Chains cut into Kaori’s wrists, her shoulders aching under the weight of her body where she hung helplessly before the soldiers. Blood filled her mouth, the metallic taste making her sick to her stomach, nausea welling up in the back of her throat only to be forced back down again. Her teeth bit hard into her lower lip, determined not to scream as the whip connected with her back, cutting through the already broken skin from previous strikes, the loud crack jarring her senses. Tears moistened her lashes, escaping over her cheeks. It will be over soon… Deliao was bound to grow tired eventually. His patience was practically non-existent. It was odd that he hadn’t already given the order to have her lowered from the hook where she dangled. He had ceased to ask questions, the interrogation dissolved into nothing more than the repetitive snap of the weapon in Deliao’s hand against Kaori’s body, one after another until her vision started to swim, consciousness threatening to slip away if the pain didn’t stop soon.
It became easier over time to refrain from crying out. Malnutrition coupled with her tenuous grasp on her senses made her body start to feel numb. Each strike felt more distant, her head tilted forward, limp, rolling from one side to the other, eyes closed. Longing for the darkness to take over her mind. She was tired of being strong. For weeks this torture had been constant, testing the limits of her strength until she wanted nothing more than to break down in tears and be the frightened girl that she was. But she refused to give in. When the desire to scream became almost unbearable, she reminded herself of all the reasons why these men couldn’t be allowed to hear her wail and weep like a child. She wasn’t sure she even had the strength to produce anything more than a pathetic whimper. If not for the chains which held her off the ground, she wouldn’t have been capable of standing on her own two feet. It took effort to express pain and right now she didn’t have it in her to try.
When the incessant snap of the whip finally stopped she wasn’t sure if it was real or if she’d finally drifted off into the welcome silence of unconsciousness. The sound of boots upon the stone floor echoed through the room, coming closer with each step, a gruff hand reaching out to grab Kaori’s chin, shaking her head harshly to force her eyes open. “Look at me, wench,” Deliao growled. At his inability to acquire her attention he brought the back of his gloved hand across her right cheek, the force twisting her head violently to the side. A trickle of blood dripped from her lips as Kaori gave a broken cough, nearly choking on the bitter liquid which filled her mouth.
Again he grabbed for her chin, positioning her face in line with his. Dazed, Kaori let her eyelids flutter open, intentionally avoiding Deliao’s angry glare. She didn’t want to look at him. The sight of his face made her want to vomit more than the sting of the injuries. “I will not… tell you...” her voice trailed off, another mouthful of blood preventing her from speaking further as Deliao’s hand came back across her face, snapping her head to the other side.
“Worthless whore,” he spat, leaning closer to Kaori until his nose practically touched hers. “I don’t understand why the Emperor bothers with you. One of these days I may get carried away and end your miserable existence in an… unfortunate accident. Sometimes I just don’t know my own strength.” A devious smile curled across his lips. “Or perhaps I could simply provide names to the Emperor and claim they were spoken by you. People you care about. Those known to be closest to you. Liurn Torust, maybe? Pehrona Tiasi?” Eyeing her closely, Deliao scrutinized every line on Kaori’s face, searching for any sign that he might have hit a nerve in the mention of her friends. She remained stoic. Impossible to read. The slightest flinch could prove disastrous to those she struggled to protect. “I know,” he leaned back, the smile on his face widening. “We could bring in your beloved Therek. A few hits with the whip and he may just sing like a little bird.”
“You waste your time,” Kaori swallowed hard, tasting blood still mingled with saliva. Despite the agony, it felt worth it to see Deliao grasping for straws, unable to obtain the reaction he desired. Fear filled her heart at the thought of Therek being brought to this god forsaken place but she couldn’t let Deliao see the uncertainty she felt. He was good at reading people. It wouldn’t take much to make it clear to him that she was bothered by anything he said. “I watched my brother suffer death at your hands and gave you nothing. Injuring those you only assume I care about will produce no different effect.”
