I rub the tender arm and plop down in the grass, my legs giving out on me. I’m surprised I managed to stay standing as long as I did; my legs hadn’t stopped shaking from the moment he got in my face. I lean my head back against the tree trunk with a thunk and stare at the sky.
Well this is shit. This was not how I planned the day to be at all. It went from bad to terrible in no time. I get caught by the talnarins hoping to make more hybrids, get threatened by Malik and his band of evil men, and now I’m embarking on journey to find Him with the people who want to kill me. What could possibly go wrong?
Not to mention, that asshole of a talnarin just disappeared. Where in Hellvian did he go? He could have had the answers to the questions I have about myself and what was done to me. The answers I so desperately need were right at my fingertips, and now they’re gone. So cruelly taunted by the truth, so close at hand, only to have it ripped from away from me.
Maybe it’s not completely hopeless yet. Even though that talnarin disappeared, perhaps he left something behind. Maybe he has a study with all the information I need in this very manor. Better yet, what if he has the machinery here as well and it’s not locked down? I need to find out.
I glance around and note that I’m completely alone in the courtyard. However, I highly doubt Malik and his men would leave me unsupervised while I still pose a ‘threat’ to them. I’m willing to bet someone’s nearby, watching me from an inconspicuous place. It could make my search more difficult, but I can’t pass up this opportunity to check this place out. If I’m going to defeat Him, I need a better understanding of what I am and how I can use this to my advantage against Him.
And while I look around, I’ll check on the child and other captives as well.
I push myself off the ground and take off for the nearest door on my right. This manor has a giant courtyard surrounded by four walls. One wall is a giant wooden gate that opens, while the other three are closed tight. The gate stands at my back and would be too heavy to open alone, so I don’t bother. There are four separate doors leading to the inner parts of the manor itself, so it doesn’t matter which door I take, as I’ll eventually circle around anyway. Calmly walking through the door, I enter a moderately decorated kitchen. It has a refrigerator, island counter, and a sink.
I swiftly move on to the entrance on my left, not wanting to waste my precious time on a fruitless search. This time, I exit into a formal dining space with a large wooden table that seats twelve. Paintings hang on the wall; they depict various scenes of nature. A small cabinet sits in the back along the wall. I rifle through the drawers for good measure, but don’t find anything of use.
The next space is a bare room holding two beds stacked on top of each other, held up by wooden posts. I’ve never seen such a thing before, but it’s genius. It maximizes the space by pilling a one bed over the other. Along the wall at the foot of each double bed sits a crate of some sort. I quickly lift the lid and peer inside. The little box contains various weapons, including a beautiful pair of daggers. The silver knives have vines marking the length of the blades themselves. The sheath is designed much the same but small flowers dot the outer layer as well. Assuming this room belongs to the guards and seeing as all but one are dead, they won’t need these anymore. I reach in for the holster to fit it and the knives on my hips. Deciding nothing else is worth keeping, I move on quickly.
As I open the door to the next room, I grind to a halt. It’s the living room where a couple dozen of talnarins and humans sit and huddle. As Zeke had said, from the looks of it, most of the injuries are minor, thankfully. He also said two of the men were keeping watch in here, but with all the bodies, it’s hard to spot them. Not wanting to be seen sneaking around, I move back to the guard’s room and exit out the door leading back to the courtyard. I quickly rush across the green grass and move through the last door on the far side.
Once inside, I breathe a sigh of relief. An office. There has to be paperwork in here, hopefully something that can be of use to me. Various shelves and storage compartments line the walls facing the desk. I move around the desk and see one drawer on each side. Deciding to start my search here, I take a seat in the chair and pull out the items from the nearest drawer.
