on the table in front of me and Faral, a horse also sitting down, although a bit more calmly, he was huge, built it seemed from pure muscle, he towered over the fox, who regarded me and Faral with a look of welcome, mischief, and calculation all at the same time.
"Well, you do have tongues don't you?" She questioned mockingly. To be honest she didn't give us much time to speak. "What are you names?" She continued.
"The name's Faral, and this is my companion Zerah" Faral answered.
"Hi, we just got here" I said unsure of how to phrase the words, I was stating the obvious after all in an awkward bid to make conversation.
"Amelia, and this is Salam, welcome to the spire! I hope you enjoy your stay" Amelia proclaimed raising her arms majestically, whilst Salam made no movement his eyes flicking between the two of us, as if daring us to do something we shouldn't. The irony was bitter.
"I'm sure we won't" I said half smiling, yet my voice clearly serious.
"Haha! Anyway, to business." Her face went very serious very quickly, she leant in. "You have provided us with a massive opportunity, we don't get new inmates here very often, the spire is reserved for those labelled as extremely dangerous, I don't know what you two did or who you pissed off to get here and quite frankly I don't care but from your looks you've just come out of your four week dark spell, I'm sure you'd not like another."
"What did you have in mind?" Faral said.
"We can't talk here, too many ears and prying eyes." Amelia stated, immediately standing, Salam following suit. "When your finished with the slop walk to the tree in the surround." She turned immediately, walking away towards the open area, Salam closely following.
"That was odd." I said, continuing to try and stomach the mush in my bowl.
"Very, hmmm, I wonder what she means", he replied
"I don't know but she seemed friendly, well she didn't seems like she was going to cause us any harm, we'll probably need friends."
"She's difficult." Faral said whilst watching her walk out of the mess.
"Ha, as are all foxes, they're an energetic lot." Although that wasn't what he meant.
It was bright outside just like a summers day, it still smelt of the forest however, you could feel it in your lungs, a slight weight on your chest as if a winter cold was just forming. The sun was warm however, yet we were shirtless and our fur still stood slightly on end, more from the atmosphere rather than the weather. We made straight for the tree we spotted in the corner where the gatehouse and the causeway met, it was a smallish tree, the branches spread out over a long way from the trunk. Amelia and Salam were sat against the trunk of the umbrella shaped plant, we walked over quickly, other prisoners were leaving the mess so we walked quickly and quietly, trust me its best not to mingle.
"Ho Fresh-furs! Take a seat" She patted the ground and we did as we were bid, like a sovereign surveying her empire as she looked at us, weighing us and seeing if we were found to be wanting.
"I think they'll do, what do you think Salam?"
"I'm sure they will" Salam said his voice like thunder off in the distance.
"Do for what?" Faral asked, stealing the words from my mouth.
"The escape plan" Amelia said quietly, a glint entering her eye." We've only been in a few months and we can already feel the air stealing our time, leaching us of our years, it burdens you with its grief, that feeling on your chest gets worse, even Salam here can feel its effects."
"Then lets get to it, first things first... How?" Faral said bluntly. Amelia started explaining a complex plan involving ropes, time schedules and other such things I couldn't keep up with, Faral my now thief companion clearly understood, they began drawing diagrams in the dirt, besides I was paying more attention to a rustling above in the branches as they started discussing the plan
"Zerah? Are you paying attention?" The vixen asked, in a voice that could be easily misconstrued for a teacher telling off a day dreaming pupil. Yet at that moment a shape landed just to the right of myself and Faral, a low purr emanating from his mouth as he started to speak.
"Plan won't work" The newcomer in low voice.
"Faral... thats a lynx..." I whispered to Faral, leaning towards him, we were not on best terms with that species for reasons previously explained.
"I know... I can see him." Faral replied edging away from the feline.
"We don't have time for your ramblings now Kalik." Amelia groaned and rolled her eyes. "This is the lynx named Kalik, the longest inmate here, he's also stark raving mad, but don't worry he's quite harmless with it." Amelia said waving her hand in the lynx's direction.
"Kalik does not ramble, only the foxes ears are dull" The lynx said, his voice was probably low due to his age, it rumbled as if he was purring. The lynx had white fur decorated with brown stripes and was also dotted with splashes of brown, black and silver all over, his fur was also very thick, especially around the neck, in his ears he had various beads and rings, he also had two striking tufts of black hair from the tips of those large ears. His eyes were large and deep, as if you could fall into them and become lost.
"Plan will not work, many guards at entrance to gate, many spears and arrows, fox will take long sleep."
"How do you know this?" Amelia asked, myself and Faral unable to decipher his speech without losing track of the conversation. He chuckled as he replied, low and sonorous.
"Kalik sleep near gate, he does not sleep in the spire, he sleeps across from prison master, tells many stories, hears many too, sees much."
Amelia looked at the lynx, mulling over his words.
"What's in it for you Kalik?" She asked squinting at him.
"My fur greys, senses dull, my time is soon, Kalik wishes to be in the trees of his home again."
