//------------------------------//
// Faire Appel 
// Story: Voyage 
// by Comrade Bagel Muffin 
//------------------------------//

/Escutcheon sat on a bed in a stone room with wooden floors. He was wearing his clothes again they had been on the bed. His bags were in the corner. They had apparently been seized earlier that night, as evidence for his charge of espionage. The cell was as nice as an upper scale inn. The only reminder that it was a prison cell were the bars that were on both sides of the only window that was to high to be looked out of. He sat exhausted on the bed the little sapphire shard in his hooves, its blue light barely lighting up his body. He wasn't going to sleep until he knew that Dusk, Turkeylegs, and professor Atlas were all safe. He refused to lay down despite how painful sitting was. He knew the second he lay down he'd fall asleep.
His ears perked up the second he heard the key turn on the door to his room. The moment the door opened the room was filled with the soft blue light of the sapphire, as he saw Dusk. The next thing he knew he was being tackle on the bed by the bat filly. "Escutcheon your okay!" He winced slightly but wrapped her in a hug. He didn't answer her he only closed his eyes and started drifting to sleep.
"Good night Dusk," he said softly the sapphire in his hooves glowing brighter.
"How does he still have the magic left to do that?" He heard the guard ask as he closed his fell away. "He already broke to restraint rings. Not even the prince has that kind of power." He didn't stay awake long enough to hear the rest happily falling asleep in Dusk's hooves on a reasonably soft bed. He heard Turkeylegs come into the room giving a few happy chirp like sounds, and felt the large bird nuzzle the two of them. It was the last thing he felt before slipping a way into a peaceful sleep.


***


The sunlight filtered through the barred window of the cell Escutcheon woke up with a soft yawn. Dusk still held close to him. She groaned softly waking up with him. She rubbed her eyes.
"Escutcheon?" she asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"Could you please get me my Eclipse Amulet. I hope it's with the rest of our stuff over there." She pointed over to the corner where their bags were laying. Escutcheon nodded and got up rubbing his eyes. The professor was already up. He was sitting in a corner eyes closed. Escutcheon knew enough to know that he was focusing on a problem, and shouldn't be disturbed. Turkeylegs had fallen asleep at the foot of their bed and was still soundly asleep. He ruffled through Dusk's bag before pulling out a gold necklace with a black opal. He softly walked back over to Dusk and gently put the necklace on for her.
"There you go." He smiled.
"Thanks." She rubbed the black opal which glowed for a brief moment before she opened her eyes. He yellow eyes dilated for a moment before returning to normal. "So what should we do about this?" she waved with a hoof to their cell.
"I'm not sure. I don't even know why they thought that we were spies." Escutcheon hopped back up on the bed taking a seat next to her. "I mean at least with the colony they had some kind of reason."
"You don't think that it could be another one of those gem monster things do you?" Dusk asked. "I mean if there were three of them then there could be more right."
"Three how do you know about the Sphinx?" He looked away not wanting to meet her gaze. He was still mortified with how he broke. How he'd almost lost everything. How even when she wasn't there she'd saved him, pulled him back to himself.
"I saw the aurora." Dusk looked down to meet his gaze. "Escutcheon are you okay? Does this have anything to do with why you don't want to be naked anymore." She asked. "It's okay you can talk to me."
"I've got it!" The professor exclaimed. Causing to two of them to jump, and waking Turkeylegs from its sleep.
"You know how we're suppose to get out of here?" Dusk asked looking over her shoulder.
"No I figured out how to respond to a letter I received last week from the director of the Geology department about ore veins and how to map them out. I can't tell you Dusk how much sleep I've lost over that question." he answered sheepishly. "Although I admit that now might not have been the best time to focus on that. Though I suspect that we shouldn't have to worry about anything."
"Professor were still in prison. They came in the middle of the night and arrested us. They even used heavy interrogation tactics during a Wahrheit." Escutcheon answered. Dusk looked at him not knowing what he meant. "During a Wahrheit you're not suppose to question a witnesses testimony nor try and force a confession according to The Second Doctrine of Justice." He explained she continued to look at him with a confused expression. "Sorry I'm an egghead."
"I have no idea what that means." She smiled and nuzzled him.
"Your right, but how did you know that?" Atlas looked at his assistant.
"One of the law student's asked me to review their essay, so I had to read about thirty essays and five books." he answered the professor. "And I'm not sure why you think we don't need to worry."
"You need to teach me that study spell one of these days. Your mother must be an amazing teacher to have a spell like that." Escutcheon only nodded. "As for my confidence after the my Wahrheit I appealed to the Crown. We have a meeting with his majesty at noon." Turkeylegs went over to the door and pecked it softly. A moment later the sound of the key turning the lock could be heard. A guard walked into the cell.
"The meeting is going to be early. Will the three of you, and your pet." The guard looked nervously at the large bird. "Please follow me."
"Of course the sooner the better." Dusk and Escutcheon got off of the bed. Turkeylegs quickly picked the two of them up and put them on its back. They followed closely behind the guard who lead them out of the jail and to the palace.