Page 1 of A Game of Queens
1
HELAYNA
The voice that I dreaded to hear again drifted toward me in the darkness. “I’m so very disappointed in you.”
I shivered, even though the slightest movement hurt every muscle in my body. Any break in the endless monotony was a relief. Even if he only brought some new torture.
He came closer, bringing a soft, glowing light with him. I stared up at the ceiling above me. Was it closer now? It must be my imagination. Rock ceilings didn’t slowly descend.
Water dripped, a constant barrage on my naked skin. Chilled and damp, I tried not to move. It hurt so badly, as if all the skin on my back and legs was ripping off my body. Maybe he’d chained me to a bed of nails. Though surely that would make me bleed.
Which would be a very bad thing indeed. Though I wasn’t sure why.
The light came closer, vaguely green and soft. It made me yearn for colors. Trees. Blue sky. Flowers. Anything that wasn’t darkness.
It was so dark here. Complete and utter black.
A small cry escaped my lips.I think I’m going mad.
He squatted down beside me with a look of benevolent patience on his face like a father would look at a toddler who’d thoroughly exasperated him. Which pissed me off. He’d dragged me from my home and left me in this cave to suffer. How long had I been here? Days? Weeks? I had no sense of time.
“Why haven’t you freed yourself yet, Helanya?”
He knew my name, but I had no idea who he was. I clenched my teeth, holding back my retort. As much as I hated him with every fiber of my being, I didn’t want him to turn around and leave me in the darkness so quickly.
I studied him, trying to memorize every detail. Looking for any clue to his true motivation. He’d imprisoned me…so I could free myself? That didn’t ring true. He wanted something else. Something so much worse.
He wore an old-fashioned black velvet suit coat and a white, lacy shirt. A signet ring dominated his pinky finger with a large green stone. A paisley silk scarf in the same emerald-green shade was tied around his throat in a complicated knot.
Slender, graceful, and genteel, he looked like some kind of ancient lord. Not a kidnapper, and completely out of place from anything that made sense to me. But when I tried to remember where I’d come from and how men had dressed and looked, my mind blanked. Black holes were slowly spreading through my memories like a cancer. I couldn’t remember the details of my home or family, other than a soul-deep yearning to return to them.
I couldn’t even remember how old I’d been when he’d taken me. A child? A woman grown?
Why can’t I remember?
“You’re fully capable of freeing yourself, my dear.” He touched my cheek lightly with the back of his fingers. Tears filled my eyes at the small touch. A comfort in this endless dark holeof pain. “The longer you stay here, the worse your pain will be. I don’t like seeing you suffer, though he certainly enjoys the feast.”
He? Hope bubbled up inside me. I wasn’t alone here? Why hadn’t I sensed anyone else here with me? Other than this strangely-dressed man, I hadn’t seen anyone during my captivity.
“You’re the key,” he continued, softly stroking my cheek. “The sooner you unlock your power, the better.”
I opened my mouth and rasped, “What power?”
“You’re a queen, Helayna. Don’t you remember?”
A queen? Me? But why would I be chained in a dark cave? It made no sense.
“The power is within you. You must tap it and release yourself.”
Something inside me insisted that was a very bad thing. I couldn’t risk… I couldn’t free…
I closed my eyes. Trying to remember.
I was so fucking tired. Everything hurt. Even my hair. Why did my hair hurt?
“He’s feeding on you,” he whispered. “He’s leeching your power. If you wait much longer, you won’t be needed. He will have drained your power for himself. I would hate to see that, child, though in the end, my goal is accomplished either way.”
Child. He said it fondly, as if I werehischild. But how could he do this to someone he was supposed to love and protect?
