Teal stirred.

He was trembling. The stone floor upon which he lay on, was freezing, as if he was lying on ice itself. He rolled onto his back, and his hand clawed for the single thin blanket they had granted him. To his dismay, it was already draped over his body. If he was going to survive this bitter cold, he would need more than a shabby thin cloth to keep him warm.

His body ached, but he didn’t know if that was from the cold or from the thick darts that were being used to keep him sedated. He had lost count of the number of times the darts had pierced into his skin.

He opened his eyes slowly. He was foggy and unable to maintain coherency for a significant period of time. Days bled into each other. Nights seemed endless, but one thing remained the same: the metal bars of the cage he had been put inside.

The only memories of his journey from Gleegan Tower were mostly of movement and sounds. There had been rocking as if he had been in a carriage. At other times, the smaller cage they had used to transport him in, had been dragged along wood. He had heard male voices; sometimes close, sometimes far away, and sometimes muffled. Some shouted as if giving instructions. He had smelt horses, the smell of fresh dirt from the ground, and the smell of wet forest as if he was suddenly back in Hulena.

There was also the horrible memory of being held down by multiple people and having more of the elixir poured into his throat.

The journey had been endless.

Today, he was more lucid. He didn’t know how many days he had been at his new location. In his drugged state, time continued to be an unknown constant. All he knew was that it had been too long that his body had endured the cold stone.

Maybe they were allowing him to regain more clarity, more focus, and more awareness. For the first time in a long time, his eyes focused on what lay beyond the metal bars of his cage.

Weak and drained, Teal remained lying on the floor, slowly blinking to get his vision to clear. He needed to eat. The hunger within his body overwhelmed him, aching through every inch of his soul.

Now that he was regaining some resemblance of lucidity, he could tell there was space beyond the cage he was lying in. It was a large space. It was a grey stone hall that stretched out in front and behind his cage. Dim light was struggling to come in from several arched windows lining each side of the hall. Heavy thick curtains surrounded each window and in between each arch, thick wall hangings with pictures and emblems filled the space. Dalenia had been so foreign to him when he had first arrived, but the Keglar Kingdom was something else. Everything in Dalenia had been bright, airy, and full of sunshine. In contrast, the Keglar Kingdom was dark and drab.

Teal shook his head. Yes, today he was more lucid. He was weak, but this was the closest he had felt to his usual self in a very long time.

He slowly pushed himself up and took in more of his surroundings. There was still a weight on his wrists when he tried to move. The metal cuffs were still on him. As his eyes followed the heavy chain, he spied a similar looking contraption to the one that had held him in the Gleegan Tower. It was obvious that if the door to his cage was opened, he would be pulled towards the end of the cage to enable a person to enter safely.

He slowly rose to his feet, his muscles twitching and straining from the exertion. He stumbled and slumped against the bars of the cage. There was minimal furniture in the hall. At the top, a large fireplace held a warm crackling fire. The only indication of homeliness was its constant flickering of flames. If only they had put his cage closer to it, he might have felt some of its effects.

Above the fireplace, a large wall-hanging covered the wall’s surface, and Teal’s heart dropped. He recognised the emblem now. It was the same one that had been on Prince Yernal’s flags and carriages when he had arrived in Talbec.

He was in the middle of Prince Yernal’s territory inside the Keglar Kingdom. His legs collapsed underneath him and he slid down the side of the cage, unable to take his eyes off of the huge wall-hanging.

This was not good. Not good at all. Who was going to come and help him from the depths of Prince Yernal’s territory? No one who was sane, that’s who.

He stared weakly around the room and tried to determine if there were any means of escape for himself, if he was ever given the opportunity and could get out of his binds.

Teal also started to watch the people who dared to skitter inside at the top of the hall. They entered through a servant entrance, nervously going about their different tasks. They would cast him an anxious glance at the cusp of the hall before edging along the wall to open and close the heavy curtains or to attend to the burning fire.

Even the people’s clothes in the Keglar Kingdom differed vastly to the Talbecan Empire. True, his home town was north of Dalenia and far above the equator so it was cold in winter, but nowhere near as cold as here. He was so used to seeing woman bearing their arms or their shoulders, but here the women’s clothing was heavy and thick covering every inch of their body, their only practicality Teal thought, was to keep them warm. They also wore strange headdresses that towered above their heads. They looked heavy and burdensome compared to the delicate combs and clips worn in the hair of the Talbecan women. The men were just as covered up with their long trousers, coats and boots.

Bitter cold wind blew into the hall when the doors were opened and the sounds of men and women going about their jobs made Teal suspect a courtyard of sorts on the left side of the hall. Doors on the opposite side were dark and lit with torches, suggesting passageways to deeper inside the building or castle, or whatever it was that he was being held captive in.

Teal rested his head onto the metal bars. If only he could eat.

The double doors on the opposite side of the hall suddenly opened and the sounds of heavy boots on the stone started to approach his cage. They were not the steps of a servant. Teal turned to see Prince Yernal followed by several heavily armored guards.

Teal and Prince Yernal stared at each other for a long while.

“Are you willing to behave yourself?” Prince Yernal finally asked.

Teal assessed his situation. His stomach growled so loudly that even Prince Yernal heard it. “I don’t know what your plan is with me,” Teal said. “But if you plan to keep me alive, you will have to feed me.”

Prince Yernal smiled widely. “Of course,” he declared. “I wouldn’t want my well-treasured guest to go hungry now, would I?”

“Guest?” Teal snarled. “Is that what you call this?”

“Let’s get something straight,” Prince Yernal stated. “Play by my rules and I’ll feed you. I’ll feed you all the humans you want.”

Saliva formed inside of Teal’s mouth at the mere mention of human flesh, of human blood and meat dripping down his chin and sliding down his throat into his mouth.

