by Shannon Lamb
Marie and Alex turned their heads simultaneously to see who it was. She felt uneasy over the growing number of people who could see Alex in his Umbraic form. It muddled her understanding of how things worked, and the confusion made her feel even more vulnerable than she already did.
It was a naked woman vying for his attention. Burns and bruises blemished her once flawless skin, and a thick ring of dried saliva lined her fissured lips. Her skin was stretched dangerously thin across her sickeningly prominent bone structure, though it was obvious by her full breasts and taut skin that she was once very attractive.
Layers of grime masked her bronze complexion, but she somehow retained a honey glow. Despite all of her afflictions, nothing could tarnish her natural beauty. Falls of copper curls spilled over her chest, reaching down to her belly button. Although her hair was matted with blood and filth, it still glittered in the low light.
Her half-moon eyes were a vivid chestnut brown with swirls of sparkling copper. She had a small button nose and sharp cheekbones with pouty bee-stung lips that screamed seduction. She had the kind of face that made women everywhere weep at their reflections in comparison.
Marie was immediately convinced that the woman was an Umbra. It would explain her imprisonment and why she could see Alex in this form, not to mention her stunning good looks. Alex stood unmoving, staring back at the woman. Obviously, he was just as confused as Marie.
Alex’s sudden movement shattered the tense moment as he flung himself back several feet. A robust guard filled the entryway, whistling a chirpy tune. Marie inhaled sharply and held the breath for as long as she could, partly to remain undetected, and partly to block out the vile odors stagnant in the air, suddenly intensified by the guard’s presence.
The guard had a cart full of rations, though it certainly didn’t look like food, more like something barely fit for a trough. It seemed like Cailene fed the prisoners just enough to sustain them, only so she could continue to torture them.
The guard pulled the first lever in a series of levers built into the wall by the door, and the first two cell doors lifted up. He placed the trays of food on the floor and shoved them in with the tip of his boot, immediately closing the cells after. One prisoner gobbled the sludge up as if he’d been fasting for weeks, while the other contemptuously eyed the food before directing his angry glare at the guard.
“I don’t blame you. I’d rather die too,” the guard shrugged, flashing a carefree smile before moving onto the next set of cells. “Reach your arms through the bars,” he nudged the rations toward a male prisoner.
“Damn it! Haven’t you debased me enough? Raise the door!” Unlike the other prisoners, this one still had some fight left in him. This place would break him of that soon enough.
“Hey, if you want to hate someone, hate her,” the guard jerked his head toward the woman in the next cell. “If it weren’t for her, I could still open your cells.” The prisoner grimaced as he hesitantly reached both arms through the bars. He ate the rations with great difficulty, which seemed to amuse the guard. “Well, Arécia, have you given up yet?” he faced the woman and held up the other set of rations.
A slight look of surprise crossed his face as Arécia struggled to get to her feet. She couldn’t be a day over twenty-five, yet she moved like an elderly woman riddled with rheumatoid arthritis. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and embossed her sunken cheeks, making it quite evident that she hadn’t eaten or slept in days.
She shakily ambled over to the guard and stuck her frail arms through the bars, coaxing a satisfied smile from him. The rotund man seemed to savor the moment when a strong woman finally broke, as if nothing gave him greater pleasure. He shoved the tray of rations toward her face as he raked his eyes over her naked body. The perverse thoughts that ensued were reflected in his dark stare.
In a flash of unexpected movement, Arécia knocked the tray to the ground, spewing its contents across the floor. The sudden clatter echoed off the walls, ringing down the corridor with a sharp pitch. Before the guard could react, Arécia dug her fingernails into his fleshy forearms, fettering him where he stood as his blood pooled around her fingertips.
“Now!” Arécia burrowed her nails deeper, causing him to writhe in agony.
