*POV* Cassy Iris Aleera
I was freezing. I crawled up tighter to try and keep my body heat but nothing worked. I finally opened my eyes and looked around me but all there was was darkness. I layed on my back on a stone floor. "Where am I?" I questioned as I moved my head to the side and looked out at the steel bars.
"Oh yeah the dungeons." I sighed as I pushed myself to sit up. In a sitting position my head swam with fog, in the back of my head was a dull ache. I closed my eyes and held my head for a second.
A moment passed before I felt a movement beside me. "Oh you are awake." Said a gruff voice. I pulled my hands away from my face and looked at the shadow in front of me.
"Yeah.." He seemed to hear me because he replied with a huff. "I don't know who you are but never do that again…" he's voice shook a little. I did not know what he was talking about as I moved myself to prop up on the bars.
My cuff chain clinked as I placed them between my legs in front of me. "What did I do?" I questioned myself. The man from before shifted to sit up too.
"What time is it?" I wondered. As my eyes slowly started to grow sleepy once again.
It was cold but after a minute I was asleep. A loud clunking sound coming down the hall of cells pulled me out of my sleep. I tipped my head to watch a group of guards with torches heading my way. At each cell they would stop and throw something through the bars.
When they reached ours they threw a loaf of bread into it, I watched them as they passed. "What are you looking at?" Questioned a guard with a wicked grin. I shook my head and turned away quickly. He laughed and they passed.
The others in the cell grabbed for the loaf quickly with long fingers that looked like bones, a small chunk was handed to me but I shook my head and handed it back to the woman that was pregnant. She gave a small smile before eating hungrily.
I watched them quietly as they ate and wondered if I would waste away like them. I wished for my home once more, even the bandits would be better than this. "You scared us." I focused on the pregnant woman's face.
"It was so scary."
I gave a sorry sign before curling up once again.
I wasn't able to sleep though because another ruckus started at the entrance of the dungeons before lights started to come closer. Yelling could be heard. I got up and moved closer to the bars to look out.
"I won't get too close to those bars." Warned the man in the cell across from me. I took his advice as the yelling and screaming got closer and filled the dungeons.
The guards walked to view holding onto a boy about the age of 14 as he screamed and kicked, around his wrists were cuffs like mine. "Let go of me you bastard!" he screamed.
The door to our cell was opened with a key hanging from one of the guards belts, I quickly stepped to the side as the boy was thrown to the floor inside our cell. Then the door was quickly slammed shut.
The boy got to his feet instantly and rushed for the bars yelling epithets at the guards as they laughed at him and turned to leave. "GET BACK HERE YOU DEMONS! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
"Stop yelling kid!" Someone from down the hall yelled in reply. He stood there glaring for a minute before turning to us and slipping to the ground. I stepped aside out of the man's view and took a seat against the wall avoiding the bucket in the corner for relieving ourselves.
The boy fumbled with his cuffs as he grumbled to himself. "I thought we had everyone." The man mused. The boy glared at him.
"This is so dumb, why am I thrown in the dungeons when all I did was talk to the queen."
He said it as if he was talking to himself out loud.
"You talked to the queen?" The man seemed surprised. The boy studied him for a second. "Yeah, she was just asking me to.." he stopped. "It doesn't matter." The man signed.
"What even is he planning?" He brought his hand to hold his chin. "We have fire, air, earth, what are you boy?" The boy moved. "What do you mean?"
"What elemental magic do you have.?" The boy sighed. "Earth." The man tapped his chin. "So earth, fire, air, and water. And a pregnant woman… this makes no sense." He frowned.
"What are you even talking about?" The boy asked. "The spell. He has everything he needs so why a child? From what I read it just needed one from each element. What is he planning?…" he went silent.
"Whatever this is weird." The boy curled in on himself and sunk to the ground like I had moments ago. I didn't miss the pregnant woman touching her stomach with a sad look. The other girl had long since lost interest as she laid her head back on the wall.
"What is the king planning?" The thought stuck in my head. I knew little about spells and what the man was talking about sounded off. All the elements had always lived in peace together. What was he planning with one of each of us?
Questions filled my mind but I had no answers, sitting still for so long made my limbs go numb. I waggled my arms to restore the blood flow but I couldn't move my legs much and they soon fell asleep.
I stood and shook them out and looked at the slumped bodies of my cell mates. 'I couldn't take much more of this.' I thought as I held my arms against my chest.