Shadows in the Prison
The dim, oppressive silence of the underground prison wrapped itself around the two captives like a second skin. Torches burned low, their flickering light casting long shadows across the stone walls. Seraphine leaned against the iron bars of her cell, her crescent mark glowing faintly, its light ebbing with the faint pulse of her restrained power.
Across the narrow hall, Kael sat on the edge of his cot, his arms resting heavily on his knees. His expression was tight, his sharp features shadowed in the faint glow.
“You could have joined me, you know,” Seraphine said, breaking the silence. Her tone was smooth, a feigned lightness that only made the venom in her words more obvious. “Together, we could’ve had everything. Power, respect… freedom.”
Kael let out a short, humorless laugh, his eyes lifting to meet hers with a cold stare. “Freedom? Is that what you call it? I’d rather rot in this cell than stand beside you.”
Seraphine’s smirk didn’t waver as she took a step closer to the bars, her silver hair spilling over her shoulder like molten light in the dimness. “You’re already rotting, Kael. You just don’t know it yet. And when they forget about you—and they will—you’ll have nothing left but regrets.”
He didn’t respond immediately, his gaze shifting to the stone floor as if weighing her words. “I’d rather regret what I didn’t do than live with what you’ve done,” he said finally, his voice quiet but steady.
She tilted her head, watching him with predatory interest. “I might be in chains,” she said, running her fingers over the enchanted shackles on her wrists, “but only for as long as Isla and Draven can keep their eyes on me. Eventually, they’ll turn their attention elsewhere. They’ll get comfortable. And when they do…” Her lips curled into a wicked smile. “I’ll make them wish they’d ended me when they had the chance.”
Kael’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “You’ll fail again. Just like you did this time.”
“Will I?” she asked, leaning casually against the bars. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial murmur. “You know as well as I do, Kael, that Isla and Draven have enemies everywhere. It only takes one distraction, one slip…” She shrugged, her smile widening. “And I’ll be there to tear it all apart.”
Her confidence made Kael’s stomach turn, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, he leaned back, crossing his arms. “Does it ever get heavy?” he asked suddenly, his voice quiet but firm.
Seraphine frowned slightly, thrown off for the first time. “What are you talking about?”
“The weight,” he said simply. “Of what you’ve done. Of the people you’ve hurt. Does it ever sit on you?”
Her eyes narrowed, her smirk vanishing as she straightened. “Don’t try to play philosopher with me, Kael.”
“No, really,” he pressed, his gaze locking onto hers. “Does it bother you? Even a little? After Isla spared your life?”
Seraphine flinched, the mention of Isla striking a nerve she hadn’t expected. Her fingers tightened around the bars, her nails digging into the cold metal. “Spared me?” she hissed, her voice trembling with anger. “She humiliated me. She dragged me through the mud and left me in chains. That’s not mercy—it’s cruelty.”
Kael studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “You don’t feel a shred of guilt, do you?” he asked quietly.
Her laugh was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. “Guilt? For what? For wanting more than the scraps they toss me? For refusing to kneel like you have? No, Kael. I don’t feel guilt. I feel ambition. And that’s what will get me out of here.”
Kael shook his head, his voice soft but heavy. “That’s why you’ll never win. Because they have something you’ll never understand. And it’s something stronger than ambition.”
“And what’s that?” she sneered, her crescent mark flaring faintly.
“Love,” he said simply, his words cutting through her like ice.
For a moment, Seraphine said nothing, her expression unreadable as she leaned back against the cold stone wall of her cell. Kael turned away, his back to her as he added, almost as an afterthought, “You’ll die here, Seraphine. And you’ll be alone when it happens.”
Her eyes burned with suppressed anger, but she forced herself to smile, though the edges of it wavered. “Keep telling yourself that, Kael. Maybe it’ll make the walls feel a little less close.”
