Through a haze of blue and pain, I could see Cinnamon shouting for me. I couldn’t answer her. I couldn’t do anything. Then the world went black.
Chapter 11
Brie
My head felt like a chew toy for a jaguar. Everything ached, something was dripping on me, it reeked of sweat and sewer and the world as a whole was just ass. I tried to wipe away the dripping water, only to realize my wrists were bound above my head. Exhaustion weighed on my eyes as I struggled to look around. I blinked, trying to force away the blurry imagery, and damn near fell back asleep.
I squinted, trying to make sense of my surroundings in the dim light. The room was massive and lined with walls made up of big heavy stones. The kind you’d read about in books about castles and fortresses. So this definitely wasn’t Boohail. A string of pulsing lights entered my vision. They weaved against the stone walls like a vine, pulsing with a lime green glow. Every six feet, the vines dipped low, then came back up.
Wait…oh holy shit!
My breath quickened when I noticed the dip of each vine contained a pair of wrists. Wrists that werethankfullystill attached to their respective owners. At least twenty figures lined the room. I swung my head up to see the very same vine holding me hostage. When I struggled, the vines wrapped tighter, cutting off my blood flow until I hissed at its sting.
Rough coughing caught my attention. I rolled my heavy head to my left to see Kitty strung up beside me. Her already thin form looked wasted away. Through the tear in her shirt, I could see the outline of her rib cage. Dark bags hung below sunken eyes, and her lips had less moisture than a desert. The woman next to her didn’t look any better.
A foot nudged my calf. “Can you stay awake?” A woman whispered.
“Barely.” I slurred. My mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. I licked my lips and shifted to look over at her. She looked to be about my age, maybe a bit older. Four braids adorned the side of her head, while the rest of her wild red curls fanned out around her. She didn’t look as worn out as the other girls, and the look of unconcealed rage in her black eyes hinted of unspeakable violence.
The red-headed woman nodded toward my feet. “Try to stay focused. Those idiots in red left your sword with you. It’s at your feet. Do you think you can maneuver it over to me? The vines holding us are sapping away our energy, so the quicker you move, the better.”
“Probably?” Glancing down, I saw Alexis just in front of me. I reached a foot out and tried to nudge her handle closer to me.
“Not yet,” the sword hissed. “They’re coming back.”
“Did that sword just talk?” The redhead asked.
“It’s a long story.” I sighed.
“Be quiet.” The blade hushed again. “They’re about to walk in. Pretend to sleep.” her voice was low as to not alert the owners of the encroaching footsteps.
Next to me, the woman went limp and closed her eyes. I stomped down my rising panic and followed suit, letting my body cease all movement. The wide double doors at the end of the room swung open, and two men in long red cloaks came in. Hoods shielded their faces. The only discerning feature I could make out was that the first one was much shorter than the other. The first man stomped forward, cursing under his breath. He ignored the other women lining the walls and headed straight for me, the second man trailing behind him.
He stopped in front of me and sneered. Green eyes peaked past his hood and he took a moment to check my restraints before cursing again. “Are you sure this is the dragon’s wife?” He snarled.
The man behind him clutched at his sleeve. “She should be. Our sources showed that the woman next to her is her kin, and we compelled her to return to the Shadow Dragon’s home. Just like you instructed.”
Mr. Angry didn’t like that response by the way he grit his teeth. “Then tell me why our output hasn’t increased?” he snapped, turning to face the taller man. “If she’s gained magic from a dragon, then we should have already reached our goal.”
The glowing vines and the room full of exhausted women fell together like puzzle pieces in my head. Fallon was right. They’re using us to power some kind of spell. And they need Cinnamon. Poor Kitty was just a pawn to get her here, but I ran to her first. That’s a relief at least. If they didn’t have their key, then there was a chance we could put a stop to whatever they had planned.
Anger Cloak put a hand over his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s like I have to do everything myself.” He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “You. Wake up!” When I opened my eyes, he continued. “Are you the wife of the Shadow Dragon?”
“Who’s asking?”
Pain erupted on the side of my face. I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to show how much the slap hurt. “I’m asking the questions. Are you the dragon’s mate?”
“Don’t know any dragons.”
Tall cloak damn near tore his sleeve with his nervous tugging. “She must be lying! I know we sent the girl to the right house!”
“Dammit Calvin, if she was lying, then where is the dragon magic?” When Calvin remained silent, it was his turn for a slap. The shorter male threw back his hood and rubbed at his temples. Balding dark hair was cropped short against his head. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough.” He sighed. “If we don’t gain enough magic before the next blood moon, we won’t be able to give our god what he needs. You don’t want to disappoint him, do you?” Calvin shook his head. “Do you know when the next blood moon is?” He asked.
“Three nights from now?” Calvin choked out.
“Three fucking nights! Get me that damned woman or so help me, I will feed you to our master piece by useless piece!” He slapped him again for good measure and stormed out of the room, slamming the doors behind him.
Calvin slumped to the floor and buried his head in his hands. “Fuck.”
