Sold To The Demon King

Episode:4

CHAPTER FOUR

Aust’s POV

“Are you going to bleed all over my nice seats, or are you going to start talking?”

Valyr’s voice broke the quiet of the moving carriage. I kept my head down, staring at his shiny leather boots. My hands were still trapped behind my back. The iron cuffs pinched my wrists every time the carriage hit a bump in the road.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I said, keeping my voice perfectly flat.

Valyr didn't move to hit me. He didn't even yell. He just sat there in the dark cabin, watching me carefully as the wheels rattled on the stone street.

“A secret prince who refuses to speak,” Valyr said softly, sounding a little amused. “That is a very dangerous combination, Aust.”

“What do you want from me?” I demanded. I turned to look out the small window. “If you brought me here to kill me because of my uncle's crimes, just do it now. Stop playing games.”

“You think this is a game,” he replied quietly.

The rest of the ride was completely silent. He didn't explain why he spent a mountain of gold on me. The quiet actually scared me more than a beating would have. I knew how to survive a fight. I knew how to survive a prison cell. But this weird calmness was a totally different kind of trap.

The carriage finally stopped. Big iron gates groaned open. Guards pulled me out into the chilly night air.

I expected them to drag me into a dark, dirty basement. Instead, two guards marched me up a grand staircase, down a hallway covered in a red rug, and pushed me through a heavy wooden door.

“Get inside,” the guard grumbled.

I stumbled into a giant, fancy bedroom. The door slammed shut, and I heard a heavy key click in the lock.

“Take his chains off,” Valyr ordered from behind me.

The guard quickly unlocked my silver cuffs. My arms dropped to my sides, and my shoulders ached from being tied up for so long. But I forced myself to stand tall as I turned to face him.

“This is your room now,” Valyr said. He walked toward the middle of the room, pointing to a giant bed and a huge wooden closet. “Let’s go over the rules so we understand each other.”

“Rules?” I let out a bitter laugh, rubbing my sore wrists. “You mean the rules of my prison.”

“Call it what you want,” Valyr said, looking right into my eyes. “Rule one: you will not leave this house. Rule two: you will not try to run away. Rule three: you will get all the food, clothes, and medicine you need. Do you understand?”

“Why did you buy me?” I challenged him, stepping closer, closing the distance between us. I ignored the guard who grabbed the handle of his sword. “Nobody spends that much gold on a backup prisoner unless they want something big. What is it?”

Valyr looked away, fixing the sleeve of his dark coat. “I don't have to explain myself to you, Aust. You were for sale. I had the money. It’s that simple.”

“Stop lying!” I yelled. My anger finally bubbled over. “You knew my real name before I even said it! What do you want with the kingdom of Valovrik?”

For the first time, Valyr didn't look relaxed. He was angry.

He took one step toward me. He was so tall that his shadow completely covered my face.

“Asking too many questions is a bad idea for a dead prince, Aust,” he warned. His voice dropped to a low, scary growl that made the huge room feel tiny. “You are only alive right now because you are hidden behind my walls. Do not make me wish I had left you at the auction.”

“Is that a threat?” I whispered, balling my hands into fists.

“It is a fact,” Valyr said coldly.

He turned around and walked to the door. “Get him a clean shirt and lock him in,” he told the guard.

The heavy door slammed. The lock clicked into place.

I was all alone. I breathed hard, waiting until I couldn't hear Valyr's boots in the hallway anymore. Once it was quiet, I searched every single inch of my new cage.

I opened the big wooden closet. No chains inside. I checked under the soft mattress. No weapons, no traps. There was nothing but rich, fancy furniture. But the fact that he was treating me nicely made my stomach twist into knots. He was treating me like a guest, but I was still a prisoner.

I walked over to the glass doors leading to a balcony. I pulled the handle. It wouldn't budge. A heavy padlock locked it from the outside, and thick wooden shutters blocked the moonlight.

I put my ear against the main door.

“You watch the left side,” a guard said out in the hallway. “The boss wants two of us here all night. No sleeping.”

“Got it,” another guard replied. “Nobody goes in, nobody comes out.”

I sat on the edge of the bed. Hours went by. I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Duke Harren’s creepy smile and heard the auctioneer's hammer. I had to escape before Valyr decided what to do with me.

Around midnight, I heard a small squeak near the window on the east wall.

The wind rattled the wooden shutters outside. I quietly crept over the carpet and peeked through a tiny crack in the wood.

Down in the courtyard, a guard yelled. “Hey, it's time to switch shifts! Get down here!”

“Finally,” the guard standing right below my window grumbled. His heavy boots crunched on the gravel as he walked away.

I pushed gently on the glass window. To my total surprise, this one didn't have a padlock. It slowly creaked open. I pushed the wooden shutters just enough to squeeze my head and shoulders through.

I looked down into the dark night. The guard was gone. The next one hadn't shown up yet. The stone wall surrounding the garden was right there.

It was a terrifyingly high drop. One bad slip and my legs would snap. But staying meant waiting for a dangerous man to decide my fate. I took a deep breath, swung my legs over the cold stone ledge, and let go.