Engram wiped the spittle from his mouth when he paused in the door way to the cell, “You’ll rot in here until you tell me what I want to know.”
14
Isolation and Loathing
One Hundred Eight Days Later
Dan’Kell, 29th Cadere, 1021
Sterling could feel her skin crawling with filth. For so long now she’d gone without a bath, left in this darkness to wallow in the dirt and grime of torture. She couldn’t remember what fresh air smelled like or how good a gentle warm breeze felt against her skin. The sun’s rays as they speckled the forest floor were lost to her, as were the sounds of laughter from Brigit as she frolicked in the field of wild flowers.
When did I last sleep? She had long been judging the days and nights by Engram’s visits, but he had stopped coming to her cell. Just as he had promised, he has left me here to die. Sterling sat up, the fear of being alone gripped her heart and made breathing difficult. Am I alone? Where is Engram? She loathed the fact that she needed to see his face, that seeing him would bring her some relief from this loneliness.
Her only companion in these dark days since Engram had stopped coming was the constant pain that enveloped her body like a blanket. It reminded her she was alive, but also an endless reminder of those she had lost to the Severon. Despite the loneliness she felt, Engram’s absence meant she had some relief from the constant questions and beatings. Her back was starting to heal and constantly itched. She had no doubt the wounds that crossed her back were infected.
Sterling laid on her side, her head was propped on her bent arm. Her eyes over the last days, weeks, or months had adjusted to the darkness so that she could see the edges between the stones. Her hearing had become acute and listened for the tiniest of sounds. The whimpers and pleas for release from the other prisoners bounced throughout the darkness like a wailsome melody.
As she lay there she listened to the silence that surrounded her. Her heartbeat sounded like a thundering beast in her ears. She’d taken to counting the beats. Inevitably she would lose count and have to start over at one. 10,645… 10,646… 10,647… 10,649… wait, no, it was 10,648 then 10,649. Sterling tapped on the stone in time with her heart as she counted, 10,650… 10,651…
The sudden clank of keys in the lock caused her to jump. Engram! She loathed the broken happiness she felt at seeing his face. But her loneliness was unbearable. Somehow, she forced herself, through the pain, to stand. She stood with her back to the far wall and waited for Engram to enter the cell. The door slowly opened with a long groan like a yawning beast. The torches in the hall were like the bright sun to her causing her eyes to squint. The light backlit the man standing in the doorway. It took her no time to realize that the man standing before her was not Engram. His frame was much shorter and thinner than Engram’s lean muscular frame. His hair, highlighted by the orange flames was a dark brown and cut close to his scalp. He stood there for what seemed like ages just staring at Sterling, but because his face was in the shadows she could not see his expression.
“Where’s Engram?” Sterling searched for her tormentor
“He was right,” he said as he stepped into the cell, “you are insolent, but no matter. We will take care of that attitude soon enough.” He stepped close to Sterling and took her chin in his hand and turned her head from side to side. “Such lovely eyes, you Devians are truly magnificent.”
Sterling wrenched her face from his hold and glared up at him, “Who are you?” She asked again. “I want to see Engram.” Sterling could feel the bile forming in the back of her throat at having to ask for Engram, but this man had a different feel about him. He seemed… cruel, sadistic.
The pain that had stayed with her suddenly increased, causing her breath to catch.
“I am Duke Helios.” He ran a gloved hand down the side of her cheek to her neck where his grip tightened just enough to punctuate his words, “I’m here to get out of you what Engram could not.”
Sterling felt a shiver of fear race down her spine as the pain in her neck increased. “I’ve told Engram everything I know, which is nothing.”
“The Orom grows weary of your refusal to divulge where the Shards of Abaddon are located. Engram has failed at pulling this information out of that little mouth of yours, but I will succeed where he has not.” He smiled down at Sterling, but there was no humor in his eyes, “Now then, why don’t you tell me where the Shards are located.”
