Part Three
Isabel spun as Liz shrieked and bolted to her side. The girl continued to scream, her eyes unfocussed, the sheet draping her coming undone as she sat up. Her hands fought Isabel as she tried to reach the smaller girl.
"Liz. Liz. Liz! Listen to me!" Isabel grabbed the other girl's shoulders and tried to make Liz look at her. She continued to fight, her face a mask of fear, anger and pain. "Liz, it's OK. Listen to me!"
Some part of Liz could hear Isabel talking to her, but she was wrong. It wasn't okay, it would never be okay, nothing was okay. The scream that ripped through her was a rejection of the idea that anything was okay. More than that, it was a protection against all those things that were once good and now only menaced. As soon as it ended, they would find her. He would find her.
"Liz, no, listen to me. They won't hurt you, he can't hurt you. I won't hurt you."
She was lying. She had to be lying. They had already hurt her, why wouldn't they again? And Isabel had never hurt her, but she could now. She was wide open to anything anyone could do to her. Max had proved that. She shrieked in a rejection.
The scream was wearing her down. Her throat was wearing away, her lungs crying for air. She tried to breathe, bring in the air she so needed, more than she needed the protection of her scream. Her mouth shut a moment, cutting off the sound as she tried to breathe.
As soon as she opened her mouth again to continue the sound, Isabel clapped her hand over it. Liz fought the arms that were wrapping her, the hand over her mouth, the rough embrace she was locked in. Struggling for breath again, she sobbed instead of screaming.
Isabel wrapped the smaller girl into her arms, holding Liz against her body. She still fought, or tried to, pushing feebly at Isabel holding her. Finally she surrendered, sobbing silently, her body shaking in the relief of this release.
She was shivering now, too. The sheet that had covered her form had almost fallen away, scarcely covering her otherwise bare body. Isabel averted her eyes and tried to reach Liz as best she could.
Through the empathy that let her walk other people's dreams, she could sense Liz. Afraid, in pain, helplessly angry, weak and ashamed. And desperately, heartbreakingly alone. Just sensing it all through Liz made her own head hurt.
"Liz, it's okay. It'll be okay. They won't hurt you, I won't let them. I won't hurt you, I'm here. You aren't alone. I promise I won't let them hurt you again."
The fear Isabel had felt at her brother over what she believed he might have done had flared into a burning fury towards him. How dared he? No matter what Liz had done, no one deserved the kind of pain she was in. Isabel's words were in no means empty platitudes. She would die before letting Liz go through more of this pain.
"Hey, hey. Liz, it'll be okay. No one will hurt you, I promise." Isabel rocked her gently. Liz clung to her, still sobbing, but softer now. She rubbed the smaller girl's back soothingly, filled with an overwhelming sense of compassion. How could anyone want to hurt her?
Gradually, Liz's sobs subsided. Her tears were spent, her body sore, her mind exhausted. Her strength was gone, and she shivered in the cool air of the cave that served as their room.
Isabel stroked her hair, then reached for the sheet that was coming away. She wrapped it firmly around Liz, tucking the corners in so that it would stay. She released her hold around the smaller girl, then helped her to sit on her own.
She reached for the clothes that had been thrown in after Rathe and Lonia had put Isabel and Liz into this room. As she held them out to Liz, the girl shrunk back, fresh tears springing to her eyes.
"Liz? What is it?" Isabel asked. The girl looked like she might have another breakdown on the spot.
"That's what I was wearing last night, before..." her voice broke off. "Before... " she tried again, and couldn't complete the sentence.
Great. Well, it was logical that that halfwit Lonia would have picked up the nearest items of clothing for Liz, not wanting to hang around. It wasn't her problem if Liz completely broke down.
"Liz," Isabel started. What could she really say? It was illogical, but Liz would be associating these with what had happened to her. It wouldn't be surprising if she never wanted to see them again. "Look, forget wearing them before. But you're cold, and you can't just stay there."
"Why not?" Liz asked. "It's not like we can go anywhere. And it's bad enough that I can sense him all the time without being reminded constantly." Her voice was rising near a shriek. "What do you people want from me? Wasn't it bad enough already, with everything else I had to do?"
Isabel didn't know what Liz was talking about, but she was obviously near hysteria. She dropped the clothes and took a step back towards her, but Liz held up her hands against her, refusing any small comfort she could offer.
"And what's the point?" Liz continued, her eyes feverishly bright. "Something else will just happen, some one else will just come along and use me, make me betray you, drive you or whoever's left away, maybe get kidnapped." she was shaking again, her body unable to take the strain all this was taking on her. "No, really, Isabel. What's the point?"
"Liz..."
"Yeah, it's me. It's always me, isn't it? So tell me Isabel, what are you here for? What are you going to try and take from me?" her voice broke up, and she was forced to stop, trying to catch her breath.
