The Flame and the Dragon

The Bargain

"Nya! Lloyd! If you two are here, please answer me!" Kai screeched desperately, growing more and more worried. "Dammit, where are you two!?" He shouted as loud as he could. A loud squeak screamed behind him, and Kai turned around in a flash. A wooden door with iron bolts, he hadn't noticed before, creaked open. Against his better judgment, Kai approached it, caution in each guarded step. He then found himself in another chamber that contrasted with the rest of the castle.

The room closely resembled a tower entrance, but the stone was not made of marble like the rest of the castle.

An oil lamp on the wall faintly lit the room in a pale orange glow, barely illuminating the staircase spiraling to the top of the castle. Shadows danced in the corner as if beckoning him to follow. Every single thought told him to turn on his heels and go the other way, but the thought of his siblings possibly trapped in such a gruesome place quickly altered Kai's decision. He grabbed the lamp from its hook and raised it above his head. A complete sphere of orange light surrounded him as he cautiously made his way up the stairs.

The tower walls felt dank and wet beneath his hands.

The air was heavy with the disgusting stench of mildew. Grime covered the walls in some places while flecks of moss speckled enormous stone blocks in others. Huge blocks formed the steps, built on top of the other in a spiral, so large it was like walking two steps at a time. Barely any space existed between the two walls except for the width of the staircase. This caused the feeling of claustrophobia to creep up his spine, but he forced it away.

Shadows danced in front of him, like small creatures struggling up the steps.

The second their shadows left his sight, they stopped, as if waiting for him to follow. Kai blinked at the strange shapes but shook his head to stop his worry. He called out for his siblings again, his voice bouncing loudly against the stone of the tower, reflecting a harsh echo. Kai increased his speed as fast as he could up the enormous steps. Once he reached the top he stopped and held his ground at the sound of panting. Once he made sure he had the advantage if anyone attacked him, he turned around and held up the bright lamp, but saw nothing.

They made it to the top of the staircase faster than expected.

Both Jay and Ronin faltered until they both collapsed to the ground. Their legs were very sore from running up such a long flight of stairs and their lungs panted desperately for air. Tox slithered up the last of the steps, shaking and panting with the last of her strength before finally collapsing in a heap on the floor. They had quickly hidden when the loud footsteps of Kai's heavy boots charged up the stairs after them. The three hissed at the brightness of Kai's lamp.

The boy barely noticed, however, clearly too worried about his brother and sister.

Once Kai shrugged the sound off as rats, the lamplight and moonlight peeking through the windows told him he was in the highest room of the tower. The stone blocks melded into a slate cone that seemed to go on forever. Glassless windows form gaping holes all over the roof allowing moonlight to spill into the room. The little moonlight highlighted the iron bolts, locks, and bars upon the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room, clearly marking the tower as the dungeon.

The smell of mold and grime hung in the air, creating a revolting stench.

The floor was littered with straw and small broken pieces of the wall. The dim light of Kai's lamp danced across the room. He moved his hands to cover his mouth in a weak attempt to block out the horrid stench. The sound of crying quickly froze him in place, followed by the soothing shushing sounds he knew by heart. Keys was the first thing that popped into Kai's mind. He searched for any signs of a key. Kai searched around until his eyes spied the keys on the hook.