I watched sitting on my bed as he marked on the wall for thousandth time I assumed, tallying up the days he's been stored away underground. The wall was covered in white marks counting each day he'd been here. The red rings on his arm and red dots aligned down the bridge of his back, he must have been a noble. Skin was just as dark as mine, the same color darken in shade and tone.

He turned to me with a blank expression on his face. He laid the rock next to him on the ground, brushing off the white dust from his hands. As he turned to me I saw more of the red lining on his body, three red rings on his neck, and the painting of a skull on his face. Red lines cut down down his lips and eyes shadowed in the red paint. "Today makes 300 for me" he said. "How long have you been down here?"

He spoke politely, giving a gentle smile. "You are a prince, aren't you?"
"I'm surprised you noticed" he grinned. "They threw you in here without telling you anything. Yes, am I am a prince, but I'm only the twin brother"

"Twin?"

He grinned at me, turning to the small opening in the cell. Sand from above would blow in between the bars at night, sometimes the guards walking by and dropping their leftovers in just out of spite. This was our little window, our small view of what was happening, the only piece of sun and light, what could be seen and heard from outside.

The boy jumped up, grabbing the bars to lift himself up and take in what ever fresh air he could. It's disgusting down here, it smells of the dead and bodily fluids. They don't clean the cells, sometimes they don't even take out the bodies that were once hear and let them riot.

"A prince is not suppose to be in such a place" I said. "A palace dungeon perhaps but not a prison for killers and thieves"

"You are not a well educated man, are you?" He let go of the bars and landed on the ground, turning to face me. "I am a noble but my skin has been branded in red. Red is the color of danger, I have been pinned by my people as a traitor to king and country. The mark of a skeleton that mask me is that of death"

"I can only imagine what you've done" I chuckled. "Killed your brother for the throne?"

"No" he said. "I set fire to the king"

My eyes widen in surprise. His face as sharp as a cobra's glare, he was serious. "Set fire?"

"Burned him and my mother in the dead of night. I assume right now they are still looking for Samati..."

"Samati?"

"Good gracious, how do you live here and not know. Maybe I should be asking the questions here. Who are you mister?"

I hesitated, and shied my eyes away. "Call me what you like"
His eyes darted towards the dried wounds on my leg and looked back at me. "You're a slave! You must have been caught running away"

"Ah, so a prince is told what they do with slaves such as I?"

"They burned the legs first as a warning, they never cut them off..."

"That's right" I snickered. "Never cut the legs off something that helps you make gold. I killed my master, cut his ear off and choked him to death"

"Is that why you're here?"

"It is" I answered.

He started to grin, he got closer to me and gently place his hand my face. "I'll give you a name, you'll be my servant. I can set you free if you do me this deed"

His grin was mischievous, I shouldn't have trusted his words but the word 'free' was what made me listen. I slapped the boy's hand away, "I am done being a tool"

"You misunderstand" he said to me. "Remaining down here you'll get the death sentence or you'll just be sold again. As for I, I'm definitely going to die. You could help me escape and I'll grant any wish?"

"My wishes?"

"Surely, there is something in mind you have? Gold? Perhaps fame?"

"Fame is for dogs. Fortune is for the greedy. I need neither of them in my life"

He looked at me confused yet he smiled widely. "Perfect! You see, I want that throne but my brother was going to get it because of some test he passed and I didn't. Obviously I'm more suited, I have better plans in store. Under my rule, you don't have to worry about going back and mining gold for nothing"

I wasn't sure deep in my heart, I knew better then to take the chance but I kept listening to a fool's words. "If they find my brother's body I can be executed for assuring the throne is not threaten. But if I find him first..."

"You can't simply trade places with him that easily. They have you branded they will surely tell the difference"

"Let me finish. I know this trick, If I can find my brother's body I can take it over as my own. They won't even know"

I scoffed, and simply laughed at the boy. He frowned and glared at me, "What is so funny? I'm serious"

"I suppose a child can dream. Reading too many stories in books while locked up in the palace?"

"I'm not a child! I'm nearly 18, a perfect age of maturity"

"Is that so, could have fooled me"

I picked him as someone very young as slim as he was. I stood up from my bedside and he looked in awe at me. He just barely came up to my chest. I placed my hand on the boy's shaven head. "Did they cut all your hair off?" I asked. "They have you marked one, you could easily stand out. You'll die here just like me. You won't be escaping from here"

He pushed me back away from him. "I can too!" He roared. "But I can't do it alone, I need a body to carry me around, to supply me until I find him."

"A body to carry you?"

"Your big, you have muscle but not much brain--Ah!"

I grabbed him by neck, lifting him up to eye level. "Don't try and play me for a fool"



He struggled in my hold, gasping for breath. "What... about Zuri?"
I dropped him to the ground. He clutched his throat gasping for air. "I heard you... say the name... Zuri. Sounds like someone important to you..."



He stumbled to stand up, rubbing his throat as he looked me. "You can't get want you want stuck in here, you can get pulled back to the mines or help me. Serve me until I get the throne, in return for helping me, I'll give you anything in return"



"You'll free me..."



"As you wish, I'll give you whatever you want"



To trust this boy was the most foolish thing I could have done. I agreed on his terms, I took his hand and shook it and in that moment I should have taken my hand back.
His body went limp and there was a burning in my chest, blue markings then appeared on my body. "What's going on over there" I heard one of the guards yell out.
I panicked and shook his body that was cold to the touch. "Hey, hey! Wake up!"



The guards came towards the cell, they immediately drew their sticks from their waist. "He killed the prince!" The guard cried out. "No! I didn't--this is a mistake--"



A rush of energy moved up my body, as the guard unlocked the cell, I charged at him. I headbutted the man, cracking his nose and grabbing the other by the head and thrusting my knee into his jaw. I thought to myself as I started running, I'm not going to make it to see the sun, to touch the sands.
Escaping through a small vent and up into the light, I ran as fast as I could, away from the prisons. The alarm sounded, I ducked behind walls, avoiding them at all cost. However, I was caught off guard in the dark and felt a sharp pain in my rib.

Back to the mines or help me