No Light

by Mara, Devi

  His eyes scanned her, as if he were looking for something. She unconsciously tugged her sleeve down over the marks on her wrist. His eyes tracked the movement, and something like surprise sparked there.

  "Tradis," a voice barked from behind her.

  Sarah dropped her gaze when the Dem moved past. She looked up when the second door closed behind them. After one slow breath, she pressed her hand to the scanner and the door slid open. She stepped into the main hall and glanced around. The Dems at the tables near the door turned to look at her.

  Something changed in their gaze. She noticed all of them giving her the same searching look as Tradis. The sheer number of Dems staring at her, made her palms sweat. She took a step forward, then another. Quick, but outwardly calm, she crossed the room to the exit.

  "Handler Mackenzie!"

  Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see Luke trotting toward her. She paused at the door, her hand hovering over the scanner.

  "I wanted to talk to you," he said, glancing around.

  Sarah nodded. Her gaze flicked to the door.

  "I'll walk you out," he said quickly.

  She nodded.

  After the door closed behind them, separating them from the main hall, Luke fell into step with her.

  "Are you alright?"

  She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Yes."

  "I know Farran's reputation..." he started.

  "I can manage," she murmured.

  "I know you can, but if you need help, if you want me to talk to him-"

  "Please, don't." She turned her head to look at him. She stopped walking when he paused. "I know you're my supervisor, but I need to do this on my own."

  "I didn't offer to help you because I have to, Sarah." He put his hand on her shoulder.

  She looked at his warm smile and nodded. "Thank you, then. I'll keep it in mind." She started to walk away.

  "Sarah?"

  "Yes?" She looked over her shoulder.

  "Why didn't you tell me about the two classmates that died?" He looked at her searchingly.

  She frowned. "I thought you already knew."

  "Robinson is your trainer, right?" At her cautious nod, he let out a disgusted sound. "He's a creep."

  "They had already been moved by the time we made it the rest of the way down here." She looked toward the stairwell. "The stairs almost sound like groaning. And the dark."

  "Is that what made them fall?” He looked more and more disturbed, as she nodded and continued to speak.

  "Everyone panicked. The sound was so loud. It just seemed to get louder and louder. The wind and the darkness. Two people began to shove and then…" she trailed off. Her eyes moved to the staircase.

  "You know how Handler Robinson feels about your situation," he said carefully.

  She nodded. "I know." She shoved her hands in her pockets and glanced toward the elevator. “He doesn’t think I should be here.”

  "He is friends with Handler Keane," Luke continued.

  Sarah looked at him in surprise. "The supervisor?" At his nod, she bit her lip.

  "I only tell you this because I don't want to see something happen to you." He paused.

  Sarah stared at him with wide eyes. She watched him start to speak, then stop. Finally, he continued to speak.

  "Not many people know, but the city council is backing Keane for mayor." He looked at her when she gasped. "He has a lot of ideas about how things should be run in The Corridor. A lot of support."

  Sarah looked away. "I appreciate you trusting me enough to tell me that." She turned toward the elevator. "And thank you for helping me today."

  "It was no problem, at all."

  Sarah nodded. She started to ask how he knew about Keane, but she thought better of it. She walked over to the elevator and pressed her hand to the scanner. Luke stood in the doorway. She glanced at him.

  "Thank you for walking me to the door."

  "You're welcome." He gave her a nod and turned away.

  The soft ding from the elevator made her jump. She looked at the empty elevator, then Luke. He pressed his hand against the scanner. He looked back over his shoulder at her.

  "Have a good night," he called.

  "You, too."

  She stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for the surface. As the doors closed, she saw him step through the doorway. A vent above her head pumped warm air into the space. She shivered, watching the depth gauge above the doors. One mile, half a mile, one thousand feet. Finally, the surface.

