Chapter Four
Kara Dread's POV
I open my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. Lurching forward, I empty it and inhale the sweet cold air. My gaze automatically averts to the other cell, toward Mat, and saw that he lay perfectly still, no breath left in his body. Shivering, I remember the dreams that had overtook me.
Mat had cursed me, as they all did, with the same curse everyone before him had. To be quite honest, I'm used to it after sending hundreds of people to their own heaven….
He cursed me with the gift of death.
"Kara. He has been dead for a long time, maybe an hour, at most. He wasn't kidding about your power – it's freaky. In a good kind of way… I mean, in my terms. The other prisoners were causing such a racket and…threw a rock at you…and…" He stopped and chuckled for a moment.
I let a hand snap to my forehead, a fresh wound was slit across my forehead. Pulling my hand away from my head, I cringe as the sight of blood filled my vision. I wanted nothing more to do with blood today, or any other day this week. Seeing my former-commander killed before me, and killing the heir's mother… by my own sword.
Rafe pushed a piece of cloth through the bars, "Sorry, it's all I have to offer."
Turning toward him, I let out a gasp. His face was heavily bruised, with a massive amount of cuts going from his cheeks below his collar. I push the cloth back at him, managing to spread it out and cover most of his neck.
"What are you- no! Stop, Kara." He pushed my hand away, holding my armor, not my actual skin.
'Is he afraid of me?'
Suddenly, the room smelled sour, and everything shook. Rafe stared at me for a moment, letting my wrist go. I placed the cloth back against his skin, making sure not to touch him. "What did they do to you?" I say, barely letting out a hoarse whisper. He frowns at me, clearly unsure of what I said. I repeat myself, this time clearing my throat, and managing more than a sick voice.
"What have they done to you? Who did this?" My voice carries far, waking most of the prisoners up. They leap up , frightened, seeing how I'm awake. I could kill them all, just for not behaving.
Rafe waves a hand at me, twisting his body against the dirty cell wall. He shakes his head, "None of your business." My eyes glance down at my hand, I'm still holding the cloth against his neck. I press down on his neck, looking up at him, and he nods. Finally, I let go, free to drop my hand onto the ground.
"Who tortured you? Was it Valor? Retnic?" I freeze, growling as I remember another name. "Sinai." I'll get him back, don't worry."
"Please, don't."
"Why not?"
"Because it wasn't whoever you just said it was…"
My eyebrows furrow, "The prisoners did this? How?" I stand, gripping the cell bars for support, looking around at everyone down the small room. I had guessed this, mostly because Retnic had forced the prisoners many times before to attack each other... like a game.
The heir nods shortly, before scratching at a neck wound, it was red and very irritated. He didn't hiss, but I could see pain in his eyes.
"Well, yeah. Some didn't want to do it... so they made us attack those people. I have never seen such violence like this..." Though he tried to hide his emotions, they were clearly being let out. Each time he spoke, it seemed as if he was actually spewing his feelings out.
I stare down at him, my frown deepening, "I'll take care of them." In my mind, I could hear an unsaid 'I'll take care of you.'
The entrance of this hell opened, and in came a armored man. He wore golden armor, all the way down to his stockings, I bet. His red-brown hair came down behind his ears, touching the tops of his shoulders. He was older than me, by about… nine years. Give or take. He looked twenty, to be honest. The man had no interest in the prisoners, yet, he only had some in me. His eyes touch my own, circling across my face to my new scar.
"Such a pretty girl." He says, smiling down at me. "It's about time you took off that mask of yours, young lady." He emphasizes the word 'girl' and 'lady', because that all I am to him. Just a lowly girl from out of town. Valor smirks, then looks up at Rafe.
Suddenly, he frowns deeply, his hand shooting through the bars of the cell to grab Rafe's throat. Only to be stopped by my hand, which latched onto his elbow, threatening to break it.
"Valor Allan, you will leave here immediately." I say, grabbing the bar beside myself, I inch upwards.
The man lets out a raucous laugh, which wakes the rest of the prisoners up. "You? Telling me what to do? A lowly officer such as yourself! Ha! This is hilarious, Kara Dread. I am apart of the upper-class. And you, a filthy, rotten officer. Not that you're anything of the sort, my pretty." He winks at me.
Raging inside, I let a full-frontal slap slip away from my emotions. There's an echo in the cells, and long, melodious whack. I take my anger out on him, using one slap. It isn't all I want to give, especially to him, but it's all I can give without going mad inside.
"You will obey me, or else you will face punishment. I am Commander Kara Dread, and you will call me by my title. If you call me anything less – such as, 'filthy' or 'rotten' – you will find yourself dead on a stake. Do I make myself clear?" My tone is deep, which scares me a little. What exactly had changed inside of me? Why was I so… cold? And violent. (More violent, in a way.)
The man looks up at me, nodding slightly, "Yes… Commander Dread. What will be… your first order?" He sighs, wiping blood from his lip.
I turn my head away, toward Rafe, who stares at me with a curious expression. My eyes seek out the kindness he had once showed me only a little while ago, but I only find hatred. He saw my violence, and was reminded… that I had killed his mother. Averting my gaze to the lower officer, I bite down on my teeth, causing a eerie sound to play in my mind.
"First operation. This man is under my custody – he may leave… when I tell him to, no later. The second – I will have a report on what to do with these… prisoners. They have each been here long enough." I say finally, my mouth numbing only minutes before.
Valor bows his head, glaring at Rafe, and then turned to leave. Once he was outside, I slammed my fist into the ground, almost shrieking in anger.
Oh, how that man infuriated me!
I lifted my fist, only to find cracks in the stone.
What was I? Who was I?
"When I leave this prison, the first thing I will be doing is to kill you. Pay back, for killing the only family I had that loved me." Rafe says, drawing my attention to his anger face. "I hope you realize that."
Standing, I pull up the mask and stomp to the door, "Keep that promise in your mind, because you might never have the chance." I leave the prison, for the first time in twenty hours, to go sleep off my upcoming nightmares.