Sovereign Warrior
Part 6

Cye awoke with something similar to if not completely alike a hangover.  Even though he did not
drink, he was sure the people that held him did.  His head spun sickeningly making the headache he had
even worse than is was before.  Every muscle in his body hurt and he could feel shackles binding his
wrists and ankles.  Pain was al he was aware of.  Once he gathered the concentration, he opened his eyes
and took a look at his surroundings.
     A small, almost spent, candle was the only thing lighting the dark cell.  A blue flame reached out
with azure tendrils to gently caress the wall.  The darkest corners of the cell seemed to hold living
shadows that danced back and forth in the candlelight, cackling uneasily all the while.
     None of those things seemed to matter as much as how deathly cold it was in that dark room.  It was
so intense that Cye found himself beginning to grow weak.  Not sounds came to his ears; the great-varied world outside had been shut away as if it didn?t exist.
     Cye had always had thoughts about death when he fought the Dynasty, but he still could not face it in
his mind.  But he knew this was death, this darkness, this silence, this mortal, blood-stilling cold.  He
felt so bad waiting there so patiently and helplessly, with everything fading and growing dim.  Yet he had
no choice.
     He tugged hopefully at the chain that held him, wanting it to give, but instead he stopped abruptly
when an unseen force caused the shackle to burn his wrist.  He bit his bottom lip to stifle a cry of pain.
This just wasn?t his day.  Think of it this way, he thought to himself.  It couldn?t very well get any worse.
     The door to his cell swung open.
     Uh, oh. . .
     A bent, haggard, old woman staggered into the cramped room.  Situated on her worn shoulders was
the strangest cat Cye had ever seen.  Its pitch-black fur was striped with yellow and its tail tipped with
red.  The yes held absolutely no emotion whatsoever.  Following behind the timeworn woman was a tall
man dressed in the armor of Cruelty.
     Where?d he get that?  Cye wondered.
     When their eyes met, Cye flinched uneasily under his intense gaze.  The man cracked a wry smile.
     ?I see you?re awake.? He said, ?Allow me to introduce ourselves.  I?m Lorn and that witch over
there is Gwendolyn.?
     The witch, by this time, had moved over to Cye?s side and was eyeing the blood running down his
arm. ?You?ve been struggling,? she said.
     ?No matter, once you?re done with him he won?t have enough strength to put up much of a fight.?
     Gwendolyn stepped in front of Cye and seemed to produce a clear, glass, sphere out of virtually
nowhere.  It was about two and one half inches in diameter and it literally hummed with power.  The cat
let out an ear-splitting shriek and leapt off the woman?s shoulders to hide in the darkest recesses of the
cell.
     Lorn crossed his arms and leaned against a far wall to wait.
     The witch lifted the crystal only inches from Cye?s nose and pulled her hand back abruptly.  The
sphere hung suspended in the air where she had left it.  Cye turned goggle-eyed with wonderment.
Slowly and steadily the orb began to spine and the faster it spun the brighter it glowed.  A breeze began
suddenly in the room and it continually gained force as time went on.  Gwendolyn shouted a few
incantations that Cye could not make out over the rising gale and she threw her hands above her head.
     Something stirred faintly inside Cye and it took him a moment to identify just what it was.  His
armor was gradually slipping away.  Pain shot through his body as piece by piece it was taken.
Gathering what little strength that remained in him he tried to regain what he had lost.  But it wasn?t
enough and he gave a final scream as the last of his armor was stolen from him.
     All at once the wind died down and the crystal stopped both glowing and spinning.  It had taken on a
milky blue color that Cye didn?t even have to guess was his armor.  Gwendolyn snatched the sphere from
its perch and proceeded to leave the room, her cat following in suit.
     Lorn, who had been tossing a rock around during the whole ordeal, stepped forward.  He used a
finger to lift Cye?s head. ?I admire your tenacity, but you don?t seem to have much fight left now.?
     Cye narrowed his eyes. ?Fuck off!? He said through clenched teeth.
     ?Fine,? Lorn said, taking the rock and hitting him over the head, knocking Cye once again
unconscious. ?Once Talpa gives me permission to kill you, I?ll make you pay.? He turned and stomped
out of the cell in a fit and slammed the door behind him causing the candle to go out, bathing the
cramped room in darkness.
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More to Come Soon by Pendragon!!
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