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A Life in Chains

Chapter Eleven: Snake Eyes

The sound of muffled voices was all I could hear, my mind consumed with boredom and irritation; here I was confined to my room like some grounded child. An analogy that was rather apt as I was indeed grounded, stuck here underground in the most bland capital city in the world. The attacks on Siricuse last week had sent all the Advent sovereigns scurrying in panic and outrage. Perhaps most irritating however was the fact that I had lost not one, but three of my servants, including my most recently acquired one. Sure the trip to Ludos hadn't been planned but it had been quite profitable in my personal opinion.

Now I was stuck in my chambers and with nary a soul for companionship or entertainment, unless you count the lecturing of some old scholar who currently dissected a human brain before me. Again all I heard was muffled words that did little more than cement my boredom further and further. I eventually became agitated enough to shoo the poor old fool away and demand not to be bothered at all.

I tried my best to sleep, but with no breaze or airflow I just felt stuffy and uncomfortable, and when ones body is at minimum twenty to thirty feet long, stuffy becomes a mild problem. Unfortunately for me, my Mother had placed HiskVipers outside my room to keep me from leaving. I could hear them muttering away about mundane things that I had little interest in as I stared at the ceiling.

"Why are we standing guard here again?" one of them mumbled, I wasn't even allowed to have guests of my own request, part of the reason I avoided my home country so drastically, my Mother was a control freak.

"Because the Queen said to, the Prince isn't to leave his chambers under any circumstances." the second voice was a far more familiar one, Luus I think his name is, scrawny but good at chess and various other games of the likes.

"And just what are we going to do if he decides he wants to leave? He's like five times our size...nigh he could eat us if he wanted..." the first voice replied, obviously nervous, a new recruit most definitely.

"True, he could easily overpower the two of us, he is a SeaViper, our venom would be useless against him... aren't you glad murder and cannibalism are illegal hm?" Luus said with a condescending and almost insulting tone. The mutterings stopped after that but he wasn't wrong I could quite easily overpower the two of them, and with my ever increasing discomfort and boredom that's exactly what I did.

It didn't take much, one loop around the neck for each and no longer than a few seconds of pressure and the two of them were unconscious but unharmed. I left both of them on my bed in a compromising position just for amusement before I slithered away. For someone of my size and weight I always needed to restrain myself when it came to physical contact of any sort. I was a constrictor, just like any wild boa or python; though I was born of the sea, hatched in the shallows of a quiet beach, thus my colours and features.

One would think the Prince of his own nation would be easy to spot and yet I slithered down the grand and towering halls of Eiriden with nary a second glance from any of the citizens. Eiriden was technically two cities built atop one another. Eiriden was the name of the chasm, it ran deep from the base of Mount Klos, to the base of Mount Shea. Both Mountains were situated quite close to steep cliffside shorelines, hence it made a neat and natural wall of sorts. Dividing the southern, grassy valleys of Mayoran from the thick jungle plateaus of the north.

The chasm had a wide river running along its bottom, caves bored deep through the two mountains liking to the oceans allowed ships to make port safely with no threat of pirate attacks. Eiriden itself was built into the chasm face, as a whole it housed a good eight thousand Naga, all underground. It wasn't flashy or impressive, just efficient and smooth, all natural insulated and able to withstand any assault.

I however, hated it, there was no colour, no greenery, no passion. No, Ciseros was where all the passion had been poured into, Eiridens top layer. Slithering up ramp after ramp, bridge after bridge I finally reached that sprawling myriad of baked clay houses, painted in bright warm colours and bathed in sharp scents.

Ciseros was mainly an Ezala Khal'n settlement. The roads were worn sand, streets were narrow and winding, following the natural grain of the land with huge ashen fig trees providing shade here and there. Vines and creeping plants brough crisp greens to break up the chalk colours as did vibrant cloth market stalls.

