A Tale of Revenge Ch. 09-10

Thank you new and returning readers alike! Like I said the tone is changing. Let me know how you feel about it. Be prepared for a rough few chapters. And don't say I didn't warn you.

I decided to join these next two chapters even though it makes for a longer post. Enjoy!

Ch. 9

Consciousness returned to her slowly, allowing her time to feel every pain in her body one at a time. The most pressing was the radiating throb from her temple. It felt like even her teeth ached in time with the beat of her heart, the pain was so intense. Then the pain in her shoulder called out for attention as she became aware that her hands were chained above her head, the muscles screamed after supporting the weight of her unconscious body for however long she had been there. Her legs were twisted underneath her and she couldn't tell immediately if they were also restrained. The metal collar still sat heavily around her neck, an unfamiliar and threatening weight. Voices made their way through the pain to claim her attention.

"—But I still have no access!" an angry voice was saying. "The collar has simply contained the magic within her. And more than that I have no control, as I should. It has weakened her but her body is still free to move of her own volition."

"Well, find a solution," a harder, calmer voice spoke out. "We are all curious why she attacked the soldiers. The king arrives tomorrow. See if you can get him answers by then." The heavy steps moved away from her and she heard a door close.

The owner of the angry voice started muttering to himself, shuffling around the room. Anna was sorely tempted to open her eyes and learn the identities of her captors, but the angry man's muttering got louder. And she chose to remain impassive a moment longer despite the complaints of her body.

"After all I have done. Politics, politics, politics." He continued with something intelligible before crying out in surprise. Anna managed not to jerk at the sound but she did start somewhat. "By the gods, Orlith, why do you insist on sneaking up on me every time?" the angry man snapped.

"I believe our guest is awake." The voice of the northerner sent a shock of fear through Anna as she slowly opened her eyes.

She was chained in the corner of a large tower room, the rounded walls and winds whistling through the shutters gave it away. The room was packed with tables covered in all nature of things scattered in no discernable order. The walls were lined with books, bottles, dried herbs and animal skeletons, brightly colored tapestries and glass work, stones of every conceivable mineral in all shapes and sizes, utensils of familiar use and some that looked rather ominous. In the center of the room a large fire pit that burned with an eerie green flame. This was a sorcerer's room. And the sorcerer himself stood with the northerner at the far side of the fire, both of their eyes fixed on her.

Anna was set off from the room on a low stone platform that was about knee height to someone standing before her. Her arms were secured in metal shackles almost directly to the wall above her. Her ankles, she could now see, were secured by a short length of chain bolted to the floor. Next to this bolt was a drain-way, which was crusted in dark stains sending a chill up her spine.

Her eyes returned to the pair of men in the room and she saw the northerner move around the fire so silently that she would not have known he had moved if she hadn't see him do it. The other man was a pale, skinny man whose face was narrow and pointed in a most unfortunate arrangement and topped with long white tufts of hair. The hair added to the unsettling quality about him as he did not appear old enough to own such a color. He had a sort of frantic energy about him that jarred with his appearance. He ambled over towards her as well, a gleam in his eye that she found decidedly unnerving.

Anna did her best not to pull back from them as they approached. She would not show these men her fear. The northerner eyed her; Orlith, the thin man had called him. She felt a tremor run through her, despite her attempts to suppress her fear and her weakness. It felt as though her body had been dragged from the depths of the ocean, her energy was entirely depleted in a way she had never quite experienced before.

"Welcome, welcome," the thin man said with a smile that turned her stomach. "We were beginning to think you'd never wake up." Anna made no answer. The cold collar on her neck felt oppressive. The proximity of the thin man seemed to make it chill further. "We are thrilled for you to be here," he continued. "Despite the fact that you left quite a bit of destruction in your wake."

Anna's eyes shifted to the northerner's smooth face. His expression was unreadable but his eyes were burning into hers as he held her gaze. His silence seemed more natural than hers; he could out-wait her. But still she said nothing.

