Chapter 17: The Unexpected

A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long for me to update, but school has been crazy. I nearly had a breakdown at one point and it was not so exciting, but here is more of my story. Not too terribly many chapters of this left, however many I feel like, which should be at least five more. Maybe more than that. It depends.

Karina awoke in darkness. Not the natural darkness of night, not the peace of a resting sun, but the false, contrived black of a closed room where only the most determined fragments of light battled their way through. The air was cold, running over her body in freezing tendrils, causing her to shiver violently. She couldn't move her arms. Her legs were strapped down too, straight and together along the table. Her fingers strained to feel what she was lying on, making their way to the edge. On the way they brushed her bare skin. A surge of terror went through her—she was naked, free of all clothing and even the band she had used to pull her hair into a braid with.

Her torso throbbed with a dull pain, like multiple needles were being pressed into her skin. Where the hell was she? What was she doing here? The last thing she remembered was being kissed by Folken. Wow those pieces are tough to put together, she thought bitterly. The bastard had drugged her. With a kiss. How suspense-film cliché was that?

I should have kept Dilandau with me, she whispered to no one there. She let out a sarcastic chuckle. For once he was right.

Karina closed her eyes.

God I wish he was here now.

∞§∞

Dilandau opened his eyes as a voice sliced through the night. Was that a scream? He could have sworn he had heard it, and he heard better than most of the mountain men who had trained their ears from birth. Slowly he eased himself into a sitting position, tossing the black sheets easily off of his body. The window in his room was open, the wind whistling through into his room, sending strands of platinum hair into his face.

He shut the window quickly, annoyed that he should have left it open. He never left the window open. It was the damn telepath—Karina, he amended—that was causing such distractions in his mind. She hadn't showed up in the training room in late afternoon as she had taken the habit of doing—according to the Dragonslayers, she also hadn't returned to her bedchamber at all. He should have known. She had said she wasn't afraid of him; she obviously wasn't afraid of Folken either.

He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing. Perhaps if he walked far enough he could walk her the hell out of his head. But in those moments before the door had opened, when he had held her trapped against the wall, when he had lost complete control of his mind, he hadn't thought that she hated him. He had even thought for the briefest of seconds that she—But he had been wrong. God, he hated being wrong.

You know, pacing indicates a very stressed mind. Are you stressed, Dilandau? Celena's musical soprano filtered through the darkness and Dilandau sighed. Why did she always have to show up?

What the hell do you want? he demanded angrily.

I'm worried.How touching. Now—Not about you, you idiot. she interrupted. About Karina.What do you know about Karina?I have eyes. Plus we're really good friends. I'm proud of you for finally deciding to use her name, because she was getting really pissed with the way you always called her Celena smiled good-naturedly and sat on his bed, primly folding her hands in her lap.

Dilandau blinked and controlled the urge to throttle his other half. So you've known Karina for how long?Almost the entire four months she's been here. Do you know where she is right now? Celena looked at him questioningly, her head cocked to the side like some small, magical bird.

He ignored her last question and instead asked hesitantly, What does she know about us?Most of everything. She doesn't care that we used to be me, if that's what you're worried about. A tiny smirk crossed her face. That is what you're worried about, isn't it?I don't care what she thinks of me, he said savagely.

∞§∞

Karina bit her lip over a scream as another needle dug into her arm. What was it this time? Blood sample, or were they injecting her with something else? Why were they doing this to her? More importantly, what were they doing to her?

How many hours had it been? Two, three, four? Or had it been longer than that? Had it been days and she couldn't remember it? Had it been longer? Or had she always been here and the rest was just a dream?

No. She hadn't been here always. And now she needed to leave.

she screamed as the cloaked figure at her elbow took out the needle. Please, help me, she whispered, a single tear drawing a crystalline path down her cheek.

∞§∞

Dilandau's head snapped up as he heard his name, but the sound was gone the moment he'd heard it.

Celena replied, she won't think about you at all if she'd dead. And she does think about you, she added with a conspiratorial wink.

He frowned. How could he have been a part of her once?

She's in trouble. Celena told him, her voice suddenly serious.

Yeah. I'm sure she's found lots of trouble in Folken's bed. he said sarcastically. After all, that metal arm could be quite uncomfortable while he's trying to—

He was cut off by the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Celena was glaring at him, fury written on her face. Shut up, Dilandau, she commanded. Wake up and smell the roses! You want her, she wants you, it isn't like it's a big secret anymore. One of you has to admit it and get it on before you both become impossible to live with.I don't—she doesn't—Shut up! Did I ask you for your opinion?How dare you speak to me that way? he hissed, gripping her throat in a viselike clasp.

