The Bonds of Blood
Prologue
Exhaustion was a fathomless abyss, devoid of any comfort or hope. How she longed to simply descend into the darkness, like a stone sinking into the water. Agony, white-hot in its intensity, burned away the blackness that clawed at the edges of her mind. Whatever strength she'd had had long since vanished, leeched away by the drugs her captors had injected into her body and the all-encompassing cold. An iciness so painful, that combined with the drugs, her body betrayed her. She was helpless, incapable of moving. They had nevertheless chained her to the floor, should by chance the drugs wear off prematurely, so she could not escape.
Strangely, the chemicals left her in possession of her faculties. She could see, hear, talk, and smell. Her body was unresponsive. No movement, just a pervading numbness. She listened, counting the water drops falling to the floor. The sound echoed throughout the room, hallway, building? Where in the name of all that is holy was she?
It didn't matter. If she wasn't able to summon help before they returned then nothing would matter any longer.
Focus! She ordered her mind. If this was her only chance to summon help she had to have absolute focus. She hadn't attempted anything like this in nearly a decade, not since childhood. She knew it would/could work, if only …
Shoving aside the panic and the rolling waves of nausea, she regulated her breathing, calmed her mind and focused her consciousness. One person.
One person for one second that was all she needed.
Gradually, through painstaking concentration, a face coalesced in her mind. Similar to her own, but different. A striking face, where hers was softer and more delicate. Her sister. Just as she approached the point she was certain she could reach out, just one more second was all she needed…
A heavy door crashed against the wall to her left, the sound reverberating madly down the corridor. The noise and the knowledge that this was the end shattered her concentration like fine crystal. Shards of pain stabbed her brain.
Desperation forced her scream through the gloom, "Lane! Help Me!"