Caprion's Wings by T. L. Shreffler Read Free Book Online Page A

reached his ears, echoing slightly off the rock walls. He
recognized it and sucked in a quick, nervous breath.
    "New arrivals?" Sumas said from around
the corner, an edge of surprise to his tone. "How long have they
been imprisoned?"
    "A week now," a higher-pitched female
voice replied. "Just a handful taken from separate Hives. You could
break them in tonight if you'd like." She sounded eager at the
prospect. Caprion felt a chill move across his skin.
    Sumas paused, then replied, “We have
new recruits tonight. First-timers. I'm going to start them off
against the older ones that won’t fight back.”
    “If you insist,” the woman
said wistfully. “But the old ones are so boring. I wish you’d
reconsider….”
    “No,” Sumas said flatly. “I won’t
waste new blood on fledgling recruits. We’ll use the fresh slaves
for tomorrow’s practice with the lieutenants.”
    The woman’s voice grew soft with
disappointment. "But I have other duties tomorrow, Sumas,” she
cajoled. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you otherwise?”
    Caprion frowned. The woman didn’t
speak like a soldier. She sounded overly familiar with his brother,
like close friends...or lovers. Caprion edged forward slightly,
curious.
    The conversation continued with
decidedly more tension.
    “Don’t plead favors from
me; it’s beneath you,” his brother intoned. “And in these prisons,
I am Captain Sumas.”
    “And I’m the warden,” the woman
rebuked. “Shall we call each other by title now? I thought we’d
grown past that….”
    “Watch your tongue,” Sumas hissed. “We
use the weakest slaves tonight. I can't have another incident like
last week. I almost lost my promotion because of your sloppy work.
The Matriarch might be slumbering, but the Madrigal watches us
closely.”
    Caprion could sense the
woman’s displeasure. "Yes, Captain ,” she sneered. “I assure
you, our slaves are firmly under control. There’s no chance of them
slipping loose."
    “I am more concerned with the
stupidity of my new recruits,” he said sourly.
    “Then I’ll let you do your job,” she
growled.
    "Good," Sumas grunted. Then, without
wasting a breath, “Prepare ten prisoners, only the broken ones. I
want them on chains in fifteen minutes.”
    "Yes, sir," came the cold response.
There was no salute. Then a bright light illuminated the hallway;
Caprion sensed a vibration pass over him. The Harpies had spread
their wings. A moment later, the light faded down the corridor. The
tunnel returned to shadow.
    "Imagine that," Talarin muttered.
“Warden Dahlia in bed with your peacock of a brother. I should have
seen that coming. Can’t wait to spread this news around the
barracks.”
    Caprion frowned. “Warden
Dahlia?”
    “A spiteful hawk of a woman,” Talarin
said. “Watch out for her—she has talons.”
    “Sounds like Sumas’ type,” he
replied.
    They sniggered at that.
    They waited a half-minute longer to
ensure the tunnel was empty, then continued. Caprion followed her
pace and tried to step silently. Because of her wings, Talarin
could glide a few inches off the ground for several paces, making
stealth much easier, but he didn’t have that luxury. The tunnel
branched off into numerous directions, creating a maze of passages
that could very well continue across the entire island—but they
remained on the main path, moving steadily forward.
    Eventually the tunnel connected to a
large, open chamber. He and Talarin paused again, clinging to the
shadows and peering out.
    Caprion blinked in surprise. A massive
underground stadium stood before them, carved entirely out of
granite. The ceiling arched far above, inlaid with rich veins of
malachite. By the style of the hard-stone carvings, he could see
that it dated back to the founding of Asterion, long before the
island ever crashed into the sea. Large, jagged chunks of sunstone
had been hammered into the walls at uneven intervals, casting light
every few-dozen meters. Even then, the majority of