CHAPTER ELEVEN

NIGHT SKY

The city of Minerva is a technologically advanced city, its architecture reflected beauty, nobility and the dominance of iron; It combined power and the intricate delicacy. The yellowish-green hue of the olive trees, as their leaves trickle from the branches before rustling as it flutters to the ground, joins the clanging of metal spears and the stamping boots of armored soldiers patrolling the city streets.

Owls hooting and flying in the night time, perching on the bronze façade of the Temple of Athena; that reflected the brilliant light from the moon. The streets were a sight to behold; the dim alluring hints of the sigil (a grey flag with two tilted spears crossed and a fierce owl on it.) lanterns were erected around the walkway, brightly shining and illuminating radiance on the marble figures and metal sculptures of Athena (goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts) patron goddess of the city, worshipped by the entire city.

Lozen missed this beautiful sight; her prison cell showed nothing more than faded echoes of moonlight. She missed it all. The strolls in the lit up streets and the beauty of the olive trees blooming. Her life was in a limbo, a Déjà vu. It repeated itself in a sequence, becoming easy to predict. Her thoughts was what frightened her the most, they came and tortured her very soul with it's insistent, but her thoughts were the only thing keeping her from being lonely, from holding on to her sanity.

Lozen stirs at the sound of someone approaching, moments like this, it wasn’t best to be seen by others. With tears streaming down her cheeks and regret etched on her face. She rubs it away quickly, before someone saw the sadness of her solitude. She stares out from the cold iron bars that separate her from freedom, her nerves eases down after seeing it was the prison warden.

“Warden Siah, what a lovely surprise!” said Lozen, sarcastically. “Here for your nightly visit I presume. You know it's an absolute pleasure to welcome you in anytime.”

“Ah! The ever sarcastic jailed bird . . . I guess you’re hungry for more whipping still,” said Warden Siah, her ugly face held a frown.

“You would love that, won’t you warden? But you see . . . your leather whip turns me on so much better than it should. I always cherish its hot sting in my skin every time you stroke me with your whip,” replied Lozen, with a grin on her face and an unwavering confidence.

“You’ve gone mad! There were whispers that you’ve lost your sanity,” said Warden Siah.

“What is sanity but an illusion . . . a facade we put on for society? What if I am the sane one and you’re the one that have gone mad?” blurted Lozen, flinging her hands dramatically like she was in theatre.

“I do not understand the nonsense you speak.”

“How can you when nothing ever sticks to that ugly head of yours, dumb warden?”

“How dare you insult the warden? . . . That alone is a capital offence, and your punishment would be thorough beating. Maybe that would teach you a lesson or two on proper prison etiquette,”

“Oh please! Teach me warden.” chimed Lozen. “I’ll be an amazing student I promise. And I would do my best not to spit on your horrific face. I guess maybe in return for your beating I’ll teach you a bit of knowledge so your brain wouldn’t be as empty as it is now,” said Lozen, at this point one would understand that her state of mind was a bit on the loony side, prison does that to an individual. Lozen would stare into her own heart so much that the monster in her would stare back as eagerly.

Warden Siah tempers flared, she had to stop this mutiny before other inmates learn to disrespect her too. She was the big dog, the alpha, the prime in this place of bounded criminals. “You’ll learn a very important lesson. Never anger your warden, jailbird!”

The warden scurried around for the keys to the cell, bucked to her waist was her trusted leather whip that instilled fear and pain into the prisoners bones. Slowly, she opened the cell door. Beckoning a few other prison guards to accompany her. TheThe guards locked the cell as after they went in.

Lozen held back her breath as they entered, she was used to this treatment by now, but it didn’t make the welts and wounds to hurt any lesser. In here there was no infirmary; no healer to treat your nasty wounds (and there have been a few she had gone through), but when injured in prison you can only pray to the goddess Athena that it heals without an infection, because the germs and dirtiness of the cell could kill you faster than the prison itself.

The atmosphere was tensing with anticipation.

Lozen was the prey hunted by wolves and they wanted to tear her limbs for limbs. They encircled her, with a ghastly sneers on their faces. Lozen knew they were going to enjoy every dose of her punishment. Here they enjoyed the brutality, the suffering of prisoners. The guards needed the tears and anguish of other people to sleep better at night and it doesn’t hunt their souls.

Warden Siah began striking the whip on Lozen's back, it slings on her skin then recoils, making Lozen ache before sinking to the ground, wincing in pain. The other guards were on cue with whips in their hands, flogging Lozen's blistered back, making her languish in the pain of her body tearing up, stinging and streaming out drips of blood.

“I bet it hurts huh, jailbird? Where’s your sarcasm now?” said Warden Siah, gripping Lozen’s hair, whispering into her ears. “I shall make you suffer and bleed. To torture you would be the reason I wake up every morning. Your anguish will be the reason why I draw breath.”

The guards brought out their anger, they were striking furiously. Lozen was screaming louder now, her screams turned to wailing and from wailing to an astonishing maddening laughter. Lozen began chuckling in between strokes, “Is that all you’ve got? . . . I thought you guys were more fucking tougher than this.”

“We're going to end you prisoner. We’ll vanquish that rebellious smirk on your face.” said Warden Siah; the prisoner had clearly touched a nerve. Warden Siah lifts her whip; her hand was in motion, ready to beat down the prisoner. Lozen rushes towards the warden, punches her on the face, breaking nose in the process.

The warden was astonished. Her face held unbelief as she clings to her bleeding nose. Lozen began strangling the warden, clenching the leather whip around her throat tightly, feeling the wardens’ struggle to break free, ignoring her shortness of breath. This wasn’t a time for pity and Lozen knew it in her heart. The other guards watched in confusion, wondering how the situation changed. “If any you dare move . . . I promise you that I will strangle out the last breath from your empty headed warden.” said Lozen fiercely, with a steely stare.