Heart of Ashes

The Prisoner

Caine was calm for part of the walk to the dungeons. Then he started writhing and twisting to try to break away from Dmitri and Ragnar. They, with the help of the silver collar and shackles, managed to hold him.

His neck and wrists looked like acid had been poured over them. Skin so pale it was semi-transparent showed thin, blue veins in his temples and eyelids. And his eyes. His eyes burned with hunger.

Dmitri chained his collar to the wall of the cell. The chain was short so he could only get within a metre and half of the bars, no closer. Dmitri had to jump backwards as he exited the cell because Caine lunged at him. For one, tense second Evelyn thought the chain was going to break but there was a loud clank as Caine snapped backwards. He tried again and strained at the chain, trying to break it. Thankfuly, it held. She wondered how long it could hold him.

"Ragnar, Theodore," Dmitri said in a tone that let everybody know, if they hadn't guessed already, that he was in charge, "you two go back into the ballroom and gather a couple of Draculesti soldiers. Katrina, take this," he handed her the gun, "and go guard the entrance. If anybody comes down here, get rid of them. Mercedes, you and I are going to look for something in Caine's library and Evelyn. You stay here, watch him."

Evelyn glanced at Caine, who was staring at them the way a starving man would stare at bread through a bakery window, "Uh, what if he... er... y'know, gets loose?"

Dmitri considered it for a moment the replied, "Run. Run and get Katrina to shoot him. If this happens, Katrina, you shoot him between the eyes."

Katrina gave a sharp nod and, with a crook of his finger, Dmitri led everyone out of the dungeons, leaving Evelyn behind with the caged monster that had once been her grandfather and protector.

She backed away from the bars until her back touched the cold metal of the bars on the cell behind her. She stared into Caine's cell. It was small - made even smaller for him by the chain's restriction - and dark. The shadows still managed to fall across his face in a way that would've been to his advantage if he wanted to scare the hell out of somebody. There was a mask of shadow over the top half of his face, out of which two glowing, orange jewels shone. The light fell on his bloody jaw and lips, making him look exactly like the monster she didn't want to believe he was.

She watched him watch her and, slowly, a smile spread on his face, revealing sharp, white fangs. He had more than two. Not only had his top canines elongated past the point she believed to be the limit, but his lower ones had also become a little longer and more pointed. The upper and lower incisors next to his canines too.

She felt her heart thundering in her chest. She had absolutely no doubt he'd probably find a way out of his collar, he'd be able to bend the bars like they were nothing and then he would kill her. She heard a guttural sound from the shadows in that cell. Caine was laughing.

"I can't hurt you, Evelyn," he said, she could hear he was talking around the fangs, "but I do need you to do something. Will you?"

His voice sounded deeper than usual, rougher. More animal. She stayed silent and stared into the bright, orange, shadow-surrounded orbs.

He let out another raspy laugh, "I'll take that as a no, then."

The room fell back into silence and they went back to staring at each other. Evelyn didn't know what he wanted and she wasn't sure she was allowed to ask but her curiosity was overwhelming. She stared into his eyes for a while longer then managed to find her voice to ask.

"What do you want?" she was surprised at the unwavering confidence in her voice as she spoke.

She saw his teeth in the darkness as he smiled, "Thank you."