"My name is Evo," the thin man said, drawing her attention back. "And we have much to discuss, starting with your name. So let's have it." His fingers moved in a strange pattern before her and she felt a bit of the strange magic inside her worm its way towards her throat, grasping at her muscles and jaw, as if to force it to move. The pressure began to burn as the icy magic clamped down on her but she refused to loosen her jaw. The pain radiated through her neck, along her skull and down her back, but the magic was slipping and finally it gave up, sliding back to its place deep inside her, guarding her magic from her reach.

"Interesting," Evo said, the gleam in his eyes undiminished. Anna breathed hard as the feeling receded. She felt nauseous again from the pain; her head was still throbbing from the blow she'd sustained. She tried to right herself against the chains, drawing her aching arms forward as she leaned her head back against the wall, only managing to rest her forearm on her head for a bit of reprieve. But the dizziness did not abate. She tried to force herself to remain present but black spots danced in front of her vision. Without thinking, she reached for her magic to heal some of her hurt, but the moment she touched the icy sphere around it she called out. Her muscles locked under her skin and for a moment she felt as though she was turning to ice. And then it was gone, and she was still in her sorry state, clinging to consciousness by a thread.

"We can't question her if she's out again." Orlith's voice sounded far away. "I may have hit her harder than intended. Can't you take care of this?"

Evo's voice came from farther away, "I don't heal. Get the Ionian from downstairs." Anna was slipping and for a brief moment all the pain was gone and she was far from the sinister room.

But then she came back to full, screaming awareness as another's magic ripped through her. She called out again as a fresh wave wrapped around her brain and squeezed, lights danced in her vision and she felt as though it was ripping through her skin. And then it was gone entirely, and so was the pain in her head and shoulder from the fight, and even the lingering soreness in her muscles from her exertion and confinement. Her vision cleared and she saw a sandy-haired man in his middle age standing before her. His face was wide and a small smile touched his lips but didn't extend past them.

"Sorry about the pain," his voice was heavily accented but deep and soothing. "I can only speed up the healing, it still—" his mouth snapped shut and his words were cut off.

"I had you heal her, not present a thesis on magic." Evo sounded at once thrilled and exasperated. Anna's eyes slipped down and saw the man was wearing a collar that looked to be the same design as the one she wore. Her eyes flew back to his and she could see him struggle though his face remained immobile. "That's all for today, Marek, go back to your room." With the command, the man's body moved away from her. Despite his casual gait, Anna knew he was not moving of his own volition.

Anna took stock of her surroundings once more. Was Evo the "he" Leena's husband had threatened her with? It seemed to make sense, given the sell-sword's uncanny familiarity with magic, that the two of them might be connected. Or was it Orlith? The man knew the soldiers, would he have known the other men who attacked the village? There must be a connection. The soldiers she had attacked were in her village, someone here must know why.

Evo was muttering to himself again. Anna focused her eyes on his movements. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. The question of her village's fate suddenly seemed a bit less pressing. What did they want from her exactly? The man who was speaking when she first woke up had mentioned answers for attacking the soldiers, or did they know about the others as well? If they found out she was from the village they had sacked, what would they do? And now it seemed this sorcerer was looking to enslave her to him as he had with the blond man, Marek.

But the king was coming. Did it really go that high? She was missing something very big. She eyed Evo again. He seemed a chatty type, one too pleased with himself to keep silent about anything for too long. She regarded her situation again. Staying silent might not be the best way to glean the information she needed.

Her thoughts were disrupted, as the northerner entered the room through the only door on the far wall from where she was bound. She suppressed the fear that shot through her when his icy blue eyes fell on hers. There was something in his gaze that unnerved her greatly. He seemed to be looking at and through her all at once. She knew at once that though Evo held the leash to her magic, this man, Orlith, would be much harder to escape.

The thought of escape brought her mind back to Dev. She hoped desperately that he had seen reason and run. If it was true that the last man had informed the others about her, they must have known about her companion as well. The two men spoke in low tones, though Evo was decidedly less careful about the volume of his voice. Orlith seemed to be trying to convince him of something but Evo was having none of it, shaking his head.

