Saphira's eyes began to flutter open. She felt the earth below her, its dirt and coldness. She felt metal clasped around her wrists tightly. As she tried to move them, they wouldn't budge. Her vision was blurry, but after a moment it cleared. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, but the shackles that bound her would not let her go any further.

She glanced around to notice the metal bars that enslaved her and the poorly lit cave that held her prison. "Hello?" she called out helplessly.

"Saphira, is that you?" came a soft voice to her right.

"Priella?" the Princess questioned.

Priella sighed in relief. "It's me." Priella squinted her eyes. "Somethings wrong. More so then it actually is," she corrected. "I can't see you."

Saphira rolled her eyes. "That's because its dark, Priella. The cave we're in is not lit up very well to where we can see one another." Saphira caught her tongue realizing what she had said. She turned to face the direction in which her friends voice came. "Wait, you're a Dark Being! You can't see me?"

Priella shook her head, although Saphira couldn't see her. "No," she whispered. Priella was right. Something strange was going on here, and Saphira wanted to find out. She tried to stand to her feet, but the shackles brought her straight back down to the ground. She hated not being able to stand.

The torches on the caves walls suddenly flashed to life. The two girls squinted their eyes at the sudden light. When Saphira could open her eyes, she noticed some one lying a few feet in front of her on what appeared to be a stone table.

The boy held his head up high staring straight at her, a rag shoved in his mouth so he couldn't speak. His eyes were full of terror and hatred as he glared at the Princess, his hands were balled in fists as he pulled against the chains that bounded him to the table.

Saphira gasped as she finally recognized the boy. "Micah!"

Priella leaned up against the bars to get a closer look.

Mike tried harder to pull on his restraints. He was trying so hard to break free, to reach his best friend... he just couldn't.

"Don't worry, Mike!" Saphira told him. "We will get out of here."

"That will be impossible," came a voice from Saphira's left.

All three teens turned their heads toward the chamber's entrance where the voice had come from. The same woman who had kidnapped the girls in the tower stood in the entrance threshold with a man standing at her side.

"What do you want with us?" Priella asked with anger.

Sealisa chuckled softly as she strode up closer to the boy strapped to the table. She yanked the rag from his mouth so he could speak freely.

Mike looked up into her eyes, his face never wavering from anger. "Why are we here?" he demanded.

Sealisa placed her hand on the stone table. "You are going to give me the answers I desire."

"Never!" Mike shouted through his gritted teeth.

Sealisa began to laugh once more. She bent down close to Mike's face and said softly, "I was hoping you would say that." She snapped her fingers, and the man who had stood beside her stepped closer to his master. Within his grasp, he held a miniature, black, wooden box.

Mike lowered his gaze and stared at the box in the man's grasp as he passed it over to Sealisa. He then glanced over at Saphira and Priella.

"You're going to answer my questions," Sealisa began with her enticing voice. "Or your little friend over there is going to pay for your actions."

"Don't tell her anything, Micah!" Saphira shouted, grasping the bars tighter.

Mike looked at Saphira one more time. "Don't worry," he said before returning his gaze to the lady bending over him. "She won't get anything from me."

Sealisa smiled wickedly. "Oh, I doubt that." She rubbed her hands on the box as if it was the most precious and delicate thing she possessed. "I was going to try this on your little friend, Warrior, but I think it will be much more entertaining on you."

Sealisa opened the box slowly with the opening facing her way. An animal shaped like a serpent with two heads came creeping out. Mike swallowed a huge lump in his throat. That was not something he wanted to mess with.

"This is called a Caratse," the beautiful woman continued. "It brings the most unimaginable pain you can think of."

Sealisa grabbed a dagger from the belt that hung loosely at her side and sliced one of the caratse's heads clean off. Mike winced and stared at the creature as it squirmed in her grasp. Immediately, a head grew back on the body where the old one had been cut off.

"It's a powerful creature," Sealisa continued. "It was brought into this world by the magic of the Great Masters. Even if you cut off its head you cannot kill it."

"The Great Masters were wicked and cruel!" Mike spat. "The Creator never intended for them to become monsters."

"Hush!" Sealisa shouted. "You will not speak such foul language about the Great Masters." She sighed deeply before continuing on with her first thought.

She held the beast up close to Mike's face. "The Caratse will adventure around every inch of your body. It's name was given to it by the Great Masters. It means 'Fire'. When it enters your body it will feel like a fire is consuming you from the inside out.

"When the pain becomes unbearable, and you finally give in and tell me everything I want to know, then, and only then, will I call the creature out of you."

