82
It had been a long night, and Keyda was exhausted. Now, as she stared at the door in front of her, she tried desperately to think of what to say to the young man that was hopefully on the other side. A guard had alerted her and Cole that they had found Theo's bedroom door locked in the early morning hours—a sign that he was inside. Keyda tried desperately to figure out what the best course of action would be. Should she leave him alone until he came to them? Break into the room just to make sure he was all right? She knew he was angry with them...but she had never heard of Theo getting as out of sorts as Cole claimed he had gotten the evening before. Swallowing hard, Keyda finally inserted the key into the lock and opened the door quietly.
Relief poured through her as she caught sight of him in his bed, his chest rising and falling with sleep. Assured that he was home and safe, she knew she should leave and allow him the privacy he claimed they never gave him, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. After a minute, she shut the door behind her and came over to sit in a chair near his bed, studying his face as he slept. He looked paler than normal, and the dark circles were still apparent under his eyes. She bit her lip as she pondered about how similar he looked to his father—he even slept with his mouth slightly open. Memories of his childhood flickered through her mind—when he was a small boy with an ever-present smile and contagious laugh. A boy who didn't seem to care or notice that others treated him differently, or thought he was strange...who trusted and loved throughout his life.
He didn't use to be like this.
The thought trailed off as soon as it started, and the longer Keyda stared at her son, the longer she realized that she was wrong. More memories flooded her mind—memories of him sneaking out of the fortress, or wandering off at the market as a young boy. Times he had sagged in defeat when he was told he couldn't go outside. The times he had begged to be allowed to prove himself in a pit fight or take on hard tasks on his own. Keyda's heart clenched as she forced herself to realize that he had always craved independence...it just seemed that the older he got, the more he was willing to risk to achieve it.
The Ruler wasn't sure how long she had sat there when Theo finally began to wake up. She stiffened as she watched him open his eyes, and his expression became unreadable as he caught sight of her. Keyda's heart pounded for a few moments, and then Theo rolled over and turned his back to her. The Ruler sighed, leaning forward.
"I just had to make sure you were all right," she murmured. He didn't say anything, and she stared at the ground. "Theo...about last night..."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"It's just..."
"I'm not taking back the title." His voice was soft, but firm. "I made up my mind, and I'm not going back on it. There's nothing to discuss."
Keyda studied the back of his head. "All right," she conceded. Was it just her imagination, or did it look like he relaxed a little bit? For a few minutes, they sat in silence, and Keyda finally cleared her throat. "Theo...do you remember when you had that pet sniffer?"
He didn't react right away. After what seemed like the longest minute, the young man rolled back over to give her a strange look. "What?"
"It was a little silver sniffer pup you got from Syn," Keyda reminded, rubbing her arm. "Do you remember?"
"You mean Star?"
Keyda smiled hesitantly. "That's right...that was it's name."
"I remember Star," Theo conceded, though his expression made it clear he didn't know where his mother was going with this. Keyda wasn't sure she knew herself as she looked back down at her hands.
"We used to keep it here, in the fortress, to keep you company. It followed you around everywhere—you were close friends. But you always insisted that Star didn't want to be here in the fortress—that she didn't like being cooped up."
Theo didn't answer, and Keyda shrugged.
"At the time, I just thought you wanted more of an excuse to get out of the fortress yourself...and maybe you did. But then, after Amber was born, you came to Cole and I and told us that you and Syn had let Star go. We were shocked." Keyda swallowed, still staring at her hands. "We asked you why you let her go, when you were such good friends. Do you remember what you told us?"
"No." Theo's voice was soft and hard to read.
"You said 'It's okay. Star just wanted to be free...and I have Amber now, so I don't have to be alone." Keyda finally looked up to meet her son's eye. "Theo, I have to know. All these years...have you felt like you were alone here?"
Theodynn didn't answer, but he broke eye contact as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
"I forgot about Star," Keyda pointed out. "I forgot about that whole conversation...but this morning, while we were trying to figure out where you were, it came back to my mind. You...you know that your father and I love you, right, Theo?"
He exhaled long and slow. "I know."
Keyda's throat felt tight, so she cleared it. "I know we've been so busy most of your life. We should have taken more time to go to Ninjago, so you could be with Ashley and the twins and people your age. There's so much we should have done, so you weren't left on your own so much—"
"I was never left on my own." There was a twinge of bitterness, and Keyda winced.
"Theo..."
"Loneliness wasn't the problem, Mom. I had Amber."
"But she moved to Ninjago."
"By that point, I was always too busy to be lonely."
"Theo...I was a slave for a decade of my life. I know full well it's possible to be busy and still feel alone." Keyda gave her son a pointed look, which he ignored as he continued to stare at the ceiling. The Ruler shook her head as she leaned forward. "Will you just talk to me?" she begged.
"I already told you, I don't feel like talking."
"I just need to know that you're all right!" Keyda pointed out. "Yesterday..."
"I'm not going to talk about yesterday!"
Keyda fell quiet, and Theo rubbed his face with both hands. After neither of them spoke for a few minutes, the Ruler finally forced herself to stand. "We have to take care of the trials today," she pointed out. "Your father sent for Tobias, who will go on ahead of us to Ninjago and let them know we're coming to investigate the slave issue. We think you're right—all signs point to Ninjago for a buyer."
Theo didn't answer, and Keyda reached for the doorknob to pull it open.
"This was your project," she finally said, hesitating before leaving. "You took down the trade, Theo. I assume you'd want to be involved with—"
"I have no desire to be involved with the trials," Theo interrupted softly. "And I'm banned from Ninjago for another month or so."
Keyda turned to see him glowering at the ceiling. "Well...these are extenuating circumstances, given what we've learned. Maybe the council..."
"I don't want anything to do with this project anymore."
Keyda sighed. "All right. Your father and I will take care of it." She moved to leave.
"Mom?"
She turned to see Theo looking at her. "Yes?" she asked, her grip tightening on the doorknob with hope.
"Will you talk to Grandpa for me while you're in Ninjago?"
"About what?"
Theo's expression tightened, and he seemed to be watching her closely for a reaction. "After my probation is over with the council...I'm going to move to Ninjago. I want to know if he'll let me stay with him."
Keyda stared, the blood draining out of her face. Theo didn't even wait for an answer before he rolled over to turn his back to her again. For a moment, the Ruler wanted to yell, but then her emotions took a dive and she wanted to cry. He wanted to leave? For how long? Forever? She was overcome with the desire to demand answers from him...but as she stared at his tense form, she finally just turned and left without saying anything at all.
Jaqah was waiting for Tolan in the dining hall, and she gestured for him to come over to her as he entered. He did so, and the tired looking woman looked him up and down.
"How did you sleep?"
"It was a long trek down to the south and back," Tolan admitted as he took a seat on the bench next to her. "Honestly, I should have just gone back to the west after, but I needed to make sure Theo came back here like he said he was going to."
"Do you need to head back to the west right away?"
Tolan glanced over at the Captain of the Guard. Her expression was drawn, and he frowned. "I should be with Pip and Syn right now, Jaq."
Jaqah sighed heavily. "I know. I just...there's a lot to do here. I wondered if you could help out for a few hours."
