For those of you who asked about Cinder's eyes, I never directly mentioned their color, but repeatedly described them as "flaming" or "burning". Maybe it could've used some heavier foreshadowing.
12. Give Up Fighting
"Cin...der? Who are you? Where's my sister?"
"Don't worry, she's somewhere safe. You'll see her soon enough." The raven-haired woman smiled twistedly, savoring every syllable of her lie.
Weiss recoiled at the other's tone, backing away to escape the grasp of that new and untrustworthy sorceress.
"Why should I trust you?" She had spent her life feeling used, knowing she was seen only as powerful merchandise, so the telltale signs were evident. She didn't know how, but that woman intended to use her as a disposable tool.
Once again, Cinder laughed loudly. She snapped her fingers, and a score of fiery rope materialized, binding the younger witch's wrists together. Weiss felt the flames burning into her skin, and focused her power in snuffing them out with ice, only to find her energy lacking. Whatever those shackles were, they drained her ability to perform magic, limiting her to a mere cold aura around the binds, to protect her from burning.
Eyes wide in panic, she backed out more, until her back hit the wall of the cave. Cinder, who had kept up the pressure by matching her every step, leaned over and pressed her arms on the rock behind her. She could feel the woman's heat emanating from her skin, the body just shy of touching hers. It would've been seductive, were it not for the fact that the elder magic-wielder was practically threatening her physically.
The offender then moved her head so that her lips were as close as humanly possible to the girl's ear, and whispered in a low voice.
"Are you going to be a good girl, or do I have to discipline you?"
Her whole body shivered. She didn't want to be disciplined. She didn't want the woman's breath on the side of her face or her body so close to hers. She didn't want that woman touching her, or being anywhere near her. She felt like vomiting just at the thought, and she opened her mouth to scream, to beg for someone to come save her from that vile thing which insisted on tormenting her. She looked around the room in search of anyone, and what she found was nothing but a painful reminder.
She saw Ruby, Yang and Penny, frozen in place, unable to act on or even understand what was happening before them. They had no reason to help her, not after what she had done. They were simply a memento of how alone she was in the world. She would die at the hands of that disgusting madwoman, and the audience would do nothing. Why would they? She had brought them nothing but pain.
"If you behave, maybe I'll let you see dear Winter alive."
"What... what have you done to her?"
"Nothing yet. I was hoping she'd lead me to you, and now here you are, ready to join big sis in my dungeon."
She felt like crying, like crumbling into a sobbing mess in the face of that insurmountable peril. Without her magic she was utterly helpless, just a powerless quivering girl.
She remained firm, however, like the proud Schnee she was. Her family name had once meant something to her, all those years ago before being sent away to that forsaken village. She was part of a lineage of spellcasters, like her sister Winter, and in that war-ravaged world magic meant power. Those of power couldn't be seen displaying weakness, and risk giving the populace ideas of equal standing and retaliation. That was the reason they hid behind curtains and far-off voices, to create an aura of mysticism and awe that would prevent any backstabbing.
"Good. Now let's go."
Weiss felt her wrists being dragged forward, as if pulled on by an invisible rope, and moved her legs to keep up with the momentum. She was guided until the three girls who were yet immobile from both shock and confusion. Ruby, in particular, looked impatient. There was no pity in her silver eyes, because she didn't care what happened to Weiss, the one responsible for everything that had happened to them. No, instead she appeared to be itching for that ordeal to end, and to finally see her friend restored to normal.
"She's coming with us." Cinder pointed at Penny as she spoke, making the ginger take a fearful step back.
"But you said-" The huntress voiced her indignation, but the witch interrupted it with a dry tone.
"I know what I said, that doesn't mean I was telling the truth. In fact, I could kill you right here and now, but I won't because I appreciate what you did for me. That's all the payment you'll get for your services, and I'd even call that generous."
"You can't just take her!" Yang took her turn to display her anger.
"I can and I will. Let me put it this way: the girl will be alive and safe as long as she's with me. You can't promise the same, so all in all I'm doing her a favor."
"Can you... can you please stop talking like I'm not here?"
All eyes turned to the former statue.