With a snort of derision Deliao turned away, waving the soldiers to come forward. “I am tired of playing games. Get her out of my sight.”
Through the pain Kaori managed a smile. A small victory, but a victory all the same. Every day she survived Deliao’s torture was another day she had in this life to hope Mhina kept her word. Therek and the others were still out there. Deliao didn’t realize that in speaking of bringing her friends in, he consoled her weary mind in the fact that they weren’t in his custody.
She watched Deliao walk away while the soldiers removed the chain from the hook in the ceiling, her shoulders aching with the movement of lowering them back to her sides. The men were less than gentle but she didn’t care. Soon she would be back in the privacy of her cell. It would be several hours before they came to visit her again. She longed for the peace. A chance to rest. All she wanted to do was sleep. Dreams were the only escape she had from her misery.
Broken thoughts danced through her head as she felt her body being dragged along the cold floor behind the soldiers. Her legs were useless. Occasionally, she considered trying to stand on her own and walk with the men back to her cell but her muscles wouldn’t listen, remaining motionless as if disconnected from her brain. Paralyzed from exhaustion and starvation. By the time they reached her darkened cell she felt dizzy. Sick to her stomach. Her head pounded, temples throbbing, pain radiating down her neck and into her back. As the men threw her onto the ground they laughed while taking turns striking her with their boots, her body reflexively curling into itself to protect against the blows, though the impact didn’t fully register in her mind.
After the soldiers departed the prison Kaori stared absently at the wall of her cell, curled into a fetal position, legs tucked against her chest, arms around her knees, oblivious to everything around her. She was alive, though barely. It was nothing short of a miracle that she continued to wake up every morning. If it was really morning when she opened her eyes. Concealed deep in the bowels of the palace dungeon, there was no way to know the difference between day and night. Time was a blur. Blending together until she couldn’t tell how many hours had passed since she listened to the soldiers disappear down the corridor.
“Kaori…”
The voice sounded distant. Ethereal. Like a ghost whispering from beyond the grave. Had she fallen asleep? Slowly she forced her eyelids to close and open, testing her level of consciousness. She felt awake. But that meant little in her current state. Her mind was distracted. Incoherent. After all she suffered, mental instability was likely to overcome her. She just didn’t want to give in so easily.
“Kaori, are you alright? Are you awake?”
It came again, more insistent than before. Frightened. Through the gentleness of the whisper she could hear the concern which filled each word. Giving in to the belief that it wasn’t a hallucination, Kaori started to roll onto her back to face where the sound was coming from, the movement stopped short by a cry of pain as she was reminded of the wounds inflicted by Deliao’s hands. The lacerations from the whip were fresh. Dirt from the floor caused the already aggravated injuries to sting worse than before, creating enough pain that she couldn’t stand it any longer, lifting her shoulders off the floor to settle into a seated position, shoulders slouched forward, breathing heavy.
Through the shadows she recognized the familiar cloaked figure of the Empress standing outside the cell, her hand reaching through the bars toward Kaori. She was saying something. Words of encouragement. Urging Kaori to come closer. The guards were gone. They only had a few minutes. She needed to move quickly. To think of moving at all mad
e Kaori shudder, let alone doing anything with any amount of speed. The scraps Kaori survived on for the past several weeks wasn’t enough to provide the energy necessary to function sufficiently.
Squinting her eyes, Kaori could see something dangling from Mhina’s outstretched hand. Small. Metal. Intrigued, she tried to find a way to her feet, body trembling under the effort until she collapsed back onto the floor, unable to gather enough strength to stand. Seeing her struggle, Mhina retracted her hand, staring down at the object resting on her palm. Quickly, she stepped toward the lock on the bars, fumbling with the mechanism. Kaori watched with growing interest, unsure what Mhina was doing. Was she trying to get in? Could it be that she had managed to acquire the key she promised to obtain so long ago? Positioning herself on her hands and knees, Kaori crawled slowly toward the bars in hopes of getting a better look.