Jaqah had never been one to ask for help unless it was a dire need, so Tolan didn't feel like he could deny her. He studied her carefully before answering. "You should be delegating this and getting some rest."
"I can hardly delegate the trials of a couple dozen criminals who have broken one of Keyda's most severe laws," Jaqah retorted.
"Where's Ret?"
Jaqah sighed, rubbing her face. "He's in the dungeons. Considering that we weren't able to catch the main players of the slave trade, we've been trying to interrogate the traders we do have in custody to figure out where the leaders would have gone. So far we have few answers." She stared at her barely-touched meal before continuing softly. "Ret is a good guard, but not a great interrogator."
Tolan couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Considering his size, it should be easy for him to be intimidating."
"Intimidating isn't his way. You know that."
"Yeah." Tolan studied her a little longer before turning to the meal a servant had brought over to him. "So is that what you need my help with? Interrogation?"
Jaqah pushed stray hair from her face. "Would you mind? You were always better at getting information from people."
"Do we need answers before the trials? None of them are going to get executed, unless Keyda and Cole have changed their opinion about that."
"No...I'm sure they'll get sentenced to work camps," Jaqah agreed. "But the sooner we can get information about the leader, the faster we can track him down. Ret's been spearheading the search, but other than combing over every inch of the realm, we don't know how to find him."
"Them," Tolan corrected softly. "It's the leader and Imgloss still on the loose."
"Right." Jaqah rubbed her face before sighing. "We have no leads, Tol. Basically that's what it comes down to."
Tolan was quiet as they both ate their breakfast. After a moment, he met her eye again. "I can stay for a few hours this morning to question prisoners, but I can't stay for the trials. Syn is probably already wondering what on earth happened to me."
Jaqah visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Tol."
"Don't mention it. Just try to eat something at least, Jaq...if you're not taking the day off."
The Captain of the Guard smiled grimly, but she pulled the porridge closer to herself to eat once again. Tolan had finished his meal already, so he stood and headed for the dungeons.
Amber splashed her face with water, trying to keep calm. It had been over a day since she had talked with anyone, having been kept in her cell the entirety of the day before. She honestly wasn't sure which was worse—sitting alone all day where her mind could jump to worst-case scenarios, or being summoned by the emotionless man who was keeping her and her friends prisoner here.
The Xinta finally turned off the sink, staring down at the simple porcelain as water dripped from her face. There was no mirror, but she had a feeling she was looking worse for the wear. Taking another shuddering breath, she began to unbraid her hair with trembling hands. For the next little while, she brushed through her tangled locks with her fingers, using the water from the sink to help. When it was as good as she could get it, she re-braided it as tightly as she could manage around her horns.
Amber wandered back to the cot in the small area, sitting heavily. The strange men in sunglasses had brought her food at consistent intervals but had never offered a change of clothing. She fingered the grey jumpsuit in disdain, but she couldn't stop thinking about what Zerek had implied over a day ago in front of a table full of all their personal belongings. He was going to try convincing the outside world that she and her friends had gone missing on some exploration gone wrong. The thing was, she doubted that the families of her and her friends would be convinced. Was Zerek just overly optimistic about the leads he was planting? Or was he counting on their families to look into this further? She couldn't quite shake a fear that he wasn't trying to convince people of their disappearance as much as he was merely stalling for time. Stalling for what, she couldn't say...but there was a pit of dread in her stomach that she couldn't get rid of.
She sat there for a while, lost in her spiraling thoughts. However, the sound of the door chiming as someone from the outside unlocked it broke her from her stupor. She looked up, and sure enough, Zerek was the one coming through the door. The Xinta stared at him, and the apathetic scientist smiled thinly.
"Hello, Amber."
"What do you want?" she demanded numbly as he came in.
"Our conversation vas cut short two days ago. I apologize zat I vasn't able to visit you yesterday, but during zat time I vas able to delve deeper into Oni power. I have learned some fascinating things about emotional signatures."
Amber's mouth was dry. "How did you delve deeper into Oni power?" she asked. "I thought I was the only one who—"
"I recently acquired a few powered Oni from my supplier," Zerek answered easily. Amber's blood ran cold.
"You...you have powered Oni?"
"Indeed."
Amber's fists clenched. "And you've been experimenting on them?"
Zerek continued to smile, as if he found her anger amusing. "Ve vill discuss zem at a later time, Amber. For now, I vould like to talk about vat you can do for me."
Amber was rooted to the cot, staring at Zerek as she tried to guess what he would want from her. "You wanted me to tell you about Oni power," she remembered.
"Zat vas ze reason I vanted to talk to you several days ago...but like I said, I have ozer vays to discover ze intricacies of generic Oni ability. Today, I vant to talk to you about ze power only a Xinta can vield."
"I already told you...I can't do anything a normal powered oni couldn't do," Amber reminded quietly.
Zerek gestured for her to stand. "Come, Amber. Let us go for a valk. You have not had a chance to stretch your legs for a while."
Amber didn't stand right away, and the man stared at her from his place by the door. He wasn't even blinking, which made it all the more unnerving. At last, the Xinta stood. There was no point in being defiant—he seemed to be willing to talk with her without involving M for once. She didn't want to give him a reason to get her friend involved. The scientist nodded once before pulling the door open. Amber accompanied him out into the hallway, glancing around to see how many sunglass-wearing scientists were on stand-by. To her surprise, there were none.
"I am sorry to have kept you so long in your room, Amber. It is not my vish for guests to go so long in confinement vithout making zemselves useful. I imagine it is unstimulating, to sit for hours on end vith no purpose."
Amber didn't reply as they walked down the hallway. Zerek's pace was unhurried as he continued to muse aloud, not seeming to care that the Oni next to him wasn't talking.
"Indeed, I have plans for making ze most out of your stay, just as I am making ze most out of Julien's being here."
"What have you done to Julien?" Amber demanded, her heart leaping to her throat. She hadn't seen or even heard about him since they had arrived all those days previously.
"He is vell," Zerek assured. "Currently, he is vorking on his project in a private laboratory. Ze same project you once assisted him vith at ze M.I.R.I."
It didn't make sense that Julien would have agreed to work with Zerek, but Amber also knew firsthand that the lead scientist had a way of getting what he wanted from people. He had Agatha locked up here as well, if she remembered right, and no doubt Zerek was using her against Julien the same way he was using M against her. The thought made bile rise to her throat, but she swallowed hard as she spoke again.
"That's what you need my help with?" she guessed. "You want me to help him with his project? Why do you even care about his project?"
"I do believe zat Julien is quite capable of finishing his project on his own," Zerek corrected.
"Then what do you want my help with?" she demanded.
"Put simply, I need your help disposing of zos who have no purpose in being here."
Amber stopped dead, and Zerek paused to look back at her. She met his eye firmly. "I will not help you hurt anyone," she said coldly. The scientist blinked.
"You have misinterpreted my meaning," he offered. "If I vas going to kill zem, I vould have done so already."
"Then what do you mean by 'dispose of?'" Amber demanded.
