The Rising Fire (The Witch in the Woman Book One)

by Stacey Criswell

  Chapter 14:

  Jacob walks up the stairs to Skylark's mansion. The guards stop in front of him, "What's your business here?" They ask him.

  Jacob glares at them, "I need to talk to Skylark."

  One of the guards looks at the other. "What do you think, Bruce?"

  The guard he calls Bruce looks Jacob over, "I'll go ask Skylark."

  He runs up the stairs and through the door. The other guard keeps his eyes on Jacob, until Bruce comes back. "Check him." Bruce demands. They pat him down. "He's clean." The guard confirms.

  Jacob shows them his fangs, "Want these?"

  They start up the stairs, "Go ahead and try me." Bruce mumbles.

  Jacob has to try really hard not to. They show him the way to Skylark's throne room. Skylark is sitting there quietly. He looks at Jacob, "Why are you here?"

  "I've come to join you." Jacob says.

  "Oh and why is that? Did Aldric tell you that you were no longer needed? Or, did you get scared, and run away? I thought you were the one with all the powers." Skylark comments angrily. He looks like he almost wants to kill Jacob just because he is there.

  "I didn't get scared. Why would I want to stay where my own sister doesn't want me around? And, I don't have the powers; they just made me say that I did."

  "There's probably a reason for that. You're irritating me by just standing there." Skylark says. "Listen, I'm not buying your whole, 'I want to be on your team' thing. It was a real mistake coming here. I don't want you; your sister doesn't want you. You're not a very good friend maker are you?"Jacob doesn't know what to say, he just stands there with his jaw hanging open. "Put him in the dungeon. I will keep him alive for information. Oh, what fun it will be to get it out of him." Skylark demands. Guards grab Jacob's arms and start pulling him toward the door. He doesn't struggle; he would love to see the look on Skylark's face when he breaks the bars. It will prove him wrong.

  They drag him down two flights of stairs, and into a dark and extremely potent room. It smells of death and infection. They put him in a small cell, and put metal on his wrist and ankles, then connect the metal to the ceiling so that it holds Jacob off the ground at least five feet. The metal burns into his skin, and it feels like it weakens him, he can't break free. He can smell his burnt flesh, it sickens him. He yells painfully when they put one around his neck, and attach it to the back of the cell, pulling his head back. "Let me out of here!" He yells at the men. They ignore him and pull the chains tighter. Jacob's plan is not going as he had expected. He thought that they would just throw him into a room, and he would be able to break out. But, the metal burns so bad he can't move without it burning into him more.

  A woman walks into his cell. His eyes can't adjust to see her; the pain is clouding his mind; taking over. She walks up close to his face, "My favorite; a vampire."

  "Let me out of here." He mumbles.

  She laughs softly, "I have been known to do many things, but never to let one of my prisoners go. And, it's absolutely unheard of that any of my prisoners get away. So, don't get your hopes up."

  "What do you want?" Jacob growls.

  "My name is Kalinda. I'm a vampire slayer. I was called to get some information out of you. And, I'm going to have fun with it. But, you don't seem like one who will break easy, are you?"

  "No, I'm not easy at all. I am the one who controls people they don't control me."

  Kalinda smiles, "More fun for me. You're a newbie, aren't you?"

  She touches a metal blade to his cheek. "Ah, what are you talking about?" He says trying not to show that it hurt him, but failing.

  "You're a new born, aren't you?"

  "Why does that matter?" Jacob asks angrily.

  "You still think you are better than everyone else."

  Jacob shakes his head, "I know I'm better than you."

  She laughs, "Look around, who's the one in chains, and who's the one with the blade?"

  Jacob puts his fangs down and tries to lunge at her, but the chains pull his neck back and burn farther into him.

  She shakes her head in disgust, "You'll never learn will you? Do you just like the pain?" Jacob's eyes turn red with hunger. Kalinda smiles, "By the look of your eyes you haven't had a drink since this morning. That's a little irresponsible, isn't it? That means you're weak, and it will be easier to break you."

  "I'm not weak. You won't break me." Kalinda pushes the blade into his ribs, making him yell.

  "I won't? Think again, kid. No one has ever made it through my interrogations." She brags.

  The next hour she spends her time cutting into him, she says she's showing him what it will feel like when he doesn't answer her questions. Without drinking blood he is too weak to even lift a finger against her.

  She knows that he will heal up, but the less blood he has the slower it is. The metal prevents the exposed skin from healing also; she knows this and uses it against him.

  The minutes pass by in agony. He regrets coming here; he wished he hadn't the moment this woman walked into the room. Her dark makeup and long black hair reminds him of his sister, and with the hallucinations caused by the severe pain, he thinks she is giving him what he deserved.

  Finally Kalinda steps back, Jacob's blood splattered all over her clothes. "Now, I will start asking the questions. If you refuse to answer, or tell me a lie, you will get that but worse. First question, where are the vampires hiding?"

  Jacob coughs out blood, "They aren't hiding. They could be lying at your feet, and you would never even know." He growls.

  She pushes her blade into the bottom of his throat. He can't even yell with the angle she has the blade. "It's my job to find vampires; I will find them even if they are not in Hagar. I will follow them to Aznia, Morca, Lare, Kista, Mona, and Della if I have to, but I will find them. And, your sister will be the first one I kill. She may not be vampire, but she mid-as-well be." She laughs and shakes her head, "You know that, but you're trying to be the hero. Considering your sister kicked you out, she's not going to care if you die for her. I wonder if she breaks easily." She mocks.

  He continues to refuse to answer every question she asks. Every time he refuses she makes a new cut somewhere else, and goes deeper and deeper each time. She is so furious by noon that she says she has to take a break. This gives him at least a few minutes to heal, and sleep. He lets his head fall, and tries to lose consciousness.