“What’s wrong with you?” Hydric asked Xano. “Do you have any idea what Raylen would have done to you if you had killed her?”
Xano brushed off his chest and pointed at Shauna. “That woman killed my brother, and nothing was done about it. I don’t much care what Raylen might do to me, but that woman deserves to die.”
“We’ll let Raylen decide who lives or dies. Not you!” said Hydric in his heavy voice. “Now come outside and help us bring some of these supplies in. If you do anything like this again, I will alert Raylen, and he will remove you, which means that you won’t get paid.”
Xano punched the door of the cell, and Shauna jerked her head around to look at him. He peered in with the same sinister smile that he had before. Shauna returned the gesture.
=====
Shauna was in the cell for what seemed like days though she had only been in there for a few hours. The temperature in the room had returned to its normal level, and isolated puddles of water huddled together across the floor. The guards brought in another change of clothes for her from their supplies, since the ones she had were now drenched. Her hair was still soaked, but it was starting to dry.
Her neck was cramped from where the ice had constricted her. Whenever she turned her head, dull pains passed slowly throughout her body, and the Spiritual Anesthetic was wearing off, so the twinge in her jaw returned. If she adjusted her jaw, it felt like the joint shifted. She figured it wasn’t broken, but it would probably take days to heal.
Nightfall came, and the moonlight bounced off the canopy above. Shauna couldn’t see much radiance from the moon rays, and her cell was nearly dark. There was a candle outside her door that shined a small amount of light inside, but it was barely enough to see anything. She could have commanded spirits to knock over the candle by pushing off the life forms on it, but there was no need. The building was made completely of stone, even the floors. It would have been a waste of time, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to endure much more punishment.
How could these savages be so ruthless? Perhaps they weren’t all this brutal. Hydric had saved her life. But he probably would have killed her if Raylen were not forcing them to keep her alive. These men were nothing like her Polarist friend, Nara. No one was. Nara was sweet and gentle, and she had saved Shauna’s life. That was one Polarist she could trust, but these men were vile. She couldn’t tell if the Hellstate was worse than these men or not. It was certainly easier to endure. She felt her eyes dazing and fading as she thought about it, and she focused on Caleb.
She smiled as she listened to his emotions. He was once again wishing that he could find her. If only he knew that she was south of him. She just didn’t have a way to guide him to her. He would not have allowed these brutes to take advantage of her. She caressed the side of her face to ease the pain. The blood had dried, but she felt that the wounds were a lot worse than they really were. How was she ever going to get to sleep on a hard stone floor with a jaw that she could barely move?
Pulling up beside the window, she gazed into the darkness. There wasn’t much to see, but she just wanted to feel the outside again. Being tortured in this cell all day was more than she wanted to endure within one sunrise.
As she admired the night, a rustling sound from outside her window caught her attention. She leaned in closer to the window and looked around through the metal bars, but she couldn’t see anything. She kept quiet, not wanting to alarm whatever it was.
The rustling got louder, and she was sure that whatever was in the bushes was coming up to her window. She grabbed the windowsill and pulled her chin up a bit higher so that she could see below the window. Still there was nothing.
She spoke up trying to get its attention. “Hey there,” she said. The rustling stopped. The night became silent. Shauna glanced around rapidly, trying to see if she had frightened whatever it was away. But there was no sound of retreating, so she kept listening. “Hey there,” she said again.
“Who is that?” asked a woman.
Shauna still couldn’t see the woman, but she knew that whoever it was couldn’t get inside so she spoke up. “It’s Shauna. Shauna Faresbee.”
“Shauna?” asked the woman. “What are you doing in prison? Did Raylen find you too?” the woman asked.
“Yeah. He did. Who am I talking to?” Shauna asked. “I can’t see you.”
“Let’s keep it that way. I’m not trying to get caught,” she whispered.
“Can you at least tell me who you are?”
“It’s me. Uriel. Fray’s sister.”
“Uriel? What are you doing here? How did you get out of prison yourself?” Shauna asked.
“Yael let me out. She wasn’t going to release me for a few years, but after Raylen invaded Broughtonhaven, she let all the prisoners escape whom she could release, starting with the one that I was held in since I was imprisoned near her in Caldenholtz.”
“What are you doing way up here in Irez?”
“Yael wanted me to go and release any prisoners that I could find around the region. It hasn’t been too difficult so far because the prisons are not where the Polarists are congregating their forces. They are rounding up the Spiritualists in the cities instead, so the prisons are not too guarded, except yours.”
“How did you know that I was in here?”
“I didn’t know it was you, but I knew that there must have been at least one person in this one since there were so many Polarist guards around.”
“I thought you got extracted,” said Shauna, still cutting her eyes to the ground from her window trying to spot Uriel.
“I did.”
“So how are you freeing the Spiritualists?”
“They took my emblem, not my hands. I’ve been taking out Polarist guards here and there. I was planning to do the same thing here, but there are about five or six guards outside of your building.”
“Yeah, I know. There are two inside also.”
“There’s no way I can get you out of there. But I’ll think of something. Got any suggestions?”