I’m not aware of how much time has passed since I started sifting through the mountain load of papers, but I have found nothing useful. Nothing I’ve skimmed over eludes to any experimentations on humans and talnarins. That’s not to say it’s not in this stack, I just may not have the actual skill set to decipher them correctly. But I do know someone who might. Only problem, do I really want them that deeply involved in my life? Can I even trust them enough with this information? They might use it against me or decide that these forms are better off in Abel’s hands. Once it gets to Abel, Malik will have them and my head. With what I overheard yesterday, the talnarin at Craforian were merely pretending to be my comrades anyway. So as, soon as I turn my back, they might kill me. And despite this all, is it still worth it?
Yes, yes, it is. I need these answers almost as badly as I need my revenge. But, it doesn’t mean they need to know why I’m asking. With Malik and Zeke knowing, vaguely, why I’m after Him and these experiments, I could claim those as my reasoning for needing the information deciphered.
Mind made up, I search the office for a bag of some sort to stuff the papers in. Miraculously, I find a good-sized pack in the far corner on a shelf. It has shoulder straps to help me carry it, and it’s large enough to stuff the paperwork in, if I’m careful with the placement.
Soon the papers are tucked away in the pack safely and I hike it over my back. Just as I’m about to enter the door of my right, something draws my attention to the dark corner to the left. I turn on the flashlight I snatched from the desk drawer and switch it on. I notice a faint crack along the wall in the size and shape of a door. But there’s no handle or frame to indicate that it is in fact a useable door. Something urges to me reach out and touch it, so I do. I place my hand in the center of the cutout and push. I startle back a step as the hidden door swings open silently. Peering inside, I see a staircase leading into pitch black darkness.
Chapter 27
I hold the light out in front of me as I descend the stone steps carefully. After a seemingly short flight down, I’m face-to-face with another door, though this one’s not hidden. I pull it open to find the place I had woken up in, the cells. On both sides of me lie cell after cell, although they’re now empty. The same dirt path I was dragged down not too long ago leads to another door at the far end of the hall. As I pass each cell, I look inside to assure myself that nothing or no one remains inside, in order to calm my steadily climbing nerves.
I hesitate briefly before gripping the cold metal handle on the cold metal door. Something about this place is setting off every warning bell in my system. Sweat beads down my body and my heart pounds. My panic rises quickly as my breaths come in stutters.
Beyond this door lies something terrible, I feel it in my gut. Bad, terrible things happened here, may still be happening here. Even feeling this, am I still willing to go inside? I already know my answer without having to ask myself. I whip open the door in a rush and bolt inside. I collide with hard, solid mass and fall backwards. I wince in pain as my ass hits the hard dirt. I try to push myself up even as I call forth my flames. Just as I feel them stirring to life, a deep husky voice warns, “What did I tell you about your energy, girl?”
I glance up in surprise and a sigh of relief escapes me before I can stop it. I look up into Malik’s face to find a very unamused talnarin glaring down at me. I gulp and stutter out an excuse, “I didn’t… I wasn’t… how was I supposed to know who you were?” My lips thin. He gives me a long look that says he doesn’t care what the reason was. I settle for glaring back at him.
How was I supposed to know it was Malik down here, damnit? How was I supposed to know anyone was down here? I’m not able to predict the fucking future, now am I?
I watch as
he abruptly turns away to join the other three talnarins in the room, all of whom pay me no attention whatsoever. I’m glad for that, I suppose, except that it makes me feel like dirt. Well less than dirt actually. I push to my feet and survey the room.
The blood drains from my face instantly. My stomach churns and my vision swims. I stagger back into the other room and lean against the wall. Slowly, my body slides until my ass hits the floor once more. I grip my head in my hands and pull my hair.
I guess this confirms it, then. They are definitely connected. There’s no way it’s simply a coincident, no way at all. Both the assholes talnarin and Him have nearly the same equipment. There is absolutely no way they’re not connected now. But why? How? What’s their purpose? Are there other besides them as well? Is this more common than I had suspected?
My mind struggles to comprehend everything. I knew there was a possibility they were working towards the same end, whatever that may be, but I wasn’t sure. I desperately wanted them to be connected because then I could get some answers but at the same time, I didn’t. If they weren’t connected I could stay out of this, whatever this is. If they weren’t connected, I could stall for more time. I need to enact my revenge but I also need time. Everything’s a mess.
