Chapter 43 Silver Cage


    Hansel awoke to a terrible burning sensation like fire all around him. He yelped and took off his vest. His body moving with an understanding his mind did not yet comprehend. The vest went onto the floor of his silver cage and as soon as he stood on top of it he was no longer on fire. Still the pressure of an unbearable pain hovered all around him.


    “Well, I would have taken that off if not for all your tricks!” Snapped the dwarf, he had left the boy his furry attire. Not that Hansel really carried much else or needed it. Every item he owned had a nasty magical curse attached to it so that if anything was stolen the thief would regret it. A dwarf could easily disarm such things and often had too because of their nature to take but here it turned out to be too much trouble versus the actual value and often the item was ruined in the end.


    “Where am I?” Hansel always asked despite the foolishness of the question. Some people were foolish enough to answer.


    “Well like she said, she is ripening you. Kerwolves aren’t near as good as when they are aged and since you’ve been made so young you’ll be the most valuable meal on the market.” He put on a scowl. “Course she’s greedy and won''t sell you to anyone. At least the silver will speed up the process so I won’t be drooling after you for long.”


    “You think this is the first time I have been captured?” Hansel shivered uncontrollably still from the previous contact of the metal even while his voice was firm.


    “Couple of albino’s like you? Doubtful, it’s a big world with a lot of players.  I must say my mistress she’s really good at keeping her pets not only alive but obedient. And the games she plays with them…” The dwarf heated a hot poker over some coals. “Do you ever feel like killing yourself? The trick is to know it could always be worse for you. Imagine having no soul, no will even. Well you’ve seen the results.” The dwarf smiled a knowing smile at Hansel who began to bark in rage.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    “The compliment is that she realized after your struggles let’s say that you might be a bit more difficult to keep in check, unlike your brother. I mean think of the wild enriching flavor if we were to let you roam like him. You won’t be as delicious without your will intact. So she’s given me charge over the recipes fine tuning, with a little taste testing by the both of us now and then.” The dwarf licked his lips as he turned around with the poker.


    During the dwarves'' disclosure Hansel took in his surroundings as much as he could. He looked for anything he could focus on. He vaguely remembered being dragged to this cellar underground so there was a dwarf entry somewhere that he knew. This must be the little Miller he had heard so much talk about in town. Was he really a pawn to the witch or the witch a pawn for him? With the fair folk you never knew until it was too late.


    “You are thinking that I can set you free. Course I would want you to offer me something valuable and at the moment I don’t think you have anything worthwhile even yourself for every part of you is owned by her except your will.” He raised a brow as if inquiring if that would be a fair trade.


    “I have a tough one, it can endure. I think I’ll keep it.” Hansel gritted deciding he would withstand the poker over the cage.


    “Excellent.” The dwarf moved in. It occurred to the dwarf as he worked that in the end this boy might be just like his clothing. That he had a certain sort of ugly style. Hansel retained consciousness through it all. He faked passing out more than once until his watcher was finally satisfied. When he exited the dwarf disappointed him by going up the stairs. Due to the nature of Hansel’s wounds and the silver counteracting his physical powers he knew he wasn’t going to be healed by the time the Dwarf came back. So as Wolves do he made plans for a long stay, one that wasn’t going to be pleasant for his tormentors.