Page 24 of Cage of Darkness
“You have not answered myquestions truthfully.”
“How would you know?” shespat. It became cold. Too cold.
The man’s face looked grim. “I’ve beendoing this a long time.” He pulled out a stool and sat on it. Hisfinger lightly traced each of her fingers. “Such pretty hands. Itwould be a shame if something happened to them.”
She shook her head. “Pleasedon’t.”
“Where are yourparents?”
“I don’t know!”
He took the tool and placed it at theend of her thumb. “Where are your parents?”
“In Emperion.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.” But shedid. They were hiding in Emperor’s City. That information would gowith her to her grave.
The man lifted a lever, and the toolopened. He placed it over the tip of her thumb and closed it so itpinched her nail. “Last chance. Where are your parents?”
“I’ll never tellyou.”
“I’m sorry.” Pain explodedthrough her thumb as the tool ripped out her nail. Blood gushedeverywhere, and Allyssa screamed every curse word she knew.“There’s no need to continue torturing yourself,” the man said,wiping away her tears. “Simply tell me what I want to know, andthis ends.”
She couldn’t look at her hand.Instead, she focused on the ceiling, trying to steady herbreathing. Her mother and father’s lives depended onher.
“Where are your parents?”he asked again. She remained silent. He moved the tool to herpointer finger. “Where are they?”
It was worse the second time when sheknew what to expect. The pain of having each fingernail ripped fromher body sent her into shock. There was so much blood. She hatedthese Russek barbarians. They would pay. Each and every one of themwould pay.
When he finished, he wrapped her handswith cloth. She vomited and blacked out.
***
Days passed. Allyssa fell into aroutine: sleep, exercise, eat, and then she’d repeat the cycle. Allthe while, anger, hatred, and confusion consumed her. She tried notto think about where she was, how she got here, and what had beendone to her. Focusing on getting stronger and staying healthy gaveher purpose and kept her mind off the incessant pain.
This particular day started out thesame as the previous ones. Allyssa awoke to the sound of a manscreaming. She knew and understood the terror in that scream. Oneday, she hoped to hear Jana and Soma make that sound. She starteddoing three sets of twenty-five sit-ups. Her muscles shook, herstomach cramping. Still, she pushed herself, hatred for the royalRussek family fueling her on.
When finished, she unwound the fabriccovering her hands. Taking a big breath, she braced herself andlooked at her fingers. Thick, red scabs covered the tips, the nailsalready starting to grow back. They had healed enough that they nolonger needed to be covered.
The door to her cell flew open, andthe interrogator entered. Allyssa scrambled to her feet. The mantook an intimidating step into the cell, and she backed up againstthe wall, wanting to put space between them.
“You look well,” he said.“No visible marks.”
She laughed and held up herhands.
He scratched his chin. “It’s notenough.”
Before she could questionhim, he raised his large arm and backhanded her across the cheek.Her head hit the wall with athud, stars exploding in her vision.She couldn’t take anymore. The soldier kicked her thigh, sendingher to the ground. The muscles in her leg throbbed as if they hadbeen shredded apart.
“That will leave noticeableinjuries.” He left.
Crawling across the stone floor, sherolled onto her straw cot and curled up. It was never going to end.The pain…the torture. Maybe she should tell him what he wanted toknow. No…he didn’t care—Jana did. This was all about her breakingAllyssa in order to destroy Rema and Darmik. She couldn’t give in.Ever. No matter how bad it got, she would endure for herparents.
As she lay there, images of Rema andDarmik drifted before her. Running into her parents’ bedchamberearly in the morning, riding horses with her mother, sword playwith her father. She clung to those memories, to the love of herfamily. She would survive. And then she would seekrevenge.
***
