Royalty and the Beast CH52

Royalty and the Beast CH52

“so, lets try this again,” a calm voice cooed. “Where are the nagas hiding away?”
Evan quivered as he picked up his head. his arms were tied above him, making his shoulders feel as though they were going to pop. He was covered in lumps and bruises. The man in front of him held a long whip, the end of it having bits of metal. Evan looked into the man’s eyes, taking a long breath. “Piss off,” he answered.
The man pulled his arm back, snapping the whip onto Evans chest. Evan cried out, unable to pull away. The bits of metal on the ends of the whip left cuts and bruises as it slapped onto his skin. “This would be easier if you just answered,” the man reminded him. “You could save a lot of lives, including your own, if you just told us what we want to know.”
Evan didn’t answer. The man sighed, raising his arm and again snapping the whip across Evans torso. Evan limply yelled, unable to turn away. His arms felt like they were going to dislocate at any moment. He could feel the muscles straining to hold on. He was raised only a foot above the ground, but it was enough.
There was a loud thud and Evan weakly looked up. he turned his head away as a man came in holding a flame. It had been a long time since he had seen light. “that’s enough for today,” he declared to the other man. “you have been at this for hours. I am cold and hungry. Let’s take a break.”
The man with the whip sighed, setting down his weapon and going to the wall/ with a touch of a leaver, Evan was dropped to the ground. He didn’t try to catch himself as he fell onto the hard stone. His arms now screamed with pain as he tried to relax them.
“this is a waste of damn time,” the original man yanked Evan up by his hair. Evan gave a muffled yelp as he was forced to his feet. “I’m too restricted on this. Howard needs to keep his nose out of my job. If he wants information, then I can get it.”
“you’ve killed eight out of the ten prisoners we have given you,” the other man chuckled. “he doesn’t want this one to die.”
“and that’s why he hasn’t talked yet,” he kicked Evan sharply, making Evan step forward. Evan kept his head down. the heavy shackles on his wrists, legs and neck were stinging his skin from the cold. he didn’t need to be shown where to go by now. This place might as well had been home. He turned the corner, reviling a hall filled with cells. There were a few other prisoners in some of the cells. They hid in the back, down low in hopes that no one would see them. Evan was shoved into his cell, the door closed tightly behind him. the men locked his door, heading just outside the hall. Evan drug himself over to the corner of the cell, resting against the corner. He slowly fell to the ground, painfully wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes.
“don’t leave me here.”
Evan slowly opened his eyes. Sitting in front of him was Kadeem, the naga king. His great green tail was wrapped around him and his yellow eyes were looking only at Evan. He had come often now. Only when Evan was fading in and out of consciousness. Evan tried to swallow but his throat was too dry.
“Get me out of here,” the naga begged quietly.
“I cant,” Evan croaked. “you don’t understand.”
“Evan,” he whispered as though he hadn’t heard him. “get me out of here.”
“don’t you get it?” Evan closed his eyes. “neither of us is getting out of here.”
The ghost didn’t answer. When Evan opened his eyes, Kadeem was gone. It was a relief for Evan. The guilt he felt around the ghost was almost more torture then the physical pain was. Evan had tied the purple pendant around his ankle, keeping out of the eyes of everyone but him. It had been days since Evan had seen the sun. days since he had a meal. He was cold to his bones. His body was so bruised and battered that he could hardly support himself now.
He had come to the conclusion on the first day that this was where he was going to die. This was how his journey was ending. Half mad, seeing ghosts, lying in a puddle of filth; this was not what he had intended. But how could it end any other way?
Howard had been whispering bribes and lies since he had been put into the cell. His words fell onto deaf ears. He promised freedom or food, anything to peak Evans interest. Evan hardly heard the lord anymore. He did not eat, even when given food. He did not drink unless they forced his mouth open. He couldn’t take the pain any longer, so he was ending it on his terms.
Maybe he would die before tomorrow.
As sick as it was, that was his one little hope. No one was coming for him. Xeon couldn’t get near the castle. At first Evan was scared that he would do what Kadeem had. He was scared that Xeon would just give himself up. but after the first few days, it was clear that the naga knew better. It was a very bitter relief for Evan. He was glad Xeon would be safe, but that still left him rotting away in the cold cell.