“Not really. Raylen has the key, and who knows where is.”
“What does he want with you?” Uriel asked.
“He thinks I know where Caleb and the Wanderers are. He said that if I don’t tell him, he’s going to lower the temperature everyday until I freeze to death.”
“We need to get you out of here,” Uriel said.
“Why are you so eager to help me? I mean, you and I haven’t had the best history,” Shauna replied.
“Being in prison for six months without my emblem has really made me reconsider some things. A lot of things. I felt kind of lost for a while. Besides, if there’s anyone who could help our people it would be you.” Uriel moved around a bit in the leaves, and Shauna still couldn’t see her. “The Wanderers you’re talking about. Is one of them the guy who my brother Fray almost killed?”
“Yeah, that's Caleb, and if you can find him, I’m sure he could get me out of here somehow.”
“Do you know where is?” Uriel asked.
“I have some ideas, but it’s hard to tell,” said Shauna. She was beginning to trust Uriel, but she didn’t want to let on that she had connected with Caleb. No one needed to know that. That could have possibly led to some undesired manipulation, and it just wasn’t necessary. Besides, telling Uriel where Caleb wouldn’t have helped anyway because by the time that she got to him, he would have already been gone.
“So what are your ideas?” asked Uriel.
“Remember how the Naturalists raided Wex during the Battle of Bachenlaw?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m sure you know this by now, but their governor is Rian Pryle. He led the battle, and he and Caleb are really good friends. If you could find Rian, then Rian might be able to help you find Caleb.”
“Where can I find him?”
“He lives in Glygen in Kyhelm. There’s a house on the southwestern part of the city about a mile from the market. That’s where he should be. From wh
at I understand, he is usually there unless he is at the Alpha Council or unless he is away on business.”
“Well let’s hope that he’s not away. It doesn’t seem that we have a lot time.”
“Uriel,” Shauna said weakly, “I don't know how much longer I can hold out. Raylen said that I have about ten days before the temperature drops below freezing. It’s only been one sunrise, and death seems better than this.”
“I’ll travel as fast as I can. Once I leave Broughtonhaven, I shouldn’t have too many problems getting around now that I’m a Wanderer,” said Uriel.
“You don’t seem disappointed to have lost your emblem.”
“Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed? I don’t get attacked in my sleep anymore by the spirits. I don’t hear dark voices taunting me everywhere that I go, and best of all...I actually get to see the sun again. What more could I ask for? This is how my life should have been in the first place.” She paused for a bit, and then the leaves rustled as she headed away. “We’ll get you out of here,” she whispered as she left.
Shauna pushed her back against the wall underneath the window and slid down to the floor. Sitting with her knees to her chest, she put her head in her hands, trying not to aggravate the pain in her jaw and on the side of her face. The Polarist clothes felt uncomfortable, so she stretched her legs out and rested with her head against the wall. Maybe she could get some sleep.
CHAPTER 9
THE COLD
It took two days for Caleb to move all of his things from Northern Juten to the south. The transition itself wasn’t what took up most of the time. He wanted to say goodbye to everyone whom he had gotten to know on the north side, but of those people, Sarai was not one of them.
Everyone in Juten knew that he was relocating, and many of them offered to help, but he wanted to take the time to process it alone so he respectfully declined their offers. His new house resembled the one from before, and it wasn’t much bigger. Just because he was now the Third Watch didn’t mean that he got to live in a larger house. The Pioneers did not like the financial separation that they saw in Clydenholm, and they wanted to be different.
The evening came, and Caleb was ready to spend his first night in his new home. It was much deserved after two days of moving his things and engaging in exhausting conversations. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to the people, but he would have rather been alone for a while. He figured that he would have to get used to people asking him irrelevant questions just to find an excuse to talk to him. This was to be expected as the Third Watch, and even though he liked the acclaim, the busyness of it all was taxing for him.
“Caleb!”
He turned to see who called him, and it was Sarai. He rolled his eyes and walked away.
“Caleb, wait.”
He sighed and faced her. “You coming to withhold some more information from me, like what you did with the Third Watch by not telling me that I would be in charge of the Southern Sector?”
“No. Listen,” she said. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for not telling you.”
“You said it. Now go.”
She fixed her braid and reached for him, pulling him by his elbow. He snatched his arm away from her. “Why are you pushing me away?” Her voice cracked from the pain.
“I remember how you told me you missed that shot on purpose so that you could get away from me. I feel the same way about this new position. I’m glad about getting it for more reasons than the obvious one. Why did you even come down here?”
“Because I wanted to talk to you,” she said.
“Well you just wasted a day for nothing. I don’t have anything else to say to you. I’ll be running my own squad from now on, and I would greatly appreciate it if I had nothing to do with you anymore.”
He could see the tears welling up in her eyes, and he looked away so that he could keep from allowing her face to soften his heart. He couldn’t let a moment of weakness come in. What he was feeling was final, and he was glad that he was so far away from her. He wouldn’t have to think about her anymore, and he could move on from her just like he had to move on from Anise. He’d find another Sarai on this side of the Juten.
