The Last Flame - Crystal Bow

Chapter 13

Buckie sat in his cell, hearing maddened speaking from the other cells by him. He would go insane if he stayed here much longer. Perhaps that was the goal.

He looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but it wasn't the servants coming down, nor was it the king. Instead, it was a tall man with dark brown hair and even darker horns, and red eyes that glowed in the darkness. As we walked over to Buckie and his cell, his face as wreathed in smoke, but he didn't react. It looked as if every time he breathed out, the smoke thickened in a wave.

"So you're Saphaer's little pet?" The man tapped on the bars and met his eyes.

"You've got a lot of nerve, saying the precious king's name. Watch out, you might hurt his feelings." Buckie remarked in a low rasp. He'd been getting less and less water each day, and Buckie was starting to be unable to stomach the stale bread he was given. There was a small bucket with his puke in it.

The man laughed. "I would reconsider your attitude. You don't want to anger two kings, now, would you?"

"And what will you do?" Buckie spat. "Torture me? Kill me? Pah! I don't have much to live now, other than my dignity and sanity, and both of those are fading steadily."

"Hmm." The man tilted his head. "Do you know who I am?"

"I'd know if you told me." Buckie rasped.

"Speak with respect, human. I am Naireth the Great, but more commonly known as Fury the Merciless, King of the Dragons, Taker of Many Souls." The man glared at Buckie with those glowing red eyes. Buckie glared back.

"Do you know how long you've been here, human?" Naireth asked.

"'Fuck am I supposed to know?" Buckie spat. "It's not like you have a clock down here."

"Watch your tongue or I'll burn it out." Fire flared from the Dragon's open hand and Buckie spat on his shoes.

Naireth frowned at Buckie. "Oh, I can't wait until you deserve due punishment. But, as it is, I will obey Saphaer's wishes. I'm excepted to see what he does to you." The Dragon King tipped his head to the side. "From what I hear, by the end he'll know you better than you know yourself."

Buckie watched Naireth leave.

++++

When Saphaer finally visited, Buckie was starving and his throat was as dry as a desert. He'd finished his last scrap of food and his water was long gone. The King carried bread and water.

"Are you ready to speak?" Saphaer asked, blinking. Buckie remembered how he'd heaved the last time he'd eaten the regular bread and water. With a wince, Buckie caved.

"I'll tell you whatever you want." The boy whispered, "Please...no more of this."

"Oh, there will be plenty more of this." Saphaer huffed. "It is your punishment, after all. Who gave you the poison?"

"Stony." Buckie's voice was barely over a whisper. His friend was going to be hung. All of his friends were going to be hung. This was his fault.

"I can see your regret." The King's voice echoed emptily through the room. The other prisoners were silent, likely listening. Buckie cursed himself; he'd been trying to keep quiet and hidden from them. He didn't feel like being harassed. "This is your fault, remember. This is your punishment. Perhaps, all of it was your fault. Maybe the burning of White Bridge, the death of everyone...none of it would've happened if you'd been like any other kid. But you stole and you cheated and you lied-and where are you now?"

"Shut up." Buckie clenched his fists.

"You brought the deaths of your village." The King said. "Yet you were allowed to live. PErhaps it was your fate to live on, or maybe it was your punishment to end up here? You've made mistake after mistake after mistake."

"Stop." Buckie hissed through his teeth. "I agreed to tell you what you want to know, not to let you bully me."

"I didn't ask what you agreed to." The King's voice was scarily quiet. "Tell me, Buckie...who do you value the most?"

Buckie bit his lip.

"I suppose I'll be leaving, then."

"Peregrine." In his time at the castle, Peregrine, his Gryphon friend, has become his closest friend. He still came down to visit him occasionally, and aside from Stony, he was the only one who did.

"Oh?" Saphaer glanced at him. "How curious."

Buckie devoured the bread as soon as he was handed it and drank the water in a few quick sips. He immediately felt better and sat back in his cell, pressing his back against the wall and watching the fae king leave. He looked down at himself.

He'd grown skinny in the time that had passed. He was so skinny that he could count each of his ribs through his now too-big shirt. How long had he been down here? How long would he been down here? His head pounded with pain and he felt almost lightheaded.

Buckie messaged his temples and held back tears. He refused to cry.