"No need, no need," he was saying as he approached Anna. "Soon enough I'll have her under control." He stood before her, a crude cup in his hand. "Drink this, now," he spoke to her, holding the cup out towards her. Anna looked at him incredulously; did he really expect her to listen? And if he did, how was she supposed to take the cup with her hands held above her head?

Evo gave her an exasperated look and stepped up onto the platform, coming close enough to move the cup towards her lips. He leaned over, a small flash of his glittering necklace peeked over his robes and made Anna sneer. Evil and vain, perfect. Anna used the tiny range of movement provided by the precious few links at her feet to slide her foot out, bringing her heel down on his foot as hard as she could before the chains brought her up short. It was enough though. The sorcerer was more surprised than hurt and stumbled back to the edge of the step, where he promptly lost balance and crashed to the floor.

Unfortunately Orlith had come up behind him, silently as ever, and grasped the cup from his hands before it too fell to the floor. Anna couldn't help but notice that he made no attempt to do the same for the man who was now at his feet.

"Would you like some assistance?" Orlith asked, his eyes trained on Anna. She once again schooled herself against drawing away from him. He'd like it and Anna was determined not to let him get any joy out of her reactions.

"Yes, yes," Evo said exasperated as he climbed to his feet, straightening his robes in a flurry of self-importance. "Make her drink it."

With one hand Orlith struck out, managing to move before Anna could mount even the barest of defenses that she had with Evo. He wrapped one arm around her head, gripping her clenched jaw with his fingers digging into her cheek. Anna tried her best to keep her mouth closed as she struggled in his grip but there was no way out. His fingers became ever more painful until her teeth parted ever so slightly. He felt it and dug in further, parting her lips with the force of his grip. He moved the cup to her upturned mouth and poured the foul smelling liquid down her throat. He then slapped his hand over her lips to keep her from expelling it.

"Hold her nose before she spits it out," he ordered Evo who jumped to obey. Anna was desperate, twisting away from their punishing hold on her into the stones at her back. Her lungs screamed at her to breathe but the foul liquid was still held in her mouth. Finally instinct overcame her will and she swallowed it in her desperation to be free to breathe.

The men released her and stepped back expectantly. Anna too waited for something terrible to take place, would this give him access to her magic? Would he control her movements as he had with Marek? But beyond a bitter metallic taste in her mouth, Anna didn't feel any change from the potion. Orlith turned to Evo in silent reprimand but the sorcerer was still looking at her greedily. His long fingers tapped against each other as he shifted his weight back and forth at a pace that made Anna feel decidedly irritated.

She was about to snap at him when a horrible feeling erupted in her chest. It felt suddenly like writhing snakes were sitting behind her breastbone, slithering outwards, crawling through her body. She bit her lip against voicing her discomfort but she couldn't keep her body from writhing as if it might free her from the sensation. The feeling quickly became a burning itch beneath her skin that threatened to drive her mad. She closed her eyes to shut out the expectant looks from the men in front of her. By doing so she was left at the mercy of the sensations inside her, which were gradually worsening until she felt as if her insides had turned into writhing, molten fire. She held in her voice but a whimper of pain escaped her. She could hear Evo trying to command her to open her eyes but she refused to even acknowledge him.

And then the writhing began to recede, the pain seemed to lessen ever so slightly. All the pain and burning seemed to be flowing out of her, out of her left arm specifically. Anna opened her eyes and looked up at her forearm where the sensations seemed to be focusing to find a long shallow cut that bled freely. Evo was drawing runes in her blood over the cut as the silvery liquid dripped from the wound.

When it was out Evo stepped back, his white eyebrows drawn together in consternation. He didn't bother binding her cut, letting the blood drip along her arm down towards her shoulder. Anna shivered in the coolness of the room. The pain was all but gone, but there was a lingering discomfort that settled over her. She suddenly desperately wanted water and swallowed despite the dryness in her mouth.

"I take it that wasn't what that was supposed to do?" Orlith asked dryly.

