Page 29 of Obsidian Dream
Chapter Twelve
TALIK
Talik tugged at hissilver cufflink as he strolled down the winding staircase toward the dungeon.It had taken him the better part of the day to build himself back up.The pain was always just underneath the surface, a scratch away from being revealed.But he had learned long ago that no one but a handful of close confidants would notice chinks and mismatched pieces that didn’t quiet align anymore.
He had contemplated putting on a uniform, but it wasn’t really him.He was far more comfortable in a suit.
“The dungeon,” he said out loud.It was laughable that they still referred to it that way.Not only had it not been used in centuries, at least officially, but from the information he had sourced through his various networks, the area had been refurnished with state-of-the-art technology and the associated comforts, like heating.
The air was musty and stale—it must have been a few years since anyone had visited, let alone stayed overnight.Although if the rumors were to be believed, Frankie had spent a few days down there before she had become Anhur’s consort.Once a thief, always a thief in Frankie’s case.
The modernized dungeon was a far cry from what it looked like during his first, or second, visit, but then, his stay had been during a time when the Houses had been less forgiving about thieves and traitors.Even after all these years, the sound of scurrying rats always brought him back here.Small cameras above his head blinked red—he regally waved.If he was going to be filmed, he may as well look good.One never knew what the recording would be used for.
His mark tingled, stopping him mid-step as he stared at the glowing yellow ink.Khalida was down there.His heart pounded as his guilt flared.Maybe his spy network was nowhere as good as he had assumed.Or perhaps Khalida’s were far better than he had given her credit for.He hesitated—surely, she wouldn’t want to see him after his thoughtless bet.After he’d forgotten about...but no, they had to work together.And Khalida wouldn’t ignore her sense of duty or responsibility.
He rounded the corner, walking into the oversized corridor, and headed toward Khalida.Dressed entirely in black, her silver hair was tinged blue-gray under the neon lights.As he walked, the pale-blue crystals above his head flickered to life, casting the stone in an ethereal glow.It appeared some things hadn’t changed.He strode past the guards, counting them as he went.
“I didn’t realize you would be here,” Talik said as he reached Khalida.He ignored the slight flutter of his heart at the sight of her.Unlike him, she was back in her uniform.“If I had known you wanted to talk to Idris, I would have invited you to join me.”
Khalida smiled, ignoring the taunt.“I see you have changed back into a suit.”
He casually glanced at the three-piece pin-striped suit he wore.His tailor was an angel whose skills were unrivaled in Europe.“It’s far more fitting.We both know playing the dutiful soldier was never my strong point.”
Khalida tilted her head and slowly looked him over.“For an interrogation?”
Chains thundered in the background.Metal hit stone, ringing out loudly as it echoed off the sandstone.The door nearest them shook violently, sending specks of sand through the air.
“So, you haven’t gotten rid of all the old furnishings,” Talik mused.“Interesting choice.”
“I believe Dante’s request was alive.He did not specify what state Idris had to be in.”She shrugged as she looked down the hallway, catching the attention of one of her guards.“He has been given the treatment suited to a traitor.It is far more mercy than he has shown us.”
Idris’s betrayal had cut them deep, and for Talik, it was just another layer on top of an already decimated heart.
Talik bowed slightly.The guards nearest him gasped at his action and, most likely, his audacity, considering their shared history.“After you.”
Khalida raised an eyebrow.
“You can protect me,” Talik answered, standing up as he flicked lint off his suit.After all, he had a reputation to maintain.“This suit is expensive.And blood is hard to get out of it.”
Khalida stared at him for a second longer before she turned and pressed her palm against the key.It flashed brightly for three beeps and then emitted a low hum.The door slowly opened inwards, silently, as it moved on its mechanical hinges.Bright white light spilled out.
Black specks appeared behind his eyes as he waited to adjust to the artificial brightness.The sun wasn’t as bright as the room.
Khalida strode in first and halted in front of the unbreakable transparent plexiglass that ran the length of the room.More than thirty feet long, it separated them from Idris.At first glance, the room appeared bare, with no furnishings or anything else that could be used as a weapon.But on closer inspection, shards of metal and wood littered the floor.There had been some furniture, but someone, likely Idris, had destroyed it, and no one had bothered to replace it.Khalida pressed a half-hidden beige button to her left, and the doors behind them instantly locked with a resounding metallic thud, locking them in with Idris, without access to or help from the outside world.A moment later, the Perspex glass slid open.It was barely big enough for Khalida to walk through.Talik quickly followed a second before it slammed shut with a soft click.
This close to Idris, it was hard to turn away from the Atlantean he’d once called family.
The chains creaked again, a hundred times louder than before.Talik searched for any evidence of his old friend, but all there was left was a bulking hulk that was just a shell of its owner.Had Idris ever been real, or had he been molded by Ninhursag to betray them?
Idris’s dark Mediterranean skin tone had turned yellow after only days in captivity.His pale-blue eyes appeared bloodshot and translucent.But what was more concerning were the open red-raw wounds along his arms and chest.They’d festered, with the dried blood a dark stain on his skin.Idris should have been able to heal the simple wounds, but something was preventing him.
Khalida shook her head at the unasked question.Idris’s nails were short and couldn’t have done the damage.
Idris kneeled, the chains loose.He held his cuffed hands in front of him.The manacles appeared thin and fragile, but they were orichalcum, the famed Atlantean metal infused with iron and considered one of the strongest metals on earth.
In the corner was a tray of uneaten food and clean water.
