The Book of Time: A Guardians of Time Novel

Chapter Four: Free

Parts of his dark blue skin were blistered and burned black; injuries sustained as he had flown through space and broke into the atmosphere, crash landing on a tiny, hidden planet. At least his half-brother had had the decency to reattach his arm.

Stenos sat alone in the corner of a cage no bigger than a mid-sized bathroom. He was huddled up to keep his nearly completely naked body warm and he stared out into the place he had come to know as hell.

Outside of the thick iron bars was a world that Stenos did not even know could exist. It was obviously a prison. During the day, scorching liquid lava flowed around him and a few of the other cages that held prisoners. The heat that radiated from it was unbearable. Once before he had put his hands on the bars and left behind layers of skin that sizzled when they stuck to them. At night, the large cavern was cold, and the wind that blew through only aggravated the terrible conditions.

He didn't know if it had been hours, days, months or even years since his last encounter with Kromwelle, but it felt like an eternity. Stenos, the all powerful evil king who had killed so many was actually in fear for his own life. Around him, other men and women were locked in cages. Some were pacing, others were talking to themselves and mumbling in strange tongues. Some weren't moving at all and he wondered if they were dead.

He was given three meals every day, but they were small and inadequate. His body had begun to eats its own lean muscle and his ribs were showing. He had tried multiple times to tap into the evil magic that flowed through his body but it had been a vain effort. He could feel nothing.

Looking through the bars and watching the patterns of the guards dressed in heavy gold armor, Stenos wanted them dead. He vowed when he broke free, and he would break free, that he was going to kill everyone in the prison.

Sweat dripped down his body as the lava flow hit its peak, and the bars around him began to glow white hot. He then heard a procession of timed footsteps coming from somewhere in the large cavern.

Caloden and a dozen of his guards appeared from a door in the cave wall and walked down a large, rock pathway that led to Stenos's cage where they stopped. Cal just stared at him for a moment.

"Is this your idea of entertainment, Brother?" Stenos hissed, glaring through his one good eye at his younger half-sibling.

"You have to admit, it is rather amusing." Cal replied. "The strongest evil being in all the cosmos and I have him right here in my prison."

"How long?" Stenos growled.

"Fourteen days. For you at least. Only hours for me since you crashed on my planet." Cal said with a smile. "Ironic isn't it? You looked to change time, and it's very flow in this place is what makes you question your own sanity."

Stenos growled as he stood quickly and rushed to the bars. He grabbed them in a fit of rage forgetting, once again, they were hot. His skin sizzled and burned as he shouted and pulled away.

"I'm going to kill you when I get out of here, Caloden." Stenos said evilly. "Everyone in the prison will bow to me or fall under my blade."

"Your blade is set to be destroyed the same day you are scheduled to be terminated." Cal smiled.

"Those Above cannot interfere. They cannot kill me." Stenos growled.

"No they can't. But I can. I know the crimes you have committed, Caleb. I have read my charges to the courts and they have found you guilty. In twenty-four hours, the universe will be rid of you. We will all be safer for it." Cal said.

"I'm not a very unfair man, Brother. I am humble and grateful for where I have been. But you, you bring out the worst in me. That day you died, surrendered yourself to evil, I knew we would be mortal enemies. Imagine what we could have done, if we had ruled together. You could have had everything."