Boots echoed across the marble.
He was circling her, like a hunter preparing to devour his prey. One step towards his target and, when he returned, his claws were shining scarlet.
"How dare you!"
The moon gleamed though the window, revealing nine shadows, still too dark to be recognized, aligned at the wall, hands and feet bound with rope, trying to break free of their bounds, to no avail.
"Hah, what'cha gonna do to stop me?"
Her wings were open, gleaming white, stained red, two spears holding them in place, piercing the flesh in a grotesque crucifiction, her hands shackled up, hanging from the roof, barely clothed, blood all over. She stood there in the middle of the room, chin up, defiance in her eyes, and thought the pain, spitted in his direction. So typical of her.
"Now, birdie, be nice and sing for me."
Lunging forward, he dived one hand in her left shoulder, claws united as one, sinking his talons in flesh. She screwed her eyes, drew back her head, barely holding the scream that, after all, left her throat.
Satisfied, he stepped back, blood flowing from his hand and the wound it caused.
"Will you speak now?"
She was wounded. Beaten. Probably raped. And yet, her laugh resonated, a bit forced, but still defiant nonetheless, in that sweet tone that always cheered me. It didn't bode well for the torturer. His eyes flared to life, scarlet red, the body trembling in barely contained rage.
"C'mon. I know you want to. Do what you desire. You said I was yours. Are you scared? "
Her teasing had a strange effect. Instead of lunging forward, taking the life out of that body, he stopped. No tremor, no red light, he just stood there. Then a mocking laughter, short but sound, escaped him, and he turned and grabbed her back, pushing the body towards him, so now they stood face to face.
"Begging for mercy?"
"Never."
"You're defiant. I like that. When I'll finish with you, you'd wish I granted you death's mercy."
"So smug. "
"Still tempting fate, I see? May this be a lesson for you, pigeons, of how we're taking care of unexpected guests."
She struggled once, twice in her shackles and with a 'tsk', he approached her again, her screams and his laughter breaking the silence.
Pain.
The moment I became conscious, it was the first thing I felt. My arms hurt. My wrists hurt. My legs hurt. My spine felt wrenched out of place. When I tried to move it, I found out my neck burned. My body burned, nerves scraped raw, and the only reason that came to mind was that I had a nasty fever.
The nightmare distracted me for a second, but I quickly deemed it unimportant, for dreams were only dreams and nothing more. Probably just a disturbance in my magic that, at the moment, was slowly but continuously flowing in my veins, pure, untainted, but dangerously low for my health.
The pain was strong, yes, but not unbearable. I tried to move my hand, slowly, but it gave no response, no muscle twitched. I tried again, this time only with my other hand, only to receive the same response, so I gave up for the moment. After all, sick people shouldn't try to move. Something wet and cold pressed my forehead. What, I couldn't recognise for the moment being. My back wasn't resting on the soft bed of my apartment. Behind my closed eyelids there was no light, no warm feeling gifted by the sun for Aion's white children.
Then the events of the last days dawned upon me. The dredgion, balaur generals, poison, Asmodians, black and blue armor, meteors, a firecamp, all clashed in, and with a tremor I realized the multitude of possibilities. Hundreds of reasons for the pain.
Panic rose in the depths of my chest, swelling like a balloon being slowly inflated until I was sure it would burst and a scream would tore my lungs. Only it never came.
Was I dead? Dreaming?
No. It was too vivid for all this to be a dream.
I tried to calm down. After all, it was irrational. They promised to help, right? How could I be so foolish to fall in their trap, they were the enemy! Their word meant nothing. A chuckle escaped my mouth and then came the realization that I could, indeed, use my mouth. I tried to open my eyes and, to my utter surprise, they listened. I was now staring at the rood of a tent, one meter above, if I were to judge the distance. I tried to move my neck but, unfortunately, it didn't listen. I looked around as much as I could, spotting an opening in the left wall. I could scarcely see the blackness of the abyss and…something else? A blue spot, or was it black? Hard to tell. Then voices brought me out of wonder, molten silk and rough sandpaper, arguing over a problem that was, for the moment, out of my reach.
"What do you mean? That's hard to believe."
"I know, I know. But the circumstances are strange to say the least."
"Indeed. You think they were preparing an assault?"
"Possible."
"Unless they were sent to capture us. Don't look like that! It would explain their actions."
"It doesn't explain how they knew exactly the place, exactly the time to strike."
"Their numbers, too. If those were assigned to capture us, by now we would be surrounded by pigeons in that shiny hell they call home. Unless they underestimated us, and the girl's condition still doesn't have an explanation. They are playing with us. "
"Don't they always? It's the sadistic pleasure of their cursed leaders. That's why we should've killed them on sight."
"I needn't remind you that I don't approve of their presence either. But they might be of some use later on. Don't be so ruthless."
"Go and check the girl, then! You didn't look at her for hours."
A deep sigh from the silken voice.
"You realize Denel is still hurt, don't you?"
