Dark Room

The city guards were meticulous in their search, roughing up the civilians and hardballing them to intimidate them. Raelus was anxious. He had no alibi; funny enough, he could not speak about it. Cian was apparently from Salvia, and he was casually chatting with the city guards, all smiles, until it was Raelus' turn.

His royal looks and flamboyant red hair were inconspicuous. Added to the statements of fellow campers, he appeared to have materialized out of thin air, did not aid him at all.

"Cian, I know, but I can't let him pass without taking him into custody. My arse is on the line here," the main guard shut down Cian's pleas.

"He can't even fucking talk. How would the interrogation even go?" he fought, but he already sounded defeated.

"That's for the brehons to figure out," the guard rebutted. "Why the fuck are you fighting so hard for someone you've known for a day?"

"I know I can trust him. I just know," Cian said, as if trying to convince himself too.

 ******

The room was dimly lit, with enough darkness lurking to be menacing. Raelus was uneasy and restless, eyes darting quickly from one corner to another. His hands were balled into tight fists, holding onto his sense of self. The light in the room came from the moon, which was hidden away.

Without his sword, he felt naked and defenseless to his harsh reality. He tried to measure how much time he had spent here through his usual means—waiting for bell chimes—but they never came.

The air within the cell shifted. The change was subtle and felt mystical. Raelus stood up quickly and armed himself with the chair. The air became chilly and moved as if it were wind, and its whispers were intimidating. Raelus felt as if he had experienced this before, but he could not pin it down. Then it hit him—something similar had happened when his father brought him onto the shore.

Maybe, just maybe…

The winds suddenly stopped, birthing silence with their disappearance. The space beyond the table in front of him began folding before tearing up to form a void of chaotic energy. The portal stabilized, a boot emerged, followed by a not-so-short woman. She was wearing a black military uniform, and behind her, a behemoth in pitch-black armor stepped out.

Similarly, the void closed. Space unfolded, and then silence took the reins once again. The behemoth moved to the edge of the room. Despite the movement, the lack of clang from his armor felt unsettling—as if it were not metal. The not-so-short druid snapped her fingers, and the candles on the candelabra hung along the walls of the cell lit up in a gentle green flame.

"I am Grianne," she introduced herself. Raelus had calmed down, put the chair down, and sat.

"We are here on royal orders to find a criminal with odious tendencies," Grianne had paced around the table to where Raelus sat and hopped onto the table. Raelus could see her clearly. She had dark olive skin, black hair, and even darker doe eyes, which were hidden behind her rimless glasses that had a glint to them. The glasses sat above her straight nose, and no further adjustments were needed.

"So tell me, buachaill rua, do you have a thing for children?" Her round lips turned into a mischievous smile. Raelus was generally confused and was disoriented further when her delicate fingers gripped his shoulder. Her smile vanished as quickly as it had formed, and her face was very close to his.

"I asked. Do you like kidnapping and mutilating children? Do you?"

Raelus, shaken and unable to stutter anything out, was attacked once more.

"I think you do. You lure them with your looks, promise them food, then snuff the light from their eyes. I think you enjoy it—laugh maniacally as you choke them. So tell me, why do you do it?"

Even before Raelus could do anything, he felt as if something was attacking his psyche. He grabbed his head and dropped to the ground. He heard constant bangs, as if something monstrous were banging on an unperturbed wooden wall, and as the bangs grew louder, so did his pain. He rolled on the floor, and when he could not stand it, he let out a daunting scream. The bangs went silent, and Raelus fainted.

Grianne had stretched her hand toward Raelus. Her eyes had turned light blue. Blue strands of magic were slowly becoming visible, but suddenly the strands imploded, disrupting the spell. Grianne's hand jerked backward violently as the spell backfired. The uniform from that hand tore into pieces, and her hand was slowly blackening.

The behemoth came to life, wielding a greatsword. By the time a downward slash was performed, the blade was in existence. The air whistled as its single blade tore through the air and dug into Grianne's infected hand just below the elbow. The forearm fell on the table as Grianne crashed into the wall.

The behemoth felt a foreboding danger from the arm. The greatsword vanished. It push-kicked the table, and then Raelus and Grianne were pulled toward it. It caught them in a giant hug, quickly turning to shield them. The forearm was expanding before it finally exploded, tearing apart the wall adjacent to it.

A gaping hole was formed. The candles were blown out as wind rushed in. The room was brimming with moonlight. The behemoth set them down and walked toward the destruction. The citizens below were panicking and rushing to safety. Screams filled the streets, and a stampede formed as everyone tried to save the other.

There was a jingle of keys at the door. The door opened, and black-uniformed people rushed in, armed, only to see the behemoth. The one leading the charge asked:

"Who did this?"

"He did," the behemoth answered in a deep, distorted voice.

The leader stood, awaiting orders.

"Take the druid to the infirmary and release the boy when he wakes up."

The brehons jumped into action and left with them. The behemoth stood at the mouth of the gaping hole, staring into the chaos below.