Author’s POV
“If you put it that way, then there’s no use denying it,” Augustus said, pacing around the room.
“B…but how? How did you do it?” Ben asked, excited.
Augustus was surprised by his reaction. He expected him to be curious but in an annoying way. “Why are you so excited? Shouldn’t you be scolding me or scrutinizing me for what I did?”
“What? Why should I do that?” Ben replied, smiling like he had stumbled upon a pile of gold.
“I don’t know… he may have been your friend or your father’s friend,” Augustus replied.
“Nah… I’m cool with it. I could learn a trick or two from you, you know?” Ben winked, impressed by what Augustus had done in the past.
Augustus smiled to himself, shielding his face away from Ben. He was happy with how pleased Ben was and couldn’t wait to hear his plan for his request.
His face changed from the self-satisfied one he had, to the serious one he wanted Ben to see. “Come off it already. What do you want us to do, to get your brother out of the way? What do you have in mind?”
“Release me already, I can’t stand the pain from these chains,” Ben complained.
Augustus nodded his head and walked towards Ben. Ben looked at him, confused, wondering what it was that he wanted to do.
The moment Augustus got to where he sat, he focused his eyes on the chain and snapped his fingers. On its own, the chain broke, shattering to pieces on the floor.
Ben’s jaw became suspended in the air as he stared at the broken pieces of metal on the floor. He shifted his gaze towards Augustus, who moved about freely like nothing had happened.
“Stop staring at me like I forced out a golden fart from my anus, it’s something I do all the time. Trust me, this is the least of my powers.”
Ben closed his mouth immediately and stood up, but fell as soon as he did, due to excessive weakness. He bent down, however, picked up a piece of metal on the floor, and studied it.
It wasn’t like every normal metal, it had this roughness all about it. Looking at the rough surface where it had broken, there was a brilliant purple glow in it which shone dimly for some seconds before going completely dark.
The power from the mysterious metal made Ben weak, after being chained with it for a long time. Even his wolf was dead silent and didn’t move despite efforts to rouse him.
“What kind of power does this metal hold?” Ben whispered to himself. Jealousy washed over him, so much so, he began to crave Augustus’ powers.
“You made the right choice by deciding to work with me, Ben. With my power and your influence, I’m sure Adams and his forces would crumble under us.”
Ben nodded, too weak to respond.
“Get up!” Augustus stretched his hands towards Ben to lift him up from the chair. Ben took his hand and with a swift movement, he was up.
He staggered and almost fell but soon balanced as Augustus supported his movement with his other hand.
They walked to the entrance of the room and got out, into a brightly lit passage unlike how dark it was the night before.
Gradually, Ben regained his strength and could walk well without any help. They walked through different halls which echoed in silence.
They soon got to a giant metal door which opened outwards on its own without any interference. Ben looked around, searching for a sensor or anything which could explain how the door opened on its own, but he found nothing.
At first, when he came into the cave, he thought that Augustus or his men were playing pranks to scare the living daylights out of him, but now, he realized Augustus didn’t need to play pranks to instill fear into anyone. Just how powerful was he?
The moment they stepped into the room, a golden table was in sight. The room was bigger, more than thrice the size of the previous room Ben was in.
There were guards all around and numerous maids. Seeing them made Ben uncomfortable, but he chose to remain silent.
He marveled at the antiques and architecture of the room. It looked ancient yet classic. On the table were varieties of food, uncovered, filling the room with a delicious, unimaginable scent.
From the scent of chicken mixed with curry sauce, to freshly baked bread, steaming close to the garlic sauce, the list was endless.
One would think a feast was about to happen but surprisingly, there wasn’t going to be any.
“Join me for breakfast,” Augustus offered, pointing to the table before them. “I wouldn’t like to eat alone today.”
Ben looked at the table, salivating from his mouth as his stomach rumbled. He walked towards the table after Ben and sat down.
“Eat as much as you can, the rest is going into the ocean anyway,” Augustus said, helping himself to a huge chunk of pork meat.
Ben cut a huge piece of bread and brought the garlic sauce close to him, but stopped as he remembered something. “I’m sorry, but I have to decline this food. I must head back now.”
Augustus looked at Ben with angry eyes which made him tremble where he sat. “Okay,” putting Ben’s mind at rest as he sighed, relieved. “What about the plan, what do you have in mind?”
Ben looked around him, to find the eyes of the guards and maids watching him. He couldn’t get a suspicious feeling which had settled in his mind, so he stood up and strode towards Augustus.
He leaned close to him and whispered inaudible words in his ears. Augustus nodded as he listened, smiling broadly.
Ben straightened up after he had finished talking and made to walk out of the room, but was stopped by the guards at the door.
“What is the meaning of this?” He asked, almost yelling.
“I forgot to tell you, Ben, but you wouldn’t be going the way you came in.” Augustus spoke from behind him.
He turned back at once and looked at Augustus, who seemed so focused on the food before him. “How am I supposed to leave then?” He asked, furious.
His pride had been wounded so many times by the man before him, he was on the verge of blowing up.
“Oh, you’ll see,” Augustus smirked at him, pausing his food. “Grab him and throw him out through the window!” He ordered firmly.
“Wait, what? You can’t do that to me,” Ben protested, but it was too late. The guards grabbed him, one from his feet, the other from his back.
“No! Let me go!” He screamed. It only generated laughter from Augustus, his guards and the maids in the room.
In a swift swing, he was falling from a tower, which seemed strange. He didn’t remember climbing any stairs. How come he was falling from a tower?
He looked down as the wind tugged at his ears violently and saw that he was going to bash into a pile of rock.
“Ah!” He screamed, closing his eyes, preparing to die. He opened his eyes one more time just before he crashed into the rocks, before everything became silent.
A second passed, then another, yet he didn’t feel a single pain. He opened his eyes slowly, and gasped in shock at what he saw.
He was in his room, seated behind the door, perfectly unhurt.
“What just happened? How?” He asked himself. His brain was a cluster of confused thoughts, fighting for attention in his mind as he sought an explanation amidst the chaos.
Just then, he saw Adams, searching his room.