  The doors slid open. Small flecks of ice filled the air that washed into the elevator. It stung her eyes and brought a cough from her throat. The wind burned across her cheek, as she turned her face away. Stepping from the elevator to the concrete platform, she tucked her hands into her pockets. She looked both ways down the slush covered sidewalk.

  Her eyes moved to the houses along the street, all with curtains drawn. Old, clapboard houses with peeling paint. She grabbed the thin rail and descended the steps to the sidewalk. The icy metal stung her palms, the scars seeming more sensitive after Farran's attention.

  She looked up at the gray sky, ice salt crunching beneath her boots. Nothing moved in the falling darkness. She tucked her chin against her chest and crossed the street. For three blocks, there was nothing but snow and silence. Her hands clenched into fists in her pockets, an attempt to escape the cold.

  She trudged through the slush until she reached the city center. Just beyond the cluster of shops, the city hospital rose dark and forbidding. She sniffed, pulling her hand from her pocket to rub the end of her nose. She stood there for a moment and watched the activity.

  Cars crunched through the ice covered the streets, occasionally stopping to pick up one of the people who hurried along the sidewalk. Thrusting her hands back into her pockets, she stepped into the flow of foot traffic.

  Chapter Four

  The Smallest Piece

  Marked. He had marked her. Farran snarled to himself, as he paced the confines of his cell. Three strides one way, then back. Over and over, he crossed the same distance, growing more and more furious as the time passed. His anger at her needed no explanation, she was human. The fury he felt at his own actions, though. He shook his head at himself.

  What in abad had he been thinking? She reeked of him after his display. The marks on her skin absorbing his ator, and loudly proclaiming his threat to any challenger. He let out a loud growl and slammed his fist into the wall near his door. The stone shone silver for a moment before falling back to a dull gray. Farran looked from the wall to his hand.

  The bone re-knitted with a solid crack, as the small amount of blood quickly reabsorbed into his skin. He bared his teeth and repeated the action. Over and over, the loud crunch of broken bone followed by the crack of it re-knitting. It was an insignificant pain, but it released his anger. After countless strikes, he let his hand fall to his side.

  Cocking his head, his gaze slid from the wall to the door of his cell. The door to the hallway slid open with a quiet rasp and Farran turned to face the corridor. A handler passed his cell without sparing him a glance. He bared his teeth at the disrespect, but focused on the Dem trailing behind the smaller human.

  Tradis paused outside his door, turning his head toward him slowly. Their eyes met briefly before his second dropped his gaze. Tradis stood perfectly still until Farran nodded. His blue eyes flicked up to meet Farran's green, a vague question glowing there. Farran bared his teeth and his second quickly dropped his gaze.

  "Go," Farran hissed quietly in their tongue. He glanced at the human, who had yet to notice Tradis had fallen behind.

  Tradis' gaze flicked to the human and then back to him. He nodded quickly and strode away.

  Farran listened to the human bark orders from the end of the corridor. After the sound of chains hitting the stone floor, a pulse of energy engaged the security screens. The human's footsteps approached. As the he passed, he glanced into Farran's cell. The screens made it impossible fo
r the handler to see his feral smile, but the human seemed to feel it. He jerked his eyes away and scurried to the door.

  After the door to the hallway slid closed, silence fell in Corridor One. Then, the process repeated. Azzan followed a scrawny human down the corridor. Farran crossed his arms over his chest, watching the human pass. Azzan paused. He slowly turned his head, his grey eyes meeting Farran's for a fraction of a second before lowering. Farran nodded and Azzan continued down the hall.

  Balendin, Drusus, Gutyn, Vikram – every Dem paused at his cell to show respect before continuing down the corridor. Ragnar stopped at his cell, despite his handler's furious protests. When the human tried to force him to move from his place, Ragnar turned and growled at him. Farran glanced at the pale human in amusement. When Ragnar turned to face him, bowing his head in respect, Farran nodded. He watched him stalk away, his handler trailing behind him.

