Morning came slow.
A pale light seeped through the broken stones above, turning the air cold and colorless. Kresos was the first to wake. Every inch of his body ached. His back throbbed from the metal floor, and a sharp knot twisted in his neck from the way he'd slept.
He sat up with a quiet wince, arms hugging his sides.
Still the same bars.
Still the same broken ruin surrounding them. Still the same tight, sour feeling in his gut—part hunger, mostly helplessness.
A few minutes later, Tommy stirred beside him, letting out a soft groan. Rhea sat up too, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. No one spoke.
Then came the footsteps.
Heavy. Casual. Confident.
Kresos looked up.
A man approached the cage, shoulders hunched beneath a greasy coat. Mid-thirties, face lined by sun and age, hair tied back in a tangled knot. He didn't speak. Just reached into the sack slung over his shoulder and pulled out three dry, half-molded chunks of bread.
One by one, he tossed them through the bars.
The first landed in the mud.
The second bounced off Tommy's shin.
The third landed in front of Rhea.
Kresos saw it. The way the man's eyes lingered on her—longer than necessary. Quiet. Calculating. Possessive.
Rhea noticed too. She pulled her knees tighter to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself, jaw tight.
The man smiled.
Then turned and walked away.
No one spoke until his footsteps were gone.
"I hate the way he looks at me," Rhea muttered.
"I know," Kresos said quietly.
"He hasn't done anything yet," she added. "But he's thinking about it. I can feel it."
Tommy didn't say a word. Just stared down at his bread, holding it like it might disappear.
"If he touches you, I'll kill him," Kresos said, his voice low. Steady. Burning with quiet fire.
He picked up his own piece of bread. It was hard as stone, probably days old. He bit into it anyway.
"We won't be in this cage much longer."
Rhea glanced sideways. Uncertain.
"I'll find a way," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "You got a plan?"
"Not yet."
"Well, that's comforting."
Kresos gave her a crooked smile. "Didn't say it would be easy. Just that I would get us out."
She held his gaze a moment longer, then looked away.
"I'm just not going to wait around to be dragged off in chains," he added. "Or worse."
Tommy looked up. His voice was small. "Do you really think we can escape?"
Kresos didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Rhea watched him carefully. Doubt still flickered in her eyes—but something else was there too. Something quieter.
"If you find a way out…" she said, "you don't leave us behind. Promise?"
Kresos nodded. "I promise."
A wind picked up outside the cage, dry and sharp. Somewhere deeper in the ruins, a man barked a command. Another answered with laughter.
The day had begun.
*****
It was past midday when they came again.
Kresos heard them before he saw them—slow, heavy steps scraping against stone. He sat up straighter, shoulders tense.
He didn't recognize the man that appeared, but he recognized his voice. He was the leader of the bandits.
He stopped just outside the bars. Hands on his belt. Older than the others—sixty, maybe more. Gray hair, long and filthy. Skin weathered to leather. One eye half-lidded, as if the world bored him.
But the cold weight in his tone said otherwise.
"You gave my boys some trouble," he said. "Killed two of them, from what I heard."
Kresos didn't reply.
The man chuckled. "That's alright. You're in luck. Someone's buying you."
He crouched slightly—just enough to bring his face level with the cage.
"Rich freak. The kind with more money than sense. Wants something… unique. You'll fit the bill."
He leaned closer, just outside reach.
"You said you're a Dragonbane, yeah? Let's hope that wasn't a lie. Because if you are, you're valuable. If you're not—" He smiled, breath thick with wine. "I'll skin you myself. Or maybe the buyer will."
Kresos had quickly glanced at Rhea when the man mentioned the name Dragonbane but she didn't flinch. Most likely, she was too young to know about a family that pretty much vanished, decades ago.
He stood again, brushing off his coat like it mattered.
"As for the girl and the brat…"
His gaze shifted.
Rhea flinched. Pulled Tommy closer.
"They're part of the deal. Bonus package. Not sure what he wants with 'em, but I know what I'd do." He said it slowly. Deliberately. Staring at her.
Rhea's eyes widened. She held her brother tighter, pressing herself to the bars as if they could shield her.
"He'll be here by midday tomorrow," the man added. "Then you're not my problem anymore."
He walked away, whistling something tuneless.
Silence followed.
Kresos turned to them. Tommy looked pale. Rhea was trembling, her arms locked around her brother like steel.
Kresos leaned in close. His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"They'll have to open the cage when the buyer comes. That's when we move."
Rhea didn't respond.
"They'll lower their guard," he said. "Maybe try to shackle us. Separate us. Doesn't matter. That's our shot."
Tommy looked up, eyes wide. "But we don't have weapons. We're not even… we don't even have clothes."
Kresos hesitated.
Then said, "They think I'm worth something. That's our window. And we only need one."
Rhea stared at him.
Then nodded. "If there's a window… we take it."
Tommy nodded, too. Slower. Still afraid. But he believed him.
Kresos leaned back against the bars and looked up at the sky.
Tomorrow.
They had until tomorrow.
And if it came to it…
He'd kill every last one of them.