I definitely wasn’t expecting to find the equipment. It brings back so many terrifying memories. So many terrible things come to the forefront of my mind. What they did with that machine, the horrors and agony. I need to push it all away just to stay sane. It’s nearly identical to the one He had, the one He used, the one They used on me. The same cold, hard metal table. The same cords connecting to the same two screens. The same vials and the same instruments.
There’s only one difference, the serum. From my quick look, it seemed like this liquid was deep purple, not gold. I need to make sure. I need to look again. This could change everything. I slowly count my breaths and wait for my heart to calm and my breaths to even. My gut was right, bad things happened beyond the door. I just didn’t know how bad. I need to go in and confirm it’s the same. That liquid, one look wasn’t enough. I can do this. I have to do this. For their sake, and my own, I must look.
Unsteady, I struggle to my feet and take a moment to collect myself. I push away from the wall and walk through the door once more. As I enter, I realize that all the talnarins in the room now stare at me in varying states of amusement. I regard them with disdain, eyes squinted in annoyance. It’s then that I notice a body lies at their feet. The body, most likely dead, is covered in blood, looking grotesque and torn up. Irritated, I snap out, “What?” before moving further in. I glare in their direction once more before making my way to the equipment.
As I get close, I can’t help the shudder that racks my body, nor the buildup of tears in my eyes. I will them not to fall and push forward until my legs are barely touching the metal table. It’s the same. There’s no denying it this time. Parts and pieces vary, but the machinery itself is the same basic thing.
I look to the small table to the right of the metal bed. My hands clench into fists, and I breathe out slowly. I reach for the vial. It is a deep violet color, nothing like the golden poison. I don’t know what it means or why it’s different, but I know it’s somehow essential to what went on here. Just before my hand makes contact with the vial though, a rough hand grips my wrist and yanks.
Startled, I yelp and pull back. I’m turn around and come face-to-face with a very irritated Malik. I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t heard him approach. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” His growl is deeps and low, chilling.
I feel my lips curl down in the corners. “What does it look like? Let go.” I yank once more for good emphasis, but he holds fast.
“Don’t touch anything.” With one last hard stare, he releases my wrist and moves away. I rub my wrist at the new tenderness from his hold. What crawled up his ass and died, his manners?
With a huff, I survey the rest of the room. I pointedly ignore the potentially dead body in the corner. I also pointedly ignore the conversation they’re having over said dead body. My attention shifts to the metal table pushed against the wall to the right of the door. On it sits a very familiar pack and bow. Glad to have found it, I rush forward to snatch it up. I’m intercepted yet again, only this time it’s Zeke’s chest I bounce off of. I step back and glare. “Seriously? What the fuck is your problem?”
“Now, now, such foul language from such a delicate female.” An amused grin stretches across his face as he grips my pack and bow in his hand. Before I can shout obscenities at him or reach for my stuff, he says, “I’m saving you, Malik did say not to touch anything after all. Wouldn’t want your guts all over the floor, now would we?” That paints a beautiful picture in my head. He’s mocking me and it’s pissing the fuck off. “Oh, and I’ll take this to. See, I’m a great knight in shining armor. You’re welcome.” He swiftly reaches behind me and rips the pack with documents of my shoulders. He saunters away without another word and I’m let fuming and sputtering curses at his back.
Son of a bitch. I just had to jinx myself, didn’t I? The day couldn’t get any worse my ass. These talnarins are the most infuriating, annoying, intolerable, arrogant assholes I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Suddenly, I’m in front of the little table of vials. Before anyone can move, I snatch up all five of them and hold them high. The silence is so loud you could hear a petal fall. As I eye all four talnarins, I find no one even twitching a finger. My eyes land on the leader and I direct my anger at Malik. Instead of making me feel in control, it makes me feel like prey. I thought I’d be able to gain the upper hand by threatening to destroy the vials but it doesn’t appear to be working. I swallow hard and strengthen my resolve.
