Page 92 of Glass and Bone
“Stop. Let me leave, please father.” I plead.
“I am not your father.”
“But I am your daughter.Youraised me. Not some other person. And what about what you told Tobias? That you deserve me and that I am not fit to be queen?”
“You’re not, but I want nothing to do with you. Someone will come to collect you soon.” He claps his hands together once and the doors open. My arms are wrenched behind my back as something cold snaps over my wrists.
“Father, please!” I cry out as they tighten to the point of pain.
“Don’t struggle, Nora. Just relax.” Theo says calmly next to me as he is cuffed. They pull us out of the room and down the hall to a set of stairs I’d never seen before, leading us down into darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
They stupidly throw us in a cell together and as soon as they depart, we work on trying to get the cuffs off. We tried to use my dagger that is still sheathed to my thigh, but I was worried it would break. The cuffs are made out of silver and seem to be impenetrable. We have our backs together as Theo tries to pull mine off. I wince and hiss between my teeth every time he forces them to get tighter.
“It’s not working.” He snaps, frustrated. He lets go of my hands and turns around.
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” I whisper as I look around. There are seven other cells that we can see, all empty aside from chamber pots and small beds of dirty hay. Small windows at the top of each cell lightly illuminate the dungeon, but they are too high to reach and too small to fit through.
“About which part? That you aren’t his daughter, or that your mother was a witch?” He nearly laughs at the second part, and I don’t blame him. The idea is ridiculous.
“All of it.” I say with a loud exhale. This past month has been nothing short of confusing and painful.
“I find it hard to believe there are witches in the world and no one knows about them. I think your father is an alcoholic and may be going insane.” He lets his laugh out this time and I look up at him. His light hair wrestled itself free from the constraints of the leather cord and was now dangling in front of his face.
“We need to get out of here.” I start to pace nervously. Tight spaces were never an issue before, but I can’t just sit down and wait. Ineedto get out.
“Who is Enzo?” He asks after a few seconds of my pacing. I bite my lip and look everywhere but at him. “Nora.”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure.” I admit. “I started having dreams about Chatis being bombed and burnt down, and he was there. I saw him once in the woods outside Chatis and again in the bathing room at the palace. He keeps telling me I am not safe, that I’ll be with him soon and he’ll protect me. He told me not to fight back if Tobias ever hurts me, that if I do, I won’t live to see the day that we unite.” He exhales, his mouth hanging open in disbelief and also worry. He probably thinks I am just as crazy as my father.
“Okay...but who is he?” I shrug. “Are you sure he’s real?”
“Clearly he is if my father saw him.” I snap. “He’s the reason I almost drowned in the tub. I thought I could only see him if I was in water, but then he told me that wasn’t true. He said I could call him to me at any time, I just needed to focus.”
“Nora, I know we don’t believe in witches, but if what you are saying is true, then you might also be a witch.”
“That is ridiculous, Theo.” I roll my eyes and groan, resuming my pacing.
“Can you at least try to call him? Maybe he can help us?” He looks skeptical, but he’s right. It may be our only option. I sigh and walk to the corner of the cell, dropping down onto the cold stone.
“Fine. But don’t watch me.” I mutter and he turns to face the other way. I rest my head on the cell and close my eyes.
“Enzo?”I call out. “Enzo, can you hear me?”I push against anything in my mind that can be construed as a shield and search for him in the darkness.
“Elaenor.”I jump and a small squeak comes out of my mouth as my eyes open. Theo turns and looks at me. I shake my head and close my eyes again. A subtle buzzing noise hums through my ears, sending chills down my spine.
“I’m trapped. I need help.”
“You can’t go back to Noterra.”
“I need to. I think Tobias is in danger.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You keep trying to get me to leave Noterra. The body chasing me in the woods?”
“I’m trying to keep you out of danger, Elaenor. I don’t know what you are talking about in regard to the body.”
