“The Hunter said we can’t touch your pretty face or break your skin because you’re too fragile.” She fake pouted, “But there are other ways to get information.”
Luka had said she wasn’t allowed to cut me? A small spark of hope started in my chest. I stomped on it. Maybe he was scared the collar couldn’t hold my power. He was an Elect member through and through. I had forgotten what a chameleon he was, and believed I had seen the real man underneath. How wrong I was, I had believed a facade.
“You’ll get nothing from me bitch,” I spat.
I knew the blow was coming and I tensed in preparation, the knowing didn’t soften the pain.
The hammer slammed down onto my hand. The thin bones of my fingers splintered into untold fragments. Everything was pain. A violent scream tore through me and my mind took me far away, to some primitive place that knew how to deal with the kind of agony I was feeling. My vision was overtaken with violent colours that merged and moved without pattern or reason. I was unstrapped from the chair. My hands were secured in front of me tightly, and she pushed me onto the floor. The beating continued and no further questions were presented. My silence had angered her. The blows caused the wound on my chest to burst open. After her heavy boot connected with my face, my mouth filled with blood. It seemed the Hunter’s rules didn’t matter anymore. Time ceased to exist. There was nothing before the pain and nothing after.
“This is what you deserve.” She wasn’t wrong.
When the beatings stopped, my body was slick with blood, bile and salty tears. The guards tugged at my cuffed hands and sharp pain lanced through my head and colourful spots flashed in front of my eyes. Black mists swirled at the edges of my mind, calling me to oblivion. Before I was allowed to embrace unconsciousness, icy water was splashed over me once again. I didn’t think I could muster the energy to walk back to my cell.
The two guards dragged me from the room, seemingly more comfortable around me now. My body was broken, but my mind was intact. They dropped me roughly onto the hard mattress. I half-heartedly lunged toward the salt and pepper haired guard. He scrambled back and landed on his ass. I let out a deep hacking laugh that ended with me doubled over spitting blood. The pain was worth it. They left me quickly after that, shutting me back in my tiny cell. I wasn’t sure how long I had been gone for. It could have been hours or days.
Gingerly, I placed my battered body down on the mattress, cradling my broken hand to my chest. I cried until my tears dried up.
“Rina.”
Gentle hands pushed back my stiff hair from my face and cradled my cheek.
They had come back for me.
Adrenaline forced my eyes open and I scrambled back, ignoring the pain that flared throughout my body. My back hit the wall and air was forced from my lungs. I couldn’t see anything in the dark. A hand was placed over my mouth.
“Shhhhh, it’s me.”
Luka? His familiar power caressed me, welcoming me into its embrace like an old lover. My clothes were still soaking wet and my muscles ached from the tremors. In the silence, I could hear the chattering of my teeth. A lamp in the corner of the room suddenly lit. Luka’s Fire Magic caused my skin to tingle. I latched onto the pleasant feeling. I was no longer in my cell, but instead in a large cave. When I saw past his shoulder, there was a large pool of water. Memories of freezing liquid pouring into my lungs flooded my brain. I sucked in big gulps of air and my heart began to flutter in my chest. A keening sound escaped my lips.
I wouldn’t drown again.
Luka caught me around the waist and I struggled against his grip. Silent tears marked my cheeks. I could take torture from strangers, but not at the hands of Luka. It would break me.
“Rina please, I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was warm and he wrapped his arm around my thighs to stop me from kicking out. His fingers gripped around my bicep. Squeeze…Tap. I’m here…I’m with you. My vision took on a strange haze and a comforting warmth filled me. Of course! I was hallucinating. The effects of the collar mixed with torture and starvation had taken their toll and my mind had checked out. I didn’t mind the reprieve.
He wasn’t the Hunter anymore, he was back to being my Luka. It was easy to pretend he was separate from the Elect, that the man who had held a knife to my throat was someone different. The metal of his eyes had softened, and the angles of his face were alluring once again. I reached up with my good hand and cradled his cheek.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered. My breathing begun to return to normal. Nothing could hurt me here. It was just me and my Luka.