The guards around would talk every so often, just loud enough for Evan to hear. From what he could gather, none of the nagas had been found in the woods where the men had caught Evan. He had done enough to insure they all got away. That was his one little light in all of this darkness. Yaw’na and the others were home and safe.
He closed his eyes, shuddering as a pulse of dull pain flashed over him. he couldn’t think those names. He couldn’t think about all of them. He had to forget the city and the buildings, the nagas and the warmth. He had to forget about Rita and her shop. About Vasson and Yaw’na. And Xeon.
Just thinking he nagas name brought pain. Evan buried his face into the cold stone, groaning. The sharp sound of hard boots made him flinch. He closed his eyes tighter. He wasn’t prepared for anyone to come for him so soon. his arms were still burning.
The boots stopped right in front of his cell door. There was the rustling of paper, then someone cleared their throat. “Lord Howard, Your letter came as a slight shock,” Howards voice read out. “You surly can understand my lack of belief. I had assumed my son was long dead. I have no idea how he has come to your hands.”
Howard shook the paper, straighten it out. “with that said, I can assure you that You have nothing in your possession that I care of. I will not beg, I will not demand, and I will make no deals for his life. My son is useless to me, as I am sure he is to you. I have no attachment to the rat, and you may do as you please with him. You cannot hold something which holds no value over my head.”
The paper was then folded and Evan weakly opened his eyes. Howard stood at the cell door, a smug smile on his face. In his hand was the folded page. “Your father sent me that letter this morning,” he explained. “after I had sent one to him explaining your situation. I proposed some sort of deal, where he could trade food for your life. You have heard his reaction.”
Evan painfully rolled so his back was to Howard. “I had told you that contacting him would be pointless,” he said with effort. “I hurt his pride. He will never forgive that. I might as well had tried to murder him.”
“he had not known that it was you who had stolen the monster. Not at first. He believed that you were far to spineless for such an act.”
“why are we speaking of him?” Evan muttered. “you are about to start a war with him. what do you care what happened before?”
“believe it or not what you had done that day directly affected me as well,” he said lowly. “That naga was a token of peace. Now, because of you, I have a battle preparing on my doorstep.”
“that was not my fault,” Evan spat. “you are the one who is willing to start a war just because you didn’t get your toys. Your childish temper is not my doing.”
“Do not speak unless you know what you are saying!” Howard yelled suddenly, slamming loudly onto the bars. “There is much more going on here then you know!”
Evan couldn’t help but to smile. It was humorous how alike his father Howard was. “what will killing one naga do for you?” he wondered.
Howard shoved the note into his pocket. “what has protecting him done for you?” he demanded back. “you continue to hold your tongue, but he has not shown for you. Your father has disowned you, your city will be lost, you lie in a cell that is too disgusting for even the spiders, and still you keep your silence. Don’t you see that this will end in your death? No one is coming for you. Your naga has left you. He doesn’t care about you.”
“you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Evan muttered, feeling a pain in his stomach.
“I know what a warm bed is like,” Howard said softly. “I know what a meal is like. I know what fresh water tastes like. You can have that all too. This can all be over Evan. Why try to protect something that doesn’t do the same for you?”
Evan weakly pushed himself up, glaring at Howard. He wished he had the energy to stand. “and what? Are you suggesting that if I tell you, I will live in your home? Eat your food?”
“I am saying that you can be free,” he explained simply. “all of this can be over Evan. Hasn’t it gone on long enough? Don’t you want to just go home?”
Evan somehow managed to prop himself on the wall behind him, sitting straight. A dull smile pulled on his lips. “and you plan to tell my father to let me back?”
“I can be very persuasive,” Howard put his hands behind his back.
“I am sure you can,” Evan agreed.
“so, will you talk then? Can we end all of this foolishness?”
Evan shook his head, leaning back and closing his eyes. “I don’t think so.”
He could feel Howards glare on him. “Think twice boy,” he warned. “if you don’t tell me then this will continue. It hasn’t even been a week. My men have been going easy on you.”
Evan smiled tiredly. “I will be sure to thank them,” he muttered.
