Patricia L. Bryans: Once again, thank you for reviewing my story. I'm glad you are reading it. You're one of the few who are, and I appreciate it. I'll keep it going for you.

Onii-Gil: No worries. Your evil villan thing is kinda like my violence towards the heroine thing...

-9-

The first thing Kate was aware of was a dull pounding, deep in the regions of her mind, quiet and soft at first, but growing with intensity as she swam slowly back through the depths consciousness. She was in so much pain; her skull and back throbbed horribly, and she could feel the bruises that had risen on her arms and torso. Her entire body felt like it was engulfed in fire, burning into each area. Ever so slowly, she became aware of more pain and aches as her mind focused. Good. I'm not dead. At least, she hoped not. Why else would she be hurting? You can't feel anything when you're a ghost. Carefully, she tried to move her legs. Nothing happened, nothing moved. Feeling a jolt of panic, she tried again, focusing her entire mind, willing her muscles to flex. Still, nothing. Why couldn't she move? What had happened to her? Little by little, wincing as her muscles protested, Kate tried to open her eyes. The next sign of a bigger problem was that she couldn't see. Her eyes were open, but all she could see was black. Paralyzed and blind? Moaning softly in pain and fear, Kate tried to sit up, but her hands were bound tightly behind her. What was wrong? Where was she? Where were her sisters? Suddenly, Kate started as a voice spoke into the silence. "One has awakened. Quickly, go inform Lynxe. I shall bring her."

Kate heard heavy footsteps echo off what sounded like stone walls, getting louder as they approached her. She could do nothing to move away from the creature, but she struggled weakly as she was yanked upright. Still, Kate could not feel her legs and could not support her own body. Her eyes shut again in pain as she was roughly dragged by the arm away from where she was, her feet scraping the dusty floor. She groaned as her knee hit a boulder, but the creature holding her shook her, hissing, "Silence, witch, or you will feel more pain than that."

After a few minutes, she sensed that she was in another room, or cave, and that another presence was with them, an evil presence. Her captor dragged her a few feet further, then he halted, still holding her up. "I have the prisoner, milday."

A deep chuckle of laughter echoed in Kate's alert ears. "So, witch," A voice near her head snapped sharply. She felt something pass by her face and suddenly, she could see again. Wincing at the sudden onset of light, despite its dimness, she blinked and opened her eyes to an evil sight.

The speaker was the same woman who had attacked her sisters back at the manor. Kate assumed this was Lynxe, the creature the guards had referred to. Her back was facing Kate and she was stripping something off of an unrecognisable figure that was bound to a pole, its arms outstretched. A sickening feeling washed over Kate as she realized that the woman was slicing off the flesh of another live demon with a knife, completely ignoring its final whimpers, and smiling the entire time. The female demon spoke sourly to her dying enemy before turning to face Kate. "This is your punishment for being too slow to catch a witch!" Still baring her teeth in a grin, she spun around. Kate's heart raced as she looked upon the demon who had kidnapped her. She was clothed in magnificent robes of deep maroon and cloaked in dark blue. The brooch at her throat resembled the head of a wildcat with sharp, gray-tipped ears. Its jaws were open ferociously, exposing gleaming white fangs. Flanking the woman were two burly demons, both robed in the same maroon, but with black cloaks that blended deftly into their surroundings. Their faces were hooded, shadowed with putrid evil.

Lynxe swaggered forward and gripped Kate's chin in her hand, forcing the girl's head back until wide, brown eyes met narrow yellow ones. Lynxe laughed, a high, cruel, mirthless laugh that bored itself into Kate's already pounding head. "So, this is the all-powerful Magicked One that every other demon is so frightened of. Ha!" She thrust Kate's chin away from her roughly, sniggering. "Not too powerful now, are you, witch? Alone, paralyzed so you can't run away, and, like your precious sisters, at the mercy of the mighty Zoltof. You have no choice but to obey me." She halted, as if waiting for Kate to retort, but the girl kept silent, though she was trembling with anger. This demon had her sisters in peril and presumably close to death. Why should she answer?

Lynxe stared at her prisoner contemptuously, chuckling inwardly. This girl was foolish. No one ignored her, least of all a powerless, weakened witch. Ah, well. She would speak soon enough, once she is tortured, and once she watches her sisters hurt in front of her eyes. Oh, she would speak soon. "Tell me, to where did your other sister orb? Who is she getting help from?"

Kate stared into the demon's eyes, maintaining a stubborn silence. How was she supposed to know where Lucy was? She didn't even know if her sister was alive, let alone where she was. She couldn't believe that the demon was asking her anyway. Apparently powerful, why didn't she just scry for Lucy? Not that Kate wanted that. She was furious. Let that bitch touch one hair of my sister's heads and...

The demon watched Kate's steadfast eyes. She felt a hatred towards this witch who had made her disgracefully fly through the air to crash into a table back at the witch's home when she attacked. Her dignity was lost with this girl, but not for long. She would make the witch wish for death. "Speak to me and tell me, or you shall suffer!"

Still, Kate said nothing, though she was visibly trembling with anger. Nothing was going to give this demon satisfaction. Kate would not allow it.

Lynxe watched the girl's eyes, searching for the tiniest sign of defeat. But they showed nothing but a stone-like resistance. "Foolish," the demon breathed, making as though she was going to turn around and return to the dead demon behind her. But her anger got the better of her and she swung around and slapped Kate across the face as hard as she could muster. The force of the blow swung Kate's head to the side, causing her to gasp slightly in pain. Breathing heavily and trying to ignore her stinging cheek, Kate turned her head back to face the demon, still saying nothing.

Lynxe leaned down so that her eyes were level to Kate's and their noses were inches apart. "It's no wonder they call you the Quiet One. I can see that you will not speak to me at the moment. But what if you watched your sisters suffering? Yes, you will talk eventually and tell me where your youngest sister is too. You will have no choice. The life of your sisters will depend on your cooperation. Think on that!"

"I wouldn't tell scum like you the time of day!" Spat Kate, her anger bubbling beyond control.

The female demon's eyes flicked quickly toward the demon holding onto one of Kate's arms and she nodded slightly. He swung his rod in a quick, sharp blow across the back of the girl's head. A quiet sigh escaped Kate's lips as she sunk back into unconsciousness and went limp. Motioning to the guards, Lynxe stood watching them drag the witch away. What a frustrating interrogation. Were all the witches as stubborn as this one? Or was the Quiet One just daft? Lynxe spat contemptuously on the floor where Kate had been held moments before and snapped at her prisoner's still form being pulled along the corridor, "You'll be screaming for me to kill you before I'm done with you, witch! You will watch your sisters suffer and die as I torture them for information. You will talk! You will all talk!"