A three-pack of charcoal pencils was thrown into my cell. The rubber band that held them together caused the pieces of crafted wood to bounce and splitter around the stone floor.
Pencils were hard to come by in the walls of Ouiswell, normally they were only gifted to the privileged or royals. Maybe with the occasional exception for a desired artist or war general.
I peeked over my slender shoulder to spy who had brought such a gift to my cell. Surely they were wanting something in return. A gift this rare would call for a generous favor in return. It scared me as I realized that there wasn't much that I wouldn't do to keep these pencils.
The War Lord stood there with his dark grey eyes leering at me with utmost disgust. You would think with the look on his face that I had slaughtered his whole family. He stood in traditional Ouiswell warrior clothes, black cloth covered in a leather vest and black boots that stopped mid-shin. He wore a cloak with the hoody drawn as if he couldn't dare be spotted giving gifts to the human sorceress.
Not bothering to give him the time of day, well at least not until I wrote down the number that had been stuck in my head. Repeating itself over and over again to make sure that I didn't forget it.
I needed to get that number on that wall before he took back the pencils if I found his demands too ridiculous.
With speedy fingers I carefully let my rough fingers unwrap the taunt band. He didn't say anything as I drew the one with the finest tip. His presence was enough to cause the numbers to be shaky and nearly unreadable.
547
It was how many days I had been in this cell. A little over a year in a half shuffling around this stench filled, seven by six, cold, grey, hollow stone room. Nothing was in here but a bucket to use the bathroom in here. They dumped my food straight on the nasty floor, where I was forced to scarf it all down or risk eating seconds to a wolf rat.
My feet had developed callouses upon callouses and I wondered if I would even be able to fit the same show size when I got out. The only thing shielding me from being completely naked under the Warriors gaze was a tattered white gown, tore at the base causing it to be less modest as it revealed my upper thigh.
"From the princess..." His voice was grave but I knew it wasn't because of my living situation. It was because I would be free of this place in a week.
"Her bargain?" Some would wonder why I even bothered with this exchange considering my appending release but even on the outside of this cell pencils of this finery would be hard to come by.
Even in exchange for my foresight. "Will her mother make it?"
"She knows it doesn't work like that." I huff a sigh packaging up the pencils back into the rubber band preparing to hand them back.
"Just." He leans up against the cell door grasping the rails that keep me locked in this hell. He looks exasperated, ready to throw everything away and give up on life. How many others has he sought out for this answer? How desperate was Princess Uly to find these answers?
From what I knew the queen had been injured by one of the Swine Beasts of the outer quarters. One of their bites is deadly to their kind despite them being immortal to age.
I roll my eyes and close them trying to summon answers that I knew wouldn't come. I didn't demand the visions they demanded me and came at their own will. No matter how disturbing or long they were I was forced to sit there and endure the pains and misery of others. Most of my visions were of people dying, of wars being won and lost. It was very rarely that I would get a joyous vision of happy endings. Maybe the higher beings were punishing me for my father's digressions.
I crossed my legs over each other and closed my eyes in concentration, it was fairly hard to summon visions.
Please for the life of me let me keep these pencils.
Queen Jave. Live or die. Queen Jave. Live or die. Queen Jave. Live or die. Queen Jave. Live or die. Queen Jave. Live or die. Queen Jave. Live or die.
My dark brows furrowed together and my lips parted trying to allow more oxygen to come through. My rib cage tightened and before I fully grasp that it had worked my head was thrown back and my eyes open blue film covering everything around me.
"Queen Jave, born privileged
Such disinterest
You don't have something else to ask?"
The voice was filled with boredom and I knew that I had her full attention. It wasn't often that Milady had time to spare.
Her skin glowed a deep blue almost matching the film that surrounded her lands. They say sorcerers were born with a drop of her blood in their views, just enough to seek her in times of need or for her to use us as pawns to stop some kind of future she doesn't like. I was the first human sorcerer in many many years. She didn't find much need in us fragile creatures.
"That's the question..." I whisper as I glance around her place I had only ever seen it two other times. Normally it was just pointless visions of a certain man or woman dying a brutal death. Almost like she wanted their death to mean something to me. I remembered every single one of their names.
"Yes. Unless you intervene." Her silky white hair flowed over her shoulder in front of the dresser mirror.
"What can I do?" She smirked as if taunting me with the answer.
"Only because I like my little human pet." She clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "Give her a sip of that precious blood running in your veins my child."
She tosses that mesmerizing hair to her back once more and stood to her seven-foot stature. "Now off with ya." she strides towards me and pushes my forehead back with her index finger.
Gasps and coughs echo around me and the warlord clung to the rails desperately awaiting an answer to my travels. This was the closes he's come to finish the princess's task.
I glance at the pencils and wonder if I could squeeze anything else out of the nearly desperate man. "Yes."
He shut his eyes and pulled away from the bars, desperation reigning clear over him physically and mentally. He tugs at his black hair from the roots until I'm sure he's pulled a few out of his scalp. "Shit."
I give it time, and let the reality of Queen Javes death set in before speaking up about the alternative. "Unless..."
He froze in his despair, taking his time in turning his grey eyes onto me. "Unless what?"
"Let me out and ill tell you." Even though only a week remained of my confinement I wanted to milk this for what I could. "Swear to let me out, now."
Swearing something was law in Ouiswell, there were grave consequences for someone who breaks a swear or promise.
"No trickery. Swear you know how to cure the Queen." his gaze narrowed into slits. From my reputation, he had reason to doubt but I didn't consider myself a liar.
"I swear I know the cure for Queen Jave." Relief was a river across his body. Those muscular shoulders eased, his face drooped from what would appear to be weeks of stress, eyes becoming more hooded with sleep tearing in their wake.
"I swear I'll let you out as soon as you reveal the cure." He pulled the key from his pocket showing it to me and I spotted the familiar skull pendant on the end.
"My blood. She has to drink my blood and she will be healed." I spit the words out of my mouth as if they were fire, I could feel the grass under my feet already. Feel the fresh air rolling into my dust-filled lungs.
He pushes the key into the lock and for the first time in a year and a half, that cell door creaked open.
It was as if I was frozen in place not entirely knowing what to do with myself. Everything was shaking as all of the adrenaline that had been stuck up in my body was released. A damn broke inside of me and I was up on my feet running towards the exit of that cell. Running for a year and a half of my life wasted, nearly starving to death, filth caked all along my skin, hair matted beyond the point of repair, and callouses all over my body.
I flung my filthy body onto the disgusted warrior and slammed a slobber-filled kiss onto his cheek. He nearly threw me into the opposite wall getting me off of him but I didn't care I was free.
Freeeeeeee!!!!!!
The word roared inside of me and I held my hands out before spinning in a circle embracing his wild stare. "It drove you mad?"
"No..." The smallest of smiles caresses the corner of my mouth. "It woke me up."