Jack stirred at the sound of an iron gate opening, yawning and standing up as some guards came to the door to his cell. The sun had set, and he had been in that cell all day; there was little else to do but sleep, even though he did not need it since he had slept for a few days straight already. He saw that one of the guards held an odd pair of shackles, made of a metal that he did not recognize with a reddish hue, and when the other guard opened the gate they drew their swords, their faces showing no expressions as one of them spoke.
"Vampire, put these shackles on, and we will take you to speak to the queen."
Jack shrugged, seeing no reason to be concerned about them, and did not realize how much of a mistake this was until they clasped around his wrist. The instant they clicked shut, they began to glow a soft orange-red, and he immediately felt himself grow weaker, eyes shooting open in surprise as the metal heated up against his skin, not enough to burn him but enough to be uncomfortable.
"What is wrong with these-" he began to ask, looking up at the guards, and was cut off as one of their fists slammed into his face, the impact snapping his head back and making him stagger back until he hit the wall. He blinked stupidly, feeling his cheek cry in pain, surprised at how much pain he felt; his skin and muscles were more durable to handle the incredible speeds he moved at. A human punching him should have been annoying at most, yet he felt that as if it was done by a fellow vampire.
The guards chuckled, moving towards him slowly as they sheathed their swords, and he growled in response, done being nice. He imagined himself teleporting behind the farthest guard, and after a few seconds passed with nothing happening, it finally clicked in his head what the shackles were for; he did not know how, but the shackles were suppressing not only his abilities, but his vampiric strength and speed, making him as helpless as a human.
The guards lunged, both of them punching and kicking him against the wall, Jack blocking as best as he could, trying to take the beating quietly. He got hit upside the head and fell to the ground, the guards stomping on him, pain erupting all over his body as he curled up and held out.
The guards eventually got tired, panting as one of them got on one knee, grabbing Jack's hair and yanking his head up, smirking when Jack glared up at him with rage dancing in his eyes like flames.
"You see, unlike the empire, we know that the vampires are a threat, and have done our best to prepare for them. I will keep the details about how those shackles are made to myself; all you need to know is that you are as useless as a human without a weapon right now, so I suggest you be real honest with us, unless you want this to get worse."
The guard slammed his head into the ground, standing up and placing his hands behind his back as Jack groaned.
"Now, why do you have a letter with the emperor's seal? Did he save his own skin by siding with the vampires?"
When he finished asking, he nodded towards the other guard, who took out an odd stone; it was yellow in color, impossible smooth, and Jack found himself having a hard time focusing on the stone, as if it was shy and refused to be looked at. Jack slowly got up to his knees, panting as he tried to regain his breath before answering.
"No...that letter was a cease fire. The emperor...wants to put the war with your kingdom aside to deal with the vampires, which he sees as the larger threat."
Both of the guards looked at the stone, surprised when it had no reaction. Jack looked at the stone as well, his head hurting when he failed to focus on it again. Did it do something if he lied? The guard cleared his throat, pulling out the ring Elaine had made for him.
"The only things we found in your pouch was the sealed letter, and this. Is this ring important?"
Jack sat back against the wall, seeing that he was safe from getting hit for the moment and relaxing, trying to ignore how his body ached and protested in pain.
"That ring was made for me by Elaine Skyfurst, princess of the elven people. Once I get an audience with the queen, I am to put that ring on, and it will allow her to speak with the queen even though she is not here."
The guards once again looked at the stone, the one questioning him cursing as he saw no reaction.
"Fucking thing must be broken; you heard what he said, he is either lying, or he is out of his mind."
The guard whipped his head around, staring at Jack again.
"Vampire, tell a lie."
Jack sighed, thinking of something simple that they would have no way of knowing.
"My last name is Henderson."
The stone suddenly vibrated, glowing yellow in response to his words for a few seconds before growing still. The guard holding the stone looked up, frowning as he nodded.
"It works fine; the vampire is not here to trick us."
The other guard sighed, crossing his arms and looking down at Jack once again, seeming disappointed in the results.
"Fine, I will report this to the queen and let her make a decision. You sit there and be a good freak; remember, as long as you wear those shackles, we have nothing to fear from you."
Jack said nothing, looking at them well and burning the memory of their faces into his mind; he did not know when or where, but he would return the beating they gave them, and he would remember it for the rest of his life until he returned the favor. They left the cell, closing it behind them, and Jack looked at the odd shackles, wondering how much longer he would have to wait until he would get to speak to the queen at last; he hoped that she was easier to talk to than her guards.