Bab 42: Chapter 42: The Dungeon

*Castle of the Vampire King*

It began with the sound of a drip. Steady, slow, distant, and growing closer. Each beat was a little harsher than the one before it. Then the smell.

My senses were invaded by the scent of damp earth and something metallic, like rust. I fought the offensive sensations and tried to bring my hand down to plug up my nose, but I couldn't. My eyes snapped open, and I looked up to see what was holding me back.

To my horror, my hands were bound in thick silver shackles, securing me to a damp grey-brick wall that was half covered in moss.

I glanced around frantically, trying to get my barrings. The entire room was made up of the same brick, the floor where I was sitting was covered in dirt, and there were steel cages, each only about the size of a closet, lined up against the wall across from me and it was there I discovered the source of the sound.