Zerek smiled again, eyeing her patronizingly. "I shall explain ze situation at hand, and perhaps you will see my need more clearly. At zis given time, I have several guests housed here in Estyeer who play a needed role in my research. You are one such guest, and Julien...as vell as ze Master of Vater." Amber's stomach clenched again at the mention of Colby, but then Zerek was continuing. "However, zere are ozers here zat I have no need of. At ze moment, zey are living an unnecessary existence—sitting day after day in holding cells, just as you did yesterday. Ve have discussed already how pointless such a life is, and zo it is not difficult for me to keep zem alive, it does feel like a meaningless endeavor. Why keep zem here if zey play no important role?"
"Are you talking about the Oni in your village? Or—"
"I am talking specifically about Agatha Axel, ze Master of Vater's girlfriend, and ze young Mr. Openheimer."
Amber struggled to breathe as she realized that the madman was talking about hurting her friends. "What are you saying? That you're going to...to kill them?"
"I could, quite easily," Zerek agreed. It sent a wave of panic over the Xinta, but the scientist didn't seem to care. "Not only vould it rid Estyeer of unnecessary prisoners, it vould solidify ze search currently being led by Metallonian authorities if zey found a few bodies in zeir investigation for ze missing tourists."
The hallway was spinning, and Amber stumbled back as she realized what Zerek was proposing. "I won't help you!" she screamed. "I won't hurt them...and I won't let you hurt them, either!"
Rather than look angry, the scientist's smile grew larger. "I know, Amber. In fact, I'm counting on it." She stared at him, and he must have picked up on her confusion because he took a step closer to her. "Zere is a third option zat vould not require zem to spend ze rest of zeir lives in confinement or be killed for ze sake of keeping authorities avay from my estates."
Amber was tempted to bolt—to run from him down the hall and out one of the many doors. Though there was still vengestone around one wrist, there was still a possibility she could escape without the help of her powers. However, she also knew that even if she could somehow get away from this false fortress and its emotionless inhabitants, she would be leaving her friends to the mercy of the psychotic man in front of her. Zerek was studying her intently, as if he was guessing her thoughts and was waiting to see what she would decide. Ultimately, she stayed put, though her fists were still clenched as she stared him down. "What are you talking about?"
Zerek rubbed his chin. "I vouldn't mind releasing your friends, Amber...but I cannot do so ven zey know so much about me and my plans. I vill not endanger my research here." His eyes glittered dangerously as he continued softly. "However, if I had a vay to remove ze memories of myself and zis place from zeir minds...I could let zem go vithout fear of authorities interfering vith my vork."
Amber felt the blood drain from her face as it finally occurred to her what Zerek was asking her to do. She opened her mouth to say she couldn't do it, but no sound came out.
"I know you claimed to be incapable of manipulating memories...but to be frank, I did not believe you." Zerek turned and began walking down the hallway, and he didn't even turn to see if Amber was keeping up as he continued. "Come along, Amber. Let us check up on your friend, shall we?"
83
If talking with the traders taught Tolan anything, it was that either the group of thugs were exceptionally good at lying, or the missing leader "Quazier" had been the main brains of the whole operation. Most of the traders admitted that their leader rarely left their camp in the Ravine, and as far as they were aware, he had been there the day before. He had insisted on it, given that they were supposed to capture the Oni Heir. Tolan managed to keep his temper in check, though it was getting harder with each flippant criminal treating Theo like a parcel delivery gone wrong rather than the Heir to the throne who they had tried to abduct and sell for a profit.
That was the other piece of the puzzle that wasn't adding up—who was it who had put the price on Theo's head? Theodynn had mentioned that he was pretty sure the buyer was from Ninjago, and the descriptions the traders had been giving were matching that assumption. The traders admitted they didn't know much about the buyer—they insisted that they didn't even know his name. Apparently, the outsiders came for the slaves every few months like clockwork, with yellow skin, dark coverings over their eyes, and long white coats.
Tolan approached the last door, feeling drained. He really should have just headed home—he wasn't sure that the information he was getting was really so unattainable for another guard to glean. However, he tried to push aside his exhaustion as he opened the door. He was doing this for Jaqah, because it was clear that the stress was getting to her.
The cell door squealed, and Tolan grimaced. He would suggest that the hinges should all be oiled, but he supposed that would only make it easier for people to escape silently from their cells. Not that he really believed any of these thugs were capable of escape—most of them only seemed skilled enough to run someone through while their back was turned.
Tolan heard a shuffle from the darkness, and he frowned as he peered into the dimly lit cell. As he made out the green eyes glaring at him from the shadows, he blinked in surprise.
"Hot Stuff?"
There was a scoff from the figure huddled in the corner. "What?"
Tolan came more fully into the cell, and he realized that the prisoner wasn't Teag. This boy was older, and lankier, and his hair was pulled back into a tie rather than long and dreadlocked. For a minute, they just stared at each other, but then the things Pippa had said wove their way back into Tolan's mind.
"You're Teag's brother."
The older teen flinched. It was subtle, but Tolan picked up on it before the prisoner shook his head adamantly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I can't remember your name," Tolan admitted as he came further into the cell. "But it's obvious. You have the same face."
"My name's Blade, and you're going to regret locking me in here." The young trader wiped at his nose ruefully. "I'm one of Quazier's best traders. He's...he's going to come for me."
"Really?" Tolan studied the boy. "What's your specialty?"
"Huh?"
"Why would he risk his own hide coming all the way here for you? What are you so good at?"
"I'm..." the boy's expression flickered and then hardened. "I'm a fighter. A good one."
"Ah." Tolan leaned up against the wall next to the door, his lack of belief obvious.
Blade reddened. "Don't underestimate me, just because I'm young. I'm better than all of those other guys put together." He cleared his throat. "In fact...you'd be smart to train me to be a guard. I'm going to go to waste, sitting in a stupid—"
"I'd never underestimate someone due to age," Tolan responded honestly. "My daughter's better than most of the guards in this fortress, and she's not even twelve yet." His gaze was intense, and he could see that his body language was making the teen uncomfortable. Good. "Speaking of my daughter," Tolan continued. "She mentioned you, after she showed up bruised and beaten back at home after you lot kept her imprisoned for days on end."
The arrogant boy lost some of the wind in his sails then as his expression clouded. "What?"
The sword was drawn and positioned an inch from the boy's nose in moments. Blade lurched backward so fast he bashed his head on the stone wall, and his eyes were wild. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, the fear evident in his voice.
Tolan's expression was lax as he studied the prisoner. "I'm just good at getting answers," he offered. "I've already decided I don't like you much based on what my daughter had to say about you..."
"You're insane!" Blade insisted as he tried to shrink away from the blade pointed at his face. "I've never met your daughter, you maniac!"
"Curly hair," Tolan offered slowly. "Brown eyes...an uncanny ability with the sword, and I believe your leader wanted to make the most of her powers."
The understanding dawned visibly on the young man's face, and he swallowed hard. "Look...I had nothing to do with the slaves, or the powered kids, or..."
"Really? Strange, I would have thought your leader would have trusted his best fighter with at least some of that."
Blade's eyes were filling with tears now. "You can't kill me," he finally said, his voice shaking. "The Rulers won't like it. They don't execute people."