“Rosie,” I rasped out. The despair in my voice was heavy.
“I know. I’m so sorry, Rina. We gave her back to Sylvia.”
I nodded. It was good that they had found her and returned her body to her mother. His eyes filled with tears that glittered in the firelight. My mind felt foggy, like I hadn’t slept in a month. I half-expected Luka’s hair to be long again but it was still shaved close to his head.
“I like your hair longer,” I muttered. He gave me a sad smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“We need to clean your wounds before they get infected.”
I giggled. How absurd. He clapped a hand over my mouth and shushed me. Luka seemed so real. I studied his features. His eyes were no longer hard but filled with concern. A stiff uniform no longer adorned his body. Instead he wore a simple black t-shirt and track pants. His strong arms lifted me easily and I cuddled into his chest as he walked toward the pool of water. I was placed on the edge, legs tucked under me. Anxiety rose up within me at the sight of the depths. I stuffed it down to keep company with my other nightmares. I wouldn’t drown here. Gingerly, Luka lifted my arms. The pain transcended even my hallucinations. My muscles felt as if they had been filled with concrete and my bones ground against each other. He pulled the damp singlet off me, the fabric had stuck to the wounds across my ribs and I gritted my teeth to avoid screaming out.
Luka inhaled sharply at the sight of me.
“I’m so sorry.” His voice was strangled.
When I looked down at my body, I saw that it was painted in purple and green. The bruises looked particularly grotesque against my ghostly pale skin. I wondered how much damage had been done to my internal organs. After removing the rest of my clothes, Luka held me and slid into the steaming bath. Luka shucked his shirt. I had seen his near naked body before and my imagination did not disappoint. His skin was olive in the warm light and his chest and stomach held a litany of scars. There were four thin lines that I had healed, but the closer I looked, the more I saw. They spoke of a hard life. My body was finally weightless in the hot water. Tears of relief escaped my eyes. I didn’t mind crying in front of dream-Luka. If I ever returned to reality, I would be back freezing and covered in blood. For now, I would take any respite offered.
Luka gently washed the dried blood from my arms and face. I couldn’t bring myself to dunk my head under the water. His touch was exquisitely careful. He lifted my broken hand from the water and inspected it. Luka tried to harden his eyes, but I saw the flash of horror.
When I got the courage to look at it closely, I could see my fingers were mangled. It was swollen to three times its normal size and had turned an odd shade of blue. Would it heal? It seemed unlikely. There were some things even magic couldn’t fix. Luka cupped some water in his hands and ran it over my hair, trying to dislodge the build-up of dirt and blood. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Forgive me.” His voice was thick with emotion.
“It hurts,” I choked. He pulled himself out of the pool and fished a small silver vial from his pants.
I popped the cap and drunk the sour tasting potion greedily. The effect was immediate, the pain slid off me like water from a duck’s back. It must have been human medicine. My eyes struggled to stay open and Luka pulled me onto his chest once again. The water was nice. I didn’t want the dream to end. Squeeze…Tap. I am here, I am with you. Exhaustion had anchored itself to
me and I was pulled down further and further into the deep abyss of unconsciousness. Finally I gave in.
Chapter Twenty
Luka
The hollow sound of Luka’s footsteps echoed off the damp walls. His hands were clasped behind his back to stop him from ringing his fingers. The hallway seemed to narrow the closer he got to the two silver doors that signified the end of his walk.
Taking a steadying breath, he pushed open the doors and strode into the chambers. He schooled his features into the bored expression that was his mask. The rest of the Elect had summoned him to appear before them. Did they guess how deep his betrayal ran?
The room was how he remembered it, white and sterile. There were nine seats on a podium, positioned in a large semi-circle. It was designed to intimidate subjects, but one of those seats was his, and he would not be subject to their mind games.
