Ch. 22: Worth It

For a while, Dukalis told me where to go, but it felt almost aimless. All I could see as we descended the stairway was the deep haze and the occasional dark red lights. If anything, it didn't feel like we were making any progress, and for a moment I considered turning back. 

It's too dark down here, too miserable. I need to go back to above, and feel the sun on my skin.

I'm going to go mad.

"Aven, there's no need to worry," Dukalis soothed. "You're safe."

I flinched. I had forgotten that he could hear my thoughts. "Sorry," I muttered. "It's just… making me depressed."

"And scared. But there's no need. All the dangers are locked up and hidden away."

I shivered. I had forgotten about the prisoners. "That's not the problem. I just…"

"Hush." Dukalis rested his tail over my lips. "Your brother is not far from here. Keep quiet and follow me. We don't want to attract unwanted attention."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "I'm the only one who can see you. It's me who's going to get in trouble if we're caught."

Dukalis chuckled but continued on, leading me through the dark channels. Eventually we came to a stop far below the surface, and before us stood a cell, the steel bars held tightly against each other.

I peered inside and was disappointed. "There's nobody in here," I whispered.

Dukalis shook his head. "No. Wait."

We stood and waited, until it felt like the silence was suffocating me entirely. Yet I still jumped with fright when I heard a sudden noise come from inside the cell.

I peered inside once more and found myself face-to-face with Arius. His eyes widened and he hissed, scrabbling at the bars with his claws.

"What are you doing here?!" He snarled.

I jumped, fell on my back and stared up at him, startled at how bedraggled he looked. His fur was dusted with debris, his mane a scuffled mess and his skin bearing the marks of previous beatings. Blood still trickled from an open wound on his arm, and when I got a closer look I could see that his back was soaked with blood, seeping through his jacket.

I felt my fur flush with guilt as I stared at him. I hadn't known that he had been tortured during his time in the dungeons, and suddenly I felt sick to my stomach.

"I'm sorry," I whispered weakly.

Arius bared his teeth menacingly, like a beast backed into a corner. "What does it matter to you?" He growled. "You got what you wanted, all but seeing me dead."

"No… no, I never meant for it to end up like this." I stood and dusted myself off. "I never wanted you to get hurt, Arius. Please, if there's any way I can make things right-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He scrabbled at the bars for a little while longer, straining to reach me through them with his claws, until he slowed with his swipes. His voice dropped to a somber growl. "...Leave me alone. I don't want to ever see you again."

"Arius," I said gently, "I'm sorry. For being so selfish. For leaving you out of things and making it about myself. For… for being the reason… Dad left us. To go to the end of the world."

Arius grew deathly quiet. He stared at me with his bright violet eyes, and yet they revealed no new expression or change of heart.

Finally he spoke. His voice seemed calmer as he replied, "...It took you all this time, hasn't it? To realize where you went wrong."

I nodded, and he spoke again, a small smile crossing his face. It wasn't one of happiness; rather, it was one of condescending triumph.

"...Maybe if you had acknowledged my voice when I was going to kill you, Aven, maybe I would've spared your life."

My jaw dropped. That had caught me off guard. "So you tried to kill me because I didn't agree with you?"

"It was part of it." He glanced at his claws, his expression changing to that of nonchalant boredom. "I've been getting tired of nobody acknowledging me, Aven. For quite some time. Many years, in fact." His eyes narrowed. "You were always the favorite, despite being the odd one out."

But then he grinned, his teeth glinting eerily in the dark red light. "But now I am vindicated. The Queen has finally acknowledged me." He chuckled lowly, making me shiver. "You see, you're not the only one with a royal wrapped around their finger."

I took a step back. "All the Queen did was declare you not guilty."

"But we both know that wasn't the truth." He smirked. "We both know that with two witnesses, I could have very well been dead right now. But I'm not."

"And now you think you're buddy-buddy with the Queen." I took care to not let the sarcasm overwhelm my voice, because I felt like I was finally getting somewhere. Arius was no longer seething with hatred; rather, I was letting him express himself, and that seemed to make him cordial for the time being. "Just because she didn't care much for the case to begin with."

We were both quiet for some time before I finally spoke up again. "You know, Arius, I am glad you weren't proven guilty. I… I never wanted you to die."

Arius looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before another devious smirk took its place. "What? You still think you're the perfect one out of us?"

"No. It's just… with Dad gone, you're all I have left." I let the answer hang in the air as Arius processed it.

For the first time in many, many days, Arius' gaze softened. "...This is what it's about, then?" He murmured slowly. "Because you wanted us to stick together."

I nodded.

Arius' expression changed quickly. His face hardened as he slid backwards, his eyes glinting. "Isn't it a bit too late for that? I tried to kill you, remember?"

"But I'm willing to forget it." My eyes welled up with tears. "For Dad's sake. And for our own. Birds of a feather stick together, right?"

He growled lowly. "Since when were we ever the same?"

I maintained his gaze. "Since the day Dad left. That's what we share."

He didn't answer after that. He sat down slowly, flinching when he rested on his bruised leg the wrong way. I took notice and met his gaze. "Arius… would you like me to heal your wounds? They look painful."