"I've driven this sword through plenty of criminals throughout my career. I suggest you give me honest answers from this point forward, or there's going to be one less punk on trial today." It was a stronger stance than he had taken with any of the other traders he had interrogated, but something about the kid in front of him left a bad taste in his mouth. When he could see that he had the young trader's undivided attention, Tolan continued softly. "Let's start with your name."
"I already told you, it's Blade."
The sword came to rest on the trader's collarbone, and the young man flinched again. "Your real name," Tolan insisted.
After a shuddery breath, the criminal continued. "My old name was Dee," he finally growled.
"Dee...that's right," Tolan remembered, thinking back to the last conversation he had with Hot Stuff at the forge. "Hershel was supposed to get you out of the Eastern Dungeons."
Dee's expression crumpled. "Who?" he spat. Tolan ignored the question as he fixed Dee with a severe look.
"Where is your brother, Dee?"
The trader looked away. "I don't—"
"I don't have patience for lying," Tolan warned, knowing the trader was about to deny having a brother. Dee stiffened.
"I was going to say I don't know," the teen growled.
"Somebody's gotta know," Tolan pointed out. "And since none of the other traders could tell me, I'm sure someone as trusted by the great Quazier as you would have that information."
"I don't know what they did with Teag, okay?" Dee shouted as Tolan's blade pressed against him. "It's not my fault the kid's an idiot!" Tolan hesitated, and Dee's eyes were wild as he held his hands up in surrender. "I told him what would happen if he didn't get on Quazier's good side. I told him to fight back, but he's the one who wouldn't listen!"
"Fight back?"
"Quazier doesn't like cowards," Dee spat. "So he shipped Teag off when the outsiders came for the shipment. All the stupid kid had to do was show what he could do with those freaky powers—he was fine using them when they caught the girl, but he wouldn't do anything when it mattered. He's always been like that—choking at the most important moment. It's his own fault."
Tolan was silent as he processed what Dee had said. "Quazier doesn't like cowards, huh?" he finally mused. He pulled the sword away at last, and Dee relaxed. Tolan eyed him coldly. "Funny he kept you around then, huh?"
Dee stiffened with anger, but he kept his eyes trained on Tolan's sword, which was now hanging down at his side. "I tried to warn him," he muttered again before looking up to meet Tolan's eye. "How do you know him, anyway?"
"He's the ward of the Western Leaders," Tolan pointed out coldly. "As you can imagine, they aren't really pleased that he's missing...along with their son, for that matter."
"What?"
"A four-year-old with purple and copper eyes," Tolan prompted.
"There was a little one with the girl," Dee admitted, as if remembering back. "I don't know what happened to him, though. He just disappeared. I think he got put with the shipment."
"Which went where?"
"I don't know!" Dee insisted. "Quazier doesn't tell us anything. I never even saw the outsiders—it was my first transport and I was...busy."
"Busy with what?"
Dee clammed up, and Tolan shifted his weight, swinging the katana at his side. Dee noticed the gesture and swallowed. "I got beat up before the outsiders got there," he muttered at last. "So I didn't help with the shipment."
Tolan scoffed. "So...you expect me to believe you were important in any way to these traders, when you never even helped with a slave transport?"
"Look, I was the slave transport!" Dee snapped, turning back to glower at him. "I was in a group that they picked up from the East a few weeks ago, but I proved myself and got pulled from the rest of the riff raff. Teag shouldn't have even been there, and besides, it's not my fault he was too dumb to follow my lead!"
Tolan's grip tightened on his katana, but the logical side of his mind forced him to recognize what Dee had just said. "Shipment from the East?"
"From Tala's dungeons," Dee muttered as he glowered at Tolan. "A little pickpocketing, and bam, they throw me in a cell...and then the traders showed up and marched us all through the desert to the Inner Ring. I thought I was done for...but then I proved my worth, and it turned out to be just the thing I needed."
"Obviously, because now you're in a dungeon cell facing charges of treason, rather than for pickpocketing," Tolan mused darkly, though he couldn't help but add, "You're sure Tala was directly involved in the slave trade?"
"She sold us all without another thought," Dee muttered, though he had paled considerably at the Tolan's threat. "So...so I'm the victim here. You can't charge me with treason—"
"Five minutes ago you were so proud of your trader title that you so skillfully earned."
"I haven't done anything treasonous!"
"You've participated in slave trade—which has been outlawed since far before you were even born. Not to mention you conspired directly against the Heir of—"
"I didn't have any other choice, man!" Dee cut in desperately. "It was that or get sold to a bunch of crazies! What would you have done?"
Tolan stared at the prisoner, and he finally shook his head in disgust. "I wouldn't have betrayed my brother."
Dee scoffed as he trembled. "I didn't do anything to Teag, all right? He got himself caught—it's not my fault that he messed up a thieving job and ended up getting dragged to the Inner Ring. It's not my fault that he gave himself up after they caught the girl and exposed that he had those weird powers...and it's not my fault he wouldn't do anything Quazier told him to and lost his place in the Ring to the girl. Teag did that all on his own...and I'm not going to be held responsible just because he's a worthless..."
The sword was back in Dee's face as Tolan cut in softly. "You're already on my bad side, kid...so I would be careful how you talk about him."
Dee's expression was fearful, but also confused. "Why do you care about him?" he demanded softly. "You're not the Western Leader."
Tolan hesitated. "I'm just trying to get him back where he belongs," he finally said.
"And where's that?" Dee asked bitterly. "The streets on the East? The West? Why would the Western Leaders give two figs about some street kid, anyway?" Dee studied Tolan's face as the guard kept quiet, and then Dee scoffed. "They don't care about him," he sneered, as if coming to an understanding. "They're just after his powers, like everyone else. Quazier thought they made Teag so important...but all it does is make him a freak."
Tolan kept the sword from hurting the punk, but he didn't manage to keep his eyes from flashing. Dee's eyes widened as he saw it in the darkness of the cell, and Tolan had to swallow before speaking again. "Careful who you call a freak," he warned.
A knock sounded on the cell door, but Tolan didn't turn until it opened and Jaqah's voice called in. "Tolan...wrap up."
"I've got a few more questions..."
"Tol."
He straightened and sheathed his katana, catching onto the urgency in Jaqah's tone. He gave Dee one last long look. "Last chance to tell me everything you know about Quazier and the Buyer."
"I don't know anything else," Dee growled. Tolan scoffed and finally turned to go. Jaqah was eyeing him as Tolan slammed the door closed.
"Don't ask," Tolan muttered. "I kept it together...he just—"
"I wasn't questioning your methods," Jaqah assured.
"Then why interrupt?"
"We're missing a prisoner." Jaqah's voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the grimness in her tone. Tolan looked up in surprise.
"How?"
"I don't know. The cell door was still locked—making it seem like it wasn't picked open. She didn't have a key, which means someone on the outside..."
"She?"
Jaqah dry-washed her face, looking like she wished the whole situation would just go away. "It's the one who used Theodynn, Tol. The one they call Rook."
M's stomach growled, and he glanced at the man standing next to him, taking his blood pressure. They were in a sparse room, and M fiddled with the sling his arm was in.
