The Son of the Flames sat cross-legged and silent in his prison, whilst his captor paced the outside of the cage. Too many times Charlie had tried to break out of the water-bound bars, but all it did was drain his valuable energy.

Almost a day had passed, but he wasn't going to give up that quickly. Charlie knew he had a role, even in his prison; to keep the camp safe by staying silent.

Three times over the past day the Shadow had simply snapped his fingers to make Charlie writhe in pain, simply to see him squirm. He had been told that tomorrow, the questioning would start. Shadow Demons guarded whenever the man himself wasn't around, but that was rare. The cavern seemed to give the Shadow energy-especially as he kept it so dark.

Just like when it was hot Charlie felt rejuvenated, and when the sea kids encountered water it healed them, the darkness was making the Shadow stronger. And what killed Charlie was knowing he could do nothing to help except withstand the excruciating pain inflicted on him frequently.

A fireball cupped in his two hands, Charlie broke the silence in the most chipper voice he could summon. "What's eating you, evil genius sir?"

The Shadow glared at the fire user. "Silence!" A white-hot thread of pain raced through Charlie's nerves, but he kept his cool. He traced a line of fire through the air with one burning finger. "I guess fire's not your thing, huh? That's why it's so cold in here. And why you chose to let your Demons take me instead of coming yourself."

It was true. The cavern was so cold Charlie had had to create a line of fire just in front of the bars to keep him warm. Being an actual son of the Lord of Fire, Charlie got cold a lot easier than other people. He wished he'd brought his coat, which was a rather ridiculous thought given the circumstances.

The Shadow just kept pacing, and five minutes later, finally stopped. "Hey, dude," Charlie said, standing up and stretching. "You're gonna get nervous with all that pacing. You know, in here it's quite relaxing. D'you want to swap places?"

The Shadow pulled down his hood and scowled at Charlie. "If you want to live beyond tonight, Charlie Smith, it would do you good to keep your mouth shut." He snapped his fingers, and the white-hot pain was back, surging through his body. Charlie heard a scream ring through the room, and realised it was coming from his own throat.

"Stop," he croaked. "Please." The Shadow smiled in satisfaction and the pain broke off. Charlie collapsed in a heap, his head wound re-opening. "Do you understand my point?" the Shadow asked. "Completely," Charlie coughed. "I won't bother you again."

The Shadow smiled again, watching the blood trickle down Charlie's face. "You Elemental children are very annoying. After I destroy the old ones I will wipe out your home, and there will be no more."

Charlie let out a hacking cough. It felt like he was being burnt from the inside out. "You won't win," he said. "My friends will stop you, even if I die."

The Shadow growled. "You're determined, aren't you?" Charlie managed a weak smile. "I don't run when my friends need me."

The Shadow smiled. "But here, you are useless, are you not? You cannot help your friends. You must wait for them here, as you slowly weaken. If you die, you would die alone, knowing that they didn't care enough to come to you."

The words struck Charlie hard. He flinched. When he spoke, his voice was steely, and low with anger. "You will never succeed. And I will never tell you anything."

The Shadow's face was unreadable. "We shall see, child of fire."