Alex threw his body against the wall, bearing all of his weight down on the levers. Marie cringed, shielding herself from the abrasive impact of tender flesh scraping along jagged stone. Prisoners flooded the corridor as their cells flew open. Their raucous clamor swelled with fervor, drawing unwanted attention to Alex and Marie.
Realization filtered into the guard’s angry expression as Alex flew past him, cultivating a telltale gust of wind. Alex needed to get the two of them far away from the chaos before more guards arrived on the scene and hindered their escape.
“U-Umbra!” the guard sputtered. “There’s another Umbra in the castle!” His words practically painted a target on Alex’s back. While the others couldn’t see him, his current location gave everything away. There was only one exit by the dungeon and it would most likely be blocked by the time he got there. He was forced to improvise.
Alex flew through the air at a nauseating speed. A sea of arrows pursued them like an angry tide, just falling short of contact with their flesh. The guards were shooting blind, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get lucky.
Marie flattened herself against Alex’s back, crossing her arms over the back of her head as she suppressed a squeal. With a deep inhalation, she took in his scent to numb herself to the surrounding chaos. He smelled of fresh earth with a faint tinge of salt; a pleasant pardon from blood and sweat.
Alex wove a pathway through the barrage of arrows, narrowly missing each one by a fraction of a second. Marie recoiled into herself, bracing herself as they approached a gigantic window. She kept her head down as uneasiness gnawed at her stomach, knowing full well that the window was their means to an end.
A moment’s hesitation could mean their captivity. Alex issued no warning as he burst through the glass, shattering it into a million pieces. The guards were too busy shielding themselves from the deluge of shards to launch another attack. It gave Alex and Marie just enough time to make their escape.
When Marie finally opened her eyes, she was surrounded by stars. She craned her neck to get a parting view of the castle, but it was already shrinking in the distance. She brushed away the stray glass from his coat, and gently ran her hand over the length of his body to make sure she hadn’t missed any when she discovered an arrow embedded in the flesh of his hind leg.
“Should I pull it out?” Marie wrapped her fingers tightly around the base of the arrow, pulling a low growl from Alex. “I forgot. You can’t talk in this form, can you? If you want me to pull it out, howl.” Marie gripped the arrow tighter. After a moment of hesitation, a pained howl ripped through the air, prompting Marie to rip the arrow from his flesh and throw it to the wind. “You hesitated for a few seconds there, Alex. Do you not trust me?” Alex groaned as she lightly massaged his puncture wound with her fingertips. “Well, that’s probably smart. When it comes to sharp, pointy things, I really can’t be trusted,” she admitted, laughing. “I’m going to try to get some sleep, if that’s at all possible. Wake me up when we get there, wherever there is.”
Marie leaned forward and buried her face in Alex’s gauzy mane. She closed her eyes, and amazingly enough, was able to drift off to sleep. Little did she know, this would be the first night of many cryptic dreams to come.
Marie winced as she was suddenly engulfed in a white light. The floor crunched beneath her feet as she propelled herself forward to elude its intensity. She bent down to touch the ground, but all she felt was air, as if she were standing on a ledge.
The first word that came to mind as she examined her bleached surroundings was lost. There were no ceilings or walls, making it feel as though the perpetual state of blinding nothingness could last for an infinity.
She yearned for darkness even though it frightened her, for it would a
t least have the prospect of having something hidden within it. She could see all the way to the end of time, and the future held only emptiness.
A trail of blood appeared before her. She warily followed it, wondering if it had been there this entire time. She was afraid to find out where it led, but felt compelled to push forward as her body switched to autopilot.
At the end of the trail was a simple silver door. Marie expelled a soft sigh of relief when she realized that it stood by itself, anchored to nothing. It meant there was nothing horrific waiting for her on the other side.
She was taken by surprise when something inside of her bag began shaking erratically. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding onto anything until now. She frenetically peeled back the layers of cloth to see what was causing the ceaseless vibration. It was the small silver box that Gustav had given her – the Agrísta, as he had called it – causing such a ruckus.