"So, are you waiting for me to starve to death?" he finally asked, hunger making him even more irritable than usual. The sunglassed man didn't answer, and M huffed angrily. "No one brought food last night or this morning. Now you're doing all these tests...what gives?"
The silence was stifling, and M glowered at the tightening band around his bicep that was tracking blood pressure. He couldn't shake a sense of foreboding. Were these lunatics going to start testing on him now?
At last, the scientist seemed to get the information he needed. M watched as he typed something into a tablet on the table before draining the pressure from the mechanism and pulling it off M's arm. The young Openheimer flexed, twisting his arm. However, in the next moment, the man was grabbing his arm again. M furrowed his brow as the scientist wrapped something around the same bicep, once again building pressure. In the next moment, he was pulling an empty vial from a drawer, topped with a thick needle. The prisoner balked.
"What are you doing with—"
"Keep still." The order came in the same droning tone the scientists always talked in, but M. didn't obey as he tried to pull out of the man's iron grip. The man looked up, though his gaze was still hidden behind the ever-present black shades. "Keep still," he repeated, pulling M's arm straight with surprising strength. As the needle approached the vein in the crook of his arm, the Openheimer lurched again.
"I'm not a fan of needles," he growled, trying in vain to free himself. The scientist ignored him completely, sending a wave of anger through M. Just as the man was about to slide the needle into his skin, M reached up and ripped the sunglasses off his face. "I said—"
The words died in his throat. The scientist didn't even seem to care about the fact that his sunglasses were gone, and there was a slight sting as the needle slid into M's pulsing vein. He barely noticed as he stared at the scientist's face. With the shades in place, the man looked like any other stone-faced sociopath...but as M stared at the glassy eyes that seemed to stare into nothing, he felt bile claw at his throat. They didn't focus on anything, looking like they belonged in some creepy mannequin or porcelain doll rather than a living, breathing person. As he stared, there was a flicker of light in one of the eyes, like what you would see on a tablet or computer.
"You're not real," M breathed. The robot didn't reply. He removed the blood-filled vial from M's arm and immediately bandaged it with cotton and wrapped it tightly with gauz and bandages. As he pulled off the torniquet around his bicep, M felt a rush down his arm that left him feeling dizzy. The robot released M's arm at last before reaching out and pulling the sunglasses from M's hand. He replaced them over his strange eyes, but even with them in place, M. could only see the lifeless gaze.
"You're all robots," he continued, his voice gaining strength. "He built himself a giant, robot army to do his bidding? That's why you all act weird and sound weird..."
The door opened on the other wall, and M. turned. He blinked as he watched Amber come into the room, and he wasn't comforted by the expression on her face. Behind her, he could make out Dr. Zerek murmuring to her, and he strained to hear what the creep was saying.
"...think about what I've proposed." Zerek finished, before gesturing for Amber to continue into the room. The Oni lurched forward woodenly, and M got to his feet.
"They're robots!" he shouted at the lead scientist. "All these creepy scientists...they're not real. You just built a robot army!"
Zerek and Amber both looked surprised by his outburst, but the lead scientist recovered first. Zerek smiled thinly as he studied M, and then he looked over at his staff member.
"Have you finished testing, Forty-two?"
"Yes. Ve vill have ze bloodwork completed for the prisoners by ze evening," a droning voice answered.
"Very good."
"I saw his eyes," M continued, bothered that Zerek didn't even seem to care that he had figured out his secret. "I know your people are just creepy machines. No wonder you just call them numbers."
Zerek looked back at M and chuckled as the one called Forty-two collected the tablet, vial of blood, and blood-pressure machine. "I did discover zat eyes vere ze most difficult part to make look realistic," the man mused. "But I eventually determined zat it vould be more cost and time effective to merely cover zeir eyes, as is often human custom regardless."
"But why make an army of robots?" M demanded. "So you can take over the world?"
Zerek shook his head condescendingly. "Humans and zeir obsession vith vorld domination. To put it simply, a staff of androids is far more villing to test ze boundaries of science vithout inconvenient morals getting in ze vay."
"You're one of them." It was the first time Amber had spoken. As she turned to face Zerek, her face was pale. "That's why I couldn't feel any emotions coming off of you..."
M. felt his blood run cold at the additional discovery. The freak in charge was a robot, too? Rather than answer Amber's accusation, Zerek merely smiled. "Enjoy your visit vith your friend, Amber. It may be ze last I vill allow you to have vith him."
"What are you talking about?" M demanded, fear making his limbs tremble. "Why did you take my blood? What are you planning, you crazy cyborg?"
Zerek didn't answer as he left the room, the door clicking shut. Amber looked frozen, and M swallowed as he made his way over to her.
"Is he really a robot? What the heck does a robot want with—"
"What did they do to you?" Amber looked back at him, and her expression was tight with fear.
"I..." M. blinked. "What do you mean?"
Amber gestured to the bandages covering his good arm, and M looked down.
"They drew blood for some reason. They won't tell me why, though. Everything about this situation feels wrong." His stomach growled, and he winced in pain. "Why do you think they stopped feeding us?"
The Xinta's eyes were wide with horror. "They stopped feeding you?"
M studied her expression. "Nothing since lunch yesterday," he admitted at last. "What about you?" Amber grabbed her head, and he realized that her breathing had become labored. He stepped closer, taking her arm. "Oni-girl—"
"I can't...M, I can't do this anymore!" Amber's voice broke, and he watched helplessly as she began to sob. Not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly tried to pull her into a hug with his bandaged arm, considering that the other was still wrapped in a sling. Amber didn't seem to care as she fell into him, clinging to his jumpsuit as she cried into his chest. M. stood stock still, staring down at her with his one good arm wrapped around her shoulders. It was rare that Amber fell apart, and even then, this was worse than M had experienced before. This wasn't just angry Amber, or even betrayed Amber. This was a hopeless, defeated version of the Xinta—something he had never seen.
"We'll...we'll figure something out, Oni-girl," he tried. "Now that we know they're just a bunch of robots..."
"There's nothing to figure out," Amber wept. "M...I don't know what to do! He wants me to do something horrible, but if I don't..."
"What do you mean, something horrible?" M. asked. She just sobbed in reply, and M's grip on her tightened as he remembered what Zerek had said to her when they had first come in. "What does that creep want you to do?"
"I can't lose you, M."
He froze, and all at once, the room seemed to spin. Amber looked up in concern as she felt him stagger.
"What's going on?" she demanded. "What did they do to you?"
"I'm...I'm fine," M tried, having to let her go as he put a hand to his head. "I think it's just the not eating mixing with getting the blood drained out of me." Not to mention the fact that it sounds like Zerek has something terrible planned for me... he thought fearfully, though he couldn't bring himself to say as much to Amber. She was obviously upset enough.
"Sit down," she ordered, a bit of oni spark coming back into her eyes. M complied, dropping heavily into the simple metal chair he had been seated in earlier. Amber was still crying, but she was studying him carefully through her tears. "Did they put anything into you?" she finally asked. M's mouth was dry.
"No." He tried desperately to swallow. "Are they planning to?"