You're just worried that she's in love with Folken, aren't you? She's not, and she wouldn't screw him, no matter how hot he is, or have you forgotten her ability? As soon as he touched her in any intimate way she'd be able to see his deepest fears and his most wicked plans, and his is not without such plans.

Dilandau grabbed a shirt from his dresser and pulled it quickly over his head. Where is she? he asked quietly, tugging on a pair of soft-soled boots. This would be a mission of stealth, so armor was definitely out of the question.

I don't know. But she hasn't left Folken's room so I'm assuming we can start our search there. She bit her lip. Dilandau, what if he's in there?

A feral grin spread over his face, and he ran a finger over the tiny silver blade that he stuck in his boot. Then me and my friend here will have to have a little discussion with him.

∞§∞

It was silent, finally. The people had gone, filing out one by one with their dark cloaks and shadowed faces until only one had remained. And she had known who it was. He had bent and touched his lips to hers, then to her neck, and lower, and she had burned with humiliation. How she longed to put him through what he had put her through. How many needles would she stick in him before he realized the error of his ways? Somehow she didn't think it would have to be too many.

Thank god it was peaceful now. But for how long would it be that way? When would they come in and start again? She couldn't move, not at all, other than her fingers and those only a couple of inches. The clasps at her wrists were metalloid, much like the link that had been put on her the first day she had come here, so the scalpel near her would do no good whatsoever, other than to keep the scientists at bay for a little while. A vengeful smile broke over her face; she could keep them at bay with that little piece of metal and laugh at them while they died from the stomach wounds she inflicted on them. It would serve them right.

But she wasn't sure she could face the pain again. It had hurt so badly, and so much, she had wanted to die. She wouldn't, at least her mind wouldn't be the first to give in, she would hold out as long as they hurt her and longer...

Save me.

∞§∞

Folken's chambers were dark when Dilandau and Celena slipped inside, each clad in shades of the shadows. They had crept quietly down the halls, avoiding the more guarded passages and easily disabling the nighttime guard for Folken's room. The code to get in had been no problem either; Dilandau made it a point to know everybody's code just in case, and despite the fact that Folken's changed weekly, it followed a pattern that was easy at least for the General to decipher.

Nobody was in the bedroom or the bathroom—Dilandau had half-expected and half-dreaded finding Karina actually in bed with the bastard, and so it was some slight relief that they found the rooms empty.

Where could they have gone? Celena whispered, her voice echoing as she searched the bathroom for any sign of a door or a keypad.

It isn't locked electrically, Dilandau said suddenly. I've looked at the maps of this place thousands of times, and even if it wasn't labeled, power would have to be routed to it, and there isn't any branching off from Folken's rooms. There's power underneath, but that's the levistones and the generators for the weapons... a sudden grin spread over his face. With one deft movement he leaned over and ripped the rug on the floor from its place. I've always said I was the only villain with any imagination.

The trapdoor opened as he pulled it and a smirk remarkably akin to his own appeared on Celena's face. she said cheerfully, let's go get Karina.And kill the bastard who calls himself the Strategos. Dilandau added, clenching his fists as he thought of the ways he would kill him once he got hold of him.

he snapped.

You can't kill him, not yet. That would set them on you for sure.I'm not afraid of the Sorcerers.You should be. They have powers that we can only dream of, they have machines that you and I have both felt the power of. They're not human.Neither am I, Celena. You should know that. I was created out of you. So as far as I'm concerned that gives me a license to rip them into a million pieces and set their still bleeding flesh on fire. she said, and chuckled. I like the way you think.

He grinned. Let's go.

Dilandau led the way, stepping down onto the dark staircase cautiously. For all he knew it was a trap—hell, he expected it to be a trap— but the wood held true underneath him and he gestured to Celena to follow him. It was long and dark, and Dilandau's eyes didn't adjust to the overwhelming darkness. It was blacker than he had ever been in, free from all light except a few fragments that weren't enough to see anything by.

Finally they reached the bottom, a jarring stop as he tried to step down again alerting him to the fact that they were now on level ground.

She should be somewhere around here, Celena breathed in his ear, walking as softly as she could farther into the room.

The barest hiss of steel and Dilandau's knife was in his hand and thirsting for blood. There was no sound in the room, nothing at all to suggest that there was anybody but themselves.

he whispered into the darkness. There was no response, but he could hear a sharp intake of breath from somewhere in the room.

Karina, it's me, Celena, came a voice from off to his left. Dilandau's here too. Please talk, do something, so we can find you and get you out of here. a terrified whisper cut through he darkness. I can't get the bonds off. I was just gonna stab them if they came at me again, but I can't get loose. They tied me down and they wouldn't let me go, and they still won't, and if they come back I'm gonna stab the bastards and—We know, honey. We're going to get you out of here. Celena whispered soothingly, straining her ears to hear which part of the room she had come from. Dilandau closed his eyes, listening for the source of the voice.

