The Fifth Territory by Stevie Collier

Author:Stevie Collier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-01T23:00:00+00:00

18

Queen Ashan was leading Esh down the dark and wet corridors of their underground dungeons. He had asked her if he could see his friends before he left and she’d agreed hesitantly. As they walked, he wanted to ask her how they had built all of this and when they had done so but he doubted she was in the mood for small talk. She tried to keep her sniffles quiet but he could still hear them. She must have hated him for having taken her boy’s consciousness away. But then again, it hadn’t been him who had asked them to perform such a ritual.

Queen Ashan stopped at a door with two guards posted on each side. She shooed them away and pulled out a set of jingling keys. Finding the right one, Esh noted that it was the key in the shape of a skull. She opened the door with a loud creak. Gasps came from the inside as Esh waltzed in brandishing his new, shining hand. He couldn’t help but show it off a little.

“And here I’d thought a hook would have been a nice accessory,” said Captain Venosh, sitting cross-legged with both hands on his legs in a very meditative position.

“A hook wouldn’t have been a bad idea,” Esh said with a smile. “But I think I prefer this glowing one instead.”

The guards entered behind him and Queen Ashan. One pointed at Captain Venosh. “Hey! How’d you get out of your shackles?”

It was true, all four of Venosh’s shackles laid on the floor next to him. He shrugged at the guard. “I’ve been bound so many times in my life, most of the times for pleasure mind you,” he said with a wink, “and so I’ve become sort of talented at this sort of thing.”

“Well… you will put them back on right this instant!” the guard yelled, taking a step toward Venosh who remained completely unworried.

“That’s enough,” said the queen. “Both of you, out. You didn’t see any of this, understand?

“But m’lady,” squeaked the other.

“Do. You. Under. Stand?” she asked with a low voice, her eyes whipping toward the guard who’d spoke.

“Yuh-yes ma’am! We’ll be outside if you need anything.”

Shten waved at Esh who sat down beside it. It had had also undid its bindings which was not at all surprising for a non-being who could practically tear itself apart.

“How’s the prison life been treating you, Master Esh?”

“Can’t say I’m a fan.”

Drohdroh hadn’t said a word yet, his mouth wide open as he gawked at Esh’s new appendage. Esh leaned over and extended the hand toward him. The archer poked at it a few times, afraid that it might burn him. But seeing that it did not, he couldn’t help but rub his fingers on the top of it.

“It’s warm,” he said. “How did they do this?”

“This sorcery is very hard to manipulate,” said Shten, grabbing Esh’s hand for itself. It started to analyze it, pulling apart all the fingers, wiggling them, then weaving its own fingers between them.

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