"What will you do to me?"
"I will study you, stone come to life isn´t an easy feat and I wish to know how to do it." The answer was far simpler than any of them expected, not even tainted by malice.
"LIKE HELL YOU W-"
"Ruby, it's okay." Penny placed a hand upon the shoulder of her friend, ceasing her yelling. The redhead appeared calm, not at all afraid. "Don't fight this."
The young archer look at the girl with betrayal in her silver eyes.
"Do you want to go with her?"
"I... No! But what do you think will happen if you struggle? I'll be forced to go anyway, and you... I can't allow what happened to Blake to repeat itself." The red-hooded girl flinched at the mentioned of the fallen lycan.
"Listen to her, Rose. She's being quite reasonable."
Ruby ignored Cinder, still staring at her friend. She didn't understand why Penny would be so willing to leave her, to live the rest of their lives apart.
"Please, Ruby. Let me go. I'm not really your friend if I don't do this. You and Yang helped me and protected me so much already, now it's my turn"
"Penny..." Tears were beginning to flow out of her reddened eyes.
"I need to know you're safe. And besides, we won't really be apart, will we?"
Weiss caught on to a glimpse of understanding from the huntress, but as hard as she tried she couldn't piece what it was that fueled it. If the fire sorceress was as dangerous as it would appear, those two would never see each other alive again. In the end she decided that the girls were probably just talking about foolish notions of bonds that transcend distance, after all Ruby had always possessed a flair for lameness.
She saw Cinder rolling her eyes impatiently as the two girls hugged goodbye, shedding the final tears, and then as Yang joined in, crushing them both together. The ivory witch wondered why her captor was being so lenient with the emotional farewells, but she uttered no word over it, and so no answer presented itself.
She was dragged out of the cave, and along with the former statue, they began their long march towards the terrifying unknown.
By the time their voyage was coming to a close, Penny wasn't even able to walk on her own anymore. The cane had turned out not to be enough, as the disease had overtaken almost the entirety of her legs, and all she could do was drag them helplessly through the way.
Cinder had forced Weiss to help carry the fading girl, since otherwise they wouldn't be able to advance at all, and that meant releasing her shackled hands. She could still feel the invisible handcuffs around her wrists, pushing against her skin and restraining her magic, but being able to move freely was undeniably a victory. Not that having a heavy stone-like body hanging by her shoulder was the most freeing of situations, yet the added flexibility allowed her to subtly test the limits of her powerlessness. Despite the lock on her spellcasting, there was still a little bit of energy flowing through her, probably left untouched by her captor just so she could survive the eventuality of a surprise attack. She would still be too weak to actually fight back, and most of that power was currently being spent supporting Penny's weight.
She pitied the redheaded girl. Seeing one's end creeping closer and closer, every second passed only further sealing her demise. There was nothing she could do about it, her fate resting in cruel hands of providence. It was a suffering Weiss could understand, being alone and deprived of a choice, or means to create one. Power and freedom might not always go hand in hand, but she knew a pain of the sort, and did not desire it on anyone.
It had been years since her family had sent her off to some secluded village in the middle of nowhere. At first, the young witch had taken that responsibility with pride, the chance to make a difference, apply all her knowledge to practice. Soon after, she began realizing that she wasn't there to help, all she had were petty and unimportant matters, facilitating the lives of people she didn't care for. It was a prison, a far-off cell from where she could not bother anyone. She could've escaped, but where would she go? She had nowhere where she was wanted; her family clearly hated her, since they'd hidden her away from sight. So she elected to stay, hoping that one day it would all be explained, and her strife be filled with meaning. And time after time, nothing came, and her bitterness only seeped further into her heart. She hated those people, who refused to acknowledge her as an actual human, treating her as only a tool. She hated her family for putting her through with all that. She hated Rose, the girl who suffered just like her, but refused to give in to the pain.
Now all of it felt pointless, all her rage and desire for power, it had reaped no rewards. Instead, she would be dead soon, and her entire life had been for naught.
They arrived, but Weiss didn't find the strength to react. What was the point? She wouldn't be alive for long anyway.
