I tug until blood streams from my wrists, it might be useless but I can’t sit here and do nothing. Once the pain is too much, and I start to see the bone of my wrist, I stop and sit back down. I focus on that glass wall in my mind, keeping me from the power that lives inside of me. What was thin and almost broken before is rebuilt, thicker than ever. Whatever that black sludge was they injected me with has put me even further from my powers than I was to start with.
I swear to the fates, and anyone else listening, I will kill them fucking all.
A tear runs down my face. I’m fucking crying again, which just pisses me off even more all over again. Fallon is sleeping, which is good, because from what I can see, she’s going to take a while to heal. I hate that I was passed out through it. I might not have been able to stop it, but I could’ve been there with her. Giving her whatever I could by being with her, but I failed her.
Again.
I bang my head on the wall behind me and close my eyes.
Kain, can you hear me?
The words bounce around inside my head, never leaving down the thread to him, but I try it again and again, hoping that someone will be able to hear me.
I’ve never been this cut off before, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again.
The lights are back to being permanently on. My eyes sting as they stream from how bright it always is in here at the minute. Fallon looks sick. She’s started healing, which tells me it’s been at least a day or two since Nevin was in here last, but they’ve not fed her either. She drank the bottle of water, even though I told her not to. It’s like she can’t hear me when that fog is clouding over her.
I don’t know how to help her, and that pisses me off almost as much as not knowing how the fuck to get us out of this mess. I hate sitting and waiting like the goddamn damsel, waiting for someone else to rescue me, but if I can’t access my powers soon, then that’s all I’ve got. Luckily, I’m a girl who has more than a few dark knights.
The downside is I don’t know if they even know where I am, and I don’t know what’s waiting for them outside of this room.
I shake my head, I don’t want to think about that right now. It’s only going to end badly. No, I need to focus on trying to get out of here, and on Fallon. She needs me more than anyone else right now.
“Fallon,” I whisper. Mainly because I know there’s someone outside of our door, the shadow from the very small slither of light underneath it, it's obvious someone is pacing. If only that someone would come in here and fucking help. I sigh, and turn my attention back to Fallon.
She’s asleep, but I’m hoping she’ll wake without the fog. It's when I got some sense out of her last time. “Fallon!”
She jolts and her eyes open, clear, but sad. I’ll take clear though, clear is better than foggy. “Thank the fates, you’re awake.”
“Everything hurts, Remy,” she hisses as she pushes herself into a sitting position, whimpering when she touches her face. The desire to pummel Nevin grabs me by the throat again.
“I know it does. Do you remember what happened?”
She nods, and a tear slips down her face. She wipes it away hastily, and that steel returns to her eyes. That’s my Fallon.
“They’re going to pay for this shit.” Her words are as cold as her eyes, but I couldn’t agree more.
“They are. But first, we need to work out how to get out of here. Do you remember anything from before?”
She sits silently, but I can tell she’s trying to think. I imagine the pain isn’t making it that easy, but Fallon has always been strong.
“We’re not that far from home. Just further north and inland a bit. This place is warded to the fucking high heavens, but it’s also a twisted zone. The wards had to go on in the forest around this place, because magic doesn’t work normally here. It’s why they picked it, so that if anyone attacks, then they have the upper hand, because they know magic works differently. It’s limited, dulled almost. The only reason they’re keeping us drugged, is because they don’t know if it will affect you differently, because well, you’re you. And me… I think it helps the hold they have on me. It’s like they have a door into my mind. I’m holding it shut right now, but even with them not here, it’s like a battering ram on the other side of it, trying to bust through.”
I let out a deep breath. This is so fucked up.
“So, there’s no way to access any of our power?” I ask, my heart already sinking because really, I know the answer.
“Not while they’re doing what they’re doing,” she says, shaking her head softly. “They’re trying to get back into my head, Remy. So I’ll try to be quick, there's a back way in, there’s tunnels underneath this entire place. A river to the south has one of the entrances. If you can get out, that’s the safest and quickest way.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you, Fallon,” I tell her vehemently.
“Remy, if you get a chance to save yourself do it. If you take me, and I’m still like this, they’ll make me hurt you, and I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.” She sighs. “I love you, please just remember that.”
The last word slips out, and she starts to shake as if she’s seizing, fighting the hold they have on her. She stills after a few seconds and then sits back up, her eyes foggy again, but she smiles at me. It’s so fucking eerie it makes me shiver.
“Better luck next time, Amantara.”
I blink at her, because the voice that comes out of her is not her own. Not even close. But it does answer one question. Gabriel is the one with the hold over her. Only he could sound so creepy and gleeful all at once.
I just need to work out how the fuck he’s doing it so I can work out how to undo whatever it is he’s done to her. If I can do that, and I can find a way to get to those tunnels, I can get us out of here.
“Hey!” I shout as loud as I can muster. I scream until I’m almost hoarse, but finally someone opens the door. A small woman walks in, she looks meek as could be, but looks can be deceiving.
“At last. My friend needs to eat. If she doesn’t eat soon, she’s going to die,” I tell the woman, whose eyes go round at my words. “I’m guessing people dying before they’re meant to can’t be good for business.” Her panicked gaze bounces between Fallon and I before she scurries away, the door closing behind her.
That should sort one thing at least. If she’s fed, she’ll heal quicker, and maybe I’ll get my friend back quicker, just so long as they don’t feel the need to drug her food too. If only there was a simple way to break the hold Gabriel has on her, but I don’t even know how he got that hold, so I’m fucked for now on that one.
The woman reappears with a tray in her hands. She places a cup and plate down in front of me with a sandwich, a pudding cup and some chips on, then puts the same in front of Fallon before scurrying away. There's even a plastic spoon on the plate. It’s not much, but I stash it away because even the smallest thing might end up being useful.
Fallon eats robotically, it's the strangest thing. I pass her my sandwich and cup of water too. I’m not going to risk it. But I check the pudding cup over and it doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with, so I eat it slowly. My stomach growls at finally getting some food, it’s not enough. But it has to be for now.