Chapter 6 Ariana #2
Eventually, a city came into view. The first thing I noticed was the lack of a wall or barrier surrounding it.
The second were the buildings, some of which were taller than even the trees.
Nearly everything was made of stone, and most of it looked the same.
I had no idea how people did not get lost navigating street after street of the similar-looking roads, buildings, doors, and windows.
The only landmark was the largest structure towards the back of the city.
Lysians in the streets peered at me as we passed. I wondered what they thought of having an outsider enter their land. They probably felt as welcoming as the Bavadrins felt towards Erik.
The Lysian led me to the tall and wide structure further in the city.
Was this what castles looked like? It was not flashy or architecturally appealing, just massive and stone.
Once outside the thick wooden doors, we dismounted, and he led me into the building.
I followed in silent awe. Yet again, hall after hall, it was all the same.
The structure was a vertical and horizontal maze, one I doubted I could ever escape without a guide.
It was a prison without the need for bars or a cell.
What was the purpose for such a large structure?
“The first three floors are generally common rooms and spaces. Top two floors are private quarters,” the Lysian informed though I was uncertain as to why he provided such information when I expected to be taken to a cell.
Eventually, he stopped leading me through the halls and opened a door to a comfortably sized sitting room.
A couple of leather-covered chairs sat in the center of the space along with a small table, and a hearth.
All of it was decorated in earthy tones.
Within the sitting room, there were two more doors.
The Lysian walked to the one on the right and opened it before stepping aside.
He angled his head. “This will be where you stay for the time being.”
I hesitated in shocked surprise. The room was not a prison cell, at least not a typical one.
I doubted I was free to leave or walk around.
But they were going to keep me in a cageless cage?
The Lysians must truly have seen me as harmless, like a puppy that was easily maneuvered, void of its strong adult teeth and muscular physique.
“You will stay here,” he said when my eyes struggled absorbing it all.
It was extraordinarily luxurious. Thick fabrics hung from the windows and walls. Though the room offered more color, it was still made up of earthy lavender tones. The space was grand, nicer even than mine at home.
“Who is in the other room?” I asked, looking over at the other door in the sitting room.
“The King,” he answered and laughed when my jaw dropped and eyes grew large.
Why would the King place me so close to his space?
Perhaps he wanted to learn of the Bavadrin ways just as I wanted to know of the Lysians?
Whatever the reason, it was clear he didn’t think I was a threat.
I doubted they would put the typical prisoner of war so close to their leader.
The Bavadrins certainly would never place a Lysian next door to the Leader Superior.
“How long am I to stay here?” I turned to the Lysian, who posted himself outside of my door.
“As long as it is required.” His response offered no timeline.
“Required for what?” I glanced at him, but he was simply staring at the far wall and paying me little attention.
“For us to save our own,” he said, and in his voice, I almost thought I heard sadness.
The door to my room remained open while the Lysian remained in the small common area.
I explored my new surroundings further. The furniture was made of dark and sturdy wood, the floor primarily covered by an ornate rug of creams, browns, greens, and yellows.
There was a large window and two floor-to-ceiling glass doors which opened to a balcony.
My hand touched the doorknob, pushing it.
I had expected it not to budge, but instead, it gave way and opened.
Hesitating, I wondered if the Lysian would come running and reprimand my exploration.
He didn’t. Quickly, I surveyed the area, noting that I was on the fifth floor.
To jump from such a height would risk injuring myself, posing far too great a risk. It would not make for a viable escape.
“If I were you, I certainly would not try jumping from this height.” The guard’s voice sounded from within. I spun around to find him leaning in the doorway of my new but very much temporary room. He had a casual stance, but I knew his senses were poised and alert, trained on me.
My face flushed. The Lysian knew exactly what I was doing and even thinking. Though I suppose it was easy to do given the situation. What would a prisoner do if not look for a potential escape?