Her heart began a quick steady pulse, a tingle coursing over her skin to hear a soft click come from the lock, Mhina’s hands struggling for a moment to remove the latch. Metal scraping against metal echoed down the corridor as the cell door was pulled along its track, opening only enough to allow Mhina to slip inside. “Kaori, we must hurry,” she whispered loudly, bending down to grab onto Kaori’s arm. “The guards will have heard the door. We need to be out of the prison before they find you missing.”
“Out?” Kaori stared up at Mhina in shock. Absently, she let Mhina lift her off the ground, resting her weight against the Empress to keep from falling back down onto the cold stone floor. “How do you propose we get out of here without being seen?”
“There is only one soldier along the passage which leads to my husband’s private courtyard. The man currently standing at that post is a friend. He has agreed to help us exit the prison and reach the servants’ corridors through the Emperor’s chambers.”
“What if your husband is within his chambers?”
“The chambers are rather large, Kaori. We should not cross his path.” Nervously, Mhina glanced over to the darkened hallway leading toward the main entrance of the prison, her eyes wide with uncertainty at what they were about to do. “Once we start moving, we cannot stop. I will explain the rest of our plan after we are safely outside the palace walls.”
Questions raced through Kaori’s mind but she didn’t dare waste the time it would take to ask them all. This was her chance. If only she could muster enough strength to help walk on her own! They would never get out of there fast enough if she didn’t get control of her muscles. Determined not to rely solely on Mhina, she tried to straighten her posture, the weight of her body over her knees causing her to tremble uncontrollably. Her legs shook, threatening to give out with every step. The only thing which kept her from dropping to the ground was the surge of hope which started to flow through her at the thought of getting out of this wretched place. Freedom was so close! She just had to pray Mhina was intelligent enough to have arranged the escape without overlooking important details.
She wanted to feel fear. There were so many things that could go wrong. The soldiers could move faster than expected and cut them off in the smaller corridors. Mhina’s friend within the military ranks could betray them and alert Deliao to their plan. But for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to be afraid. She had nothing to lose. If she stayed in the prison, she was going to die. It was only a matter of time. Her only concern was in how she was going to get outside the palace gates. The people of Eykanua were familiar with her. They would recognize her face. She couldn’t exactly sneak through the crowd of courtiers unnoticed. Especially not while covered in dirt and blood. “If anyone sees me… they will know who I am,” she gasped for breath, the exertion taking its toll on her weakened body.
Without giving a response Mhina gave a harsh exhale through her teeth to silence her. Voices were coming from somewhere behind them. Impossible to calculate their distance by the volume with which the men spoke. Someone was shouting. Her absence from the cell was no longer a secret. The corridors they made their way through now would be the first place the soldiers came in search of her. It was possible they would even arrange to have more guards take up position at the exit. These men were familiar with the layout of the dungeon. They knew exactly where the path would bring her.
A new rush of adrenaline coursed through her limbs, pushing her to move faster despite the pain she felt in every part of her body. When the light of the courtyard came into view ahead, she thought she might vomit from anxiety. It was all too much. Everything was at risk if she failed to do exactly what Mhina said. The Empress knew the way out of the palace. All Kaori could do was wait for further direction.
When they reached the courtyard it was all Kaori could do to keep from screaming as another pair of hands reached for her shoulders, startling her. Strong, slender fingers extended to wrap around her mouth, noticing her lips part in preparation to cry out. Immediately Mhina spun around to face her, the tip of her index finger lifted to quietly direct Kaori back into silence. The men could still be heard in the corridors where Kaori had just exited, coming closer at an alarming speed. There wasn’t much time. If Mhina intended to reach the servants’ corridors before they were intercepted, she was going to have to move faster than they currently were.
