Shadow and Wild Magic

How long had they been on the move? An hour? Three? Shadow had lost the count of minutes. The sun was setting, and the air was getting colder by the hour. Later in the night, they were no longer on sand. It was warmer here, and they heard growls and shouts and hisses all around the wagon. They heard metal thumps, steps, soldiers marching, a gate lifting. Suddenly, the wagon stopped. Not a moment later, a lizardman, one of the heavy armored ones, opened the door.

“Get out,” he hissed in his language.

All four sindurs simultaneously stood and stepped out of the wagon, heads down. One lizardman fetched Master Khan, still lifeless on the wagon’s floor.

They stood at the center of some sort of courtyard. Tents were stretched and fire pits were lit. Many sithrax either marched around the square or sat on barrels and crates. All stared at the five prisoners who had just arrived. The smell here was horrid, even for Shadow, who was used to the capital’s constant stench.

Two lizards in black armor led the group inside the building by the courtyard. It was a tall fortress-like tower with no windows and only darkness surrounding it. The pale walls made it look like a long bone supporting the sky. Shadow had heard of this place. This was where the sithrax took their most wanted convicts, the most dangerous criminals.

This was the Fortress of Stahl, so large that it even qualified as a city. This tower was only one stronghold among the many here. All long and pale like bones planted in the sand.

“The least you can do is return us to Lahok!” the old sindur shouted.

Shadow had not noticed a scuffle had started, but the old lynx appeared to oppose the black-armored guards.

“This is not a place for us!” the old lynx pursued. “I am of the Centurion. My master will be looking for me.”

The Centurion was the capital’s military district. This old sindur must have belonged to a general.

One of the guards leaned towards the old sindur. “You should have thought of that before you tried to flee.”

The old man was doing everything in his power to avoid being imprisoned here. But he didn’t have much in his power other than his master’s status. How petty, Shadow thought. This was not going to get them out of here, even he knew that.

“Get this old rot and these three to the dungeon,” the guard said to the others, pointing at Shadow and the older sindurs. “The child goes to the cages.”

The white cub rounded his blue eyes and instinctively reached out to the female.

“No!” she screamed as the lizards wanted to take him. “If you’re going to cage us, let him come with us. Please!”

“Khaleen!” the cub cried.

So, that was her name.

The guard drew his weapon, a pike, and brandished it.

“Step out of the way,” he ordered.

Khaleen went on her knees and started begging. “Please, he’s just a child. Let him come with us, I beg you. I beg your mercy.”

The guard pushed Khaleen to the side with the end of his pike. Mercy was not a word the sithrax knew. But Shadow had to admit that the cages sounded better than the dungeon. Perhaps the little white cub would be better off there.

They picked up the cub and carried him away towards another exit. On his way out, he kept on yelling and screaming Khaleen’s name. It was heart-wrenching to hear his cries. Shadow wanted it to stop.

The guards led the three sindurs below ground. A dark and damp tunnel that smelled like rotten fish, even worse than outside the tower. Shadow had to cover his muzzle. His stomach was already churning on itself. He had to get used to the smell, or he wouldn’t survive here longer than a night. They threw them into a single cell. It was square and small, the three would barely have enough room. There was one bucket in the corner, still full of feces from whoever had stayed there before. There wasn’t even a bed, only stone and mold.

Khaleen collapsed on the floor and sobbed. The two red males went to comfort her. But there wasn’t really much they could say? Instead of following them, Shadow went to the door, a solid iron block with a small hatch that opened on the outside. While the others squealed, Shadow was already thinking of how he’d get out of this place.

“There’s no one guarding the door,” he remarked.

Khaleen was still sobbing. The old sindur turned to Shadow and stood up again.

“There are hundreds of them in this fortress. What are you searching for?” the old lynx asked.

“A way out,” Shadow answered briskly.

The old sindur scoffed, but it wasn’t to mock Shadow. His scoff was sad. “There’s no way out. This place is to scare us so that we never try to flee again. They will return us to our masters after they’ve starved and dried us.”

The younger red sindur helped Khaleen stand up. At that moment, the hatch opened, and a single bowl of water was dropped to the floor. Half of it had already been knocked over by the fall. As thirsty as he was, Shadow let the old lynx drink first.

“I’m not going back,” Shadow said. “I know what you said about protecting the cub or me, but you can’t protect us, old cat. Just like you can’t stop me.”

“Listen to Ten Zin,” Khaleen said. Thanks to her, Shadow remembered the old sindur’s name. Shadow was so bad with names. “If you want to live, you will stay here and comply. At least we can all return home once it’s over.”

“Home?” Shadow chuckled wryly. “You mean enslavement, right?”

Khaleen looked to the floor. Ten Zin did too. The third lynx, Mi—something, handed Shadow the water bowl.

“You can finish it,” he said. “We’re all exhausted, boy. Turning against ourselves won’t help.”

Shadow drank the single sip left in the water bowl. It was not nearly enough to quench his thirst, but it would do, for this night.

“We should sleep,” Ten Zin said. “At least, we are together.”

“I hope Sno is safe,” Khaleen said softly.

Ah, now Shadow finally remembered all their names. The old Ten Zin. The young Mielo. The grey Khaleen and the white cub named Sno. They curled up next to each other to keep themselves warm. Shadow thought he’d never close his eyes, but the soft breathing of the old red sindur eventually rocked him to a restless sleep.