‘Come on, princeling, haven’t got all day.’, Marek said in his usual gruff tone. Faolan was not with them now since he was on watch duty. Ian threw a last glance at his friend, who was watching them from his post. It was dark outside, but with Ian’s dark sight he could see his friends tense shoulders and gritted teeth from afar. It had been the first time, the Cu Sidhe had asked Marek to accompany Ian for his lessons. In the ways of the order. But Marek wouldn’t have it. He cited the watch schedule instead, clearly not wanting to deal with both young men for this particular endeavour. Ian knew that and Faolan knew it, too. If it had been otherwise Marek would have had him excused without much effort.
It was only railing watch. The most boring watch with the least responsibility. Most would have seen that as a degradation, but not Faolan, who was quite happy not to have much to do. He used that time differently, sure he stared at the sea and walked his rounds, but his focus was directed at his core. Surveying the changes and meditating to get his emotions under control again. It was slightly frustrating for a man who had always kept a tight lid on them to be flooded and influenced by the much stronger counterparts his Cu Sidhe side gave him, as well as its instincts. Not that accepting to be a Cu Sidhe, his childhood bogeyman, was easy on him. He had suspected it right away, but seeing it confirmed by his first full transition this night had still been a bummer. Even thinking about it let the monster in his chest raise its head in reaction to his rising emotions. Forcibly calming himself he focused on Ian’s back disappearing from view.
At least that was something that both his sides could agree on, it didn’t sit right with him seeing him going there and he had to suppress a low growl. He knew his liege, no, his friend, was only touring the cells, but still, his hackles rose at the mere thought of the young sidhe coming near this unsavoury part of the ship. Because on the Righteousness were not only holding cells like on any other war ship, no, there were magically warded prison cells, that forced the inmates to take on their true forms. They were held like the slaves in freak shows. To hammer into the recruits’ brains that the supernaturals were not human and that it was totally okay to treat them like animals. To either use them like Marek, Ian and him or hold them like cattle, if not outright kill them. Worst of all, Faolan knew most of the inmates were children, whose parents the order had killed. To weak and stunted in their growth due to the inability to change forms. And that thought finally overcame his resistance and a menacing growl escaped his throat his eyes glowing golden.
It was dark in this part of the ship. Dark wood and iron bars, lined with silver runes. Little to no light besides the flickering sheen of the torches barely illuminated the cells. Misery lay over the whole area like a thick blanket. Chains rattled as the inmate in the nearest cell moved its body. His eyes fully capable of seeing in great detail in lowlight environments widened, when he spied what was held in this cell. A small dragon with bloodred scales and intelligent green eyes.
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His instincts told him that this dragon was very young and the wrongness of seeing a child bound in chains cut his heart. ‘That could have been me, if my brothers had had their way.’, he thought grimly. Something about the dragons gaze made his old magic rise in his chest and suddenly he could hear a female voice in his head ‘Hello, cousin. My name is Moira de Dun Scaich .’, the dragon, he was sure said. ‘Hello. I am Ian Mac Lir. Why are you calling me cousin?’, he answered in his thoughts. ‘Because we are, all High Sidhe are related. I am a halfling like you, though whilst your human half will be erased by the old magic, making you full Sidhe in no time, my other half will always brand me as lesser in the eyes of most High Sidhe.’, she hissed into his thoughts, triggering the wish to hold up his arms in surrender, a wish he suppressed lest he wished to Marek’s attention to their conversation. ‘Touchy topic. I didn’t know. I know so very little about the Sidhe. Never been there, you know, born and raised a peasant in this realm. It’s been less than a month since my thirteenth birthday and all those changes.’, he thought in a calming tone.
‘Well, I suppose that explains that you didn’t what I am. But what does a child like you on this ship on the other side of the bars?’, she asked a curious feeling accompanying her thought.
‘My human side is the seventh son of the seventh son… according to human laws I am the church’s property.’, he answered sending the image of a shrug with his thoughts. ‘Aren’t you a special boy? Your birth will make you just as much of an outsider as I am. You are a crime by Sidhe law. Well not a real crime, but the high kings strongly suggested to abstain from creating one like you. Prophecy and all.’, the dragon, Moira, quipped in his head. Ian’s eyes widened slightly ‘Prophecy?’ he asked inwardly.
But before the Moira could answer his question, Marek said ‘I know a dragon is a fascinating sight, but we need to move on.’, confirming that he indeed had been completely oblivious of their conversation. A fast ‘I’ll be back.’ was all, Ian could send before the eye-contact broke.
The other inmates where miserable, too, but none radiated the same terrifying intelligence the dragon had. They seemed to be broken beyond repair, nothing more than the beasts they appeared to be. ‘No wonder.’, Ian thought to himself, ‘All of them had been captured young and held in their beast-forms since then, no communication or education only instincts overriding the higher intelligence they should have had. It was bitter. And he loathed this place out of the deepest part of his heart. They had to do something about it, just as they needed to find a way to escape. Then a thought broke through to the surface of his mind. ‘Why not? Why not killing two birds with one stone?’, he thought and had to suppress a grin. He had to talk to Faolan about his plan that walked the line between madness and genius.