"You will not get anything from me, Witch!" he spat at her, spittle flying into her face.

Sealisa glared at Mike with anger burning deep in her eyes, but she wouldn't let the boy get the best of her. She closed her eyes and smiled. "We'll see about that," she said in a stern tone as she opened her eyes and wiped her face.

Sealisa turned Mike's head to the side roughy and placed the Caratse on the left side of his neck. The beast nibbled and ate it's way into Mike's skin as he let out a painful scream. He thrashed around the table and balled his hands into fists. He began breathing heavily as he felt the heat begin to rise within him.

"Tell me what the secret to your kingdoms defenses are," she demanded. "Give me the secret whereabouts to the underground tunnels leading into your kingdom."

Mike kept his mouth shut tight- and his eyes for that matter.

Sealisa pushed harder. "Where is the Cup of Life? It says that the chalice can give eternal life. Where is it?!" She practically spat out her last words.

Mike kept his eyes clenched tightly shut, but he opened his mouth maybe an inch or so. "No," was all he could muster with the pain burning inside.

Sealisa squinted her eyes. "The Dark Prince," she continued, "I have him here with me." Mike grunted at the pain. "Tell me what the Light Kingdoms weakest defenses are and I shall deliver the Prince to you."

Saphira's eyes widen and she gripped the bar even tighter. Mike hated Snyder, surly even knowing how badly Saphira wanted to save him would not drive him to tell the witch.

Mike opened his eyes to look the witch in the eyes. "Never!" he said in a mere whisper, yet with such force.

Sealisa tilted her head and stood up straight. "So be it," she said. She turned to the man leaning against the cave wall standing perfectly still watching this torture being preformed in front of his eyes. She swiftly strode up beside him. "Harro, do what you must to extract the information," she commanded him.

"I'm not telling you a thing!" Mike shouted again. "Why would you hand the Prince back over to us anyway?" Mike proceeded to ask.

Sealisa turned towards Mike. "Do you honestly think I would have kept my word? Prince Snyder is mine to end!" she shouted. "Not your pathetic kingdoms King!" Sealisa turned away from Mike and stomped off.

Mike began to cry out in a loud scream. Even though Sealisa was wicked, she wasn't wrong in how much pain it would bring. The pain was becoming unbearable.

Harro stepped up close to Mike. He bent down beside him and placed his face a few inches from Mike's on the right side of him. "Listen to me," Harro said in a hypnotic tone. "Tell me the secret into getting into the underground tunnels to the Light Kingdom."

It tormented Saphira to watch her best friend in such agony.

"No!" Mike screamed painfully. "You can torture me all you want, but I will never tell you what you want to know!"

Harro narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you will," he said. He cut off yet another Caratse head and strode over to Saphira. Saphira tried to scoot away, but Harro reached into the cage and pulled her by her hair. "Or the same fate awaits this beautiful maiden here."

Mike lifted his head to look at Saphira. She was shaking and trembling, tears forming in her eyes from the force of Harro pulling on her hair.

Mike clenched his teeth tighter. He didn't want to care. After how much pain she had caused him, why didn't she deserve to know how he felt? But he could never do that to her. It was his duty to protect her as his Princess, but she was also his best friend.

"I'll tell you only if you stop this pain first!" Mike clenched his eyes tightly shut again.

Harro chuckled slightly. "Oh, I don't think so. Once I have cut the creature out of you, you would try to escape. No, I think you should tell me first."

"Don't tell him, Mike!" Priella yelled this time, shaking the bars indicating that she wanted to be set free.

"Be quiet you!" Harro snared at the Dark Being.

"I have to," Mike said a little above a whisper. The pain was excruciating. He barely had enough energy to speak. "I don't want you going through this pain, Saphira."

"If I were you," Harro said, the Caratse still wiggling between his fingers, "I would hurry and make my decision. When that creature in your skin reaches your heart, it will burn a whole through your heart and will turn you into ash. By then, if you haven't given me what I desire, then I'll move on to your friend here and I'm certain she will not be as resistant as you."

"Don't touch her!" Mike shouted, once again making hands into fists as if ready to punch Harro in the face.

Harro was about an inch away from Saphira's neck with the caratse when he stopped and glanced over at Mike. "Then I suggest you tell me," he said calmly. "Now!" he then shouted.

Mike was getting ready to speak when he stopped and clenched his teeth tighter together. He moaned and groaned in pain. It was becoming too great to bare, he didn't even think he was going to be able to say anything. His face was already starting to become a bright red.

Harro noticed. He chuckled beneath his breath. "Ahh," he began, "I see that the caratse has nearly reached your heart. Unfortunately, for you, you will be dead within two minutes unless you tell me, boy."