  The door to the hall slid open to admit two humans and two Dems. Farran leaned his shoulder against the wall casually, ignoring the first handler. His eyes narrowed on the second and he stood up straight. As if he could feel his attention, Luke's head twitched in his direction. Farran snarled.

  Farran knew Motlin heard the sound even if his handler could not. His head turned to look toward Farran's cell. His gaze flicked to meet his for the briefest of moments before lowering. He bowed his head. Farran looked from Motlin to the Dem beside him.

  Eitad walked behind his handler. As he passed Farran's cell, he did not pause.

  Farran watched Motlin's gaze move to Eitad. His grey eyes narrowed and he let out a low, rumbling growl. Eitad paused long enough to return the growl before he continued down the hall. Farran's eyes narrowed on Eitad's back. When he looked at Motlin, he was facing his cell, eyes lowered in respect. Farran nodded and turned away.

  The twilight in his cell made the passing of time impossible to calculate. He sat on his bunk, staring at the door. The energy of the containment screen appeared like tiny waves across the dark surface. When the lights in the corridor brightened, Farran stood. He moved toward the door, careful to keep his movements slow, as the security screens dropped.

  The morning handlers quickly shuffled the Dems out of the corridor into the main hall. Farran glanced around, moving slowly across the room to an empty table. He watched the morning handlers move to the far side of the room, their job complete. He looked away, his gaze moving over his fellow Dems instead. His eyes landed on Eitad and narrowed.

  …

  "There's been a disturbance."

  Sarah's sleep fogged brain quickly cleared and she sat up in bed. "What kind of disturbance?" She pressed the phone into the crook of her neck, already scanning the room for her clothes.

  "Farran attacked one of the other Dems," the man answered quickly.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. "What happened?"

  "From what the morning handlers have said, it sounds like a perd."

  Sarah paused in the act of tugging on her jeans. "Perd?"

  The voice on the other end sighed heavily. "The punishment for disrespect." At her continued silence, the voice continued to explain. "The Dems have a very strict hierarchy. When someone of a lower rank refuses to pay proper homage to a higher ranking member, there is a perd."

  "What does that mean?" She buttoned the top button on her shirt.

  "From what we know of the Dems, they cannot be killed.” The way he said it, made it obvious someone had tried and failed. “A perd is as close to death as the Dems can get."

  Sarah froze. "Farran nearly killed another Dem for disrespect?" She frowned when the voice laughed.

  "I'm not sure about all that, but he beat the holy hell out of Eitad. The guy hasn't healed, yet. It's been two hours."

  Sarah's eyes widened. "I thought the Dems healed immediately."

  "Like I said, he beat the holy hell out of the guy."

  …

  She stepped into the main hall and looked around. The right side of the room looked the same. When her eyes moved to the left, she let out a quiet gasp. Several tables were cracked or missing portions, many simply gone. She walked further into the room and stared. A large pile of broken stone stood in the far corner, what remained of the broken tables.

  "A little disturbing, isn't it?" Luke asked from behind her.

  Sarah jumped, jerking her head around to look at him. "Farran did this?" She watched Luke's gaze move over the damage.

  "Farran and Eitad's body," he confirmed. His eyes settled on her, again.

  "If it had been a human?" she asked quietly, looking back at the damage.

  "There would be nothing but splatters on the walls."

  Sarah shivered. After a moment, she looked toward the door to Corridor One. "Is Farran in his cell?"

  "Yes."

  She walked toward the door.

  "Do you want me to come with you?" Luke called.

  Sarah shook her head, not slowing her pace. "No, thank you," she called, unsure if he heard her.

  As she passed through the doors, she felt herself shaking. The hallway was empty beyond the first door. After the last scanner, she looked down at her hands. Small and pale, they shook violently. She shoved them in her pockets and walked toward Farran's cell. The corridor was silent, but it felt like a quiet that listened. Sarah shivered.