"He's on our side, fine and all. She isn't. Your dear Elbeth will take care of him. What if their reinforcements come in the meantime? We need to watch those two constantly. They're our bargaining chip."
"Fine. Come with me. "
I heard two pairs of steps coming to the door of the tent. So the Assassin decided to pay me a visit, too. What was his name? Maebin? I wasn't ready to face them, the memory of the nightmare still raw, so I decided to close my eyes and play along.
I didn't have to wait long. Just as I shut my eyes and relaxed, the duo entered the tent. One of them, probably the Chanter, came next to the bed,followed by the Assasin. I felt claws barely touching my face, one hand removing the cold object from my forehead, the other probably checking for fever. I was never touched by an Asmodian before. I felt their weapons, died of them many times, sure, but never touched them. My body tensed in response to the touch. It was cold, yet alive, smooth and soft, but I knew how sharp they could be, images from the nightmare still lingering in my mind.
"Shhh. Calm down. Relax. It's ok."
His silken whispers reached me, and as much as I feared them, I couldn't deny it felt good to hear his voice. I tried to relax, and my muscles responded, just a little, but they did, and it felt good to regain my body, even if only a little.
"Her body rejects a foreign touch, even when the conscious is asleep, but the unconscious responds to my voice. Strange"
He left what probably was a wet cloth in a nearby basin, a few drops reaching my face. His hand quickly moved to my chest. The other one gently grabbed my hand. Then, in a swift motion, he pressed my lungs, forcing the air out of my body. It was painful and it hurt my lungs, making them burn. I hoped he'll end this, but as I quickly took a breath, his hand lifted for a moment, only to press again seconds later.
"If you kill her, it's your fault."
So they intended to keep me alive, after all. All good until now.
"The fever is affecting her lungs. Doing this, I make sure she draws a full breath, forcing the heated air to leave all at once, not in short and quick breath. It should be ok."
Oh. So that's why he did it. Well, at least he stopped forcing my lungs, moving his claw to my neck, searching for a pulse. I idly wondered how they checked the pulse with talons.
"She looks so pale. So fragile. So nice."
"Having wild dreams? Raping her would hardly be conductive to the plan."
"Don't deny you don't want the same. They may be cowardly bastards, but you must give them at least that. Their females look good."
"I'm sorry if I'm not a slut, Maebin. You have Raenis to warm your bed. Why not sharing your wild dreams with her instead?"
"Don't stick your nose in things that you don't know. Is the gladiator still asleep?"
A few steps at my left indicated Ahn's possible location.
"In a deep slumber he is. Your girl made a good charm. Speaking of, he seemed to cooperate with us back then. One of the most civil pigeons I saw."
"They all seem that way. But don't hold your expectations too high. He knew our tongue. These two must be high ranked spies or something. "
I heard the poor healer sigh in regret.
That conversation left me speechless. Was the nightmare a premonition of what has yet to come? For a few moments, there was only silence, and I burned to know what was happening.
"Stop staring! Make yourself useful, for once, and ask Denel for a water spirit. We need more water."
"You want to drown her now?"
"She's asleep for almost a day already. The water will help the body heal. The sooner she gets up, the sooner we will have our answers. "
"Fine."
And with that, he left. I wasn't going to let them take advantage of my weakness. It was the time to return to the world of living. I couldn't let them know I was awake and listening. Fortunately, I needn't to fake it. I was too weak for all this. So I opened my eyes and said the first thing that came to mind, trying to seem as confused as I could.
"W-water."
"Hmm. So you're awake at last. What took you so long?"
"Who a-are you?"
To show his identity, he traced one claw on my naked arm. Now that I thought about it, my robe was sleeveless, long to my knees, cut in three places to allow movement. If you ask me, it looked a bit slutty, but…who was I against all the children of Elysea? Back to the present.
"No way. Y-you can't be…"
"Maebin, where the hell ARE YOU?"
"Coming!"
He broke in, something in his hands. I couldn't see exactly what. My neck was still stuck. I barely saw him, after all.
"Get up."
I had no reason to lie at that moment.
"I c-can't."
He placed a hand on my head, the other one on my back, and tried to lift me in a sitting position. It was an easy task, I was slender and didn't weight too much. Moon always warned me that I spent too much reading. But that's why I was a Sorcerer, so in my free time, I often forgot to eat, lost in the arcane knowledge of the tomes. He was gentle, moving me slowly. However, my back gave out. I cried in pain.
"Oh, stop complaining! Be grateful that you still live. Maebin, leave the water down and come help. Hold her."
After the Assassin did as asked, Haradion took something from a pocket I didn't knew of, not sure what, and pressed it on my lower back. Then he started chanting and…the pain seemed to ease. His Aether was cool, like a spring breeze, pleasant.
"Better?"
"Yes. But w-why…"
"I'm glad. Now, if you please, give me the bottle."
"Why did you do that?"
I wasn't blabbering anymore? Great.
"Don't try to speak. Why did you let yourself captured? You saw the trap."
