Chapter 1
When Kendra awoke, the Sphinx was kneeling above her. She gasped in shock and rolled away from him out of instinct, only to crash into someone's legs. Looking up, she saw Gavin leering down at her and she let out a startled cry and sat up, scooting herself away from both figures until her back was flat against the wall behind her.
"Welcome to my home, Kendra," the Sphinx said, a note of what sounded kind of like pleasant cheerfulness in his voice. He stood from his kneeling position and walked toward a nearby cabinet. She noticed that he was holding the Sands of Sanctity and deduced that he had used it on her in order to wake her up.
Looking frantically around, she tried to recall what had happened to her and how she had wound up, well… apparently in the Sphinx's home, wherever that was. She remembered running. She'd been separated from Seth. There was a cliff. Dragons. Roaring. Fighting. With a flash of sudden recollection, the rest of the puzzle pieces fell into place. Sidestep Cleft. Warren was injured and in the knapsack. Gavin torched the knapsack. He killed the astrids. She had fought him – he had broken her leg and dislocated her arm – she passed out from the pain. She became conscious again here and there after that – she remembered feeling bitterly cold, and there had been wind rushing through her hair. Discomfort from the pressure of a claw around her middle. Pain. So much pain.
Stretching her right leg in front of her, she examined it carefully to find that it had been mended. Her right arm had likewise been mended. There was no more pain – at least, not of the physical variety.
Glancing to her left, she found that Gavin had walked over to casually lean against the wall she was currently backed up against, standing maybe two feet or so away from her. He was still leering at her, an evil glint in his eyes. Her instincts told her to shy away and hide. She knew he was deadly. Her heart, however, was beyond furious. Extremely upset, she stood to her feet and let her anger reflect in her body language.
"You!" she shouted. "What have you done!?"
"I rescued you from Wyrmroost," Gavin shrugged passively, rolling his eyes at her. "You would've been stuck inside that cleft forever if I hadn't come along."
"You… You betrayed us!" The volume of her voice hadn't lessened any. "You killed… Dougan! And… and Warren…!"
"Unfortunately, the rest of your merry band of idiots might have actually survived," Gavin stated coldly.
Kendra's cheeks flushed in the rush of emotions that flowed through her body. "How could you?! How could you do this to us?! To me?!"
Gavin reached out a hand and grabbed her jaw tightly. "I like you," he said. "Don't make me dislike you."
She spat in his face. He smirked and wiped off his cheek, but didn't release his hold on her jaw. "I told you," he said, obviously addressing the Sphinx even though he was still maintaining eye contact with her. "She has a fire inside of her. It's entertaining."
The Sphinx chimed in. "Let her go," he said softly, although sternly enough to indicate that it was an order and not a suggestion.
Gavin- no, Navarog, Kendra corrected herself, released her jaw and she rubbed it to relieve some of the achiness. He had a tight grip. "That's right, Navarog," she spit out, "Obey your master like a good little dragon."
He had her pinned against the wall faster than she could even register. His hot breath washed over her face and she grimaced in fear despite herself. "Do yourself a favor and don't say such things again."
She forced herself to look back up and into his eyes and stated, "You need a breath mint." Who knew she would channel her inner Seth when she was in such dire straits? That thought warmed her heart a tiny bit, although she was still overwhelmingly terrified and angry given her predicament.
Navarog chuckled despite himself. "Kendra, I never knew you could be so feisty," he grinned at her. "I like seeing this side of you. Such a change from 'Dear Gavin, all I think about is you. You're amazing. XOXO.' I enjoyed reading those letters." He moved his hand toward her and she tried to scoot away from his touch as he uninvitedly caressed her face, but she couldn't go very far since he had her very effectively pinned.
"I said enough," the Sphinx commanded, finality in his tone of voice.
It took Navarog a few more moments before he grudgingly let her go and resumed his casual position of leaning against the wall, all the while maintaining his smirk and holding her eye contact. He knew that he unnerved her and he was obviously enjoying it.
The Sphinx cleared his throat, obviously trying to cut through some of the tension in the room. "Kendra, would you like a drink? I have water or pear juice. The pear is exquisite, I must say."
Kendra turned her gaze to the other man in the room who had betrayed her and her family. "I don't want anything."