“What do you want me to do?” Teal asked.

Greedy satisfaction filled Prince Yernal’s face. “Scare people. That’s what I want you to do.”

Teal scoffed. “I’m not going to be able to scare anyone. I’m too weak.”

Prince Yernal leaned back and pursed his lips. “Hmm, you might be right. I’ll make a compromise and have a teaser brought in.” Prince Yernal dared to step closer to Teal’s cage.

“In a couple of minutes, I’m going to invite some guests in to come and look at you. They’re from wealthy and noble families who I believe need a little more incentive to stand by me and show me their support. I want them to know what would happen to them if they failed to comply.”

Teal blinked slowly. “You trust me? You’ll let me out of this cage?” It sounded too good to be true.

Prince Yernal laughed and then his features turned angry and ugly. “I’m not that stupid,” he spat viciously and pointed his finger at Teal. “Never forget who is in charge here. I have some Talekan Assassins who think you should be killed,” he waved to the cage that Teal was caged in, “or kept indisposed. They are supplying me with the Ashkin poison to keep you in an agreeable state.”

“You know I will eat you the first chance I get,” Teal hissed, reaching his hand out through the bars towards Prince Yernal.

Surprisingly, Prince Yernal didn’t take the bait. His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d like to see you try,” he said in a low voice that was full of warning. His eyes rested on the chains on Teal’s hands before he gave Teal a wink.

Prince Yernal turned and called out to one of the servants standing by the entrance of the hall. “Let our guests in,” he ordered.

The servant didn’t hesitate and spun on their heels to open the double doors.

They entered and huddled in a group at the top of the hall.

“Come now guests,” Prince Yernal stated standing confidently in front of them. “Don’t be afraid of my new pet.”

Eyes flickered briefly to the cage and then back to Prince Yernal. They were dressed in what Teal had determined was typical Keglan clothes, heavy garments with colourful blends of blues and reds. The women all wore the heavy headdresses.

“Is he really a Lombock?” a man from the top of the hall asked.

“I assure you, you are all safe. He is secure to the wall in his cage.” Prince Yernal stepped forward and snatched the elbow of one middle-aged woman into his grasp. Her hair was turning grey and lines were starting to appear around her eyes. She carried herself with dignity and pride, but Teal could see the worry in her eyes. Prince Yernal started leading her towards the cage. “See for yourself, Lady Helign, he is a monster Lombock. They do exist, but you are safe.”

The woman laughed nervously. “You tease me, Prince Yernal.” Her eyes fleeted towards the cage and straight to Teal. “Are those bruises on his body?” she asked.

Prince Yernal followed her gaze. He sighed dramatically. “Yes, alas, he was not behaving himself so I had to show some dominance. Look, I’ll show you who is in control here.”

He turned his head towards the guard on his right. “Tighten his chains for me.” He turned to the guard on his left but he didn’t even need to ask. The foreboding figure was already holding out the wooden mace.

Teal’s eyes narrowed and he glared. He knew what was coming and it wasn’t going to be good at all. The soldier started to wind the chains, and Teal’s wrists and feet were pulled towards the back of the cage. He tried to fight them, but he was too weak. He stumbled back and landed on his lower back. Before he could right himself, the chains continued to tighten, and he was dragged across the stone floor. His back was pulled up against the cage and his arms lifted above his head. Without a choice, he stumbled to his feet, his body hitting the wall that was now behind him.

The soldier kept turning the wheel that tightened the chains. Teal grimaced in pain as his body started to stretch beyond its natural limits. He held on for as long as he could.

“Stop!” he cried.

Prince Yernal gave a smug little smile. “Maybe a little more,” he said with a nod of his head in the soldier’s direction.

The man obeyed, and Teal cried out as the chain was tightened further. Any more and Teal was sure his skin would start to stretch too far and tear.

He screamed in pain and to his relief, Prince Yernal waved for the soldier to stop. Teal kept his eyes closed and tried to breath in, to give some release to the pain throbbing through his muscles and tendons in his arms, torso and legs. He didn’t hear the gate to his cage being opened, his ragged breaths, blocking the sound of the key in the lock.

He opened his eyes to see Prince Yernal standing arrogantly in front of him. Prince Yernal’s guests huddled closer together.

Teal saw the mace Prince Yernal held. He tapped it into his other hand repeatedly, teasing Teal and his guests with what was to come.

“You’ll come to learn that I’m not weak and pathetic like your Emperor.” Prince Yernal spat on the ground. “You’re here to serve me and do as I say.”

Teal glared and speckles of spit flew out of his mouth, and hissed, “I’ll eat every last piece of you, bite your head off and suck your brains out.”

Gasps of horror came from the group of guests, and from the corner of his eye, Teal saw them huddle even closer together.

Prince Yernal took a sudden quick lunge forward, swinging his hand that held the mace back and high behind his head. It came crashing down on the side of Teal’s ribs. Teal screamed out, a long painful gripped yell that echoed around the walls of the hall. Prince Yernal didn’t stop at one swing of the mace. He came down hard again. This time on Teal’s thigh and then again on his ribs.

Sharp daggers of pain shot through Teal’s body. His head flung back and his ribs lifted and shuddered as he tried to take in breaths of air, but his need to cry out stopped him from gaining enough oxygen. His face went red and his body limp.

Prince Yernal stepped forward and dared to grab Teal’s chin with his free hand. “NEVER. FORGET. WHO. IS. IN. CHARGE!” he yelled.

Prince Yernal released Teal’s head roughly and took a step to the left.

Teal tried to brace himself. It appeared as though Prince Yernal was going to ensure the other side of his body was going to take a beating. He gritted his teeth as he saw Prince Yernal swing back with his arm again.