"Then it looks like we have the same worries on our mind, three months is too long, it feels more like three years in this place." Amelia said, sounding grave, and rightly so.
"Only Lynx survive here, Others come and go, Kalik remains." Kalik mused, as if speaking to himself, a letting a brown bird land on his claw, looking at it lovingly.
"I should clarify, no one here survives for more than two years, you eventually get Malendri sickness, and cough up your lungs." She spoke with a grim tone.
"Then let's not waste any more time!" I said, I liked my lungs right where they were.
"Kalik where is your cell?" Faral asked, I could see his shrewd brain whirring, he was back, last nights change of character was over it seemed. Kalik indicated to a window near the causeway, yet his eyes were still affixed on the brown bird. The Dalmatian stared at them for a moment, thinking.
"Look, those wooden beams just coming out from the walls, for support I suppose, we could used them to climb round to the causeway, bypassing the guard post all together, If we got to Kalik's cell."
"Yes, but what about the drawbridge?" I asked, it was up at the moment and the controls were in the gate house on the other side, making opening it from our side impossible, Faral's plan was obsolete if we didn't solve that problem.
"It opens every two weeks for supplies from Aldri" The usually silent horse Salam added.
"Aye that it does Salam," Amelia confirmed, she frowned, "We have a very tight window of opportunity here, we would have to be in Kalik's cell at the moment of the drawbridge coming down, and get round to it before it rises once again."
"How do we get to the cell?" Amelia asked.
"Kalik's door never locked, Guard think that Kalik too old to escape." Kalik said, letting the bird fly away up to the tree branches, where it began chirping sweetly.
"Getting there is the problem then." Faral added, we paused to think, we would need to acquire the keys, yet no guard was alone for us to simply relieve him of his keys, something more cunning would be required.
"I have an idea," Amelia said, smiling a little, "An old friend told me how he escaped from a prison in laketown, his cellmate became feverish and when the guard came in to check on the other occupant he knocked him out and took the keys, this may work again for us."
"So, one of us must become sick between now and two weeks time?" I asked.
"Kalik, when we first met you told me you were an alchemist for a Duke, could you make something that could cause one of us to become sick?" Amelia asked.
"Kalik knows poisons." The lynx nodded.
"I need you to brew one then, something potent enough to get these guards to take an interest." She requested, the lynx nodded again, smiling a little, razor sharp teeth glinting, he made me uneasy with that look.
"Who takes the poison then?" Faral asked after long pause.
"I shall, Salam should easily be able to overcome one or two guards." Amelia said looking at the horse with eyes that showed only affection, like that of a mother to a son.
"Then once Salam has the keys, he will unlock our cell door, and we will make for Kalik's cell." Faral finished, we had a plan, one that could work too, providing our timing was right that is.
The next few days were spent talking over the plan, ironing out the problems, finding every single detail that could go wrong and making sure it didn't. Amelia an Faral are sticklers for detail and between them they worked out the time we would have at each stage of the escape, I stayed out of the way, helping by doing as I was told. We kept to ourselves, staying under the tree in the surround, we had safety in numbers and that was all the security we needed. The crafty old Lynx found flowers, herbs, and roots around the prison, it was remarkable to see what he came up with, he acquired some small flowers which we're red and barbed which would be the mainstay of the concoction, he had a name for them in his own language, I couldn't pronounce let alone spell it. I did not trust him, he was good natured, solitary and had a love for birds, but I could not trust the feline.
"How is everything?" I asked as we sat down to dine on mush at breakfast of our forty-first day in the Spire, it was tomorrow, in the hours of dawn that our escape would be made, just at the time where the guards currently on shift we're at their tiredest.
"Everything is in order, Kalik's got the poison ready, apparently it's paralysing in nature, it should only last a few minutes, I'll come around as we get to Kalik's cell." She answered.
"Sound's joyous" Faral sarcastically stated.
"It will be when we get out of this place." I said, my nerves we're already building like the calm before the storm, every glance in our direction felt like someone was onto us.
"It'll be fine Zerah, we have everything covered down to the last detail." Amelia said.
"Hm, well I'll be glad when this is over and done with, I'm missing my simple life."
"So boring that life of yours sounds, where's all the fun?" Amelia asked smiling as she spoke, I returned the smile shaking my head.
"All the fun is at the bottom of a barrel of Daram's finest Ale." I said smiling, memories of that golden drink far off in my mind, it was hard to believe roughly six months had past since we set off from the Fabled Eagle. Tomorrow we would escape from the nightmare of this place, it was getting to me, the closed walls and routine, I now understood where Faral was coming from in those weeks in Dark. We needed to get out soon, and even if we did, would we continue on our hunt for the treasure? It would be winter very soon, perhaps too far into the winter for us to journey to the west, What would we do in the meantime was a whole other journey.
Thanks for reading this chapter!
It was long overdue but i'd been messing about alot with the character's in this.
Feel free to message or comment with any feedback, I can only improve with it!
Thanks again, Faral ^.^