~Chapter 36~

I shifted my wings slightly, they felt heavier than normal. Come to think of it. My hands and feet felt pretty heavy too. I reluctantly opened one eyelid and stared at the iron bars in front of me.

"What the?!" I said confused, looking around. I was lying on my side with my hands and feet tied up.

"Oh hey Astria." I heard Amanda say. I turned to my right and nearly banged heads with her. She was hung upside down with her feet chained to the ceiling and her hands bound.

"Amanda?"

"You should really try this. I've been up here for hours and don't feel the slightest bit different." She said smiling. A drop of blood trickled from her nose and down the side of her face. She kept smiling.

"Anyone else like to explain?" I asked dragging myself to face the other direction.

"Mmffffmf mmmmmhhhhmmm!" Said Dena through her gag.

"Vivian?"

"Well basically. While we were all asleep some royal guards came along the path and thought it would be fun to arrest us all because we were sleeping on the ground. And then when Dena fought back using magic they captured her and then all the rest of us. You some how managed to sleep through the whole thing and here we are now, chained in a cell."

We were definitely in a cell. Three stone walls, a small window one side and a row of bars the other. Vivian had been chained to the floor with weird luminous bands strapped around her wrists and legs. Phoebe had four weights attached to each of her wings permanently grounding her, Dena was cuffed around her waist, ankles, wrists and neck. Not to mention she was also gagged. As for Nymph, she was huddled in a corner trying to comfort Pixie who'd been muzzled and strapped to the floor. Amanda swung helplessly from the ceiling.

"Right...where's Rin?" I said looking around.

"Not a clue." Phoebe shrugged. There was a clanging and the cell door swung open.

"You lot. Whose your leader!" Demanded a guard in shining armour and a red crest of two red swords imprinted on his chest plate. Everyone immediately pointed/stared at me.

"Thanks guys." I said as I was grabbed by my horns and yanked out of the cell. "Ow ow! Watch the horns, they're attached to my head you know!"

"Keep quiet you filthy Adrenadite." He said pulling even harder. As we reached the end of the stone corridor Nymph called nervously from the cell.

"Um, excuse me. But could I possibly have a glass of water?"

"No!" He yelled before shoving me through an oak door and slamming it behind us. He breathed heavily and then took up a firmer grip on my horns. My bare legs began to bleed as he dragged me along another confusing corridor. We finally reached a door that was so heavily bolted it look ridiculous. "The commander wants to talk to you." He said gruffly as he propped ne against a wall and began unchaining, unbolting and unlocking the door. He then grabbed me and literally threw me inside.

"Ow!" I yelled angrily as I skidded across the floor, my whole right side bruised. I lazily looked up into the candle lit face of a man with a goatee and a pointy moustache. He looked like some sort of French villain. I would've laughed if I hadn't of been in so much pain.

"So you're the one." He said amused.

"At last we meet...whoever you are." I replied. "You must've been real naughty to end up in a jail this heavily protected."

"No you idiot, this isn't my cell. It's his." He bent down and grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to stare into the gloom. As my eyes adjusted I made out a figure bent forward on his knees, his head down. The chains that held up his arms were deeply imbedded into the walls, forcing them to be held up.

"Whose that?"

"...you mean you don't know him?" Said the general confused.

"Sorry, cant say that I've befriended any corpses."

"He's not dead he's just unconscious!" He said angrily and dragged me right up to the chained boys face. His hair glowed a dim blue in the darkness.

"Rin?!" I said realization dawning.

"So you do know him! What is your purpose? Why are you travelling together? I thought all the female Adrenadites died out years ago? Have you bred yet?" He suddenly stopped. "Do you have any baby Adrenadites?!"

"HELL NO!" I yelled, my whole face burning up from embarrassment. "Dude you need to know your limits!"

"As...tria?" Rin groaned.

"Rin!"

"No need to yell."

"Maybe you should see him in light of day." Said the General evilly as all the torches burnt into life.

"That's candle light. Not daylight." I said awkwardly.

"Quiet you!" He kicked me in the stomach and I crumpled back to the ground.

"Astria!" Said Rin worriedly. I looked up into his face, now able to see him in the torchlight. Blue oozed from a wound on his head and his whole face was swollen up.

"What did they do to you?" I wheezed.

"He wouldn't give us the information we wanted so we tortured it out of him. But unfortunately that still didn't work." Said the general as he circled us. "You are the dragon kings younger brother and therefore know exactly what he plans to do to the kingdom of Fiore. Yet you still insist you were never told of his plans."

"That's because I wasn't!" Rin protested.

"If I do not gather the necessary information from you then the whole of Fiore could fall under your brothers rule. And unfortunately we can't let that happen. But seeing as you won't talk then maybe your female companion will." He smiled at me and I felt my whole body shiver. Man this guy was creepy...in a comical sort of way.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" I said politely.

"Ahhh, so you'll cooperate."

"Sure. Just as long as you give us a quest."

"...what?"

"Me and my friends have been travelling around accepting quests from people in exchange for items. We just happened to stumble upon Rin when he tried to kill me." I smiled innocently.

"So you're not evil?" The generals face was one of confusion.

"I cant vouch for Rin but no we're not evil. And if your kingdoms in danger then we'd be more than happy to help. Isn't that right Rin?" He nodded reluctantly.

"Very well then. I shall hold you to your word and trust that you aren't evil. You'll all be transported to an empty house under heavy security until you are needed to solve a quest. I'm going to report all of this." He walked over and knocked on the door. It opened after a few seconds and he stepped out. Shouting could be heard from down the corridor and lots of men running.

"I only wanted a glass of water!" Nymph yelled panic stricken. The door slammed behind us.

"...Well he was gullible." I said after a while.