She hesitantly approached the door, finding that the closer she got, the more animated the box became. It was as if something inside was trying to claw its way out.
In the blink of an eye, the Agrísta disappeared and Marie was saturated in warm, sticky crimson. She had no idea how she’d gotten from one moment to the next. She went to scream, but no sound came out.
Alex’s howl sliced through the air, dragging her back to reality, which was just as surreal as her dream. She slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“What is it?”
They were approaching a new planet. Marie hoped it was better than the last, which shouldn’t be too hard considering what a nightmare the castle was. Looks sure can be deceiving. Truer words were never pondered.
Her heart broke for the people they were forced to leave behind. She promised herself that she would find a way to save them one day. It made the gnawing guilt over abandoning them diminish ever so slightly.
Alex sliced through the atmosphere of the alien planet at an accelerated speed. Wisps of silver clouds lashed Marie’s face as tendrils of mist snaked around her with penetrating cold. Their surroundings came into sharp focus as Alex approached a thick copse of silvery trees, unlike any foliage she’d ever seen.
Serrated ebony bark twisted along corkscrew trunks, branching out in an explosion of contrast against an azure sky where three golden moons hung proudly, and lavished the land in an eerie glow.
Thick, glittering icicles dripped from the branches like melted candle wax, lending a sparkle to the air. A strong wind laced through the trees, imbuing the forest with a soft, angelic melody as it wove through the boughs, causing the leaves to chime like merry sprites.
Alex began to tremble as the lush silvery fields came into focus at an alarming speed. I wonder if Umbra experience turbulence the way airplanes do. Marie would’ve laughed at herself for the thought, had she not been more concerned about diving face-first into the ground.
Alex dove into the forest, shifting through the trees as he struggled to avoid a collision. Somewhere amidst his chaotic descent, he’d transformed into his human form. He thrashed violently as he bucked Marie off his back, causing them to tumble to the ground in a whirlwind of limbs.
“Nice landing!” she grumbled, rubbing a hand over her sore backside.
“I’m going to kill Arécia!”
Marie flattened herself against a nearby tree as Alex stalked toward her. She involuntarily flinched when he shoved his hand into the satchel slung over her shoulder, yanking his clothes free and getting dressed in a huff. She’d been too disoriented from their abrupt landing to pay any mind to his state of undress.
“She’s so reckless! She could’ve gotten us both killed!” Marie ducked as Alex charged his fist into the tree, right above her head. She didn’t know him well enough yet to be comfortable with seeing him this angry. She had no idea what he was capable of.
A silver leaf shook loose, grazing Marie’s leg as it eddied to the ground and left a clean slice along her thigh. She gasped at the sudden flash of red as blood began to trickle out, taking her by surprise.
“I’m sorry.” The sight of Marie’s blood worked like a sedative, immediately quelling his rage. “I lost my temper, and now you’re hurt.” Alex cursed himself as he knelt before her. “Tie this around your leg.” He yanked his shirt off and ripped it at the seams, handing it to Marie. The sight of sweat gleaming over ridges of muscle was enough to momentarily distract her from the pain.
“It’s okay,” she said with a shy smile as she wrapped the fabric around her leg, using it as a makeshift tourniquet. “You’re allowed to lose your temper every now and then, you know. What cut me, anyway?”
“These are Infragilis Lilies,” Alex picked up the fractured petal and twirled it in his fingers. It reflected rainbows like a sun-catcher as it sparkled silver in the moonlight. “They’re indigenous to the planet Milités. The people here use them to make weapons and armor. Milités is a planet of soldiers, you see,” Alex discarded the lily and helped Marie to her feet.
“Soldiers?” Marie wasn’t sure if she should feel worried or safe. She bent down to grab her bag and felt her heart kick into overdrive when she didn’t see it anywhere on the ground. “Alex, do you have the bag I brought?” she spun around to face him, only to discover that he too was nowhere to be found. “Alex? A-Alex? Alex!”