How long had the Lysian been standing in the doorway, silently observing me as I familiarized myself with my prison? It troubled me, for he was so massive, yet moved soundlessly.
“Don’t think I could make it?” I asked, finding no point in hiding my thoughts.
He quirked his head to the side. “Are all Bavadrins like you?” His eyes narrowed a fraction. There was an air of mistrust in the statement, in that tone.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” I walked past him and into the room but kept the balcony doors open, welcoming the fresh, warm autumn air.
“I had always believed Bavadrins were cunning and untrustworthy. Yet you helped Erik, and you don’t appear to lie or spin stories. Honesty seems to ruminate within you. It does not match what we know of your kind.”
“Or perhaps you just haven’t been around me long enough for me to spin a proper web,” I countered.
To pretend to be innocent and weak would not win me any favors.
The Lysian guard appeared to respond to honesty, as did I.
I would use that to my advantage to win his favor.
He was right to be wary, but I would try to show him he could trust me, that I was not a threat to his kind.
The Lysian lifted a single golden eyebrow as he contemplated my words.
I crossed my arms over my chest as if squaring off with the beast before me. “And are all Lysians like you? Large and inquisitive?”
He smiled, canines flashing. “You should only be so lucky to have one like me tasked with keeping an eye on someone like you.”
The Lysian was likely not wrong with that statement.
I doubted anyone else would come off as almost welcoming to their prisoners of war.
Erik certainly did not have such a hospitable experience when he was a captive.
Suddenly suspicion set in, and I wondered whether the Lysian was tasked with making me feel comfortable in an attempt to find out potential secrets should I divulge them.
If that were the case, then he had met his match.
A Lysian like him likely believed he had nothing to fear from a Bavadrin woman, for he could easily overpower me with his size and strength.
Lucky for me, I could rely on something far stronger than physical strength for protection.
It was enough to help me keep my chin lifted and spine straight.
“I don’t even know your name,” I pointed out. We traveled together for two days and nights, if you also counted the night we left, a majority of it done so in silence. Still, it was a great deal of time to spend with someone and not know what to call them.
“Kole,” he answered casually, his crystal eyes focused on me expectantly. He wanted me to introduce myself, though I was certain that he already knew my name.
“Kole, I am Ariana,” I offered, and then glanced back to the open balcony door.
“You do not fear us, Ariana,” he said, blue eyes not once drifting from me.
“I do not doubt that if you wished to harm me, you could easily do so.” I stroked his ego with my words. “But you have yet to show that you are a threat to my life. I am cautious, but fear would not serve me well here.”
“You do not fear the unknown? You are in a new world right now. You have no idea what we have planned. For all you know, you may be on the dinner menu tonight. Yet you do not fear that possibility?” He seemed genuinely curious, but his lips curved skywards.
He was toying with me, trying to gain a fear response.
I wanted him to like me, not to see me as someone to entertain his boredom at my expense.
“Fear of the unknown does not serve me. I fear the things I know, the monsters who are clear to me.” I explained with a trail of breadcrumbs for him to pick up.
“What monsters?” he asked, so diligently picking up those carefully placed crumbs.
Good boy.
“You should only be so lucky never to know.” My words were teasing. The suspense building, and then my stomach growled loudly.
Kole’s gaze drifted to the open balcony. “Food should be brought to you any moment now,” he informed me before retreating into the common room. Our conversation ended. I wondered what he made of it, disappointed that he did not ask more.
I took the time to explore the room further.
The bed was extensive, with a thick wooden headboard, and a dresser with a mirror made of the same wide and sturdy wood stood alongside one wall.
A leather chair was pushed against the wall in a corner of the room with a small square table next to it.
I ran my hand over the table, feeling the lumber underneath my fingertips.
It was smooth, with soft ripples of the wood running through it.
While the dresser and bed frame were simple, the table was not.
The sides and legs were carved with intricate interwoven designs, the craftsmanship unlike anything I had ever seen.