It was a beautiful villa on a cliffside, a house fit for a king. They were completely silent as they entered, not even Cinder said a word. Hospitality hadn't been on the menu from the start. The building was quiet, apart from one single figure who ran through the hallway at the sight of them.
"Cinder, you're back!"
"Mercury. Where's your partner?" The host scowled menacingly at the grey-haired boy, who responded with a solemn expression of his own. He was more than likely accustomed to the forceful nature of his employer.
"I don't..." He began answering, but was interrupted by a frail laughter. Weiss turned to Penny, as did the other two, in hopes of finding out what she thought was so funny.
"You're looking for... Emerald, right? She's dead. I killed her."
Mercury's face twisted monstrously and he jumped at her, but before he could reach the target, his body was thrown violently against the wall. Cinder looked directly at his eyes, and made a disapproving hum.
"And what exactly do you think you're doing?"
"She killed Em! She deserves to die!"
"If you wanted that fool to survive, maybe you should have protected her, no? I sent you two idiots on a simple mission, and you not only spectacularly failed, but Emerald even managed to be killed? Maybe I should do the same to you, so you'll stop disappointing me."
His eyes widened in realization. She was not forgiving, and he had failed her.
"Oh don't worry, dear. I won't kill you yet. You can still be useful to me. Now be a good pet and escort our guest to the dungeon." She smiled, and he was released from the grip holding him against the wall.
Without another word, the raven-haired sorceress took off, leaving them on their own. Mercury motioned for the two girls to follow him, and walked to a nearby door. Inside was a flight of stairs, descending into darkness. He trailed ahead, and at the end opened a door, pointing at the inside. She took a step towards shadowy room, grabbing Penny with her, and entered the dungeon.
Weiss heard the door shutting itself behind them, and navigated blindly through the darkness before finding a seemingly desolate corner and easing the redhead onto the floor. Penny groaned a thank you, and she left her behind to try to assess their situation, now that her eyes were adjusted to the lack of light in the environment.
The dungeon appeared to be a large room carved into the bedrock of the hill, rough and unpolished walls vaguely shaping a massive cell, which could easily house tens of prisoners. There were a few buckets hidden away in one corner, and though she did not approach them she knew what was in them, and shallow barrels scattered throughout for a purpose she did not understand. Lastly, she saw a handful of people sitting on the floor, broken and defeated looks on their faces, so despair-ridden that they didn't even bother to glance at the newcomers. She began trying to count how many other prisoners there were, but was almost immediately interrupted by a voice calling out to her.
"Weiss?"
She turned to face the sound, and saw a tall woman walking up to her. Taking a preemptive step back, she prepared for the worse, but a pair of hands still made their way to her face, touching it softly. Now up close, she saw icy blue eyes staring back at her.
"Weiss, is that really you?"
"Winter?"
The two embraced, and she forsook the fight against her feelings, allowing tears to freely pour out. After all that time, it was rewarding to find a familiar face amidst that catastrophe, even if they hadn't seen each other in years.
"I can't believe it's really you."
Weiss couldn't believe it either; neither could she believe the state in which her sister was in. She couldn't even begin to imagine how long the woman had been imprisoned there, but the effects were clear. The once proud Winter Schnee was now nothing more than a shadow of her former self. She too appeared to have been deprived of her magic, and was struggling to keep up the illusion of immaculate appearance she used to be a master of.
Letting go of the hug, they both sat on the floor, awkwardly staring at each other. Too much time had passed for them to be comfortable with each other as siblings ought to. However, in that pitiful and hopeless place, Weiss failed to feel the contempt she expected to. That was not the situation she had envisioned being reunited with her family in, and the carefully rehearsed speech she had prepared for the occasion, filled with anger and shouting, slipped from her mind.
"I'm so sorry, Weiss. I tried to keep her from getting to you, but..."
"Who is she?"
"Cinder Fall. A witch who found an old forbidden ritual to steal our ability to channel magic, enhancing her power in the process. She's been around for years, being a nuisance, but none of us thought she was that much of a threat until... well, until it was too late." There was but a drop of bitterness in her words, her speech mostly clouded in defeat.
"But how long does she intent to keep us here?"