  She stopped in front of Farran's door. The cell appeared dark through the screens. She stared into the darkness, feeling him staring back at her. She jerked her gaze away and walked to the wall beside his door. As she pressed the buttons to drop the screens, the door unlocked with a loud click. She jerked back.

  Her eyes quickly moved to the door of the cell and back to the scanner. She frantically looked for the button to reengage the locks. Taking a step closer, she froze at the feeling of someone behind her.

  "You certainly do not learn, Sarah."

  She stiffened, feeling him come closer. She jumped when his hands hit the wall on either side of her head.

  "I assume you know what has happened?" he growled in her ear. He let out a soft laugh at her cringe.

  She pressed as close to the wall as possible, curling in on herself. She stayed silent.

  He pressed closer, his rough suit brushing hers. "Are you here to reprimand me, Sarah?" His voice was darkly amused.

  She tensed at the sound of him inhaling against the back of her neck. "No," she whispered.

  "To make a detailed report, then?" He pressed closer.

  Sarah gasped at the movement, panic threatening to overwhelm her. He was too close for her to turn, or breath, or think clearly. Menace rolled off of him in waves. She shook her head hard.

  "Then why are you here," he growled.

  Her mouth opened and then closed. She squeezed her eyes shut when he let out a snarl and flipped her around to face him. Her back hit the wall hard enough to make her gasp.

  "Answer the question!"

  She jerked, pressing back against the unforgiving wall. Suddenly, his hand grabbed her jaw. Her eyes flew open and she stared into his dark gaze. He cocked his head to the side.

  "You did not sleep." His gaze moved over her face.

  Sarah blinked at him, unable to speak even if she chose to. His thumb and little finger nearly circled her throat. The other three fingers framed the left side of her face, ending just beside her eye. It was a terrifying reminder of how much larger he was, and how easy it would be for him to break her.

  He looked down at her with narrowed eyes. After a moment, his hand dropped to completely wrap around her throat, leaving her jaw free to move. She licked her dry lips.

  "No, I didn't sleep." She did not dare look away from him. "I am here to offer you a shower." Her gaze dropped to his chest and her eyes widened further at the sight of all the blood that covered him.

  "And who had the idea that I would wish to wash the blood away?" he demanded, sounding offended.

  Her eyes jerked up to his. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

  His hand tensed around
her throat, as his eyes flashed. "Stop apologizing."

  "I didn't mean-" she started to explain, only to have him cut her off.

  "Silence." His hand loosened around her neck. "I would like a shower."

  Sarah stayed perfectly still, as he stepped back. When he released her, the tips of his fingers lightly stroked across her throat. She swallowed hard, her eyes going to his face. He was already turning away. After several steps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

  "Now," he barked.

  She jerked and moved away from the wall.

  …

  She smelled like winter, stark and pale. He watched her through narrowed eyes as she cautiously moved around him. He could almost taste the cold of the earth on his tongue. The season seemed to cling to her clothes and hair. Beneath the crispness, was a much warmer scent. He shook his head at himself.

  Why should she smell like the sunshine in winter? He snarled to himself and saw her back tense. She did not turn to look at him, but he could smell the fear in her. It made the warm scent fade, replaced by the scent of rain. Her fear smelled like spring, damp and heavy. The medley of scents tickled his senses.

  He followed her to the bathing room, his eyes never leaving her. Her small hands opened the door, and he watched each movement. Her hands seemed too small to have such power. It made fury build in him like a wave. When she stopped just inside the bathing room and turned to him, she must have seen some of his thoughts.

  Her face paled and she took a step back from him. For a moment, they stared at each other. Her eyes large and green in her child-like face. Anger at her burned in him. A part of him wanted to crush her like a frail bird. Her humanity made her weak, her size made her fragile, and both traits irritated him.

  He bared his teeth and she looked away quickly. He watched as she looked around the room, her gaze flitting from one thing to another. When he took a step toward her, she tensed. She kept her eyes lowered. Without the chains, he had full range of motion. He could break her. He frowned and stepped around her.