Isabel ignored her last words, and knelt beside Liz. The girl didn't look up, just tried to breathe as tears continued to roll down her face. Carefully, she took Liz back into her arms and held her. She didn't fight, just lay there as Isabel hung onto her, treating her as delicately as if she was glass.
Eventually, Liz took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to say something. Isabel leaned back a little, still hanging onto her, and let her speak.
"Isabel?"
"Yep."
"I'm sorry. It's not your fault."
Liz was apologising for losing the plot after Isabel's own brother had raped her. What was the girl, a saint? Maybe she had a deep seated desire for martyrdom. Well, not here, not now.
"It's not your fault either. It's okay. I understand."
"I'm still sorry."
"So am I. Sorry I didn't know, didn't stop him."
"You couldn't have."
"Maybe. We'll never know that." Isabel still regretted that she hadn't somehow known to stop her brother.
"Probably not."
"Okay. Do you want to put some clothes on now?"
"'kay."
* * *
Aeva brought her knees down slowly, reaching gently for Liz's emotions again. She was calmer now, her emotions no longer as open. Unless she was as distressed as she had been just now, or the night before, Aeva could block out her thoughts and emotions.
At a greater distance, Aeva wouldn't have been as open even to those which had ripped through the tiny Queen the night before. She would have sensed them, being openly empathetic as she was, but with Liz not her specific charge, she could possibly have blocked them.
Liz. Liz, not Elizabeth. Aeva knew where she had picked up that information-bit. When one of their own was as torn as she had been moments before, their thoughts were totally open. An empath such as herself would pick up those thoughts unintentionally, especially when as physically close as she was to Liz.
And Isabel was with her. That was strange, Aeva couldn't think of any possible reason that Tess would want Isabel for. Admittedly, Lonia was a half-wit, and Tess would want a full unit to travel back with her, never dreaming that such a journey was impossible without the true Queen.
Although of course Tess believed that she herself was the Queen. And possibly Rathe did too. And if Rathe did, Lonia might as well, because she would follow him in everything he did. This was utterly bizarre, and already giving Aeva a headache.
She could ponder the implications and possibilities of all this later. For now, she instead used her mind to examine what Rathe had done to the walls of this cave to seal her inside. If she could do so, maybe she could also open it.
Once she had gotten out of her cave-room, Aeva wasn't sure what she was going to do. Liz and Isabel needed to get out of here, and fast. Maybe they weren't her original charges, but with a deranged guardian, an ambitious Rathe and his Loni-on-a-leash, they needed some help.
Isabel spun as Liz shrieked and bolted to her side. The girl continued to scream, her eyes unfocussed, the sheet draping her coming undone as she sat up. Her hands fought Isabel as she tried to reach the smaller girl.
"Liz. Liz. Liz! Listen to me!" Isabel grabbed the other girl's shoulders and tried to make Liz look at her. She continued to fight, her face a mask of fear, anger and pain. "Liz, it's OK. Listen to me!"
Some part of Liz could hear Isabel talking to her, but she was wrong. It wasn't okay, it would never be okay, nothing was okay. The scream that ripped through her was a rejection of the idea that anything was okay. More than that, it was a protection against all those things that were once good and now only menaced. As soon as it ended, they would find her. He would find her.
"Liz, no, listen to me. They won't hurt you, he can't hurt you. I won't hurt you."
She was lying. She had to be lying. They had already hurt her, why wouldn't they again? And Isabel had never hurt her, but she could now. She was wide open to anything anyone could do to her. Max had proved that. She shrieked in a rejection.
The scream was wearing her down. Her throat was wearing away, her lungs crying for air. She tried to breathe, bring in the air she so needed, more than she needed the protection of her scream. Her mouth shut a moment, cutting off the sound as she tried to breathe.
As soon as she opened her mouth again to continue the sound, Isabel clapped her hand over it. Liz fought the arms that were wrapping her, the hand over her mouth, the rough embrace she was locked in. Struggling for breath again, she sobbed instead of screaming.
Isabel wrapped the smaller girl into her arms, holding Liz against her body. She still fought, or tried to, pushing feebly at Isabel holding her. Finally she surrendered, sobbing silently, her body shaking in the relief of this release.
She was shivering now, too. The sheet that had covered her form had almost fallen away, scarcely covering her otherwise bare body. Isabel averted her eyes and tried to reach Liz as best she could.
Through the empathy that let her walk other people's dreams, she could sense Liz. Afraid, in pain, helplessly angry, weak and ashamed. And desperately, heartbreakingly alone. Just sensing it all through Liz made her own head hurt.
"Liz, it's okay. It'll be okay. They won't hurt you, I won't let them. I won't hurt you, I'm here. You aren't alone. I promise I won't let them hurt you again."
The fear Isabel had felt at her brother over what she believed he might have done had flared into a burning fury towards him. How dared he? No matter what Liz had done, no one deserved the kind of pain she was in. Isabel's words were in no means empty platitudes. She would die before letting Liz go through more of this pain.
