Element Restraint

Chapter 16: Acantha

I jerk awake hitting my head on a cold metal bar. I look around me, but all I see is darkness. I try to speak but I am unable to open my mouth. I feel cold metal around my mouth, locked around my face. A muzzle. The clanking of my chains echoes through the darkroom. I bring my knees to my chest, trying to warm myself. Goosebumps rise at the spots my skin is exposed.

I recall everything that happened. The throne room, Valence laying dead, and I-I somehow controlled fire.

Tears of confusion and defeat run down my muzzled face. What is happening to me? I will never see my father again. Am I the next one to die in my family? First Rawr and now me.

What feels like hours go by of me curled in a ball crying. I begin to tremble from the cold of the room. I lean against the cold wall and close my eyes.

A creaking noise comes from the other side of the room. I open my eyes to see a small source of light coming towards me. I scoot as far as possible away from the direction of light as it gets closer and closer to me.

I breathe heavily through my nose when I see a tall silhouette approaching with a light.

"Acantha." They whisper. That is when I notice it is Prince Erik. Did the King send him here to kill me? Or worse!

He gets closer and sets the flashlight down on the ground so that it is shining on me. I hear a rattling of metal as he begins to step closer to me. I scoot away from him as far as possible. He senses my fear and puts his arms up revealing keys in his hand.

"I am not trying to hurt you. I want to get you out of here." He says. He walks closer to me. That is when I take my chance to escape.

I quickly rise and sweep the chains under his feet just like Valence did.

The prince hits the stone floor with a thud. The keys slide across the floor a few feet from me. I dash towards them but I am quickly yanked back by my wrists. I turn back and see that my chains are too short to reach the keys.

"Dang Acantha." Prince Erik groans on the floor. He sits up and rubs his head as I pull on my chains in a panic. He takes his time getting up and turns to me.

"Can you please stop that?" He hisses. I begin to pull harder, the metal digging into my skin, as he walks closer to me.

Prince Erik walks over to the key, kicking them at my feet.

"Now do you trust me?" He asks. I look down at the keys for a moment and then back at an anxious prince. I bend over and slowly pick up the keys in my hand.

"The brass key is for the muzzle, and the silver for the chains." He tells me.

I squint in the dark to find the right key. Prince Erik picks up the flashlight and shines them on the keys.

I find the silver key, and shakily jiggle the key to unlock my handcuffs. Prince Erik watches me in silence.

The cuffs make a clicking sound and fall off my wrists. I then move to the muzzle which I easily remove then throw to the floor.

"No!" I shout to him. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"No?"

"No!" I repeat. "I do not trust you."

"But I am trying to save your life."

"No!" I repeat.

He clenches his jaw and signs. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a glowing square."I will explain everything on the way, but we have to go." He says tapping the square. "This might hurt a little."

Before I can ask why my skull begins to burn. I drop to my knees in pain as my head begins to pound.

"I had to disable your Musgravite chip in your neck. It sometimes is too much of an overload when your abilities return."