Amber's expression crumpled. "I don't know," she admitted softly. There was a chair next to M's, and she woodenly sat. They were both silent, but Amber reached out to take his hand, gripping it like a lifeline.
"People have to be looking for us by now...right?" M asked. Amber's eyes swam with tears as she stared at the floor.
"Yes," she agreed, but she didn't sound very hopeful about it.
"They're going to find us," M offered. "You know my Dad, Amber. He's going to have an army looking for us. Remember what happened when I ran away? He's going to tear Metallonia apart until he finds me."
Rather than comfort her, his words seemed to upset the Oni more. Amber began crying harder, her shoulders shaking as she held a hand to her mouth. M. squeezed her hand, trying to help her calm down.
"Your family's not going to rest, either—and all your relatives are basically superheroes. They will find us, and we'll go home and dance and graduate and do everything that we're supposed to do, all right?"
Amber didn't reply, and M released her hand. She glanced over, and M smiled shakily as he grabbed one of her horns good-naturedly. "We're getting out of this, Oni-girl. After all, we've got to finally wear those garish costumes I bought us so that I can get my money's worth out of them."
Amber's response was halfway between a sob and a laugh, and she moved to hug him from the side. He was glad he had somewhat made her laugh, but his smile faded as she clung to him. His own foreboding was eating away at him from the inside.
"I shouldn't have cancelled our performance," Amber managed through her tears.
M looked down in surprise. "What?"
"I shouldn't have cancelled it. If I had stayed to do the performance before going to Metallonia, then you wouldn't have followed me...and Zerek wouldn't have taken you. This is all my—"
"Hey...I was the idiot first, remember?" M pointed out, still keeping a firm grip on her horn. "It's not your fault, Amber. This guy is an insane robot—it's his fault that we're here." Amber's embrace tightened around his middle, and M. swallowed. "Oni-girl...I need you to tell me what's going on. What does that mad scientist want from you?" Amber just shook her head, making it hard to know whether she didn't know or just didn't want to tell him. M was trembling as he continued. "You can tell me, Amber. I just...I need to know."
"I can't..." She shuddered hard. "M, I can't do it. I just...I don't know what to do!"
"Amber..."
The door opened again, and M released Amber's horn so he could put a protective arm around her. He glowered at the robot who entered—one of the sunglasses-wearing stooges.
"It is time to return to your cells," he said in a monotone voice.
M. scoffed, not moving to stand. "What's the big deal, if we sit in here together a little longer instead of in two separate—"
"Zerek's orders."
"Well, you can tell that arrogant tin-can that—"
"M, just do what they say."
He looked at the Oni to see her studying him with red-rimmed eyes. He opened his mouth to argue with her, but then her hand was on his scruffy face. He froze, not sure how to interpret her look. It almost looked like she was trying to memorize what he looked like...
A hand clamped on his sling-wearing arm, and M balked as he looked up at the staff member. "I said—" M started, but the robot was already ripping him up out of the seat. M. winced, and he turned back to Amber as the robot began escorting him from the room.
"Don't give in to him, Amber. Whatever horrible thing he wants you to do..."
The robot twisted his injured arm, and M's words cut off as he cursed in pain. He wasn't able to get another look at Amber before they had pulled him from the room and closed the door.
Amber felt lost...like she was drowning in the middle of the endless sea, with no land in sight. As she heard M. grunt in pain as they dragged him out, she put both hands to her face. Another staff member had entered—no doubt to escort her, just as the other had taken M. After allowing herself to wallow in despair for a few more seconds, Amber finally swallowed hard and forced her feelings to the back of her mind. She looked up to stare at the robot across the room, trying to keep her voice firm.
"I want to speak to Zerek."
The robot nodded slowly, his expression as lax as ever. "He zought you might. I vill take you to him."
84
Rook couldn't remember the last time she had worn her hair down. It was greasy, and she knew it probably looked like a rat's nest, but she ignored the looks she was getting as she wove through the Eastern village. The robe she had nicked from the markets earlier that day covered up her southern-colored leather underneath, as well as her belts holding weapons and pouches. However, she was wishing she had stolen something lighter in weight. The heavy blue material wouldn't have been too insufferable but considering she was wearing multiple layers, she was uncomfortably warm.
"Excuse me," she said as she finally reached a man selling fish at a stall. He glanced up and frowned, and she tried to offer a dazzling smile. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for my Uncle. He made it sound like he was traveling east, but I may have the wrong village."
She generally didn't play the part of docile, polite woman, but she figured it was worth a shot. The man she was addressing merely huffed. "You're the only unfamiliar face who's come here in a couple of weeks."
"I see." Rook's expression flickered with irritation, but she covered it with a sigh. "Well, if I can't find him, I may come back tomorrow. Do you mind keeping an eye out for him for me? He's heavyset, bearded...wears a lot of jewelry." She flicked a copper at him, and the man caught it in surprise. "I'll even pay you for your trouble," she explained as he stared at the coin in confusion.
"Well...I guess I can keep an eye out," he agreed at last. Rook gave him one last dazzling smile. Or at least, what she hoped looked like a dazzling smile.
"Thanks."
She turned and left the village quickly. The sun continued its trek across the sky, and Rook allowed her expression to fall back into a scowl as she wiped at her face. She knew that Quazier had safe places scattered throughout the realm, but he had always had a soft spot for the East. If she had to take a guess, she'd assume that's where he would be. Ottan would skin him alive if he caught him in the south—just as he would skin Rook if she lingered there. The Central and Western Provinces were much too dangerous, given their hatred of slave trade. The North was a great place to disappear, but she couldn't see Quazier trying to make that long of a trek—not when he had to know that the whole realm was going to be looking for him. He'd know he had to hunker down. Rook would bet the stolen coins in her purse that he was in one of these eastern villages, biding his time.
Rook fingered the hilt of her black dagger through the cloth of the robe. "Where are you hiding, Quazie?" she muttered to herself as she began her trek to the next village. "It's time we had a little talk."
Amber had never been to this hallway before. There was less light, and she tried to figure out just what to say to Zerek when she reached him. The sunglass-wearing robot accompanying her was silent, and Amber closed her eyes to collect herself, wiping away the last traces of tears. The fact that Zerek was actually an android made so many things make sense, and she knew that her emotions would do no good against him. A villain like Zerek was only going to respond to logic.
They reached a pair of doors, and the staff member knocked on the one that was labeled Booth Access. After a moment, another robot pulled the door open, and Zerek's voice echoed from inside.
"Come in, Amber. I'm merely collecting some preliminary data for this evening's tests."
The Xinta swallowed hard, trying to keep calm as she forced herself to enter the dark room. There were screens and buttons all around, but the only light came from a huge window that made up one whole wall. Zerek's silhouette was positioned directly in front of the window, gazing into the pure white room on the other side of the glass. Amber hesitated a moment, and Zerek spoke again.
"Come up to ze front. No need to be shy."
Amber clenched her fists and finally moved to the front of the room. As she grew closer to the window, she realized there was a figure sitting inside the room on the other side. It was an Oni, his head covered in limp dreadlocks as he stared at the floor with a lax expression. Amber's stomach clenched. Was this one of the powered Oni Zerek had found?