Arius narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "...Your 'special' friend the Crown Prince would beat me close to death again if he found out I somehow managed to heal myself."

My jaw dropped. "So he's the one who did this to you? Oh, Arius…"

"Save yourself the trouble." Arius waved his hand dismissively. "It's… refreshing to know that you weren't the one telling him to do that, anyhow."

"Of course not! I don't wish it on anyone."

He fixed me with an unreadable gaze. "I doubt that highly."

I shrugged, feeling my face grow hot. "I'm not vengeful. But, um… I can try and persuade Prince Illesior to leave you be, Arius. I've managed it before."

Arius eyed me thoughtfully. "I was right that you've got him tied around your finger, then. He's gone so far as to try to destroy your enemies without your knowledge. That's powerful." His gaze turned strangely wistful as he stared off behind me aimlessly. "Mighty powerful, indeed."

I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. "Look, Arius, I… are you willing to think it over?"

"Think what over?"

"You know… making up."

He looked me over. "Only if you pledge to hear me out once I'm released from this gods-forsaken hole of a cell."

"Done and done." I glanced around nervously. "Look, I'm sorry I never listened to you before. It's just-"

"You need to leave." Arius said suddenly, his tail spiking up. "I can hear the guards coming, most likely with your 'special' friend. I get the feeling I'm going to get whipped and beaten again. It… it won't do you any good if they find you conspiring with me down here."

I was taken aback. Arius was trying to protect me? That meant I was finally getting somewhere! I pricked my ears and to my horror found that he was right: I could hear many footsteps coming down the stairway.

"...No. I have a better idea."

He eyed me curiously. "What is that? Are you going to confront them?" He grinned deviously. "Even with your special 'connection', Aven, I doubt that'll work. Your friend the Prince hates my guts."

"I will. Just not yet." I whipped out the spell book from my satchel and whispered a few words. "I need to see for myself what's going to happen to you, first."

Before Arius could reply, the spell I had cast took effect and suddenly my hands, fur and everything vanished. I had turned invisible.

Suddenly the procession came into view. About three guards holding huge torches came striding towards us, and they surrounded my new master: Illesior, the Crown Prince.

Illesior held up his hand, motioning them to halt, and when they had he came striding slowly up to the cell. I stiffened, feeling his fur brush briefly up against mine. Yet he took no notice, as he couldn't see or smell me.

Illesior grinned devilishly as he stood, face to face with my brother. Arius growled at him. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to speak to your ruler?" The dark Prince spoke smoothly. "Bow to me, you dog, and maybe I'll take mercy on you."

Arius spat on the ground. "Never. Not after what you've done to me."

Illesior's eyes flashed. "You brought misfortune upon yourself," He purred. "I am merely delivering you your wages."

"What are they?" Arius muttered as Illesior opened the door to his cell, stepping inside.

Illesior growled, his fur spiking up menacingly. Suddenly he dashed forward, pinning my brother against the wall, holding his neck flush against the cold brick with a single slender hand. He crushed it tightly in his grip, eliciting a shallow scream from Arius.

"Speak to me like that again, and you won't be so lucky," Illesior muttered into his ear. He let him go, and Arius dropped to the floor like a sack of rocks. He coughed and sputtered, and when he turned I could see that Illesior had clawed his neck, a shallow stream of red racing down from below his jawline.

To my surprise Illesior raced forward again without any warning, picking Arius up by the neck and bashing his head into the brick wall.

"How do you like that?" Illesior growled, stepping back for a brief moment. "Worthless dog. Death would've been a better fate for you."

"S-stop," Arius pleaded weakly, coughing up a few drops of crimson. "P-please…"

Illesior grinned darkly. "Oh, so now you beg for mercy." He stepped back, putting his hands on his hips. "Well then, go ahead. Get on your knees and beg."

Arius shot him a dark but weary look, shuffling around until he sat unsteadily on his knees. "...Sp-spare me, my lord…"

"MORE!" Illesior demanded. "Unless you'd like to get to know my claws personally?"

"SPARE ME!" Arius wailed. "Spare me death!"

Finally Illesior was satisfied. "Good."

He turned, kicking the door shut behind him. "Heal up, dog," He growled, "Because I'll take great fun in giving you the same treatment you gave your sister. I'll tear you down, build you up and then tear you down again. You'd better get used to it."

To my surprise, Arius muttered something else under his breath wheezily, and Illesior immediately stopped and turned. His eyes narrowed.

"Care to say it again?"

Arius coughed up more stained spit then stared at him unapologetically.

Illesior snarled, dashing back towards his cell. "You little-"

I had seen enough. I couldn't bear to see my brother put through more torture. If anything, this was far worse than what Arius had done to me. On top of that, Omani hadn't decreed for him to be beaten regularly, so Illesior was going against her law.

I whispered a few words and dashed forward, cutting off the Prince's path.

Illesior stopped dead in his tracks. "...Aven!"

"Illesior, stop. Arius has had enough. There's no need for this."

Illesior paused, then looked me over slowly. A dark grin crossed his face.

"May I ask what exactly you're doing down here, my dear?"