"No," Evo snapped. His gaze was severe, scrutinizing Anna as if she were a particularly gnarled knot that he just couldn't seem to untangle. "But fear not, there are many more ways to try." Anna visibly tensed at this, drawing an approving gaze from the northerner. He was always watching her. "Send her up. This will be a more delicate process than I anticipated."

Evo went back to his tables, muttering to himself as he consulted another of his books. Orlith stood before Anna a moment more letting his gaze drift down her form and then back to her face. She met his gaze with a steely look of her own, though she felt quite the opposite inside. He wanted her to know he liked her position and he had enjoyed the show of her pain. With that he turned on his heels and left the room.

Anna relaxed slightly as his form disappeared through the door. The man set her one edge, no doubt by design, but she couldn't help it. Every time he looked at her she could see the evil wheels in his head turning. She hated to think what he was coming up with.

Someone else entered the room and Anna's eyes flew to the creaking door, anticipating Orlith's return. Instead she saw a woman, probably ten years older than she, with the same hateful collar chained around her neck. The woman's eyes met hers and Anna could see the haunted look in the shadows beneath them and the tightness of her mouth. The woman started towards her, raising her hand, reaching out towards Anna.

"No, no my dear," Evo's voice rang out. The woman's body immediately halted and her arm fell. "Time's precious. The king will be back tomorrow and I need this little morsel a bit more compliant by then. We have work to do."

The woman moved fluidly towards Evo and came to stand across from him at the table. Anna watched intently and she could practically see the strings Evo was pulling to make the woman move. He seemed to have lost interest in voicing his commands and simply directed her using the control he wielded through the collar.

Evo began to draw runes and other, more complex symbols in the air in front of him, leaving a trail of shimmering power behind to hold the shape. Anna couldn't help but watch in wonder as the woman's hands moved. She was certain this woman was the source of the wards on the castle as she watched her weave runes of Evo's power into a delicate lace. Anna was fascinated despite herself though she quickly cooled to the scene when she realized this beautiful magic was about to be used to try and enslave her.

Anna tried to bolster her spirits. There had to be a way out. She suddenly became painfully aware of the need to void her bladder.

"Excuse me?" she spoke out, her voice cracking with the dryness in her throat. Anna decided on politeness. Evo seemed just the sod to fall for false gratitude. She swallowed painfully and tried again. "Excuse me?" Evo didn't look up. "I have to pee. Can you please let me up?"

"Quiet over there," he commanded, his focus wavering on the flow of runes.

"But I have to pee," Anna said plaintively. "Please, sir, I'll tell you my name if you'll just let me use your chamber pot."

"There is a drain next to you for a reason, girl. Do not interrupt me again." Evo was not to be moved. Suddenly her name seemed of much less consequence to him. Anna looked over at the woman, whose face betrayed her shock as her eyes tried to look over at Anna despite her head being fixed forward. Her inexplicable escape from the sorcerer's control was probably surprising to his similarly adorned puppets. She shook her head at the unkind thought but she found she lacked the energy to properly admonish herself.

How was she meant to use the drain? "Sir, can't you release my hands so I may lift my skirts out of the way?" Somehow she thought letting him finish whatever horrible spell he was conjuring up uninterrupted seemed like a waste of an opportunity.

Evo finished tracing a complex symbol in shining fire in the air in front of him and turned his narrow face towards her. "You, my dear, have shown yourself incapable of being trusted. After we are done with this, however, I should be able to take care of that pesky problem for you." Anna looked on as the woman continued working on her part of whatever they were preparing, a sinking horror expanding in her chest. Evo spent the time hopping back and forth between his side of the table and over towards Anna. His fingers twitched whenever he came towards her as if he was waiting to reach out and snatch something from her. And all she could do was glare at him.

Her mind strayed to Leonid, despite her desperate attempts to keep her thoughts from him. He'd warned her, told her to turn back. She was such a fool for ignoring him at every turn. She shut her eyes tight and forced herself, with some effort, from the spiral of self-loathing she was starting down. She could almost feel his hand on her cheek, his cool fingers against her skin. She drove him from her thoughts. It would do her no good. He had told her he would not be able to help her. There was no use bemoaning a bridge already burned.