Here people swiftly took notice of me as I slithered slow and leisurely down the winding streets, but even then I was lost more so in my own thoughts rather than basking in the liveliness of Ciseros. My thoughts over the last week had been consistent, rousing me from sleep or keeping me from it all together. I wanted simply to know my servants were alive, safe and well, wherever they may be, Kaiber in particular.

I left Ciseros behind after a good and leisurely while, making my way off into the dense and humid undergrowth of the jungle. I was headed to High Tower, to find Bastille and Tahl; as I heard the two where now living together. My mother wasn't going to be pleased about my absence but she wouldn't pursue me, she knew I would go to Bastille and that I would be safe there.

High Tower; and the small settlement of Kos just nearby, are Mayoran's premier military installation, a training ground and barracks for Ezala Khal and Naga alike. A times ago we wouldn't have needed an army, but now with our peoples trust toward human kind so corroded, we had little choice.

The settlement was that of a fort like structure, built atop a sprawling set of clustered plateaus. I slithered in the main gate with a calm smile. The smell of molten steel, treated leather and reptilian musk was thick in the air. The sound of metal clanging against metal, the shouting of instructions and the twangs of bowstrings. Even High Tower was more lively and interesting than Eiriden.

The fort structures and walls were all clay and stone, with huts and whatnot all neatly arranged as lodgings for the soldiers, the village was past the fort itself and more of the same. Creeping greenery, chalk paints, cloth, vibrant and lively, the typical Ezala Khal'n culture. I quietly found my way to the commanders lodgings, most of the soldiers were relaxed and polite, passing me by with waves and smiles, a bow or two.

The commander was inside the main fort building, a neat and tidy room lit with candles where a grey-blue almost ashy coloured Ezala Khal sat at a desk. Hands at his temples, head slung over a mountain of paperwork, and the sweet scent of juice permeating from his mug.

"If you're bringing me more paperwork you can go right back to whoever sent you and tell them to..." He cut himself off mid sentence as he looked up, his coppery eyes blinked slowly a few times before realising who I was. He immediately bolted upright and at attention, with a gulp.

"Prince Virgil!...f-forgive me for my absent mindedness I didn't know it was you..." he stuttered hastily, another thing I hated about being a Prince, people were always terrified to me.

"Relax Claudius, is Bastille around?" I asked, watching as his posture slackened with fatigue; his eyes had shadows hanging from them, ears droopy. He'd been overworking himself, that much was clear.

"Oh. Bastille? Um I believe hes at the archery yard training a new squad of Arbalastires, sir." he said in reply, seeming momentarily surprised that I knew his name. I took a brief glance at some of the paperwork strewn over his desk. Acquisition requests, stock lists of grain and provisions, orders of dark Iron and other metals, all a mess.

"Hmm, I'll have a messenger track down Alon, he'll get this mess in order whilst you sleep" I stated, Claudius rose a hand to protest or interject but he swiftly abandoned it, proceeding to nod instead.

"I...Yes Sir, thank you Sir." he said and with that marched slowly up the stairs to his chambers, his tail dragging behind him as he went. I flagged a messenger down quickly, it wasn't that hard, Military posts were required to have a staff of messengers on site at all times. After that was done I made my way through the fort grounds to the archery yard.

I kept to the shade of the open hall that followed along one side of the yard, watching Bastille from a respectable distance. He stood ridged, not formal but military, barking instructions to a group of untrained Ezala Khal. I recognised one or two of them but almost all struggled to pull back the sting of the heavy Arbalests; the warhammer of crossbows so to speak, range meets power with the affordability of mass production.

Bastille and I had been best of friends for years, our eggs had both been lain and hatched in the same year, though he was older by several weeks. He'd been born on the Khora islands, the last "free" tribe of Ezala Khal at the time, free no more of course. The rest of the world, despite our laws, Slavery to them such a word was associated with cruelty, abuse, neglect, but here it meant something entirely different. Here slavery meant an education, a job, three warm meals a day and a roof over your head, all for the price of freedom. A deal that a hundred people in any city of Mirodel would take in a heartbeat for the food alone.

