The morning didn’t come.
The candles had burned to stubs, casting faint flickers of light that barely illuminated the room.
"Shouldn’t Thalso be here for our training?" Taria asked, stepping from her room into the shared quarters. "We have to eat today at all cost because I don’t think I can survive another day otherwise."
She was the first to wake, clutching her spear tightly as she leaned against the doorframe. After their bath the previous day, they had simply put on their old clothes since no new ones were provided.
"By my estimation, it should be morning," Kaedros said from his bed. He was sitting upright, eyes half-open. The dim candlelight cast vague shadows around the room, enough to make out Taria’s silhouette.
He touched the short sword beside him, he’d been careful with it since no sheath had been provided. "I wonder what’s holding him. He didn’t seem like someone who’d be late."
"He better not be," Taria snapped.
Hunger clawed at her insides, and the oppressive dark didn’t help. She had tried the door earlier, only to find it locked tight from the outside. Her dreams had been filled with food... and what she’d do if she ever got her hands on some.
And what she would do if she didn’t get her hands on some.
"Let’s get food today."
Rauk shifted in his bed, grumbling under his breath. Of the three of them, he had slept most comfortably. His dreams had been warm and pleasant, untouched by hunger. That was likely why he refused to wake now, trying to tune out the conversation.
But Taria wasn’t having it.
"Hey! You! Stop pretending to sleep. Sit up. We need to plan. We have to eat today! We need to come up with a strategy!"
Rauk cracked open one eye, his voice thick with sleep. "He’s not here yet, is he? Maybe it’s still night. Still dark in here since we don’t know the flow of time.."
"I don’t know," Kaedros said. "There aren’t any windows. This place... it’s built for nothing but sleep. Even the bathroom is strictly functional. There’s nothing unnecessary in this castle."
"Then we’ll just have to trust them to come get us," Rauk muttered and flopped back into bed.
Kaedros nodded. What else could they do? He wondered how today would unfold. They were weaker than yesterday. Would they be able to earn food? He doubted it.
"At least get up," Taria said, walking toward Rauk. The butt of her spear jabbed toward him like a warning.
Kaedros smiled, looking up at her and then froze.
A tall mass of shadow had appeared near the wall. It was shaped like a man, but held two curved blades in its hands. Blades that seems to drink the darkness.
"Taria. Behind you!" Kaedros snapped.
It was a warning born from countless hunts, and she reacted instantly. Her grip reversed, and she struck backward with her spear’s shaft.
The shadow drifted back, dodging with a hiss.
"What now?" Taria growled, turning to face the creature. Her spear leveled, aimed directly at its smoky form.
"Looks like a shadow... with blades," Kaedros said, instinctively weaving a spell in his mind, then cursed under his breath. No mana. He glanced down at the cuff on his wrist with annoyance.
"What do we do now?" Rauk had sat up fully, his voice tight with instant tension. He placed a hand on the hilt of his long sword, needing the comfort as his heart began to beat fast.
"Fight?" Taria replied just as another shadow hissed into being behind Rauk, this one holding a dagger.
He turned too slowly.
The dagger came at his throat.
But a grey spear whistled across the room, piercing the shadow’s head...and it collapsed instantly.
While Taria had been distracted, the first shadow lunged at her but Kaedros was there, swinging his sword and forcing it back.
He looked down at the blade in his hand with frustration. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he muttered. "This isn’t me... I need my spells."
"Um...Kael?" Taria’s voice had turned sharp.
Kaedros looked up and his blood went cold.
More shadows were rising.
It had been a while since he felt it this strongly.
’..his fingers tightened on the short sword. It’s all I have...no spells! Even my core isn’t reacting!..’
"What are we going to do, Kael?" Taria asked, eyes darting between the growing number of enemies. "At this rate we are going to get killed."
Kaedros wanted to scream. He hadn’t planned anything since stepping into this castle.
Everything was out of his control. He wanted to shout that he wasn’t their leader, that he couldn’t do anything himself. That he was in the same situation as them.
Because that wasn’t true.
He was their leader. He had taken that role the moment they entered the castle. He took a steady breath and clenched his jaw.
But he still had a blade.
He was a Dragon Prince.
Even weak, a prince should never cower. A Dragon is a Dragon! Even one that was rejected by his kin!
He still had his pride as the most superior being in the world. Why would he let fear hold him down like a mere human?
His face darkened, his eyes shining with a glow.
"They disappear when you strike them in the right place," he said calmly. "But more keep coming. First step, we fight back-to-back. Keep your weapons pointed at them at all times."
The three quickly shifted, backs pressed together in a tight triangle. Taria faced the door, her spear giving her reach. Rauk covered one side. Kaedros covered the rear.
"You’re each responsible for your two flanks," Kaedros said, stepping out just enough to give them room to swing.
He smiled then, masking the fear in his gut..and said, "Try not to die."