“I don’t know,” Sterling shook her head, “I’ve never heard of these Shards. I keep telling Engram, I was raised away from any other Devians. I do not know anything.” Sterling was tired of repeating herself and growled the last few words through gritted teeth.
“You continue to tell lies.” Helios’s voice never wavered, “Devians by nature are drawn to the Shards of Abaddon, they are after all descendants of Moraug and Orla. The Shards are a part of them, what created them.”
“I cannot tell you,” Sterling gritted her teeth, “what I do not know.”
“Royce!” he called out, never taking his eyes off Sterling.
“Here, milord.” Helios stepped aside as a second man came into the cell. He wore the apron of a blacksmith and carried an iron pot filled with hot glowing coals. He placed the pot just inside the door and moved back out of the cell. His eyes never left the floor, as if he were afraid to look upon her.
Pain. The pain doubled as a second Severon stepped into the cell.
“Hold her,” Helios commanded his subordinate.
Sterling attempted to dodge the guard, but in her weakened state she stumbled and was quickly overpowered. He grabbed her hair, forcing her head back at the same time he twisted her right arm up and back. “Please,” she whispered in desperation.
She hated herself for begging. To be taken so low by these barbarians. She hated herself for this weakness. Tears gathered in her eyes as the pain radiating from her neck intensified beyond measure causing her vision to blur. Through the haze Sterling watched as Duke Helios pulled a glowing iron rod from the coals and walked slowly toward her. “Devians have such beautiful eyes. It would be quite a shame to destroy such beauty, but when one does not obey they are punished no matter how beautiful they are.” He never took his gaze off her as he slowly moved the iron up her arm, “Perhaps this will motivate that tongue of yours.”
Sterling’s eyes widened, and a scream was ripped from her mouth as Helios pressed the length of the white-hot metal into the soft flesh of her forearm. Her body jerked away in reflex, but she was held in place by the second Severon. “I shall ask this only once. And you will answer. Or you will suffer. Simple. Now, where… are the Shards?” Helios asked in an impatient tone.
“I don’t know,” Sterling sobbed. Her body was lax, head hanging. “I don’t know.”
Duke Helios simply shook his head. “I do not believe you.”
Sterling came out of her daze when Helios took hold of her other arm, “No.” The words were a mere whisper never reaching beyond her lips.
Helios laughed as he pressed the hot iron into her other arm, scoring a mark from her wrist to her elbow. The breath rushed from her lungs, but it wasn’t the pain from her arm that took her breath away, no it was the pain in her skull that radiated down her back to engulf her arms, her legs – every inch of her body was throbbing with the intense pain. It was all she knew, this pain until she could no longer control her body.
From a great distance, she heard Helios asking her once again about the location of the Shards. She felt her head being pulled back. Her vision went black as Duke Helios raised the hot metal to her eye.
Fire. An all-encompassing fire. That was the last thought, this dreamy memory in her head before Sterling lost herself to the black. A swirling, raging conflagration of fire. Like a tornado. One that swept through her body, engulfed her, but did not harm her. Screams. Men screaming in terror. In agony. The smell of burning flesh. The acrid taste of ash in her throat. Vengeance personified. Given form. Or a dream of the orphanage. At that mo
ment, as the darkness of nothingness took her, she did not know.
It was in the great black darkness of solitude when she realized that the pain had disappeared. Her body felt odd without the constant pain heightening every pore. Sterling brushed the hair from her face and tried to push herself up from the floor. Had it all been a dream? Helios? Engram? Were they just a part of her nightmares? As she struggled to sit up, the throbbing pain from where Helios had branded her told Sterling it was not a dream.
She lifted her head and opened her eyes, blinking to clear the fog. At first, she was unsure of what she was seeing, but quickly realized the sightless eyes of Duke Helios stared up at her. She scurried away from him, his body covered in blood. Sterling looked around and found the second Severon. He lay dead, the metal iron shoved deep in his chest. His dead eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling of the tiny cell.