"Hmm," the Sphinx began. "You've traveled far, and under great duress. You won't be escaping this place. And I'm afraid that once you depart from my presence, you may find the hospitality… less hospitable. I invite you to take this opportunity to refresh yourself. Another opportunity is unlikely to present itself in the near future."
She was quiet for a moment, contemplating his words. The Sphinx wasn't the type of person who would poison her food or drink – if he'd wanted her dead, all Navarog had to do was finish her off while at Wyrmroost. Or the Sphinx could have simply refused to heal her once they'd arrived. No, he didn't want her dead. She also figured that she had no practical means of escape at this particular moment in time – no doubt at least Navarog would stop her from leaving, plus she had no idea where she was or what awaited her beyond the doors to this room. She was also still extremely upset and was having a difficult time calming herself. Navarog's constant gaze upon her was very unsettling – even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his eyes basically burning holes through the back of her head.
"Does he have to be here?" she asked, pointing her thumb at him from over her shoulder. She refused to look back at him.
The Sphinx seemed to ponder her request. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking, but he didn't hesitate for long. After only a few seconds, he invited Navarog to leave. An invitation which wasn't recognized in the slightest.
"Please leave this room," the Sphinx repeated.
"I don't want to," Navarog responded. "I'm perfectly happy to stand right here."
"I don't want him here," Kendra restated.
"Deal with it, sweetheart," he answered.
"Enough," the Sphinx emphatically interjected. "Navarog, leave this room at once."
Kendra finally turned around to look at the disguised dragon. His gaze had finally shifted over to the other man in the room. They seemed to be having a silent argument with each other. Finally, Gavin stopped leaning against the wall and walked toward Kendra, looking her up and down. She was admittedly very afraid of him, but she refused to show it and instead returned his unwanted gaze with a fierce glare of her own.
"So much fight still in you. I like that," he said. He reached his hand out to grip her arm, but she yanked it out of his grasp.
"Get lost," she said, pure venom in her tone of voice.
Gavin rolled his eyes at her, but also raised his hands up in a surrendering fashion. "Fine," he said. "I'll leave. But I will come back for you. I promise you that." And with one final dark grin at her, he turned around and headed out the door.
"I apologize for his behavior," the Sphinx said once the demon prince had exited the room. "Please, come have a seat." He gestured to a low table on the opposite side of the room as the door. Kendra walked over to the table and sat on one of the many cushions the room had to offer. For the first time since her arrival, she felt like she could finally get a good look at her surroundings. This room was very comfortable and well decorated with lavish drapes hanging from the ceiling and in front of the windows. The architecture seemed old and the room appeared to be made of stones.
"Where are we?" Kendra asked.
"You are currently sitting in the fifth magical preserve," the Sphinx answered. "Hidden in a remote location in a country which is now referred to as Turkey."
Kendra rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was starting to come down from her anger high now that Gavin – no, Navarog – had left the room, and she felt vulnerable and exposed. Her body was begging for rest, and she really felt like she was overdue for a good cry at the moment, but she tried to continue to hold it together for the time being.
"He frightens you, doesn't he?" the Sphinx asked.
"I don't want to talk about him," she answered.
The Sphinx paused for a few seconds again before he said, "While you are within these walls, you will be protected from him."
"That's nice and all, but who's going to protect me from you?" she retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, I was attacked, injured and kidnapped – for the second time in less than a month, mind you – betrayed by someone I thought I could trust for the second time within the past year," she stared at him pointedly, "and now I'm being told that I'm going to be held captive somewhere I know that my family probably has no chance of ever finding me."
"Fair enough," the Sphinx said. "I do want you to know that I mean you no harm."
Kendra only scoffed in reply.
"For the sake of productive conversation, it would be helpful if you made an effort to at least try to calm down."
She bit the inside of her cheek. Tears threatened to spill and overtake all of her senses. "Forgive me for being a little emotionally charged," she eventually managed to spit out.
"Would you care for water? Juice? Or perhaps some tea?"
"Water would be nice."
The Sphinx poured her a glass of cold water and set it in front of her. She didn't move to take it right away, but he didn't seem to mind. "Would you like something to eat?" He motioned toward the rest of the table, which held a variety of cheeses and fruits on it – some of which she didn't recognize – and a few different types of breads. She shook her head no, but the Sphinx seemed to ignore that and prepared a plate for her anyway.