“Master Highland, welcome back to Verinski.”
The head of the Elect sat in the room, his salt and pepper hair was cut short and his blue eyes surveyed Luka intensely. His face was deeply-lined and pale from too many years spent indoors.
“Hayden.”
He sneered at the subtle insult.
“I trust you have requested my presence for an important reason.”
“The sorceress has been silent.”
He bristled at the insult. “I delivered her to Louis days ago. Has she lost her touch?”
Arina had stayed quiet. He hadn’t expected anything else. Hayden seemed personally offended at the suggestion.
“Of course not. But the sorceress refuses to bend.”
“Maybe you over-estimated what she knows,” he offered.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know her kind are never alone. They congregate in packs. She is a danger to our very way of life.” Hayden chastised him. “You told me so yourself.”
“Apparently she cries out your name in her sleep,” Gianna added, her face screwed into an accusatory glare.
Of course she did. He had betrayed her. Ignoring the twinge of emotion in his chest, Luka’s face stayed neutral.
“Your insistence that Louis cannot use more conventional methods is hindering us.”
“Her wounds do not heal like those of a normal Mage. If she loses too much blood she will die without giving up any of the information we seek.”
“Well, perhaps you can assist,” the dark-haired woman sitting next to Hayden offered. It wasn’t a question.
He scoffed. “I am not a torturer, Indiana.”
“We must know what she knows, Hunter.” Indiana spat, her temper barely held in check. “Her parents were integral in the birth of the rebellion. She’s more involved than we realised.”
He hid his surprise. He hadn’t known that. He had convinced them that Arina had known where scores of Blood Mages were living to save her from the horror of the Blood Mage camps. He didn’t think she would actually know anything not already given up by himself and Judas.
“I’m not your torturer.” It was all he could say in response. He couldn’t torture Rina, not even to keep her alive.
“But you are well-versed in brutality.” Hayden provided with a smug smile. They all knew cruelty was what got him the job in the first place.
“Blood Mages are a danger to us all. Perhaps we should destroy her.” Julien leaned back on his throne, his face plump and ruddy. Luka wouldn’t give in to his games. The man was smarter than he looked.
“Perhaps.” He shrugged. If he gave any indication that he was sympathetic toward Arina, they wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter her.
The Elect glared down at him from their thrones. Luka felt so far removed from them. How long had it been since he had sat upon one of those chairs and looked down at whoever stood by his feet?
Not long enough.
“So it’s settled then. The Hunter will get the information we need from the Blood Mage or we will execute her.” Hayden clasped his withered hands. “You’re dismissed.” He bowed and struggled not to flee from the room.
The once-familiar walls of his home now closed in around him as he moved to his bedroom. He slammed the steel door with too much force and began to pace the large space.
He noticed how bare the bedroom was, how devoid of personality. The walls were empty and the bed sheets were a pale grey. There was no pile of unwashed clothes on the floor, or empty plates sitting on the bedside table. It was sterile. His closet was filled with identical black uniforms and boots. The only thing which indicated that anyone lived in the space was the two long swords hanging on the wall.
He shuffled toward the window. The view was breathtaking. The entirety of Ka lay before him, the city streets lined up in perfect grids. It was cathartic to stare out at the perfect order and watch the people go by unaware. From up here he couldn’t see the fear in their eyes as they glanced sideways at the enforcers keeping them in check. He couldn’t hold off the Elect’s plans for long. They would demand answers soon.
He needed to show his face at the next meal. Elect members loved to gossip. If he missed dinner again there would be speculation. After checking his uniform was spotless, he made his way through the brightly-lit corridors and toward hell.
If a person hadn't been to the prisons underneath, they wouldn't believe they existed. Everything above ground level was lit with white light. Verinski had no shadows to hide in. Luka’s face was expressionless as he strode into the busy dining hall. It was a mask he had worn since childhood. The silence was so foreign after his time in the compound. Meal times had become boisterous and loud. The room had always been filled with easy conversation and laughter.