What happened here?
The last thing she remembered was the pain engulfing her.
Sterling scanned the cell. It was covered in blood; the walls were splattered with it and it pooled on the floor. Her naked body was covered in dried blood, and her hair dripped with the thick viscous liquid. A scream threatened to escape and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands trying desperately to contain it.
Where were the guards? Who had killed Helios, but left her alive?
The door stood open, the light from the torches illuminating Helios’s sallow complexion. Using the wall for help, Sterling stood on shaking legs. She inched her way across the tiny cell to the door. She scanned the hall and fell backward when she saw one of the guards hanging from the wall. He had been impaled on one of the hooks that held many of Engram’s torture implements. Another guard was slumped against the wall with his sword piercing his heart.
They were all dead.
A muffled sound caught her attention and she peered down the dimly lit hallway, at the end, in a dark corner, the blacksmith Royce, huddled with his arms around his legs and tears streaming down his face. His eyes stared blankly down the short hall as if waiting for something to come and get him. When their eyes connected he yelled out, “Stay away! Stay away from me.”
Sterling turned quickly to see who was behind her, but she was alone in the hall. “Stay away you monster!” Unsure of what to say to the man she ducked back into the cell. There was no way she was going to stay and wait for the changing of the guards, but she couldn’t make a run for it as she was now. Sterling quickly examined the two men in her cell and found Duke Helios was the smaller of the two and set about removing his uniform.
Despite his smaller size, his uniform swallowed Sterling. She rolled the sleeves up several times just so her hands were free. The rough fabric rubbed against her fresh wounds sending pain up her arms. She tucked the excess fabric into the boots that were far too large for her tiny feet and then tied the laces around her legs so the boots would not fall off. Sterling cinched his belt as tight as she could around her waist. The long sword nearly hitting the floor.
Sterling prayed the heavy uniform would not become too cumbersome. She took one last look at the cell that had been her prison. The blacksmith’s quiet sobbing echoed down the hall and mirrored Sterling’s own feelings. Her heart sobbed at all she had lost to the Severon. Sterling frowned, as she had never been one to feel sorry for herself. She hardened her heart and swore she would take her revenge upon the Severon. She would destroy them no matter the cost, they would pay for the crimes and the wrongs they had committed against those she had loved.
Sterling stood for a moment in the hall, looking at either end, unsure of which way to go. She’d been unconscious when they brought her to Sionaad, waking in the dank cell. She glanced back at the blacksmith. He would know the way out, she thought. Sterling started toward the cowering man and nearly tripped as a white, emaciated hand reached for her from under one of the heavy doors to the adjacent cell, “Help me,” a feeble voice called out, “don’t leave me here.” The plea was joined by others from the long row of cells. Their chorus of cries sent Sterling into a panic. She couldn’t leave them here to the same fate as she had endured.
“Where is the key?” she begged the blacksmith.
The blacksmith’s eyes widened, “Stay away from me!” His cries echoed off the stone walls and most assuredly up the staircase.
The sounds of footsteps on the stairs sent Sterling’s panic into a frenzy. “Give me the key,” she begged again.
Sterling’s heart stopped when the echoing of footsteps grew closer as they reached and began to descend the main stairs. The blacksmith hesitated, looking hopeful at the entrance, as if the new guard would be his salvation.
“Please,” Sterling whispered. “Please.”
His eyes shifted to Sterling and then back to the stairs. Taking pity on those locked away he handed her a set of keys that shook in his trembling hands. There were numerous keys on the ring and she fumbled to find the one that fit the door. Nervous, she dropped the keys with a loud clank.
The footsteps grew louder as the guards neared the bottom. She was out of time. Guilt scorched the pit in her stomach as she dropped the keys yet again, “I’m sorry,” she whispered to the pleas of the other prisoners.
“Where does this lead?” Sterling asked Royce.
“St- stables,” he stuttered.