"Hey, hey. Liz, it'll be okay. No one will hurt you, I promise." Isabel rocked her gently. Liz clung to her, still sobbing, but softer now. She rubbed the smaller girl's back soothingly, filled with an overwhelming sense of compassion. How could anyone want to hurt her?
Gradually, Liz's sobs subsided. Her tears were spent, her body sore, her mind exhausted. Her strength was gone, and she shivered in the cool air of the cave that served as their room.
Isabel stroked her hair, then reached for the sheet that was coming away. She wrapped it firmly around Liz, tucking the corners in so that it would stay. She released her hold around the smaller girl, then helped her to sit on her own.
She reached for the clothes that had been thrown in after Rathe and Lonia had put Isabel and Liz into this room. As she held them out to Liz, the girl shrunk back, fresh tears springing to her eyes.
"Liz? What is it?" Isabel asked. The girl looked like she might have another breakdown on the spot.
"That's what I was wearing last night, before..." her voice broke off. "Before... " she tried again, and couldn't complete the sentence.
Great. Well, it was logical that that halfwit Lonia would have picked up the nearest items of clothing for Liz, not wanting to hang around. It wasn't her problem if Liz completely broke down.
"Liz," Isabel started. What could she really say? It was illogical, but Liz would be associating these with what had happened to her. It wouldn't be surprising if she never wanted to see them again. "Look, forget wearing them before. But you're cold, and you can't just stay there."
"Why not?" Liz asked. "It's not like we can go anywhere. And it's bad enough that I can sense him all the time without being reminded constantly." Her voice was rising near a shriek. "What do you people want from me? Wasn't it bad enough already, with everything else I had to do?"
Isabel didn't know what Liz was talking about, but she was obviously near hysteria. She dropped the clothes and took a step back towards her, but Liz held up her hands against her, refusing any small comfort she could offer.
"And what's the point?" Liz continued, her eyes feverishly bright. "Something else will just happen, some one else will just come along and use me, make me betray you, drive you or whoever's left away, maybe get kidnapped." she was shaking again, her body unable to take the strain all this was taking on her. "No, really, Isabel. What's the point?"
"Liz..."
"Yeah, it's me. It's always me, isn't it? So tell me Isabel, what are you here for? What are you going to try and take from me?" her voice broke up, and she was forced to stop, trying to catch her breath.
Isabel ignored her last words, and knelt beside Liz. The girl didn't look up, just tried to breathe as tears continued to roll down her face. Carefully, she took Liz back into her arms and held her. She didn't fight, just lay there as Isabel hung onto her, treating her as delicately as if she was glass.
Eventually, Liz took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to say something. Isabel leaned back a little, still hanging onto her, and let her speak.
"Isabel?"
"Yep."
"I'm sorry. It's not your fault."
Liz was apologising for losing the plot after Isabel's own brother had raped her. What was the girl, a saint? Maybe she had a deep seated desire for martyrdom. Well, not here, not now.
"It's not your fault either. It's okay. I understand."
"I'm still sorry."
"So am I. Sorry I didn't know, didn't stop him."
"You couldn't have."
"Maybe. We'll never know that." Isabel still regretted that she hadn't somehow known to stop her brother.
"Probably not."
"Okay. Do you want to put some clothes on now?"
"'kay."
* * *
Aeva brought her knees down slowly, reaching gently for Liz's emotions again. She was calmer now, her emotions no longer as open. Unless she was as distressed as she had been just now, or the night before, Aeva could block out her thoughts and emotions.
At a greater distance, Aeva wouldn't have been as open even to those which had ripped through the tiny Queen the night before. She would have sensed them, being openly empathetic as she was, but with Liz not her specific charge, she could possibly have blocked them.
Liz. Liz, not Elizabeth. Aeva knew where she had picked up that information-bit. When one of their own was as torn as she had been moments before, their thoughts were totally open. An empath such as herself would pick up those thoughts unintentionally, especially when as physically close as she was to Liz.
And Isabel was with her. That was strange, Aeva couldn't think of any possible reason that Tess would want Isabel for. Admittedly, Lonia was a half-wit, and Tess would want a full unit to travel back with her, never dreaming that such a journey was impossible without the true Queen.
Although of course Tess believed that she herself was the Queen. And possibly Rathe did too. And if Rathe did, Lonia might as well, because she would follow him in everything he did. This was utterly bizarre, and already giving Aeva a headache.
She could ponder the implications and possibilities of all this later. For now, she instead used her mind to examine what Rathe had done to the walls of this cave to seal her inside. If she could do so, maybe she could also open it.
Once she had gotten out of her cave-room, Aeva wasn't sure what she was going to do. Liz and Isabel needed to get out of here, and fast. Maybe they weren't her original charges, but with a deranged guardian, an ambitious Rathe and his Loni-on-a-leash, they needed some help.