2.THE PRISONER OF BLACKTHORN FORTRESS
1674 Words
Darkness had a voice.
Aiden Solis discovered that the moment consciousness returned.
The first thing he heard was the rhythmic drip of water echoing through stone corridors.
The second was the sound of chains.
Metal scraping against metal.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Patient.
His eyelids felt heavy.
Every muscle in his body ached.
Pain pulsed through the back of his skull where he had been struck during the battle.
Fragments of memory flooded back.
The crimson moon.
The battlefield.
The ancient ruins.
The creature of starlight.
Prince Lucien.
Aiden's eyes snapped open.
Cold stone walls greeted him.
Moonlight filtered through a narrow window high above.
The room was larger than a prison cell yet possessed all the warmth of a tomb.
Black stone.
Iron bars.
Ancient symbols carved into pillars.
Aiden immediately attempted to sit upright.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
He winced.
Only then did he realize his wrists were restrained.
Silver chains.
Not ordinary restraints.
Runes glowed faintly across their surface.
Magic.
His jaw tightened.
Wonderful.
He was imprisoned in enemy territory.
And apparently considered dangerous enough to require enchanted restraints.
Aiden tested them.
The chains didn't move.
Not even slightly.
A low chuckle emerged from somewhere behind him.
"You'll only hurt yourself."
Aiden's head turned sharply.
An older man sat near a fireplace.
Grey hair.
Scarred face.
Dark uniform.
One of the Shadow Kingdom's officers.
The man appeared amused.
"You've been unconscious for three days."
Three days.
Aiden's expression darkened.
Three days gave armies enough time to win wars.
"Where am I?"
"Blackthorn Fortress."
Aiden immediately understood.
Every kingdom knew that name.
The fortress stood at the northern edge of the Shadow Kingdom.
Ancient.
Massive.
Practically impossible to escape.
Many considered it a myth.
Apparently the myth was real.
The officer stood.
"You should consider yourself fortunate."
"Fortunate?"
The man smirked.
"Most prisoners don't survive meeting His Highness."
Aiden remained silent.
The officer studied him.
Curious.
As though searching for something.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"You don't seem afraid."
Aiden laughed bitterly.
"I've had a difficult week."
The officer's smile widened.
For a moment, genuine amusement flickered in his eyes.
Then it vanished.
Heavy footsteps echoed outside the chamber.
The officer immediately straightened.
His expression became serious.
Respectful.
The door opened.
Aiden's pulse quickened.
Prince Lucien entered.
Silence followed him.
The room itself seemed to grow colder.
The stories had never adequately described him.
Not because they exaggerated.
Because they failed.
Lucien Veyne was terrifying.
Not in the way monsters were terrifying.
Not through violence or cruelty.
He possessed something worse.
Control.
Absolute control.
Tall and elegant, dressed entirely in black, he moved with the confidence of someone accustomed to power.
Silver hair framed sharp features.
His pale eyes appeared almost metallic beneath the moonlight.
The room seemed to belong to him.
The air itself obeyed him.
Aiden hated the immediate awareness that swept through him.
The dangerous realization that the prince was undeniably beautiful.
The thought irritated him.
Lucien's gaze settled on him.
Calculating.
Unreadable.
The officer bowed and exited without a word.
The heavy door closed behind him.
Now they were alone.
The silence stretched.
Neither man spoke.
Neither looked away.
The tension felt physical.
Like a drawn blade suspended between them.
Finally Lucien broke the silence.
"You survived."
Aiden frowned.
"Should I be grateful?"
The prince ignored the remark.
His gaze moved toward the enchanted restraints.
"Do they hurt?"
Aiden blinked.
The question caught him off guard.
"What?"
"The chains."
Aiden stared.
Of all the things he expected from the infamous Shadow Prince, concern wasn't among them.
Lucien stepped closer.
"The enchantments react to resistance."
"Then remove them."
"No."
Aiden laughed.
"There it is."
The prince tilted his head slightly.
"There what is?"
"The real you."
Something flickered behind Lucien's eyes.
Amusement perhaps.
Or annoyance.
"Everyone believes they know who I am."
"You invaded my kingdom."
"You invaded mine first."
Aiden opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Annoyingly, Lucien wasn't wrong.
Border conflicts had existed for decades.
Neither side possessed clean hands.
The prince slowly circled the room.
Like a predator assessing territory.
"You heard the voices."
Aiden's expression hardened.
The whispers.
The creature.
The ruins.
The memory sent unease through him.
Lucien stopped near the window.
Moonlight illuminated half his face.
"What did they say to you?"
Aiden hesitated.
"Why would I tell you?"
"Because whatever happened in that valley frightened even veteran soldiers."
Lucien's voice remained calm.
Measured.
"But it singled you out."
Aiden's stomach tightened.
The prince continued.
"When you lost consciousness, the whispers continued."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"What do you mean?"
Lucien looked directly at him.
"They spoke your name."
Aiden froze.
A chill ran through his body.
The whispers had spoken his name?
Impossible.
"That's not possible."
"I heard it myself."
For the first time uncertainty entered Lucien's voice.
And somehow that frightened Aiden more than confidence would have.
Because powerful men rarely admitted uncertainty.
Unless they truly feared something.
The prince approached.