Sterling ran up the stairs to freedom. She knew at once when the guards arrived at her cell. Footsteps scurrying around and the cell door hitting the wall as it was slammed open. “She’s escaped!” one yelled out. “Duke Helios, he’s dead.”
Sterling reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door that separated her from freedom. It was night and the stable yard was deserted. Torches lit the walkways and there were lights on in the barracks but save for the horses that were corralled, the yard was empty. She could not linger any longer. She pushed her way past the door and ran across the yard. The heavy uniform slowing her escape. The distance seemed to grow and lengthen. Just as she neared the gate the two guards emerged from the door. “There!”
Sterling climbed the wooden fence, but as she reached the top a guard grabbed hold of her foot. Sterling looked back and kicked with all her might, connecting with the man’s nose. She heard the soft crunch as his nose spurted blood.
“Stop her, she is escaping!” The second guard made such a racket that men started emerging from the buildings. “Stop her!”
Without hesitation Sterling threw open the gate and jumped onto the back of one of the many horses that clamored for freedom. She yelled out, kicking the giant beast into a full gallop and the remaining horses followed behind.
Sterling glanced back, her heart stopping as her eyes connected with Engram. He stood in the center of the yard, men and horses running about around him. But he was completely oblivious to the commotion. His eyes held such anger and hatred that Sterling could feel it in her bones. They were eyes of retribution and of steely resolve. She knew he would not let her go, and that no matter how far she ran he would find her. That’s what she saw in those cold eyes.
Sterling turned away from her captors and leaned into the horse that now galloped with full force. The cool night air streaked past her face as tears of joy were lifted and carried away by the wind. She refused to ever look back again.
15
Kai’Vari Found
Eight Days Later
Dan’Vol, 6th Turcia, 1021
The sound of birds chirping merrily seemed to come from a great distance. Their melody was muffled by the throbbing in her ears. Where am I? she thought, opening one eye in a squint and then the other. Sterling’s head felt as if it had become a great drum being played, though this pain was different than the overwhelming pain she’d felt in Sionaad. My head, she thought, did they catch me? Confused, looking around, she saw fields to her left, and a great, lathered, strong horse that appeared to be nearly dead to her right. Then she remembered. She understood the throbbing was from knocking her head against the hard ground when her horse collapsed from exhausti
on. As the horse stumbled, Sterling had gone flying and landed in a heap among the tall wheat grass of Duenin’s southern plains.
She needed to get up, keep running, but her weakened body would not respond. The Severon had been on her trail since she escaped Sionaad and that had been nearly six, no eight days ago. She’d managed to lose them at one point when she raced her horse through a bustling village where the foot and horse traffic concealed her tracks. Somehow, she had managed to stay ahead of them the rest of the way. Stopping only for a moment at a time to steal what food she could. Her body was starting to feel the effects of eating only scraps of food.
Sterling stared up at the vast cerulean sky. White puffy clouds billowed above her as if watching her escape from on high. The tall grass danced in rolling waves as the breeze swept across the plains. Sterling raised her arm and blocked out the sun’s rays with her hand. She welcomed the sun’s warmth for the air had turned chilly in the late autumn day. Autumn? Could she really have been in Sionaad for six months? It had been the middle of spring, in late Unda, when Kellen had handed her over to the Severon, and now the air was filled with the smells of autumn. Six months of her life was gone.
Sterling lightly touched the burns scored into her arms, they were red and angry. Are these my hands, my arms? Sterling thought as she examined how thin and frail she had become.
The exhausted horse tried to stand, but its legs gave out as it collapsed back on its side. Sterling felt guilty for riding the beast so hard, but she refused to go back to Sionaad. She’d rather welcome death than the walls of that dark pit. Sterling sat up and looked around. She was in the middle of nowhere in a vast field of wheat grass. The last village she’d passed had been two days ago and since then nothing but a scattering of ruins dotted the landscape.
The Elemental Union: Book One Devian Page 10