Page 116 of Wings of Death

He shoves my head back, and it hits the back wall of the cell.

I let out a whimper and desperately try to summon my powers, but it’s no use. Whatever they wrapped around me, it isn’t just to prevent me from flying; it seems to disable my powers as well. I struggle against the constraint, and he smirks, walking backward toward the cell door.

“Good luck with that,” he taunts. “Even if you break free, she’s sealed this place up with powerful magic, so your powers won’t work in there. Not even your dark magic.”

I swallow the lump forming in my throat as they lock the cell gate. “Please, you don’t have to do this. There’s still time to stop it.”

An evil grin spreads across Rimel’s lips. “What makes you think we don’t want this just as much as she does? Your father’s time has come. It was never his throne in the first place. We’re simply taking something from him that isn’t his to keep.”

I frown at his words. What in the gods did that mean?

He taps his fingers to his head. “Much to learn, I see. I’m not surprised they didn’t teach you that at the academy.”

They both snicker and make their way back through the tunnels, leaving me alone in this dark and dingy cell. It’s only once I’m sure they’re gone that I let my emotions out.

A sob breaks free of my lips as I sink down to the cold dirt ground. Coming back to my Kingdom was a trap. It was the worst decision I could have made.

Gods above, I miss Kyle. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll be able to sense I’m in trouble, like he did when the explosionripped apart the hall in the castle. He showed up and saved me then, and I can only hope he will do the same now.

The constraint wrapped around me is draining me of energy. I can feel it. I’m growing weaker by the minute.

Despite that, I summon my powers, feeling them surge within me like a pool of cool and calming energy. I guess Rimel was wrong about me being unable to use them within the cells. I focus my attention on the constraint wrapped around my middle and let out a scream as my powers burst through it. A rush of excitement courses through me when I get to my feet and run to the cell gate. If I’m powerful enough to get out of the constraint, maybe I can get out of here, too.

I place my hand over the lock and send a burst of power at it, but it fizzles out. I frown and try again, but it does the same. My focus shifts to my black magic, and I look down at my fingers, but it doesn’t seep from them like usual. It occurs to me then to try my locket, but when I reach for my neck, it’s not there.

I scan the cell floor, but it’s nowhere to be seen. Gods above, did they take it from me? Did I lose it somewhere? Dread fills my chest, and I slam my palm into the bars.

“Let me out!” I scream, shaking the bars as hard as I can.

They rattle, but nothing more. I’m alone down here; that much is clear. And with the location of these cells being on the other side of the Kingdom, no one will hear my screams. They positioned the cells here for that very reason. Complete and utter isolation.

I frantically look around the cell and notice there’s no water, no bed, nothing to lie on for comfort, and a feeling of dread settles inside me. How long are they planning to keep me in here? And what is Hethenos’s plan, exactly? The possibilities are terrifying, and probably not worth speculating about. There’s nothing I can do from in here, regardless of what they’re going to do.

My best bet is to stay strong and pray for one of my friends or maybe Lissian to wonder where I’ve gone. Or better yet, until Kyle rescues me. I crouch down in the corner of the cell and pull my knees to my chest, cradling my legs.

You can do this, Zarla, I tell myself.You’re stronger than you know.

I’m not sure how much time has passed, but my eyes are growing heavy. It feels like it’s been days, but it could have been merely hours. Time seems to morph together in an unrecognisable way.

I close my eyes for a moment and lean back against the cool stone wall. I must drift off at some stage because I wake up curled in a ball in the corner, and I’m disappointed to find that this isn’t just a nightmare.

My body trembles in the cold, and I wish I had a blanket, or a coat, or something to stifle the chill of the autumn air. I imagine what Finlay must have endured, locked up down here for weeks. The thought of being in here that long terrifies me. I would go mad. Pain cuts into my heart at the realisation I may not see Kyle again.

My eyes droop, and I blink, trying to hold them open.

Footsteps snap me awake, and I sit upright as Yimel appears at the cell gate, holding a blanket under one arm. If it wasn’t for a thick scar that runs from his left ear down to his jawline, I would struggle to tell the twins apart. Of course, when they’re both together, it’s obvious. Rimel is the talker; Yimel isn’t. I stare at him, unsure what to say.

“I’m not much for words,” he admits, “and she’ll probably kill me for this. But here.”

He shoves the blanket through the cell bars, and it lands on the dirty ground.

My gaze flickers down to the blanket and then back to him. I don’t move, and he waits expectantly.

“Please, just use the blanket.”

I slowly crawl across the ground and snatch it up before scuttling back into the corner like some sort of animal. The blanket provides a bit of warmth, thank the gods. I don’t dare lie down, afraid he might come in.

“For the record, this wasn’t my idea. Nor my brother’s. We didn’t know what she had planned for you.”

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