Kendra didn't feel like she could keep food down at the moment, but her stomach growled at the sight of it in front of her in spite of herself. The Sphinx smiled at her and said, "Please, eat your fill. You are welcome to stay here with me for the duration of our conversation."
"Why am I here?" Kendra asked as she took a sip of the water he had poured for her. "Do you really need a battery charger so desperately that you had to send a dragon to fetch me?"
"There are several reasons for you to be here," the Sphinx began. "You are admittedly a very convenient magical energy source, although that is not the primary reason. You've proven to be very resourceful on many occasions in the past, and one of the main reasons for your presence here is so that you will not be utilizing that resourcefulness against us as we move forward."
"What about my brother?"
"Yes, the two of you together are becoming a fairly formidable team." He paused to take a drink from his own glass before he continued, "Seth has also been targeted for capture. As have your grandparents."
Kendra balled her hands into fists and once again made an effort to swallow the urge to cry. Her parents still thought she was dead. Her brother and grandparents had only just gotten her back from the Sphinx recently. What were they going to think now?
"You are free to ask more questions," the Sphinx said. "You look distressed."
Kendra snorted at that statement and said through watery eyes, "Everyone probably thinks I'm dead again. I'm just… I'm trying to come to terms with that and everything else."
"I'm sorry to have hurt you," the Sphinx stated. Oddly enough, he sounded almost sincere.
"It doesn't feel like you're very sorry when you're the one who caused all of the problems in the first place," she answered. There was no venom in her tone of voice. She was just desperately trying to reign in her emotions at this point. "I'm done asking questions for now. Just tell me about this place and about your plans and I will eat while you talk," she said, biting into a roll to emphasize her point.
The Sphinx explained to her how he initially came to this preserve, where he had come from before then, and how he had managed to live throughout the many years since he had freed himself. He told her about his motives for opening the demon prison and for the most part she simply listened while she ate. It helped take her mind temporarily off of other things when she wasn't the one who had to do the talking. His storytelling came to a lull shortly after she finished her meal, at which point she sighed and looked pointedly into his eyes. "I guess you're going to lock me away in the dungeon now, aren't you?" she asked.
"More or less," he answered.
"Can I ask you a couple more questions before I go?"
"You may ask whatever you wish. I give no promises about whether I will answer."
Kendra folded her hands together and placed them in her lap. "Are you going to kill my family?"
"Your parents are safe, and as for the rest of your family… I have no intentions of harming them," he stated.
"Intentions are different than actuality," she replied. "Look, I'll be a good little prisoner. I'll behave. I'll recharge your magical objects for you without complaint. I just ask that my family be safe."
The Sphinx crossed his arms and sat a little straighter. "I can promise you that we will make every effort to ensure they are safely captured."
That was apparently the straightest answer she was going to get from him on that point. She felt hopeless and insecure. Steeling herself for one more question she quietly asked, "I will be safe here, right?" She thought back to how Navarog had leered at her and felt her skin crawl unpleasantly. She started running her hands up and down her arms again in an unconscious gesture of comfort more than for any other reason.
"He will not harm you here," the Sphinx replied, immediately seeming to understand who she was specifically thinking about. "Again, I apologize for his behavior."
"Just keep him away from me," she said, an involuntary shiver running up her spine.
"I understand," the Sphinx replied. With that, he stood up and offered her his hand to assist her. She stood up on her own and turned toward the door. There was no point in running. She had nowhere to go.
This will be a series of interconnected oneshots. Let me make this clear from the onset – this will not be a Gavendra story. I may play with Kendra's emotions, though. (Who're we kidding? That's going to happen.) This series will be darker than the Always series – BY FAR. Hence the higher rating for this one. There will be nothing explicit and the language will stay clean. The themes are darker, though. Prepare for angst. I'm unsure of whether I will stay with Kendra's POV the whole way through this story or if I will switch back and forth between her and Seth. I'm leaning toward just sticking with Kendra. We'll see what happens as time progresses. I will not be able to update this story every week, so just be prepared for that as well. This all being said, I hope you enjoy reading this and decide to stick with me!
Chapter 2 will be Kendra's first night in the dungeon. And, hmm… who else do we know who lives in the Sphinx's dungeon? ;) (I can't help myself.)