“We are not going to make it,” Mhina breathed, glancing back toward the hall with an expression of absolute terror. It did nothing to ease Kaori’s racing heart. She was counting on Mhina to get her out of here. If she was already convinced of their failure, what chance did they have?
The man followed Mhina’s frightened glance, quickly releasing his hold on Kaori to beckon Mhina closer. “Give me your cloak,” he instructed, his dark brown eyes staring hard into Mhina’s gaze. “I can get her out of the courtyard but you have to act as a distraction.”
Kaori watched in desperation as Mhina began to slide her arms out of the cloak she wore to conceal herself, handing it to the man without question. He took it from her in a fluid motion, his hand lightly wrapping around Kaori’s waist to guide her forward as he held the heavy fabric out for her to take. “I…” she started to argue, unsure of what was going on. The rest of her words failed to form as she fell into step beside the man, accepting the cloak while looking back over her shoulder in fear of what would happen to Mhina if they left her there. The guards would find her. They won’t have any way of knowing she is involved as long as you are gone when they arrive.
The thought provided only minimal comfort. While she knew Mhina was more than capable of handling herself with the soldiers, her presence in the courtyard would no doubt raise suspicions. She would have to be a good actress to convince the men that she observed no sign of Kaori coming through the garden.
She didn’t have time to think of all the worst possible scenarios. The man at her side was already pushing her toward the elegant arched doors leading into the Emperor’s chambers, eyes darting from side to side in search of anyone who might see them. A single sconce lit the otherwise darkened area, providing minimal light near the rear of the room next to a large statue a few feet from the wall. It caught Kaori’s eyes, the faint light of the flame dancing across the stone, casting an eerie shadow over the face of the man immortalized there in that room, arm raised in casual greeting as if to wave them onward.
“The servants’ passage is very narrow. Can you walk on your own?” The man asked, tugging her along behind him as they came to pause next to the flickering light of the sconce.
Confused by their surroundings, Kaori stared at the wall in front of them. There was no door. They were trapped in this corner with no way out if the soldiers came in and found them. “Do I have much of a choice?” She already knew the answer. The man only asked out of consideration. If she told him no, she might as well ask him to just slit her throat and spare her the torture she would endure at the hands of the soldiers. Such a thing wasn’t an option. They had to keep moving.
In the dim light Kaori watched the man reach for a tiny notch in the wall. It was barely visible. Concealed perfectly
within the colorful paints used to decorate the murals upon the surface. It took minimal effort to pull a section of it away to create an opening large enough for a person to walk through. Simple yet elegant sconces lined the passageway, helping to ease the uncertainty Kaori felt in following this man into the strange corridor. She didn’t know him. She couldn’t be sure whether he was truly friend or foe. All she had to go by was Mhina’s word, and right now that was good enough. Mhina had proven herself trustworthy. At least to some extent.
From out in the courtyard Kaori could hear Mhina’s voice, loud, pronounced. Intentionally speaking in a manner which would alert Kaori that the soldiers weren’t far behind. She sounded surprisingly convincing with her false shock in learning of Kaori’s escape. Appalled at the failure of the guards to keep a single woman behind bars. Kaori couldn’t help the smile which crossed her lips at the spectacle Mhina made. It would buy them a few seconds, at least. Hopefully, that would be enough time to get out of sight and hide any traces of their passage.
A soft pressure from the man’s hand at her back urged Kaori through the door. She did as directed, stumbling slightly from a harsh tremble that radiated through her legs. A reminder of the ailment she suffered. Wherever this man intended to take her, she prayed there would be food upon their arrival. This would all be for naught if she died of starvation before she reached her friends. The thought alone frightened her. She lacked extensive knowledge of how a body functioned and the science behind it. All she knew was that she couldn’t keep going much longer in her condition. She needed sustenance. Something more than a few scraps of meat and moldy bread. It took every last ounce of energy she possessed to remain on her feet while the man lingered at the door, gently sliding it back into place to close them inside.
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning Page 61