Her heart hammered in her ears as the name became trapped in her throat. She spun in circles searching for Alex. Her vision grew hazy from the torrents of sweat spilling over her eyes.
Someone wrapped around her from behind, causing her nerves to short-circuit with an explosion of quick, shallow breaths. Panic made her muscles painfully stiff, making it even harder to fight against the perpetrator’s crushing strength.
Another person slapped a filthy rag over her mouth, saturated in the overpowering scent of pepper. She gagged as it permeated her airways and set fire to her lungs, making it impossible to breathe.
The pungent odor scorched her eyes, making them feel like the strike pad for a match. She slammed them shut, squeezing out a stream of salty tears. The surge of moisture only slightly abated the pressure building behind her eyes.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins, fueling her jerky movements as she repeatedly slammed her back into the man’s chest. She was surprised by her visceral need to fight back, having always thought herself timid, but it didn’t seem to make a damn bit of difference, either way.
The perpetrator wrapped his arms tighter, stealing the last pained gasp from her lungs in one swift movement. She focused on the thick bands of muscle squeezing the life out of her as black invaded the corners of her vision like smoke closing in. Unable to fight the dizzying feeling any longer, she went limp and fell unconscious.
Marie felt panicked when she opened her eyes and couldn’t see. She was helplessly bound with fat cords of rope and kept in total darkness. A deep ache radiated from her lower back down to her knees. She tried to pull her wrists away from the curve of her back, but it only seemed to tighten the rope around her ankles as a sharp pain ripped through her muscles.
A scream erupted from her lungs as she struggled to get to her knees, only to fall face first into the dirt as soon as she was upright. She immediately cursed herself and resigned herself to a helpless position. The last thing she wanted to do was alert her captors to her plight.
She swiped her head to the side, breathing hard through her nostrils as she coughed up a lungful of dirt. She didn’t attempt to stand again. The painful position they’d bound her in was excruciating enough, and moving around only seemed to exacerbate it.
“Please!” Frustrated, she cried out to her captors. “What do you want from me?” Her cries were met with silence. Silence held far too much possibility. Oh god. What are they going to do to me?
She spent the next few hours calling out for Alex in a last ditch effort to save herself. Her screams were met with more silence, diminishing her hope with every hoarse plea. The loss of her voice eviscerated it completely.
The only sound tha
t kept her sane throughout her captivity was that of her own heartbeat. It was proof that she was still alive. The strong, steady rhythm eventually quieted her thoughts and lulled her to sleep.
“Sir, Fallon and Cayden have returned.” Marie jerked awake to the sound of muffled voices.
“Merciful Lucidus! This troublesome wench hasn’t given me a moment’s peace! I was ready to beat the damn girl unconscious just to get some silence!” Their cruel laughter sent shivers of terror racing through Marie’s body.
A beam of light sliced through the room. The sudden infringement on her pupils caused Marie to cringe. A husky man appeared in the doorway and stomped through the room, cutting the ropes that bound her in one fluid motion. The cold gleam of his eyes left her cowering, eradicating her will to fight despite her liberation.
“Ow!” she cried out as he yanked her to her feet by her hair. “Is that really necessary?”
“You’re a fiery one. I’m not taking any risks.”
Shivers ran up her spine as he tossed her over his shoulder and placed a firm hand just below the junction of her thighs. It finally dawned on her how truly helpless she was to stop him or any of his companions from doing whatever they wanted to her. Where’s my protector when I need him the most?
“Stop! Where is my companion? What have you done with him? I demand to know!”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be joining him soon enough.” A subtle threat hung on the man’s playful tone as they emerged through the entryway.
Marie kept her head down as they made their way through a large encampment filled with thousands of soldiers. She could feel their eyes swimming all over her, casting judgments based on her appearance and presence alone. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, willing herself not to cry. Her dignity was the only thing she had left to hold onto, and she didn’t want to give these men the satisfaction of seeing her break.