"Vere you able to have a good visit vith your friend, Amber?"
Amber felt a wave of hatred, and she turned at last to glower at the android standing next to her. "Why aren't you feeding M?" she asked darkly.
"Your friend vill be fine, considering you have decided to help me remove ze incriminating evidence from his mind."
"Why did you draw his blood?" Amber demanded, her voice growing louder. "What do you have to gain from starving him and—"
"Take a deep breath," the android interrupted, his grey eyes flicking to her at last. "Zink about it viz ze endgoal in mind."
"Which is what?"
"Ze young Mr. Openheimer vill be found by authorities in ze midst of ze Metallonian vilds. Tell me...do you zink somevon lost in ze vilderness for days vould be vell fed? Hydrated? Zey certainly vouldn't have traces of anesthetics in zeir bloodstream. Ze tests done today on Mr. Openheimer—as vell as ze ozer prisoners set for release—are to merely ensure zat nozing in zeir discovery vould make somevon suspect foul play."
Amber's stomach felt like it was full of fire, and her fists were clenched so tightly they were pulsing. "He's injured!" she snapped. "You hurt him, and you expect that no one will—"
"Ah...yes. A recently dislocated shoulder is a concerning zing, but not necessarily somezing out of ze ordinary for somevon who vas trying desperately to find zeir vay through a dangerous and vild land."
"So everything you've done...it's just to play into this lie? And you're not going to feed him again until you let him go?" Amber realized. "When are you going to do that? Today? Tomorrow?"
"Zat depends on ze results of our testing."
"You have to do it soon!" Amber ordered. "What if the authorities don't find him before...before..." Her fear choked into her words, and Zerek reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Amber balked, trying to pull away, but the robot's grip was firm.
"Vether ze authorities find him before or after he succumbs to starvation is entirely your choice, Amber."
She couldn't stop the dry heave, and she finally managed to stumble away from Zerek's hold. "You can't do this..."
"Have you decided to help me? Ve can get started on ze process of releasing ze expendable prisoners as soon as ze results from zeir bloodwork are in...as long as you are on board vith my plans. If not, I suppose I vill merely keep zem locked in zeir cells vithout food and water until..."
"Them?" Amber repeated numbly, feeling like the ground was shifting under her feet. She remembered suddenly that it wasn't even just M on the line—the android was threatening Dani and Agatha as well. She pressed a hand to her mouth as the desire to vomit became urgent, and Zerek waited for her to compose herself.
"Vill you erase ze incriminating memories, Amber?"
She wanted to kill him. She hadn't felt this strong of a loathing since Evynn had Theo in chains on the floor of the Island. She looked up to glower, but Zerek was completely unaffected by the hatred she was exuding. A million ideas came to mind—a million ways she could try to save her friends without agreeing to the madman's plans. However, she knew that anything she could try would ultimately backfire. Zerek had left her with only one choice...and they both knew it.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get them away from you, alive."
Zerek smiled. "I am glad to hear zat. Expect to erase ze memories of Ms Axel and ze Master of Vater's female friend tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?" Amber demanded. Though the thought of erasing any part of Dani and Agatha's minds filled her with dread, she also picked up on the fact that someone had been left out. "And what about M?"
"Mr Openheimer vill be allotted for memory erase a few days after zat," Zerek said simply.
"No! You've already stopped feeding him! He has to be found as soon as—"
"I have no real way to ensure zat you vill do as you say," the robot interrupted. "Tomorrow, you vill successfully erase all traces of evidence from Ms. Axel and ze ozer young lady. Vonce zey are found and I have reasonable proof zat zey have retained no evidence to lead authorities to us, zen I vill allow you to work on your ozer friend's release." His gaze was intense as he forced Amber to meet his eye. "However, if by discovering ze first two prisoners, ze authorities are given information zat could send zem our vay...I'm afraid your friend vill have to pay ze price of your sloppy vork."
Amber began crying in earnest. "I'll make sure there are no memories left that they can use!" she promised angrily. "You have to let M go with the others...he's not going to last that long without food and water! You'll kill him before..."
"Ze human body is heartier zan you give it credit for, Amber," Zerek interrupted. "Ve vill supply him vith vater in small quantities, as long as you are cooperative. Ve have found him to be adequately healzy—he vill last vithout food for at least a veek...maybe more."
"You can't keep him for another week!" Amber yelled. "If I help you, then you have to let him go with the others!"
"You must first earn my trust." Zerek's eyes glittered in the dim light. "Show me vat you can do tomorrow, Amber...and your friend vill survive long enough to be found."
The mysterious voice entered the room again, causing Teag to shudder in fear. It was the same voice as the man who had been tormenting him, but he wasn't in the room. Rather, the voice bounced around him like an echo in a cave, with no body attached.
"I apologize to keep you waiting, Teag. Zere vas anozer matter I had to attend to. Have you gazered enough strength to continue our testing?"
"No," Teag muttered back as he hugged his knees to his chest, but he knew the voice wouldn't listen. It didn't care about him—no one in this horrible place did. That morning, he had been dragged back to the room with the horrifying chair, though he didn't go as willingly today. He had tried desperately to fight back, but the men with covered eyes were stronger than him.
They had strapped him down and subjected him to the same torture as yesterday, just with different emotions. Today, he had been forced into jealousy, shame, and happiness. The last was perhaps the worst of all—bad enough that his anger and fear had been so manipulated, when he actually felt some degree of them already in this terrifying situation. To have all feelings erased except an unexplainable giddiness that was exactly opposite of anything he would naturally feel in the situation had been its own form of horrific.
After being whiplashed through the emotions several times, they had pulled his exhausted body from the chair and hauled him down to this strange, pale room with curving walls. He had no idea what they wanted from him now, but he could see things sticking out of the walls and the ceiling and could only imagine what horrors would happen to him here.
"Seventeen...bring in ze mechanism."
Teag buried his face into his knees as he heard the door open. He could hear footsteps, and he curled in on himself as tightly as a bird hiding within its egg. For a few minutes, there was only the sounds of scuffling, and Teag didn't even dare look up. Eventually, the echoing voice was back.
"Zere is nozing to fear, Teag. Zese experiments vill cause no pain, as long as you are compliant."
"Just leave me alone," the teen begged. However, it wasn't long before hands clamped on his already-bruised arms and pulled him to his feet. As his eyes opened at last, he realized there was now a table in the room, with some strange object sitting on top of it. He swallowed as the white-coated brute dragged him to the table. The object looked like a small metal box with a glass orb sticking out of the top, and two wires sticking out the base of it like multiple tails. "What is this?" he finally demanded.
"In front of you is a very simple machine—just a circuit connected to a lightbulb, really. I need you to pick up ze two wires coming from ze base, von in eizer hand, and summon your aura. If my zeorie is correct, your inner energy should be able to power ze bulb."
He had no idea what any of that meant. Teag stared dully at the object as the man next to him unlocked the cold metal cuff around his wrist. As it fell away, the voice came again.
Begin now, Teag.
A rush of anger filled the teen as the numbing metal fell away. Overcome with sudden defiance, he powered up both hands and sent a blast careening into the suspicious object. He watched it fly across the room, and felt a momentary satisfaction as the glass bulb on top shattered as it came into contact with the wall.