Verinski had only terse silence or carefully chosen words. People here made chess moves, not conversation. He used to thrive playing the game, but now he found himself despising it.
“Hunter, how nice of you to finally join us.” The icy Gretchen flashed her white teeth. The woman was a viper.
“Thank you, Gretchen. It is good to be back amongst friends.”
The dining hall was set out with a thirteen-seat table on a podium at the front of the room for the Elect and whoever had earned their favour that day. The rest of the room was set for advisors and other dignitaries. It seemed Gretchen had gained the favour of Julien because she sat nestled between them. Judas sat on the other side of Luka, next to Hayden. Silence fell over the room as the servers wheeled carts filled with plates of food into the hall.
Hayden was served first, the waiter shaking with fear as he placed the plate in front of him. The rest of the podium were given meals and only after the Elect and the ticks that had attached themselves to them begun to eat, were the rest of the meals served. The steaming plate of steak and vegetables in front of him turned his stomach. The crowd waited for Hayden to pick up his knife and fork before beginning. He liked to wait a few extra seconds to remind everyone who was in control.
“You must share with us how you survived living with those savages for so long,” Julien said between mouthfuls of food.
Luka felt the mask slip back on more slowly than usual, the smile felt forced and unnatural. But the act was one he couldn’t give up. If they guessed how far he had slipped, they wouldn’t hesitate to punish both his sister and Arina.
His protests had been too fervent upon arrival and Hayden decided to test his subject’s loyalty. Luka should have stayed and watched, but even hearing her screams from down the hall had been too much. Giving her the human medicine was too risky. He shouldn’t have done it. If he had been caught, they both would have been executed and her sacrifice would be for nothing.
“It was tough to hide my true feelings, but we do what we must in order to safeguard the Elect’s reign.”
Judas leant over Julien. They made eye contact and his gaze narrowed. He was still suspicious. He had seen Luka’s betrayal first hand. If he had known Judas was a part of the Elect, he would have killed him. Who was he to question Luka? He was a no one. He was in the good graces of Hayden now, but the head of the Elect was a fickle man a
nd Judas would be forgotten soon, relegated to sit back with the plebs.
For now, he was dangerous. He gave Luka a sly smile, a snake ready to strike out.
“It didn’t seem too difficult for you to fit in with the sorceress, Hunter. You shared a room, didn’t you?”
“I insisted on it. Before her face was ruined by Louis, she had a certain charm.” Luka returned his smug smile. “I’m sure you remember. It’s a shame you never got to experience it for yourself.”
Bile rose in his throat. The Hunter’s reputation as a womaniser was well-known. No one would have batted an eyelid that he had taken a shine to Arina.
Judas sneered.
“It’s a shame we don’t know where the remainder of the rebellion is. Is she still not giving up any answers?” Julien ignored the conflict.
“No, but she was close with the man above me.”
Loral. Luka hadn’t given up that particular bit of information, how much had Rina told him?
“He was her old roommate, he was the closest to the leader. He would have told her what to do in case the compound was ever breached.”
“And he never told you?” Luka accused.
“No, he never liked me.”
Loral was smarter than Luka had given him credit for.
After getting everyone out through the springs, Luka had told Loral that he had to go back and get Rina. When he had gotten to the kitchen, he had seen Rosie’s tiny crumpled body in the mud. There had been no sight of Judas or Arina. The only evidence that Rina had been there at all was the number of dead enforcers littering the floor. At that point he hadn’t known Judas had betrayed her. Luka had thought them both captured. He had cleaned up Rosie and carefully carried her. The memory of her slight weight in his arms still horrified him.
Loral had insisted he come with Luka to find Rina. It was only after he had come clean about who he was that Loral had relented. Arina was right, he hadn’t even been mad at her. He had just wanted her safe. Luka was so close to getting her out. He had called in a number of favours and the plan to hide his sister would be complete within the week. Once she was safe, he was free to act how he wanted.
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