"Wh-what?"
"The one on my cube. Shut up and try to drink."
He pressed a bottle to my lips, full with water. I didn't eat or drink since we infiltrated the dredgion. It felt so good, cool and refreshing. Looking back then, I was foolish. I didn't stop to think if the water was poisoned, if it was safe. Before I knew it, I finished the bottle. My neck didn't burn so much now. I tried to turn a little to my left and, for the first time since I fell to the poison, it actually worked.
"Stop moving. You don't want to return to sleep, do you?"
I knew I should've warned Ahn about the cube traps. After all, I always used one on my own. But on the other side, he was a seasoned fighter. He should've known it, too. I guess we were both fooled. The Assassin was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go?
"About my identity earlier, I'm Haradion. Your friend was very secretive about both of you. We barely got his name."
So typical of Ahnek. It still brought a smile on my face, anyway. But wait…they tortured him? I tried to get up as fast as I could, but the Chanter saw the attempt, got both my wrists and pinned them above my head. Moon was right. I had to exercise more. No matter how I struggled, his vice grip was strong as steel.
"You bastards, what did you do with him?
"Huh? Look on your left."
I risked a glance and, there, in the small space between the wall and my makeshift bed, on a similar, lower level resided a sleeping Ahnek. His hands and feet were bound with rope but, besides that, he seemed fine, just deep asleep. Of course, both our weapons were removed, but the armors were still there. At his neck, a strange, star shaped pendant was throwing a dark light around it.
"He's okay, don't worry. Just under a sleeping spell. The effects of the poison took their toll on him a bit later on. It wasn't much of a fight to capture him."
Poison? Ahnek was a melee type. How the hell did he get poisoned? But more important, I was now sure of our safety, for the moment being. He was alive, I was alive, and I intended to keep it that way.
"What do you want?"
"Excuse me?"
"I asked, what do you want? You spared our lives. You healed us. What's the reason behind this?"
"So eager to find out, aren't you? As you wish. But first, I want to make sure everyone is present. You're quite a rare sight."
"Stop playing games. I am nobody's fool."
Right after I said that…
"Maybe your cube will prove to be useful, after all."
My what? Now that I knew about it, my left hip seemed lighter. A small check and indeed, my marble cube was gone. Ahnek's cube was probably taken, too.
"Give it back!"
"Give me one good reason to do that."
"Because….because you don't know the key!"
A small curse was always placed on my personal things. To open them safely, you needed a key. A personal key known only by me.
"Here you're coming in. Maybe we can make a bargain."
"With your kind? Never!"
He sighed. Again.
"Show us all its content and you can have it back."
A deal? With him? I wanted my cube back, but... A short memory revision of my cube's content and I realized the first flaw. One day before we embarked on the dredgion, I received a message from Moon, clearly stating the place and time of the Assault. While that information wasn't important, on the note the names of my fellow team mates were all there, along with our legion's seal. It stated several names of Elyos commanders and some basic information about Termirion, our meeting point. Did that information worth my cube?
"Why are you so interested in my cube, Asmodian?"
"You're kidding, right? You stole one of our weapons!"
We did? Ah, the bow!
"Your fault if you didn't take care of them."
"My patience is at stake, pigeon. Either you open it or we destroy it, it's going to be opened anyway. It's your choice how we'll do it."
When he put it that way….
"And I have your word you will give it back?"
"I, Haradion Daenir, Chanter of Chaos, give you my word. I will keep my part. Now will you stop struggling?"
"So you can tie me up?"
"Exactly."
I did as he said, conscious that collaboration meant life, and as soon as I stopped jerking around, he released my wrists. By now, it was clear that any attempt at escape was useless. So while I was calculating the possibilities for the situation, he pulled a rope from a hidden pocket and proceeded to tie my wrists and ankles up.
"Be careful!"
"Oh, shut up! I may have the patience to deal with your whims, but Maebin is not even half as patient. Maybe he was right. Maybe we should've killed you on sight."
I still remembered their conversation. Why not use it to my advantage? The Asmodian mockery from earlier still annoyed me.
"If you would've killed us, then our enforcements would torture you instead of killing on spot. Be careful. You wouldn't want to lose your precious bargaining chip, would you?"
"How dare you, you…"
Just as he was about to shout some obscenities in Asmoth, his eyes flashing crimson, he froze. Like, literally stopped and stood there a few seconds, probably thinking about the best course of action. After that, he got up from above me and, assuring the ropes will hold, took me over like a statue, one hand on my back, another under the knees, wearing a neutral expression on his face, like he carried a sack of potatoes. What the hell? He's the second one to do that!
"Stop struggling!"
"Put me down then!"
Even if my struggling was in vain, I had to keep my honor. No crow fools me and leaves unharmed. Of course, he didn't listen to my demand. But while I kept glaring at my capturer, a familiar voice interrupted my concentration.
"So, sweet bird, are you ready to answer?"
I had to be. Our lives depended on it.