Page 25 of A Court of Fire and Frost

The definitively male voice cries out as my foot makes contact. However, there is no time to celebrate because I still can’t see a thing.

“Damn, give me the cuffs," the rough voice demands as he grabs my wrists and cinches them together. His grip is rough, and I know it’ll bruise.

My vision is dark and blurry.

"No," I groan, trying to pull myself out of his steely grip. Whatever he means can't be good.

I reach for my owl, but a burning fuzziness impedes my mind.

Throwing my head forward with the intention of breaking my assailant's nose, I scream.

Or at least, I try to.

In reality, my voice comes out as a mangled mess, and I'm met with air as he ducks his head. I try to pull my hands away, but the man's grip is too tight.

Behind me, I hear footsteps. "The other one is dead."

No. More ice floods my veins, but this one is painful and unfamiliar. My chest constricts.

I kick out, but my foot meets air.

And then...

A cool metal weight lands on my wrists, and time seems to slow. A clamping sound ominously echoes through the parking garage before the burning sensation hits. It starts in my fingers, then it spreads through my entire body.

Fire. I am on fire. Every part of me is burning, and my vision has gone completely black.

Iron.

Agony ripples through my body, and I scream as the iron burns my skin.

My magic, my owl. The iron binds them. I can’t reach them.

A sob escapes my lips as an eerily impersonal voice breaks through the echoes of my agony. My body is failing. I cannot move any longer.

"It's me. We have her."

All awareness fades away.

PartTwo

Chapter9

Help Me

ELVA

One month later

Darkness has become my new reality. My only reality.

That and pain.

The iron cuffs are like fire on my wrists, burning with the fire of a thousand suns. I have lost all track of time. Minutes, days, weeks. None of it means anything to me anymore. I've been in this hole for so long that I can barely remember my own name. Occasionally, someone throws me a bottle of water and some scraps of bread.

That's it.

My life is reduced to being fed like a gods-damned dog.

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