Even we as the owners had rules we had to uphold, duty of care, no we couldn't beat or neglect our slaves. Any stumbles or miss steps were taken care off through a strict system. Those that broke the laws were sent to the mines for a week, stripped of all their comforts and privileges, it was effective if harsh. Public execution swiftly snuffed out any of the repeat offenders, though thankfully those were scarce.

I found my mind and thoughts wandering once more as I sat there upon my own coils watching Bastille. I was more consumed with the disappearance of Mathias and Neil now, Mathias had always been jealous and spiteful. No doubt he had snatched Neil up and absconded to some far corner to live "free" or some such. They would both be put to death if they ever returned, a royal pardon would save them, luckily they had my good favor or at least Neil did.

"Sir?" came a voice, breaking my trailing thoughts, Bastille stood before me now, done with his drills and instructing.

"Aren't you supposed to be confined to your chambers Sir?" he added, I blinked down at him a few times before letting out a sigh.

"Pft, yeah right, like that would ever last, I can't stand Eriden." I replied a little blandly. I didn't want to think about these sorts of things anymore, I wanted to have fun and relax.

"I'm sure you're mother is simply concerned for your safety Sir" Bastille yawned, his many chipped teeth showing clearly. He'd been through a lot, the both of us had, as children we we're the sort to wander. I couldn't count the amount of times me and Bastille had gotten lost in the jungle, I knew it was at least in the dozens.

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, I don't need to be grounded like an infant..." I replied, hissing slightly, irritated.

"Why don't you stay with me and Tahl tonight then Sir, i'm sure he will be ecstatic to see you again" He replied after a pause, cheerful smiling.

"That sounds rather nice to be honest, I heard you two are thinking about being mated?" I asked with a raised brow as we both started for the fort entrance slowly.

"Heh, we're getting our horn rings forged by Zalin as we speak, we both spent all week working and saving just to commission them" he said, his eyes bright and a spring in his step. Marriage, something I had never really thought about myself, I wasn't the type to commit to just one person.

"Have you heard from Logan or Luca at all?" I asked after giving his ear a scratch or two. I was happy for Bastille, finding true love isn't easy.

"Oh, last I heard they both work in a brothel all the way up in Osios, apparently they're making quite a nice profit" that statement surprised me, then again Logan and Luca both had an eye for fashion and showmanship, so becoming performers in a brothel wasn't all that surprising actually.

"And what of Briar? How is he doing?" I hadn't been able to keep tabs on all my servants since coming back home, Mother hadn't even let me receive messages or letters from them.

"He's been helpinging out at the Library in Ciseros as far as I know Sir" Bastille said with another yawn.

"You sound tired, and stop calling me Sir, you know you don't have to" he was about to reply but before he could a sunny yellow and brown Ezala Khal wearing a postal messengers uniform darted up to us. He looked exhausted, panting heavily and doubled over reking of sweat.

"Thank the lords I finally found you Sire... I've been trying to deliver this letter for the last few days, but the palace guards wouldn't let me in... please forgive me." he said through labored pants, digging into his small leather satchel to fish out an envelope.

"All's forgiven, go and rest now, drink and eat." I commanded as I took the letter, the poor messenger slumped and dawdled off, dragging his tail behind him with a polite thank you.

I rose a brow as I inspected the wax seal on the letter, it as black, bearing the sigil of the Black church of Rigel. Puzzled I swiftly opened it, straightening out the parchment inside and scanning over the cursive text. My eyes slowly widened, a smile forming on my scaled lips.

"Bastille, find Simone, get a crew together, I'm going to Rigel" I said, hints of excitement and relief in my voice.

"What's the letter say?" Bastille said looking up at me confused, I knew I wasn't allowed to leave the country, my Mother wouldn't allow it but I didn't care.

"Kaibers alive~"