Mike opened his eyes a sliver to look at Saphira. He could tell that she was regretting her previous words. The words that told him not to say anything. Now, with her tear stained cheeks, he could tell that she wished Mike would tell everything just so he wouldn't die.

But there was something hidden deeper in her eyes. A part of her wanted to tell him how truly sorry she was for hiding such a secret from him. And even deeper down in Mike's own self, he wished he could apologize for how he had also hurt her.

Mike sighed, although it was really hard to. "All right, Harro. I'll tell you."

Harro grinned. "Smart boy." He threw the caratse head in a torch on the wall nearby and walked away. Saphira continued to stare at the flames on the torch as the embers danced from its new fuel.

Harro sliced open a small part of Mike's shirt revealing part of his chest. Harro spoke in a strange language. It sounded the same as what the lady Sealisa had spoken.

The serpent began to rise upward to the top of Mike's chest. You could see the place where the serpent wiggled around under his skin. Harro pinched the serpent tightly in between his fingers- which hurt Mike a little. It tried to squirm free, but he held on to it. He grabbed his dagger from his side and held it pointed at the serpent.

"Okay, boy. Spill!" he demanded.

Mike sighed. He hated giving out information, but he wasn't about to put Saphira's life in anymore danger. "Sealisa was right. We set out to find the Cup of Life to bring back to the Light Kingdom to save Snyder."

Saphira couldn't believe her ears. Did he just say we set out to find?

"Where is the cup?" Harro continued to ask.

Mike closed his eyes. "In a village called Eathoway a little less then a days ride from Gonithre."

"And the underground tunnels?" Harro proceeded.

Mike shook his head. "That I do not know. Only certain people in our kingdom are allowed to know. I am only a Squire. They will not give that information out to me."

"Who are these people?" Harro pushed.

"The King, Queen, Knights, and..." Mike trailed off.

"And?" Harro asked, his teeth gritted together.

Mike sighed once more. He went a little farther then he should have. What was the point in trying to save Saphira's life if he was just going to doom her again?

He didn't want to say. He couldn't, and yet, if he didn't... "Princess Saphira," Mike answered with a soft voice.

Saphira thought her eyes couldn't get any wider. How could Mike have told him that she knew?

Priella glanced from Harro, to Saphira, to Mike, and back to Harro again.

Harro nodded his head and sighed himself. "You have done good, boy." Harro began to dig his dagger into Mike's skin until he could reach the serpent. Mike screamed in pain and he clenched his eyes tight. Harro stabbed the creature with his dagger, withdrew it from Mike's skin, and threw it into the flames of a torch hanging on the wall.

Mike's breathing immediately returned to normal. His head rolled to the side and he laid there silently.

"Micah!" Saphira yelled, shaking the bars as if trying to break free.

"Don't worry, my lady," Harro reassured her. "He will be fine. Just give him time."

Saphira lowered her hands, but not her gaze. "Fine?" she questioned. "You just tortured him and cut into his skin! He's bleeding, and you're just going to walk away?"

"That is exactly what I am going to do," Harro replied as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Saphira cried out. "Won't you let us go now? He told you everything you wanted to know." Harro kept on walking. He didn't bother answering.

"Please!" Priella pleaded. "I want to know that Snyder is okay."

Harro stopped.

"Keep me in these shackles, I don't care," Saphira continued. "I just want to be beside my friend."

Harro sighed. He felt pity for this girl. He turned around and strode back to Saphira. He opened her cage, unlocked the shackles at the base on the ground, and let out a few links to make them longer. Saphira, still all chained up, shuffled out. Harro carried the links in his hand as the two trudged over to the unconscious boy.

Saphira quickly placed her hand on Mike's forehead, but swiftly drew it back. Mike's skin was steaming hot. She had to get him cooled down. A temperature this high was deadly.

Harro finished chaining Saphira's shackles to a base near the stone table, enough to where she could gain easy access to Mike.

"There you go, Princess," Harro said with a sarcastic bow. "Will there be anything else for you?"

"Actually," she began nervously. "Could I get a bowl of cold water?" Harro lifted his brow. "Please."

Harro sighed once more. "Fine," he replied, throwing his hands up. "I'll get you the bowl. But just this once! Only enough to cool the boy down." Saphira nodded rapidly. "I'll be back with a bowl and towel soon." Harro turned to leave, but just before he exited completely, Saphira yelled back to him in a whisper, "Thank you!"

Harro turned towards her. With a grin on his face he kindly replied, "You are welcome, my lady!" Then he exited.