There it was, over to the left of where he was standing. He cautiously began to walk toward her, his feet making no noise even in the nearly silent chamber.

Dilandau's here, too.

Karina was silent, but by this time Dilandau had made his way over to her side. He could feel the edge of the table beneath his fingertips, and with his hands he felt for her bonds. His hands brushed her skin and he heard her draw in a sudden breath at his touch, and he ignored the feel of the warm, soft flesh as he sought her restraints. Cool, metalloid links met his searching hands and he gently pried them apart, one my one, moving to the bonds at her feet once he had finished with her hands.

Gentle had always been the way to take off those bonds, force only made them resist harder. Finding the links at her feet was slightly more difficult, but he felt his way down the table and so managed to free her. He could hear her breathe a sigh of relief, and he started as she groped for his hand in the darkness. Slowly she eased herself into sitting position, wincing as the bruises and pains inflicted on her alerted her to their presence.

Can you walk? he asked her briskly, profoundly aware of her hand clasping his.

she said, a hint of obstinance in her voice.

I know what these people do. Can you walk?In theory, Karina smiled, trying to lighten her mood and the pain of her injuries. She pushed herself off the table and stood, and for a moment her legs held true—Dilandau caught her as they collapsed from underneath her and she bit her lip over a whimper of pain. In practice, not so much.I can carry her, Celena offered, wondering just how Dilandau would react to the prospect of carrying Karina all the way back to her chambers.

I'm not weak, Celena, I can carry her perfectly well myself. With one easy movement he had scooped her into his arms and turned to where the entrance was. With her hands outstretched, Celena managed to find the staircase once more, and with Karina's arms grasping tightly about his neck they ascended the dark passage.

Folken's chambers were still empty when they came out, the room still dark, and almost unconsciously Karina's grip tightened at the sight of the great canopied bed. In the hall it was silent; once again they made no noise. The guard was still unconscious on the floor; their mission had taken barely an hour, and it would be several before he would wake and feel the effects of Dilandau's punishing blow.

At a branch in the passage Celena stopped and turned. I have to go back to my room now. I would stay longer, but believe me it would be much worse for all of us if they found out I was here. She smiled in the dark and patted Karina on the cheek. Don't worry, you'll be fine. It's literally impossible to take anything Dilandau's protecting. I know, I was part of him once. With that she was gone, like a specter disappearing into the shadows of the hall.

Dilandau continued to Karina's room, opening the door with the code that she managed to tell him through chattering teeth. He stood there for a moment once the door was opened and reprogrammed the keypad to his own password; he doubted that Folken would bother them, for he didn't want the Slayers to turn against him, but he couldn't be sure, not when the bastard had gone so far. It would have given him great satisfaction if Folken had actually been in the room tonight, if he had been given the opportunity to rip his still-beating heart from his chest and squish it under his boot.

Gently he set Karina down on her bed, easing her down so as not to aggravate any injuries she might have. For once he forgot that he in no way, shape, or form cared for the telepath, he forgot that he wasn't supposed to like her or tolerate her or anything. With shaking hands she pulled the covers up to her chin, and as he turned to leave her hand snatched at his.

Determinedly she pulled him down so he was sitting on the bed beside her.

Please, Dilandau, don't go. Don't leave me alone. Her voice was soft, not pleading, but nearing a note of desperation.

Her bare hand continued pulling on his gloved on, tugging him down beside her on the bed. His head touched the pillow and he tensed; he was in bed with the telepath, and as far as he had been able to tell through the gloves, a very naked telepath.

I know it's stupid that I need somebody here, but I can still hear them talking about me, through the walls. I could hear Celena thinking about me, too. I think there was something in the drugs they gave me. You're the only one who's quiet. She was facing him, her body curled under the blankets, shivering despite the warmth in the room. He was carefully not touching her, keeping himself well distanced from her, except for the hand that she still held, her fingers linked tightly with his. Her breathing was slowing, evening into sleep, and he closed his eyes, resigned to the fact that he was trapped here. Don't leave me, Dilandau. she breathed as sleep claimed her, her face relaxing as her body urged her into slumber so it could heal its wounds.

Dilandau was awake for a long time, staring at the space in front of him that he knew her eyes to be. I won't. I promise.

A/N: Kinda sappy, but there was still no kissing or anything! You'll just have to wait for the next chapter, there should be a teensy bit more action, or maybe that's the chapter after that. Whatever. More to come soon, I promise!