“are you really going to give up your life for a demon?!” Howard demanded. “You are a prince of a wealthy kingdom! You are still a child by any standard! You have not even seen twenty winters yet! And you want to end it all without any thought?!”
Evan didn’t answer. He only slumped his shoulders, struggling to stay sitting up.
Howard cursed though his teeth. “you will regret it,” he warned. “I will tell them to do what they please with you. I guarantee you will talk then.”
“You might as well kill me now,” Evan said quietly. “I will not give into this.”
“oh no,” Howard grinned. “killing you would be far too quick. No, you will wish it ended like that. I will make you speak, or I will make you beg for death. The choice is yours, prince.”
Evan again didn’t answer. Howard turned on his heels, walking away with the sharp sound of his boots echoing through the dark halls. Evan waited until he was gone, then slumped onto the ground. He groaned, trying to roll over. For as strong and as sure as he sounded with Howard, he didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
“Evan…” a familiar voice wheezed.
“Go away Kadeem!” Evan snapped, refusing to look up.
“don’t leave me.”
“why cant you understand?” Evan demanded, clenching his fist. “neither of us are going to get out of here? Don’t you get it?”
“Evan…”
“cant you hear me?! Evan picked his head up, seeing the injured naga on the other side of the cage. Looking at his wounds, Evan could now understand how they were made. He now carried the many of the same cuts all over his body as well. He knew what tools they had used on him, he knew which ones that lined the walls of the room had been taken down for the naga. Evan couldn’t help but to shudder under the hopeless glowing eyes.
“please go away…” Evan begged in a whisper.
“already talking to yourself?”
Evan turned his attention from Kadeem, looking at the cell next to him. The man that was staying in there had been thrown in only a day after Evan, but unlike Evan he did not ever leave. He was not covered in wounds and bruises. His hands were shackled, and that was all. He was dirty now. His hair that had been perfect when he had arrived was mostly a rats nest.
His dark blue clothes were now mud stained and wrinkled. He didn’t have any boots on, just like Evan. Evan again weakly pushed himself up from the floor, facing away from the man. He must have seemed crazy by now. The man had heard Evan talking to himself since the first day.
“you should just tell him.”
Evan opened his eyes, looking at the wall now.
“It will just be easier on everyone,” the man muttered. “you can end all of this now. All you have to do is say a few little words.”
“and just who are you?” Evan looked over his arm at the man.
“I am-was the captians right hand man,” he explained quietly.
“Of howards armies?” Evan confirmed. “…what are you doing down here?”
The man scoffed, resting an arm on his leg. He looked at the wall ahead of them, past the bars. “because I had spoken all of the words you had just said,” he muttered.
“what?”
“Howard is a fool,” he said quietly. “he is going to kill us all. We all know it, and yet we still follow him.”
Evan shifted, sitting up more. “why do you follow then?”
“it started out as a great idea,” the man shrugged. “Howard wanted to be a king, not just a lord. If Howard was a king, then our city would be a main city. we would have more traders come, more fields grown, more shops and money. It sounded like a dream. This damp and disgusting town is on the verge of a war inside the walls. Howard promised to fix all of that.”
“we put our trust in him. we were willing to go to the ends of the earth. And then, just like that he nearly surrendered. Your father had offered him that damned naga, and we watched him take a knee.” He shook his head. “after he didn’t get the naga, he seemed to have lost his mind. He pushed for a war though we have no supplies, no food, no money. There are men dying of frostbite out there right now, waiting for some battle that we can not win.”
“surly you knew the cost of a war?” Evan wondered.
The man shrugged. “who thinks rationally when there is a promise of gold?”
“so what are you doing in here?”
The man smiled. Even in the dark Evan could spot it. “because I voiced what everyone was saying. Howard is going to be the death of us all. You had said it best. He is a child playing with toys. None of us want to die for him.”
“then why not rebel?”
“It sounds that easy, doesn’t it?”
Evan fell silent, looking at the bars
“just tell him, boy.” The man leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “End all of this for us. We all just want to go home. One life isn’t worth all of this.”
Evan ignored him, turning so his back was to the man and closed his eyes.