"Escape?!" The lunatic yelled even though Silver had barely spoken his words. "You know, I tried to escape once. Not as easy as it sounds."
"What are you even in here for?" Ethyn tried to change the subject quickly.
It only took one person snitching for things to become much harder. But other than the crazy man and the prisoner who was removed, this wing of the dungeon seemed only sparsely populated.
"I committed the same crime as you, it seems. I crossed the Commander. Didn't know it was the Commander when I did it though. The fairies duped me!"
"What do you mean?" Silver asked as he ran his fingers along the rocks of the cell walls, looking for any imperfection or weakness. If he could climb the wall and make it to the air shaft overhead, perhaps he could use it as an exit.
The lunatic sighed dramatically, "I know you'll find this hard to believe, but I'm actually quite the shrinking violet."
"The what?" Ethyn furrowed his brow. While he could guess at what Silver was doing, the prisoner next door was beyond his comprehension.
"Shrinking violet," the man repeated. "I am painfully shy. Quiet as a mouse and won't ever speak my mind."
"I find that very hard to believe," Silver answered dryly.
"Good! That means I'm making progress!" The crazy man clapped his hands delightedly.
Rolling his eyes, the Guardian bit back his response in favor of his search. A small outjut of rock would allow him a handhold, but it was very far up the wall. The dungeon was unusually tall, Silver noted, as if it had been built to hold giants at full height.
He motioned for Ethyn to give him a boost so he could examine the rock further. In the other cell, the lunatic carried on, oblivious of their actions.
"Anyway, as I was saying... I was so very shy that my own family began to feel uncomfortable around me. I would go days without speaking despite their strange and uncalled for questions. 'How long has it been since you bathed?' 'Wouldn't you like to eat that meat after it's cooked?' 'Why is there a squirrel on your shoulder?'..." the man mimicked various voices and scoffed. "As if I would tell them about my invisible pet. They can't fool me! So I went out into the woods to seek out a place to call my own. Became a hermit, you know? Lived the simple life eating flies and honey like men were meant to do."
"I don't think most men--or any--eat flies," Ethyn said with a grunt. His fingers were laced together with his knees bent. The Guardian's foot rested on his hands as he tried to grasp the hand-hold on the wall. Ethyn had never realized just how heavy Silver was. "I know my friend here doesn't!" The knight gave another grunt.
"His loss. They are quite nutritious." The other prisoner was nonplussed. "I spent years in the forest eating my weight in flies and minding my own business when one winter day these fairies--sorry, winter fairies--appeared. Happy?" The last word was barely above a whisper.
"I've been better," Ethyn admitted, unsure of what that had to do with the story.
"Wasn't talking to you," the man snapped.
Finally getting his fingers around the tiny knob sticking out on the wall, Silver pulled himself out of Ethyn's boost. The knight dropped onto the cold floor and heaved a sigh of relief.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you!" the lunatic seemed suddenly concerned.
"You didn't offend me..." Ethyn began, but was abruptly cut off.
"Stop interrupting a private conversation, you busybody!" The crazy man fell into a heated mess of mumblings.
"Now, I'm offended..." The knight gave a lopsided grin.
He looked up at the Guardian, who had finally made it to the ventilation shaft at the top of the wall. While the move had been exceptionally quick by human standards, it had been slow and labored by Silver's own count.
Silver surveyed the small opening and his heart sunk. Like in other parts of the castle, the air vent was long and thin before making a sharp turn towards the surface. At the bend, a small mirror helped to dimly reflect the light into the prison.
'I hate small spaces...' He pushed his body into the shaft. It was not the first time the Guardian was thankful that he was not burly. There was no way Ethyn would be able to fit in the opening at all. He began to snake forward.
While Silver tried to reach the surface, Ethyn was stuck listening to the lunatic continue his tale.
"Forgive me for the interruption. Where was I? Oh! The winter fairies' arrival. They came and we became fast friends. But they had news from their travels that there was a traitor in the castle here. They couldn't tell me where they got the information or from whom--fairies rarely bother to learn human names it seems. They urged me to warn the king."
"I take it the king did not like the news..." Ethyn continued to lay on the cold ground. At least without Silver, there was enough room in the cell to do so.
"The king never heard it. I tried to enter on court day, but my unique appearance was met with hesitance from the palace guards. A prejudicial bunch, they are! While I was arguing, the Commander came along and caught wind of my claims. He let me in and questioned me before chucking me in here. That's when I realized he was the traitor...but I was too late." The prisoner trailed off.
"If it is any consolation, it doesn't seem like the king would have listened even if you reached him," Ethyn wasn't sure what else to say.
"Then he is a fool..." the lunatic's voice became sullen.
Above Ethyn, the thin shaft spit out two long legs followed by the rest of Silver's body. He landed on the ground like a cat--on his feet. The knight had barely enough time to roll against the wall to keep from getting trounced by his friend.
"No luck?" Ethyn's voice was slightly muffled by the wall.
"The tunnel is quite narrow. I barely made it to where it bends toward the surface, and even if I could make the turn, there are bars in the shaft to prevent me from going upwards. It's a dead end." The Guardian sighed.
In days or weeks he might be able to find a way to get out through the thin shaft, but by then Borit would have already made his move. They needed a more immediate solution.
"You want out? Are you sure?" the lunatic wondered aloud. "It's not so bad except for the occasional beating. They feed us for free and there is plenty of time to think..."
"We want to stop the man who put you here, so yes, we want out," Ethyn tried not to sound condescending, but the other prisoner was beginning to grate on his nerves.
The crazy man hummed softly. "In that case, if you ask the fairies nicely, they said they would help you."
"I appreciate the offer," Ethyn sat up and rubbed his forehead, "but I don't think little fairies could possibly help us."
"Wow!" The lunatic clicked his tongue. "They were going to break their own rules and portal you out of here. You're even more foolish than the king!"
Ethyn pressed his lips together, but Silver was suddenly alert. "Please, fairies, would you deign to give us your blessing and help us escape this prison cell?"
'Has he lost his marbles?' The knight's mouth hung open.
"Your friend needs to beg the fairies' forgiveness first." The other prisoner was firm on this point.
Silver nudged Ethyn. 'Apologize,' he mouthed.
The redhead sighed heavily. "I am sorry for offending you, oh dearest fairies," Ethyn's voice was flat. "Would you help us?"
There was an extended silence. Ethyn thought maybe the old prisoner had fallen asleep. Just when the knight had given up and began thinking of another plan, he heard the lunatic speak once more.
"The fairies won't portal you out. They don't think your apology is sincere. But because you have a Guardian with you, they have agreed to give you a fighting chance. Back up!"
'What does he mean, back up? Oh!' Ethyn backed up quickly.
Something new was outside the bars.