With her fingertips, she wiped away a few tears that came to the surface to expose her emotions, and she smeared them on her pants. “This is what you really want? For me to leave you alone for good?”
“I would love nothing else,” he said, still not looking at her.
The moonlight separated the two of them casting gloomy shadows on both of their faces to hide their expressions from one another. The wind intruded from above, bringing with it a chill that made Caleb resist the urge to warm himself so that he could appear stronger than Sarai.
“Caleb! There you are!” yelled a woman who was coming from the Training Ward. The woman was being escorted by some of the guards, and she jumped off the carriage and ran towards him. The guards raced after her.
“Stop!” they yelled.
“It’s fine,” Caleb said, once he realized who the woman was. “Uriel. I can’t believe you’re here.”
Uriel’s hair was shorter than Caleb remembered, and it wasn’t black anymore either. The bright blonde from the roots had since come in several inches from her scalp, and the black dye still colored the ends, making her hair look like it was on fire. She was more illustrious than before. Her arms were uncovered which revealed the vine tattoos that snaked up her forearms. The tattoo that had once resembled a necklace by linking to her violet emblem as its medallion was still there, but since her extraction, the charm had now become her scar instead of the gem.
Uriel pushed her fiery hair out of her eyes. “We have to go get Shauna.”
Caleb didn’t know how to respond, so he quickly shook it off. “You found her?” he asked.
“Yes. She’s being held prisoner in Irez in the Spiritualist Region, one day west of Glygen of Kyhelm. Just follow me, and I’ll explain on the way.”
Caleb snatched up his gear and raced after Uriel. He jumped in the carriage. Sarai followed behind him. “You’re not coming with us,” Caleb said to Sarai, shaking his head and pushing her away from the cart.
“If you’re going, I’m going.” she said.
“It doesn’t work like that anymore. You’re not my trainer, and you're not coming with us,” he said.
Sarai backed away solemnly, more tears spilling from her eyes. The driver turned the cart around and bolted back towards the Juten entrance.
“Go!” Uriel yelled to the driver as she tied her hair back in a panic. She was uneasy that the driver wasn’t pushing the horses hard enough.
“Tell me what happened,” Caleb said, balancing himself as the carriage rumbled over the rocks.
“Shauna is being held captive in Irez, and Raylen told her that if she didn’t tell him where you Wanderers were located, that he would lower the temperature four degrees every day unless she changes her mind.”
“Has she told him anything?” Caleb asked.
Uriel looked at Caleb like he should have known better. “When have you ever known Shauna to give into anyone’s demands? She would rather die first.”
Caleb smiled. “You’re right about that. How much more time do we have?”
“It took me four and a half days to get here, and she had been in the cell for a day already, so by the time that we get there, it might have already been ten days.”
Caleb’s face filled with dread. Time slowed down, and all he wanted to do was get to Shauna. It seemed that the driver wasn’t moving fast enough. No one should have to experience the cold like that. He had managed for seven months, but it was something that he never wanted to go back to. Knowing that Shauna had to endure it made him nauseous. Why her? Why not him instead? At least he had trained himself to fight against the cold, but she probably never had to go through those extremes before.
“Do you have any weapons?” Caleb asked.
“Nothing but a short sword that I pulled off a Polarist guard when I raided one
of the prisons,” she said.
“How good are you with it?” he asked.
“I wish I had a dagger instead.” Uriel brushed off her dark leggings and turned to Caleb who pulled a dagger from his pants and handed it to her. “Governor Rian told me how to find you,” she said. “Are we going to get him to go with us?”
Caleb looked ahead of the cart, and his face said words that his mouth could hardly speak. “Rian has chosen to stay out of these matters.”
=====
They landed on the shore of Clydenholm, and afterwards they passed Rian’s house in Glygen. They arrived at Irez and set up camp until nightfall. Shauna's prison was not too far off, and Caleb felt the urge to go after her, but he knew he needed to wait for the cover of darkness.
As the night approached, spirits surfaced beneath the canopy hovering around them, and the entities looked like they were trying to tell Caleb something, but he couldn’t understand them. Their growls were moans, and their stares were as empty as they were. He got chills from their blandness.
Caleb pulled his bow from his shoulder and knelt low in the grass which was frosted over from The Deficit created by the Polarists. The condition that Shauna was in must have been more severe than the cold that he felt outside of her prison.
“How many Polarists were here when you came before?” he asked.
“I counted six,” she said. “Shauna said there were two inside, and there’s at least one third tier somewhere around here.”
“How do you know?”
“I waited near the prison most of the day, because I didn’t want to attack while the sun was out. But after they tortured her, I heard the guards scrambling to keep her alive. Only one guard was capable of doing it, so I assumed he must have been a third tier.”
“Torture? What torture?” Caleb asked. He was more abrasive now. The tact turned to hatred, but he calmed himself so that he would not be blinded by his rage.
“I couldn’t see anything, but I heard smacks and the sound of a man yelling.”
Infused (Book 2 of The Pioneers Saga) Page 14