Page 111 of Untraced Magic
My lips stuttered as I drew in a breath.
Why was I so cold?
I ran my tongue over my lips, coating them with what felt like heaven. A light flickered. My thick lashes struggled to open as if rising from a deep slumber, but when the fog clouding my sight finally cleared, confusion startled me, pinning me in place.
Stone walls surrounded me on three sides. The fourth, a wall of steel bars, my only chance of freedom if ever I was granted it. My dress lay splayed around me, its silk now creased and edged with smudges, and I slid my legs underneath me, wincing as my bare feet dragged over uneven ground.
Where was I?
My head felt heavy, like sleep could take me at any moment, and I rubbed at my temples as if it could ease the pain tearing through my skull.
Climbing to my feet, grit crunched between my toes as I stumbled over to the bars, my palms closing around them to steady myself. I slammed my eyes shut as the room began to blur, clinging to the bars as if they could keep me conscious. I blinked, then blinked again, until my vision slowly cleared.
I forced a wad of air down my throat as my eyes adjusted to my dim surroundings, dread sinking to the pit of my stomach. A chamber of cells lined the opposite wall, the same as the one currently holding me captive.
I looked like I was in a basement. Or even worse, a dungeon…
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I cried out into a rigid silence. “Somebody, help me!” I shrieked, pushing and pulling against the bars, my desperate attempts to move them useless.
My magic.
I wrapped my fingers around the bars with purpose this time.
Focused.
I pulled on the light I knew would help me, while the dark I’d felt, the first time I used it tipped its head in laughter.
Forcing my magic into my hands, I let it consume me. I pictured Tyler, the focus and strength I needed, just like we had practiced. I forced the magic from me, but it remained stagnant, rebounding against my skin.
What the hell?
I pushed again, but nothing happened.
The dark side of my magic mocked me. Baited me to use it, but it seemed if I wanted to, it would be pointless.
Why could I not use my magic?
Scuffing drew my attention from somewhere nearby.
“Is someone there?” I yelled.
More shuffling, followed by a moan.
The air stilled in my lungs.
“Who’s there? Hello? Where are we?”
An eerie silence hung in the air. The kind that spiked the hairs on the back of your neck and slithered down your spine.
A voice came from somewhere, stiffening the already raised hairs on my bare arms.
“There’s no way out. Don’t bother,” it rasped.
Male.
“Who are you? Why are we here?” I asked. “Howlonghave you been here?” The questions barreled out of me in a lone breath.
“Many years.”