Close enough now that Aiden could see faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Signs of exhaustion.
The realization surprised him.
Lucien looked tired.
As though he hadn't slept properly in days.
"Something awakened beneath that battlefield."
The prince spoke quietly.
"Something ancient."
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
For one strange moment, the war between their kingdoms seemed distant.
Irrelevant.
There were only two men attempting to understand a nightmare neither could explain.
Then a loud crash shattered the moment.
The fortress trembled.
Both men immediately turned.
Another impact followed.
Stronger this time.
A distant alarm bell echoed through the castle.
Lucien's expression darkened.
The transformation was immediate.
The thoughtful man vanished.
The prince returned.
Dangerous.
Cold.
Deadly.
The chamber door burst open.
A soldier rushed inside.
"Your Highness."
Lucien turned.
"What happened?"
"The eastern tower."
The soldier struggled to catch his breath.
"There was an explosion."
Aiden watched carefully.
The prince's eyes narrowed.
"Casualties?"
"Several guards."
The soldier hesitated.
Fear crossed his face.
"What else?"
The man's voice dropped.
"We found a message."
A folded parchment appeared.
Lucien accepted it.
Read silently.
For the first time, genuine anger flashed across his features.
Aiden noticed immediately.
The prince crushed the paper in his hand.
"What message?"
Lucien ignored him.
The silence stretched.
Then he handed the parchment over.
Aiden unfolded it.
His blood turned cold.
Only four words were written.
WE HAVE FOUND HIM.
Nothing else.
No signature.
No explanation.
No clues.
Aiden looked up.
"Who sent this?"
Lucien's jaw tightened.
"The Crimson Order."
The name meant nothing to Aiden.
Yet the fear in the soldier's face revealed everything.
Whoever they were...
They terrified the Shadow Kingdom.
The prince moved toward the door.
"Increase security."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Double the guard around this chamber."
The soldier hesitated.
"Around the prisoner?"
Lucien's silver eyes hardened.
"No."
He looked directly at Aiden.
"Around both of us."
Silence followed.
The implications settled heavily inside the room.
Aiden stared.
Lucien stared back.
Neither needed to say it aloud.
Whatever the Crimson Order wanted...
It involved him.
And apparently the Shadow Prince as well.
The soldier hurried away.
The chamber door closed once more.
For several moments neither man spoke.
Then Aiden asked the obvious question.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Lucien remained near the doorway.
Watching him.
Thinking.
The prince seemed to be debating something internally.
Finally he spoke.
"The Crimson Order has existed longer than either kingdom."
His voice lowered.
"They manipulate rulers."
"Assassinate enemies."
"Start wars."
Aiden frowned.
"You're describing a myth."
"So I once believed."
The prince looked toward the crimson moon beyond the window.
"They disappeared twenty years ago."
"And now?"
Lucien's expression darkened.
"Now they're hunting you."
The room fell silent.
Aiden's pulse quickened.
Nothing made sense.
Why him?
Why now?
What connection existed between the battlefield, the whispers, and a secret organization presumed extinct?
The questions multiplied endlessly.
Yet one realization stood above all others.
He was trapped.
Far from home.
Surrounded by enemies.
Connected somehow to forces neither kingdom understood.
And the only person who possessed answers was the man standing before him.
The man he should hate.
The man he should fear.
The man whose presence seemed impossible to ignore.
Lucien suddenly moved toward the fireplace.
His movements appeared slightly unsteady.
Aiden noticed immediately.
The prince reached for a nearby table.
Missed.
The glass shattered against the floor.
Silence.
Lucien stared at the broken fragments.
His breathing became uneven.
For a brief moment, pain crossed his face.
Real pain.
Then it vanished.
Hidden behind the mask once more.
Aiden frowned.
"What happened to you?"
"No concern of yours."
"You're injured."
"I said it's none of your concern."
The response came too quickly.
Too sharply.
Interesting.
Aiden leaned forward.
"You were wounded at the battlefield."
Lucien didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
The realization settled into place.
The prince wasn't merely tired.
He was hurt.
And hiding it.
Before Aiden could speak again, another whisper echoed through the chamber.
Soft.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Both men froze.
The voice came from nowhere.
And everywhere.
The fireplace dimmed.
The shadows along the walls twisted unnaturally.
Then the whisper returned.
Stronger.
Clearer.
Two names.
Only two.
Aiden.
Lucien.
The room shook violently.
The chains around Aiden's wrists began glowing.
The symbols on the stone walls erupted with blue light.
And somewhere deep beneath Blackthorn Fortress—
Far below stone and darkness—
Something awakened.
A low roar echoed through the foundations.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Waiting.
The same creature from the battlefield.
Or perhaps something far worse.
Lucien's eyes widened.
Not with fear.
Recognition.
As though he had expected this.
As though he knew exactly what slept beneath the fortress.
The prince looked at Aiden.
For the first time since they met, genuine alarm appeared on his face.
"What have they done?"
Before Aiden could answer, the floor cracked.
A pulse of blue light exploded from beneath the castle.
And from the depths of Blackthorn Fortress came a scream so horrifying that every soul inside the fortress instantly knew one thing.
The nightmare had only just begun.
To Be Continued...
Next Episode:
"The Secret Beneath Blackthorn"
- Writer
