Page 25 of Sky of Thorns

“Why?” She tosses her head back, her laughing echoing in the room.

“I am no one. Just let me go back home.” A note of desperation enters my voice.

“Oh, you are so much more than you know. I’ve waited a long time for you and now that I have you, I won’t be letting you go. That’s all you need to know.” A wicked smile plays across her lips as she runs the flat of the blade across my side, scratching at the thin fabric separating the cold steel from my skin. She raises a hand and the same biting sensation of magic runs along my skin before I’m lowered to the ground on my hands and knees.

What magic is this? I’ve felt nothing like it before.

I open my mouth to retort, but feel it snap shut, the skin of my face reverberating with her magic. She walks around me in a circle, appraising me. Stopping, she runs a finger across the mark on my brow again, then frowns. Her eyes catch on the iron bracelet around my wrist.

“Ah, I wondered how he contained you.” My arm jerks into the air, the familiar bracelet falling off into the queen’s hands. As soon as the cuff leaves my wrist, the warmth of my magic floods my body and I bare my teeth.

Now we’ll see who has me.

I reach deep into the core of my magic, willing it to shed my mortal form. Heat radiates from my star mark as my skin radiates a luminescent glow. Greed flashes in the queen’s eyes as she watches me before pressing her hand once more to my forehead. A shiver runs through my body, like my veins are filling with ice, before the draw of my magical energy leaks away. I buck trying to pull away, but I’m held firm by her magic as I watch in horror the glow of my powers dance along her skin. Instantly, the small creases at the corner of her eyes and mouth smooth out, her hair takes on a golden shine. She looks as though she’s turned back the clock of time. Releasing her hand from me, I fall to the ground, her powers no longer holding me in place. I am hollow, save for a small spark of magic at my core. I call to it, but it only flutters weakly inside me.

“Oh yes, you are exactly what I was looking for.” She looks over to her handmaiden, Alice, standing at her side. The girl has a glassy faraway look, but she turns her face towards the queen. “It appears that looks can deceive. Have her taken to the tower, bathed and fed. I need her alive. And clean up this mess.” She kicks at the pile of rags and hair around me.

Lemon!

My heart races, terror for him squeezing my gut. My limbs are heavy as if weighed down with lead, and I can’t seem to lift my body up. A guard I do not recognize scoops me up and follows the little maid as we head towards the great doors, leaving the hall.

Sybil

Bythetimewereach the door that opens to a small room, I’ve lost count of the steps we’ve climbed. The guard deposits me onto the floor of a small chamber and I am surprised I have not been thrown into a cell in the dungeons. My entire body is hurting and my spirit falters at the thought of what is going to become of me. The room is small and round, no larger than twenty feet from wall to wall. Thick burgundy velvet drapes obstructing the view of what I assume is a window. The material looks plush and luxurious to the touch, the color a deep shade of red that catches the eye. A small fire burns in a fireplace to the opposite wall illuminating the scarce furniture in the room; a small writing desk, a chair, a double bed, and an empty shelf.

A small wooden tub nestled against the far wall, barely spacious enough to accommodate a seated person. The memory of Aramis towering over me in the tavern chamber surfaces and makes my eyes swell with tears. The aged wood is smooth, with a faint scent of earthiness emanating from its pores. Despite its diminutive size, the tub’s presence adds a cozy and rustic vibe, contrasting the cold barrenness of the room. Alice swiftly walks over and pulls on a chain hanging from the ceiling. A hollowed wooden beam folds out from the wall, and with the tug of a second chain, steaming water pours into the tub. Despite everything that has transpired, my mind fixates on the intricate and fascinating design. How can a place filled with such evil also contain such wonder?

“How does it work?” I ask Alice, my voice breaking over the words. I push my body into a sitting position while waiting for her reply. My wrists and ankles are raw from the heavy gold chains, but I’m otherwise intact, aside from my pride.

Alice stares at me with her glassy, blank expression. Her eyes remind me of a glass doll, void of emotion. She then pulls a bar of soap from her apron pocket and a wooden comb.

