The Last Flame - Crystal Bow

Chapter 14

Saphaer began to visit Buckie more often, making it easier for him to count the days. Assuming that the King came every week, it had been about two weeks since he banked.

He hadn't heard of anything happening to anyone; Stony and Peregrine still visited him often. He was often picked on by the other inhabitants, hissed threats and quiet speech.

One day, one of them said something quite disturbing.

"I'm surprised you've lived for long, boy." One of the fae spat. The other laughed a high, cackly laugh that sent shivers down Buckie's spine. He winced. "What?"

"You've been here for years." He hissed. Buckie doubted this fact, but he couldn't be sure. His clothes were ragged and dirty and it felt like forever since he'd had a bath. In that moment, he desperately wanted company, other than the two insane fae trapped with him.

"Trust me, I know. I have an internal clock." The fae's tongue clicked when he said clock and he let out a laugh. The two fae continued to laugh until they were both wheezing; they laughed often. Almost as if they had some strange inside joke. It was maddening.

Buckie decided that he didn't believe him, shaking his head and sitting up. His head pounded and he closed his eyes, once again messaging his temples. He took in a deep, shivering breath.

Not long after, two faerie guards dragged him out of his cell and out into the open, in a cell made of what looked like glass but was much more stable. He couldn't break the strange glass and as soon as he stepped in he realized that there were sharp thorns on the floor. They embedded themselves in his feet and grew back where they'd been uprooted.

Buckie scrambled to get away but the guards pushed him into the cell and locked the door.

The cell was much bigger than the one in the dungeons and it was so bright that he'd likely not be able to sleep. It was in a space where the only light came from the sun above, and it shone directly into the glass cell, amplifying the effect. Buckie took a step forward and yelled in pain as thorns pricked his feet. He began to tremble; the soles of his feet were raw from the lack of walking in the cell, and he stumbled and fell on his bum. Pain shot up his spine and he scrambled to get up, injuring himself further.

By the time he finally got over to the bed he was bleeding from his palms and the soles of his feet. He picked the thorns out and threw them in a pile by his bed. He hoped he wouldn't step on them.

By night time, the moon shone directly in his cell, bright and full. Buckie attempted to get sleep, but the mattress was so firm that he couldn't. Buckie attempted to pace around the cell but sat back down after two rounds. His feet continued to bleed. Blood splattered the floor and the sight of it made him nausious.

The next morning, Saphaer visited him. "I heard you had trouble keeping track of time. What do you think of the new cell?"

"Pain isn't going to make me talk." Buckie spat, but tears pricked his eyes. He was losing a lot of blood from just walking over to greet the king. Buckie squatted as low as he could without sitting down on the thorns. Saphaer laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure that's a lie. But this isn't why you're here." Saphaer shrugged. "You'll be living in here for a while. Care to answer some questions?"

"Do you have food?" Buckie hadn't eaten since Saphaer's last visit. The King laughed. "No, I'll send food after. There's no bribe this time. But will you answer anyways, out of the good of your heart?"

"Pah." Buckie spat, turning and hobbling back to his bed. But, on the way there, he tripped and fell. Pain flared through his ankle as he did and he slammed face-first into the thorns. He pushed himself up and swept a palm across his face, removing it to see a well of blood. He turned to see Saphaer staring at him with an expectant expression. Buckie flipped the middle finger at him and got up.

His way back to his bed was especially painful. He limped and his ankle wouldn't bear any weight, so he had to drag it across the thorns. They ripped at his skin and by the time he settled on his bed, his foot was streaked red and pale. Saphaer left soon after.

Buckie wiped blood from his face far into the night. He refused to cry.