The whole family were put in a small room with stone walls and a stone floor. There was no furniture and the floor was covered in straw on which they had to sleep. An old stone jar, which was placed by the iron door, contained their fly infested drinking water and their toilet consisted of a rusty bucket by the wall.

It was dark in their ghastly room, but some light entered through a small window opening and Luna could just push her head through it. She saw how the emperor's soldiers were drilled by an officer in the yard. If Luna hadn't been so sad, she would probably have laughed at them as they looked more like marionettes than human beings.

Jomar held something, which glittered and Luna asked him what it was.

"It is a gift which I shall probably have to give you my girl", he said with sadness in his voice.

"If I and your mother have to die you will get this magic stone to protect you and Midar against all the evil in the world".

Luna was so tired that she couldn't cry anymore. They hadn't had any food today and they were hungry. The warders threw in some bits of very salty meat, which lay on the dirty stone floor. There were no plates and no cutlery.

"These soldiers think that prisoners should be treated like animals, complained Shelana. Luna longed for the good gruel they had eaten at the palace; perhaps she would never taste it again.