Disguised In Stardust ✔

Chapter Twenty-One

The citadel was larger on the inside than on the outside. Elisen and I descended into the lower floors, then we took a lift to the underground storage units. It was dug out without care, unlike the tidy servant's quarters above.

Carts of resources and multiple dark, abandoned mineshafts littered the place. I could hear distant wind from outside, and the occasional stream of dust and dirt poured from the rooted ceiling. Between all the ash and dirt, was a small gate that stretched high and wide in the middle of the chasm. Two torches hung on sconces beside the gates.

Elisen retrieved the golden piece from their robes, and swung it around their finger playfully. They lifted from the ground with the help of their wings, while I tried to avoid being whacked in the face repeatedly.

Elisen slowly hovered over to the dungeon gates, and stopped at the entrance. They fumbled with the lock for a moment before finding the right way to turn the key, and swung open the gate with incredible force.

The old thing creaked and groaned out into the chasm, waking the prisoners inside the dark, almost pitch black cells ahead. They sighed and grumbled impatiently, probably disturbed that we interrupted their sulking. We stalked through the long corridor of cells, each of which holding a purple-skinned prisoner. One of which was fiddling with a piece of cloth, the other sharpening a short, sharp object on a pebble.

"Why are you holding these people here?" I asked Elisen. They turned their head, but refused to give me an answer. They continued on their way, leaving me to follow helplessly. My query was left in the dust, lingering in the bloody air with tired prisoners.

"Are these Dwarves? The Aust-"

"Yes. Traitors from long ago." they started, but never finished. Their voice trailed off to silence.

"What did they do?"

"They revolted against us millions of xaits ago. They resorted to fire and flame, rather than sticking with decay and poison. They ruined part of what we used to call our home, and our lands have split since then. They have evolved into horned creatures, skin as purple as a plum's, eyes as black as night." They didn't say anything more, just left it at that. I figured it was a personal subject, but I didn't know it would become so solemn so quickly. The Faeries clearly had a hatred for these Dwarves.

"We are here, Lord Dain. The Lemrior Caverns." They tugged away a broken cart with sacks of who-knows-what inside of them, and brushed away the overhanging moss. Past the blanket of moss revealed a small entrance, once that looked dug out manually. I got to my knees and looked up to Elisen, who was watching me with intent.

"Beware, there is impeccable energy in these crystals. I would be cautious if I were you. Save the Prince, or it will be all over."

With that, they fluttered away without another word.

I took a deep breath, which was not a good idea considering where I was. Dust and dirt could have hung in the air for all I knew, and the prisoners were probably either bleeding, sweating or sick in this place too. I would not want to catch a disease here.

Just as I was about to enter the cavern, a raspy voice shouted out from behind me.The accent wasn't familiar, instead it was light Scottish. "Hey you.. What are you doing here?"

I turned to find a Dwarf at the end of the bars, gripping onto them with loosely clenched fists. They weren't Dwarves at all, they were tall, and in no way Dwarf-like. I stepped back from the cave entrance and slowly approached the cell.

"I'm here to rescue Faelin, the Prince of Oletis." I announced. My voice rung out into the dead silence of the cold dungeons. "Who are you?"

"Don't you know what I am? An Austere... " Their head lowered in shame, revealing a set of pale brown horns that angled up and slightly curved back. Their dark grape colored hair fell over their face in dirty strings, and the back was cut short. Their lilac skin was smothered in dried blood. Their body was covered in a baggy shirt that was wrinkled with sweat and smudged in dirt. Loose frays bounced against the edges whenever they moved.

"No, I mean... Who, not what." I tried again. They looked up to let me see their face. As Elisen said, their eyes were pitch black, even the scaleras. What happened to the Dwarves over the years?

"Oh. I am a man.. I know it may not seem like it but-"

"No, I want to know your name. Do you have one?" I questioned.

His raven eyes widened in shock. He stammered for a little bit, but managed to mutter something I could recognize as his name. "Hakket." Their long, almost deer-like ears drooped downward naturally, but perked up when I stepped closer to the cell.

"Hakket?" I placed a hand on the bar, right below his. His nails were outgrown and uneven. It really felt like I was talking to a locked up animal.

"Yes." he returned bashfully. His voice was soft and low, barely raising above a whisper. When he raised it, it would crack and go raspy. How long had it been since this poor soul had water?

"Do you get fed down here? Do you get to drink anything?" I asked, reaching up to place my hand on his. He just shook his head in denial, and cleared his hoarse throat.

"No. I haven't been seen in at least a few weeks." Was all he could muster before his voice gave out.

I stepped away from the cell in a hurry, remembering my original purpose down here. "Oh God, I'm sorry.." I cursed, heading back to the entrance. "I'll be back, Hakket." I told him, to which he nodded silently, and slid down the bars to kneel on those weak caps. He was unhealthily gaunt; I could see bones under his skin. I shuddered, and it wasn't just because of the chill down here.

I picked up the pace and followed twisting tunnels, some collapsed and others spiraling into a whole other section of the caves. What kept me going though, was the distant calls of Faelin that rang through the narrow spaces. His voice made the crystals shudder in their rock walls.

"I'm coming, Faelin. Don't worry." I muttered, both to him and to myself. My legs were aching, but I stood my ground. I followed a vague, somewhat scattered trail of pink crystals, thinking back to what both Faelin and Nelei said.

Chapna was the source of energy in this place.

If I could find the direct source of the Chapna's energy, I might find Faelin.

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