FALDREY.
THE TAL DANE'S CASTLE DUNGEONS.

Cold heat.

How was that so?

Was he dead or alive? And if he was, why was the Otherrealm so foul smell. Why did the Otherrealm smell like a dysfunctional morgue.

Faldrey raised a finger, the motion sent a pang of pain all over his arm. He did feel pain, so that meant he was still alive. Slowly trying to open his eyes, dreading what situation he might find himself in. Moving his eyes around under its lid, he squeezed his eyes, once then twice before opening them.

It was dark but not too dark, he could make out some images when the dark dots blocking his vision cleared out. Stone ceiling, he was laying on his back with his face up.

He then summoned enough strength to prop himself up, first on his elbows, before dragging the lower half of his body so he could rest his back on the wall. The pain he felt when he lifted his index finger was nothing compared to the gush of pain that upreared to every part of his body, especially in his joints.

The cold heat of the wall seared through the tattered fabric on his back, burning him, but he was too tired to respond. Too tired to move away from the wall which somehow managed to possess both freezing and burning temperatures.

Drawing in breath through his gritted teeth while seizing every motion, he hoped the pain would go away if he stopped moving. Faldrey's mind was hazy and clogged. He tried to think, tried to remember but all he could hear were the screams and cries of his people as they got hoisted away or shot by the Westerners.

The Westies, the army of Flame Breathers.

He gasped as he finally remembered something other than screams, smoke and madness.

His burning home, his father's death cry, the lifeless body of his mother on the ground just directly below the dim, sad moon, the fire Dakyres he killed and the Mage.

The unworldly Mage who was the reason he was here. Her bright auburn hair flailing in the wind.

...sleep for you shall wake up in a beautiful place.

The last words he heard echoed through his head. He was finally starting to remember and realise the grave situation he was in.

This was no beautiful place. He scanned his surroundings with his eyes, keeping his head in place. He couldn't dare to lift as much as a muscle fibre, scared of the excruciating pain he felt every time he moved. The contraction and expansion of his dust filled lungs every time he heaved hurt his ribs and his chest.

Taking in the full view of the room, only for him to realise it wasn't a room. It was dungeon cell. A very murky, horrid smelling dungeon cell.

There were other people lying around him, they were still fast asleep. The person lying right next to him resembled a Dakyre from the Great Mustard Tree. He had never seen one before, hell, he had never even left his village before let alone crossing over to another tribe. But he knew what they looked like, with their pale green cut jacket and barret with colourful feathers.

He recognised some Dakyres from the Floating Mountains and a couple more from the Great Mustard Tree. He also recognised the bright blue coat of his tribe on a few other Dakyres in the cell with him.

Reaching out in a very pained movement, he gently nudged the Earth Dakyre lying beside him. His body felt cold, really cold. Faldrey placed his palm over his wrist, feeling, his hand was so cold... and lifeless! Faldrey did not feel a pulse on the boy's wrist.

Taking a sharply drawn breath and wincing, trying to get away from the dead Dakyre beside him, he held a hand over his chest regretting his sudden rush of stimulus because the movement triggered the pain all over his body. Multiplying it this time.

The dead body beside him reminded him of the two fire Dakyres he had killed. Faldrey was trembling, his teeth chattering out of fear and cold from the burning-freezing wall.

He soon discovered the reason behind the horrid odour of the dungeon cell, it was the stench of all the dead bodies lying around him. Checking again with hope in his heart, hope that at least one person was alive. Faldrey collapsed back into the wall, squeezing his eyes shut while panting. He was the only living thing in the cell, save for the flies and predatory maggots that had begun to feast on the corpses.

Just then Faldrey heard metal clanging in the distance, heavy footsteps and the sound of voices. The voices and footsteps grew louder and clearer until the Flame Breathers in charge of the dungeons came into view. They unlocked and pulled open the metal railings of the dungeon cell, immediately scrunching their noses up at the stink of the corpses.

"Whoo," a Flame Breather guard holding a long stick whooped, probing and pushing the dead bodies aside as he walked into the cell. "We should have cleaned this weeks ago," He stated.

Weeks ago?

Faldrey began to wonder just how long he'd spent asleep in the murky dungeon cell.

The second Flame Breather just stood at the entrance, second-guessing entering the dungeon while pinching his nose shut.

"You know what, I-I'm just going to stand here while you examine the corpses."

He called from outside, causing the Flame Breather with the stick to glare about him before continuing the task he was carrying out.

"Let's just burn all the bodies." He grumbled, still poking and shifting the bodies.

When he got close enough, Faldrey knew that was the best time to ask for help. He recognised them to be Fire Stoichi warriors, Flame Breathers. He decided that if he was alive up till this point then that had to count for something. He had to stay alive.

"Water," he wheezed.

The Dakyre with the stick paused and caught Faldrey's open eyes which were fixed on him, with his own wide gaze.

"Water," he wheezed again, without moving a muscle, when he was certain he'd gotten the Flame Breather's attention.

The fire Dakyre stared at him, wide-eyed, for a while before exclaiming.

"Bloody Zaal! Get in here Juzo!" He called out to the other Dakyre outside.

"What is it? I told you I'm gonna stay outside." He yelled back, his voice sounding muffled because he was still pinching his nose shut.

"Get in here, you pussy! Come and take a look at this." The Flame Breather with the stick barked.

Grumbling to himself and shuffling his feet, the Flame Breather whose named turned out to be Juzo stepped into the dungeon cell.

"What's the problem?" Juzo muffled, causing the other Flame Breather to send another stern look his way. He slowly removed his hand from his nose and brought it to hang by his side. "What is the problem?" He inquired again, sounding clearer this time.

"Look," the Flame Breather with the stick said, poking Faldrey on the face and all over his body, triggering his misery. "This one's alive."

"Flaming arrows, how's this even possible?" He spoke softly.

"I've no idea."

"He's survived without food or water for almost three weeks." Juzo mentioned.

About three weeks, Faldrey registered. He'd been in this Blazing Sun dungeon cell for about three weeks.

"What do suggest we do with him?" The Flame Breather with the stick leaned back, standing erect once again after he was done examining Faldrey. "I think we should take him to the Tal Dane."

"The Westies have returned to the west with the live Dakyres. I don't think a half dead Crescent Moon would be of any use to the Tal Dane," Juzo bent to examine the boy, "I mean look at him, he's holding on to a very thin line of life." He finished.

"I still think we should take him to the Tal Dane." The Flame Breather with the stick insisted.

"And I think we should burn him with the rest of these corpses."

The other Flame Breather looked at Juzo disapprovingly.

"We can't take decisions into our hands. We're taking him to the Tal Dane and that's final." He shoved the stick into Juzo chest.

Juzo staggered back a few steps before taking a hold of the stick.

"Goodness sake, this is not taking decisions into our own hands, the Tal Dane doesn't even know he's alive." Juzo protested but was ignored.

The Flame Breather lifted Faldrey's lean figure from the ground and swung him over one shoulder in one swift move. He began heading towards the only entrance to the dungeon cell, thereby making it the exit as well. Faldrey was as light as a keg half filled with ale.

"You always stress me out!" Juzo called out, before he started trailing behind the Flame Breather.

Faldrey had stopped believing in anything. He'd lost faith in Zaal who forsook him and watched him lose everyone in his family in one night. He'd also lost his ability to hope, but if there was any form of salvation for him, he hoped for one last time let it be true.

He hoped that the place he was being taken to will be brighter than the dungeon cell, where he'd almost died.

(Play the song.)

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