Voice hard, I demand, “Give me my stuff or I drop these.” I wouldn’t really, but they don’t need to know that. They also don’t need to know that I need these analyzed, not smashed into a giant puddle on the floor.
I watch as Zeke and Malik exchange a brief look. Zeke looks amused and unconcerned while Malik appears completely expressionless. After a clipped nod, Zeke steps forward and places both packs and the bow on the ground in front of me before backing away. I glare at each talnarin before slowly stuffing the vials carefully down my shirt. I rip open my supply pack, looking up to confirm no one’s moved.
Something tells me that if they wanted the vials, they would have them immediately. Yet, no one makes a move as I fumble around my pack. Why they are content to just let this play out? It doesn’t matter as long as I’m left it peace to finish this. I carefully wrap all the vials individually in cloth before placing them in the bottom of the pack with the documents.
Do I really want to do this? Am I really doing this after everything they have said and done to me? What other choice do I have?
I grip the pack tight and stand. I hesitate briefly before moving across the room to stand in front of Malik. I watch his face for any sign of emotion before I thrust the pack in his hands. Begrudgingly I say, “I grabbed all the paperwork I could find in his office. I don’t know if it contains anything on what they’re doing down here, but it’s worth a shot. I need the answers just as much as you, if not more. I don’t like it, but you’re the best chance I have at getting what I need. I’m… trusting,” I spit out the word with distaste, “you with these, so trust me a little in return. Let me keep my things, they’re all I have.” I refuse to look at him as I wait for his reply with bated breath.
He gently tugs the bag from my grip. His voice is softer than I anticipate. “Very well.”
Without another word and look, I retreat and grab my stuff. As my hands close over the strap, his voice echoes out, “Leave that here.”
I spin and glare before snapping, “You agreed to let me have my stuff.”
He looks at me indifferently before saying, “I said very well. Meaning very well I’ll accept your trust, not that I’d trust you in return or allow you have to your bag and weapon.”
“What? But… but you… then give me the files back. They’re mine, so give them back.” The nerve of this underhanded asshole. He makes me want to smack him or set him on fire. Or both. I’m so stupid for attempting to trust him.
But, why am I so surprised? I knew he was underhanded the moment he said he ‘allowed’ me to hear his conversation with Abel. I should set Malik on fire, damn the consequences my actions would bring me. Just as I think it, I shut it down. I still have my revenge to think about. I still have my revenge to complete. I can’t allow myself to be struck down here. I need to kill Him. For my family’s sake, I must kill Him.
“No. They don’t belong to you. They belong to me, as they always had.” He smirks. “Perhaps next time you shouldn’t barter with things that don’t belong to you. Now run along, little girl, before my amusement fades.” I eye him with narrowed eyes for some time before deciding not to test him further. Instead, I settle for fuming in silence as I will him to self-combust. Of course, no such luck. I swiftly pivot and exit the room. I make my way up the stairs, muttering curses the whole way.
Chapter 28
As I enter the office once more, I notice the door across the way and decide to see where it leads. Inside sits a gaudy bedroom with fur rugs and bright tapestries scattered throughout. The owner had terrible tastes.
A mini living room sits to the left as soon as you enter. To the back lies a huge bed with curtains draping from the ceiling, a bizarre sight. Next to the bed is a small end table, and I search it for anything useful. A small leather journal is the only thing sitting in the drawer. I pull it out and slowly leaf through the pages, only to find it’s written in another language.
Deciding to hold onto it, I stuff it down my shirt and secure it, determined to keep it from Malik, the damn cheater. It must be important if it’s the only book in this manor. After a thorough look around the bedroom and finding nothing important to grab, I move back through the office and out the door, making my way towards the living room.
Fractured Past (A Talnarin Novel Book 1) Page 17