This choice: They arrive at the dungeons • Go Back... The journey to Onyx City took the rest of the day, but by nightfall, they reached the base of the Tower Dungeon, an ominous-looking structure on top of a hill overlooking the rest of the city. Treyna was escorted out of her cage and led through the tower gate and up the winding staircase to the top, where only the most dangerous criminals were kept. Opening one of the cells, the two guards flanking the captured thief pushed her roughly inside, laughing smugly as they turned to exit. Dara stayed behind, taking a seat near the opposite wall.
Treyna looked down at disgust at her wrists, still shackled in irons. “You could at least take these off now,” she called over to the captain. “Unless you’re concerned I’ll steal one of the rats from the other cells.”
Dara crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “You take me for a fool? You know as well as I do that a locked cell alone will not hold you, hence why the shackles stay on and why I’m here. Of course, I wouldn’t miss this for the world anyway.”
Treyna sighed. “Fine, then could I at least get a cup of water, or something?”
Dara laughed. “Why bother? I’ve already sent word of your capture to the Duke. He’ll be chomping at the bit to sign the writ for your execution. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were at the gallows by dawn.”
Treyna frowned, frustration beginning to build inside her. “I’ll be out of here and these irons before then, and when I do, you’d better watch your back, because while you may still enjoy my company, I’m more than happy to be rid of you...permanently.”
“Oh please,” Dara scoffed. “Empty threats do not make empty cells, at least not until I drag you out of there straight to the noose. Enjoy your last night among the living while you can. I assure you I will.”
Shaking her head, Treyna slumped to the ground, resting her back against the cell bars. The two women sat in silence for the next couple of hours as the night wore on; however, Treyna glanced back at her captor every so often as the captain’s eyes became heavy and her head began to droop.
After several times catching herself from nodding off, Dara finally looked to succumb to her fatigue as her eyelids shut completely and she began lightly snoring. Treyna took one more look to confirm she was asleep, then worked open a hidden pocket in the middle of her chest, able to conceal objects even from pat-downs as they were nestled into her cleavage.
Pulling out the potion, she had to quickly hunch over and cover it with her hands to avoid the glow becoming too conspicuous. Studying it in detail for the first time, she tried to figure out what it was, but her alchemical knowledge was sadly lacking and she couldn’t even begin to guess its purpose.
“That ogre Dara was right,” Treyna grudgingly admitted to herself. “With these irons on I can’t fit my fingers through the bars to even reach the lock, much less pick it. So, this potion is my only hope. But what if it’s useless, or worse, it’s actually a poison and kills me?”
Only hesitating a few seconds longer, she began to pry out the stopper from the glass. “Oh well, I guess I don’t have any other option, do I?”  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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