Chapter 7

I put my hand to my chest. "Mara. My name is Mara."

He put his hand to his chest. "Treddian."

"Treddian," I repeated, pointing at him.

"Saah, saah," he explained happily.

"Saah… means yes," I said just as happily.

It wasn't the greatest conversation in the world, yet it was a start and a promising beginning.

There was a hiss outside the door, and Treddian looked over and responded. I listened in fascination but couldn't pick up the differences in each word. It sounded like nothing but a string of hisses. Almost as if a rattlesnake were warning me to stay away.

"Ssshrat sa rinissshh, Mara," Treddian said to me, waving towards the plate.

"Eat your meat, Mara," I translated quietly to myself.

He nodded as if he understood me.

"Disoshhl'ach, Treddian," I returned to him.

He smiled and nodded before leaving me alone again. As soon as the door closed, I set the plate down and stood back on the mattress to look out the window. The moon had risen, a planet that kind of looked like Jupiter except for it was more purple. The enormous body shined down on the ground changing the green to a multitude of violets and blues. The trees lit up with their lights, and they finally looked green or at least partially green.

Maybe once I got out of this stupid prison cell, I would be able to get my hands on a set of paints I would be able to paint what I was seeing.

If I was ever going to get out of here. I thought morosely. If I could convince Erik to let me out of here and that I meant what I said. I wasn't sure if that was ever going to happen. And I wasn't truly sure if I was right anymore.

That was supposed to be my brother. Yet that man that had thrown me in here had looked at me like the stranger.

I guess, after all this time, I was just as much of a stranger to him as he was to me.

I slumped onto the bed, gently this time, and looked up at the sky. Even with the luminescence lunar planet, the stars were most brilliant than any I had ever seen them. During college, I had gone on numerous trips out in the desert and other random places to stare up and search for alien life. Yet, I couldn't recall a single time when the sky had looked as bright as it did now.

None of the stars were familiar, nor could I find any of my constellations. Out of nowhere, the walls suddenly seemed to close in on me. I was on an alien world, maybe even an alien parallel universe, and I didn't know if I was ever going to find my way home. I didn't know if I would ever see my parents or any of my friends again.

To make matters worse… without Erik … I was well and truly alone.

I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep until a roar woke me. This time it was accompanied by the trumpets that rang almost as loud as the roaring.

Startled, I tumbled out of bed, hitting the rocks on the ground that was oddly softer than the bed itself. Gasping a bit, I pushed myself up off the cold floor and sat back on my knees.

"I'll remember that tonight and might just sleep down here," I said to myself.

Groggily, I crawled up on the bed to look out the window. Standing at the front gate was a large contingent of men lined up in three separate rows. Six different flags flew above their heads, some of them I remembered vaguely seeing above the walls when we walked in. Each flag was in the shape of a banner and held a creature in the middle.

Dragons.

They were all in the shape of dragons.

There were black banners with green dragons on them and white banners with golden dragons. Even their clothing was sorted into groups that sat under each matching flag. No more than five men per each small group, and at their head were two men. One of them was cloaked from head to toe in black and carried a really large stick next to him. The other man was dressed in gold that looked elaborate, even from my tower.

There was something about him… something intimidating. Not because he was much larger than any of the other men because he wasn't, but because he held an aura of authority that bordered on majestic.

I knew immediately that this was the king. The other man was probably this Sorcerer that Erik spoke of the night before. He was different from the rest yet still commanded a lot of respect.

Oh, goodie. I thought sardonically. I was going to have more questioning.

The gates below me swung open, and a large group of people came out of them. They all bowed as they went by the king and gave the Sorcerer a respectful nod. However, by the way, they gave the Sorcerer a wide berth, it seemed they were afraid of him.

I waited to see the king's family come out to greet him. Yet the only person that walked to him was Erik, who greeted him like an old friend.

My eyes stayed glued on the two until they left my sight completely. I turned and sat down on my bed and watched the door fully expecting them to come straight here.

However, after what seemed like hours of waiting, I realized my error was that I would be considered unimportant by their standards. I laid back down and put my arm over my eyes, deciding that I might as well try to catch up on some sleep if I wasn't going to be disturbed.

I had almost dozed off again when the clanking on my door let me know that I had finally been remembered. However, when the visitor stepped in, I was a bit disappointed.

"Treddian," I greeted him.

"Mara," he greeted back, bowing to me slightly.

I gave him a wide smile and waved my arm around. "Welcome."

He nodded his understanding and stepped inside, mimicking my movement. "Laarosss," he informed me.

I did the gesture again and repeated his word.

He smiled happily and handed me the plate of food that looked exactly like last night's offerings.

"Disoshhl'ach," I thanked him and sat down with my food and drink.

The meat was kind of spicy for my taste buds, but it was delicious with the odd milk that Treddian gave me. I held up the cup and indicated the drink.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Rahosha," he said to me, sitting down on the other end of the bed.

"Rahosha," I repeated, pointing at the liquid.

"Saah, Rahosha," he replied.

I smiled and patted myself on the back silently for learning everything so quickly.

"Would like some?" I offered him a piece of the meat.

His eyes widened, and he stumbled away from me like I was offering him poison. I dropped it back on the plate and pushed it away from me.

"Is it poisoned?" I asked, shrinking away. "Is it going to kill me?"

Treddian hissed out the door, and they opened it once more, letting him out. He jetted out the door hissing something to one of the guards. An odd noise rumbled through the door that sounded suspiciously like laughter.