“Captain, this man is a threat to our kingdom and has been in league with the traitor king in his plot to unleash the Defiant One and destroy our world as we know it. Take him to the dungeons immediately to await his trial!”
“Surrender now, or we will have no other choice than to use force” said the captain of the soldiers.
“Surrender? You idiots! General Krauss is attempting a coup against the King! It is he that is a traitor, not I. Arrest him!” cried Tyrius, enraged.
“You don’t get it yet, do you Tyrius?” laughed General Krauss. “These men have been in my service for years now. They are loyal to me, not an old fool like yourself!”
The captain began slowly moving in to detain Tyrius. “Put down your weapon now and we won’t harm you.”
Tyrius took a moment to consider his next step. He had no idea if the entire Royal Guard was compromised or not, but at the moment, he had to assume that they were on the General’s side. If they were, he would have to fight his way through a legion of soldiers to get to the King, which he didn’t even know where to find.
He wasn’t sure he was ready for such a fight without the help of the other Elders. Deciding to surrender and allow himself more time to discover the real reason for the King’s erratic behavior, Tyrius slowly lowered his staff before dropping it to the floor. The soldiers rushed in and quickly bound his hands behind his back.
“You won’t get away with this. The king’s following goes much deeper than you know. There will be repercussions that will echo throughout the kingdom and your reign will be short lived at best.” he warned.
“Oh dear, Tyrius, you have no idea what I have planned, or what I am capable of, for that matter.” replied General Krauss.
For a split second Tyrius saw the same eerie flash of green light glowing deep within the General’s eyes before it blinked again from existence.
“Take him to the dungeon with the others.” ordered the General.
“Yes, your Majesty” replied the captain. “Move it.” he said, shoving Tyrius roughly toward the door to the hallway.
Tyrius was numb with the recent events and was deep in thought as he walked along the halls through the Royal Palace. He hardly noticed descending the long staircase down into the lower levels of the palace, or the change of the air from a comfortable warmth to a cold dampness as they climbed deeper into the dungeons.
He could hear the echoing cries of those who had been taken before him. There were angry voices, screaming out at the soldiers who betrayed them; others were weeping hysterically, crying to be let go. It seemed the flaming torches on the walls only served to provide a steep contrast to the deep darkness and despair of the lower places of the palace.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they entered the guard’s chamber before the iron doors to the dungeon. He heard the clinking of keys as the guard near the door stood up and grabbed a large iron ring from a hook on the wall. He began sorting through the various keys to find the one that opened the dungeon door. Once found, he shoved it into the keyhole and turned it with a click.
The door was pushed open and revealed a long hallway of darkness that was sparsely broken by the light of torches and was lined with dozens of iron-barred doors. The doors each led to a room with a single, small window that allowed a narrow shaft of moonlight to stretch across the cold, stone floors.
From what Tyrius could see as he passed by, the rooms were all packed with people. Some were filled with families, others with soldiers who apparently wouldn’t accept the news of their king’s betrayal. They were stripped of their weapons and armor and left only with their uniforms. It was obvious that they didn’t give in without a fight, as most of them had dressed wounds from what must have been an intense skirmish.
After walking some time down the hallway, they came to a large wooden door with a solid iron bar across the middle that locked it in place. The guard once again fumbled his large iron ring of keys before finding another, larger key for the door. When he unlocked it, he turned a rusty metal wheel to the right of the door that was fastened to the wall. Several chains began moving from the wheel up to the ceiling before there was a loud thud. The guard pushed the heavy metal bar out of the latch and slowly opened the door. The captain shoved Tyrius inside the dark room before slamming the door shut behind him. He could hear the iron beam click once again as the wheel turned and locked the door securely behind him.
The room was dark, but there was a shaft of soft moonlight that flowed from the small window in the back of the room that provided just enough light for Tyrius’ eyes to adjust.
“Who’s there?” echoed a deep familiar voice from within the depth of the dark room.
Tyrius knew the sound of that voice and a wave of relief flowed over him for the first time since the disturbance at the Temple.
“Your Majesty, thank the Heavens you’re here!” he cried. He could barely begin to see the outline of the King standing beside a makeshift bed near the corner of the room. “I thought I would never see you again!” said Tyrius.
“Tyrius…is that you, my old friend? What are you doing here?” asked the King.
“I could ask you the same question!” Tyrius replied. “Is it true? Were you really plotting the release of the Defiant One upon your