Teag's cold smugness vanished as pain erupted. It darted across him in a fiery rage, and he dropped to his knees as he screamed out. The agony was gone as soon as it had begun, and he shook as he looked up at the man next to him. He was holding some kind of device, with light crackling between two prongs.
"I told you, Teag...zese experiments vill bring no pain if you are compliant. Disobedience vill result in punishment."
"What is that thing?" Teag demanded as he stared at the crackling object with fear.
"Tventy-eight vill be bringing in a new circuit. See zat you follow zrough vith my orders zis time, and you vill not be punished again."
Teag's heart galloped, and he stayed on the ground as another thug entered the room with an identical object. As the object was set on the table, the one holding the weapon gestured for him to stand. Teag did so, giving the crackling stick a wide berth as he once again faced the metal box with the glass bulb on top.
"Begin now, Teag."
This time, Teag obeyed. He reached out and took a wire in both hands, swallowing before summoning aura. There was a buzz inside and Teag flinched, but then he realized that the buzz wasn't actually painful. His hands were buzzing as well, and the glass bulb was suddenly flooded with light. Teag gasped, releasing the wires as he jumped back in fear.
"Do not be afraid. You merely completed a circuit and caused a lightbulb to light."
"How did it do that?" Teag demanded.
"By using your power. Fascinating...your aura system truly is like a battery and a generator. Such possibilities..."
The voice trailed off, and Teag hugged himself as he stared at the object with suspicion. For a few minutes, there was only silence, but then the second thug moved to leave the room. Teag watched as he returned minutes later, carrying a small cube of dark metal along with him. The one holding the crackling weapon finally lowered it, moving the object with the glass orb out of the way so his comrade could put the smaller metal cube on the table.
"Have you ever seen metal like zis, Teag?"
Teag frowned, taking in the metal carefully. As a blacksmith, he had worked with all variety of metal, and something about the cube did look familiar. "I...I don't know."
The voice chuckled. "I do not expect Oni have discovered how to make Chronosteel...nor does your realm contain ze necessary ingredients for it."
"What does it do?" Teag demanded, not even wanting to touch the strange cube.
"Its uses have not all been discovered," the voice replied vaguely. "Teag...I vant you to summon your aura, and try to use it against ze cube."
Teag swallowed, but he summoned his aura as he was told. He hesitated, not really sure what the voice wanted him to do exactly.
"Send a blast toward the cube, as you did to ze machine you destroyed a few minutes ago."
Was this some kind of trick? Teag glanced over at the man nearby, the crackling weapon still in hand. He finally did as he was told, sending a large blast toward the dark cube. The aura hit the cube, but rather than get thrown off the table, it didn't budge. Teag allowed his aura to fade as he watched the purple power swirl and vanish.
"How intriguing..." the voice said again. "Send anozer attack, Teag."
Teag did so, making this one bigger. Once again, it didn't move the cube at all, but this time as the aura faded he realized it seemed to be going into the cube. Teag's mouth ran dry as the cube seemed to glow for a moment before turning back the dark color it was before.
"Now I vant you to pick up ze cube and summon your aura vile holding it."
Teag didn't really want to, but he also knew he didn't have much choice. He took a cautious step toward the cube and hesitantly reached out to pick it up. He wasn't sure what he was expecting...but honestly it just felt like a hunk of smooth metal. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the aura like he was told.
The purple power swirled around the metal, and he realized that just like the wires, it seemed to be buzzing. He tried to envelope it in a cloud of aura, like he would for an aura crystal exercise. However, he couldn't quite surround the cube—the aura vanished as fast as he could summon it, and as he watched the cube begin to glow, he realized it was vanishing into the metal.
All at once, it occurred to Teag where he had seen something like this before. An image came to mind of Iona with several metal rods, which she used when she was teaching Inna and Luz how to make artifacts. Teag had eavesdropped a few times while doing chores around the Ancient's home.
Healer rods are used to contain power that can then be used for spells... Iona had said. They can hold both aural and elemental power, and healers as far back as ancient times used them to enhance spells and trace energy sources.
This metal wasn't quite the same as Iona's rods—it was a different color, to start, not to mention Iona's would glow when they came into contact with power sources whether someone was using their aura or not. But as he stared at the cube, Teag had a sinking feeling that this was a similar type of object. Why are the outsiders collecting Oni power? Teag wondered as he allowed his aura to wink out. The cube's light faded as well.
"Tventy-Eight, take Teag back to his room and get him somezing to eat. He vill need his strength for tonight."
Teag felt a hand grab his shoulder, and he looked up at the reflective wall. His own frightened expression stared back at him. "What are you trying to do with this?" he demanded.
"Do not concern yourself vith ze details, Teag. You have done vell...go get some rest and ve vill bring you back here tonight."
"What are you trying to do?" Teag demanded. The outsider holding him tried to take the cube from him, but Teag pulled it away, out of his reach.
"Zere is nozing to be afraid of," the voice chided. "My research revolves around finding new, sustainable energy sources. Give ze sample back to us, and Tventy-Eight vill take you to get somezing to eat."
"You're trying to create artifacts!" Teag accused, still resisting the man holding him. "You're going to hurt people..."
"Give ze sample back." The voice had gained an edge, and Teag stared at the reflection wall. The other man with covered eyes was coming as well, and the teen knew he wouldn't be able to resist them both. For a moment, he sagged in defeat, and the man holding him grabbed the cube in his hand. However, as Teag stared at the reflective wall, he could see the other man behind him bend to pick up the numbing cuff they forced him to wear.
Feeling a sudden rush of anger and urgency, Teag ripped out of the outsider's hand. In one smooth, rage-fueled motion, Teag launched the cube at the reflective wall as hard as he could. His hands swirled with aura, and there was a cracking sound as the cube hit the wall and sent jagged lines in a spiderweb pattern all around the point of impact.
Teag didn't wait to see what the reaction of the men with covered eyes would be. Knowing they still had the shocking weapon, Teag immediately blasted the man closest to him back. The one with the numbing cuff came closer, seemingly unafraid. Teag summoned a large attack, and there was another cracking sound as the man hit a nearby wall.
As Teag's hands shook with adrenaline and aura wind swirled around him, he allowed the fear he had been feeling for days to fuel large blasts of power. He sent them careening into all the different walls, trying to find a way out. Sparks fell as his attacks hit things in the walls and ceiling, but as hard as he blasted, he couldn't create any openings that he could escape through. He was so focused on escape that he didn't hear the faint hissing coming from the vents in the ceiling.
Teag was attacking the wall he knew contained a door with aura-filled fists when his vision suddenly began to spot. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, but then it occurred to him how difficult it was to breathe. The aura around his hands winked out as he dropped to his knees, gasping as he grabbed his chest. What was going on?
"As interesting as it has been, vatching Oni power used in an attack, my interest in you is not as a veapon, Teag."
The blackspots filled Teag's vision as tears smarted his eyes. What was happening? Was he dying?
"Get some rest, and I vill see you tonight."
The voice seemed farther away than usual, and Teag slumped forward as everything went black.