“The queen has ordered you bathed and changed,” she replies in a monotone voice, standing still as a statue.

“Your queen seems to think a lot of herself. She is notmy sovereign, and I don’t appreciate being bossed around.“ I push to my feet, my head spinning as the room partially spins. Stumbling, I catch myself on the footboard of the double bed. The air is thick with silence, and the only sound that fills my ears is the sound of my own breathing. Disoriented and confused, my head pounds with a dull ache.

“It would not do well to displease her.” Her lips press into a thin line of annoyance, the only sign of emotion that I’ve seen from her yet. I wonder if she’s always been this way, or if she is under some spell.

I lift my gaze, taking in the sight of Alice as she approaches me, silent on her feet. She grabs my elbow and guides me towards the tub. I wrench out of her grasp and take a few steps back, but she only stares at me with her absent glossy eyes, the same ones as the king’s. Another wave of insufferable pounding hits my forehead, right above my star mark, as I remember the feeling of my magic being drained from my very soul against my will. I have never felt more violated… or weak, in the face of the queen’s powers.

Sighing, I glance down at the bruises forming along my pale skin. The bath at the tavern feels ages ago. Dirt covers my calves and forearms from my struggle to get away from Aramis. I do not want harm to fall on this girl because of my defiance. If I want any chance of escape, I need to be at my full strength.

“Alright, hand me the soap and I’ll bathe. Is there at least a gown I can change into when I’m done?” I hold my hand out towards her.

“Yes. When you finish, pull this chain to drain the water.” She drops the soap and comb into my hand then gives me a small curtsy before laying a thin cream chemise and gray overskirt on the bed from another pocket. Turning, she leaves the room without another word. The metallic click of a lock echoes in her wake. Embedded in the door is a window with thick metal bars.

I’m not in a room. I’m in a cell.

After I finish bathing and changing, I pull the chair in front of the fire and begin combing what little remains of my hair. I’m not particularly attached to the locks, but the absence of its weight is a heavy reminder of the previous evening’s events. I try to reach for the soothing warmth of my magic, but all I discern is the small flicker. Is it gone for good? Is this spark all I have left?

There has to be a way for me to get my power back.

Despair coils like a snake writhing in my stomach. How could I have been so naïve? I have often felt loneliness in my life, especially after my parents’ death. Our family cottage suddenly felt too big for one person, so I learned to fill my days with activities, enough to keep the terrible thoughts at bay. I tried to find my place in the little community in my village, surround myself with people and Lemon’s existence filled some of that void too. But I have never felt loneliness as strongly as I do now, in the face of true danger, knowing there is no one left in this world who is coming to save me. My eyes sting from the bright flames in front of me and I let the comb fall into my lap as my shoulders curve in under the weight of my desperation.

You are brave, Sybil.

Aramis’s words come back to me like a lifeline. I quickly wipe away the tears that are now cascading along my cheeks.I am braveand I refuse to let this be the end for me. Thoughts of Lemon fill my head, and I feel renewed determination. What happened to him after I left the throne room? He is clever and I pray he finds a way to escape. Just as I need to escape, rescue him, and return home. Or make a new home. As a citizen of Kallistar, I could request shelter and protection from my own king and queen. Now that the kingdom of Shadowvale has outwardly kidnapped and imprisoned me, they have a duty to protect me. I just need to make it out of here alive.

I search the room for anything that I can potentially use to defend myself but only find a silver gilded hand mirror in the small drawer of the desk. I catch my reflection and gently prod at a bruise forming on my cheekbone where I hit the ground. My hazel eyes stare back at me, dark circles blooming under them. Not entirely recognizing the woman staring back at me, I place the mirror back where I found it, noting that I could break it and obtain shards sharp enough to cause some damage. Pulling apart the thick drapes reveals a small glass window, too small to fit my body through. I push the glass and it swings open on small hinges. My cell floods with a cool breeze and the scent of the night blooming jasmine. Stars pepper the sky before me. Below me, I can see the dark shadows of the forest and mountains.

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