"I don't know. Most other sorceresses I met were here only a couple of days before she killed them, but I've been here for... I don't even know how long anymore."
"Why? Does it have anything to do with... our family?"
"I assume so. Magicians don't usually have children, so it's uncommon for this power to be hereditary, like it is for us. That might change something in her plan, I don't know."
She quietly reflected on those new pieces of information, wondering what it would mean for their future. She very much wanted to escape, but try as she might, she wasn't managing to find a breach in Cinder's defenses. They couldn't even send a message to the outside asking for help, not that anyone would want to rescue them.
"We tried to send you away where she could never find you, but in the end I guess it didn't matter." Weiss was caught off-guard by that confession, and struggled to make sense of it.
"What do you mean? Was that... was that why you and father sent me to that far-off village?"
"We wanted you to be safe, while we took care of this mess. I was going to get you once it was over, but she... father is dead, Weiss."
She forced a scowl onto her lips, but it was fake. It had been too long; years since they'd sent her away. She had long since given up on the stern man.
"So, what's the plan? How do we get out?"
The older woman answered with a tired look.
"There's no plan. There's no way out. Trust me, I've tried everything. All we can do is sit here and await the day she finally decides to kill us."
Weiss swallowed dryly at those words, at the despair and resignation within them. The imprisoned sorceress had decided to give up fighting, that the effort was no longer worth it. It was such a far cry from the unyielding woman she remembered from the past. Despite having lost faith in her father, a part of her never forgot the memory of her sister, a woman who was harsh but caring and tender. That thing was not her sister.
Feeling utterly sick, she grew silent, forcing the conversation to die down. Soon, Winter succumbed to her exhaustion and drifted to sleep, but she was not yet ready to be broken. She was determined to find a way to escape, even with her diminished powers, the reunion with her sibling only further enhancing her conviction. But first, she decided to check on Penny. It was her fault the girl was both imprisoned and dying, and there was a tinge of guilt poking at her head. She had attacked the statue and her friends due to a thirst for power, but as it turned out that power served only to her downfall.
She got up and dusted off her dress, which was probably nowhere near white anymore, before walking up to where she had left the ginger. Penny was hiding beneath two barrels, and she appeared to be mumbling something. The witch stopped for a second trying to make sense of the babble but the volume was too low to understand. The disease had to have begun spreading to her head if she was now talking to herself. If that was the case, she was already beyond help.
As Weiss moved around the barrier, she became even more confused. The girl was kneeling down, talking to a stone laid on the floor.
"..I'm scared."
"What are you doing?"
Penny jerked her head violently, and shuffled what strength her body still to try to cover the red stone in front of her.
"What is that?"
She received no answer from the girl, but instead another voice was heard, seemingly coming from the gem.
"Penny, is something wrong?"
"Is that..." Her pale blue eyes widened with sudden realization. "Is that Rose?"
Penny swallowed dryly, and crawled away, allowing her passage. Upon closer inspection, she saw an image emitting from the stone, shaping Ruby's face out of thin air.
"Oh. It's you." The huntress didn't even bother to mask her displeasure.
"You can talk to her? When were you going to tell me about this, you dolt?" She directed her reprimanding tone at the former sculpture, who still looked terrified.
"You tried to kill us... Why would I?"
"Why? Because this is our key out of this place! A magic object that Cinder doesn't know about!"
"Really? How?"
"If this transmits two ways, I can use it to send a pulse that can guide your friends to where we are, like a compass. Even with my magic tamed, it shouldn't be a problem."
"And why should I trust you?" Weiss turn to look at the image of the dark-haired archer, who had spoken. She seemed cautious, but it was clear there was a spark of hope in her silver eyes.
"Because I'm your only hope of seeing Penny ever again."
Writer's block and I still end up making this the third longest chapter in the story. Anyway, how did you like it? We're really close to the end now.
Oh, and if anyone's interested, /r/RWBY hosts a Fanfic Bookclub, and next Tuesday (16th) will be about The Girl Made of Marble, which is very exciting. Go over there if you want to discuss the story. I originally wanted to have this one finished by then, but sadly life doesn't always go as planned.