"Actually, Luna, your death is the last thing we desire."
"What've you been smoking?" I sneered, voice overflowing with sarcasm. Evidently, the poor crying girl routine wasn't working. And his asinine I wanna help but can't really help attitude totally grated on my nerves. "Look around, asshole! You guys abducted me, sliced me up, and stuck me in this cement prison with no food or water."
"To clarify, they kidnapped you. Not me, I'm a friend. And I share your sentiment. I wish they wouldn't have proceeded in such a manner. It's deplorable." He hesitated, seeming to gather his next thoughts carefully. "I can't explain much now. Nevertheless, rest assured that I cast my vote against this."
"What do you mean your vote?" I hissed.
"I should start with a formal introduction. My name is Adrian and I am the duke of sector six."
As soon as the words left of his lips, my meager hopes for a speedy rescue plummeted, and I knew that I had another crazy on my hands. Come on! Duke of sector six? Who are these people? "Listen, Adrian, if that's even your real name. Whatever you're trying to pull, I'm not biting. There's no sector six, well, other than maybe on some sci-fi show. And, sadly, there aren't dukes in the United States."
"I realize you can't possibly comprehend the complexity of the situation. That said, it'd do you well to listen. You're a smart girl, just think about it. Perhaps certain entities exist in this world independent of your knowledge about them." He paused and, when I didn't respond right away, he continued. "Alright, I'll put it into terms you'll be able to grasp. If there's a television program on a certain channel and you haven't heard about it, does that imply the program doesn't exist? Of course not. It exists, you're merely uninformed for whatever reason."
I pushed myself up to a sitting position, ignoring his not so sly jab at my intelligence. "Okay, hypothetically, let's say I believe you, which I don't. But, for the sake of the discussion, let's say that I do. How does your supposed position as the duke of sector six explain the tiniest part of this nightmare to me?"
"Well, that's how I earned a vote," he rebuffed with an air of nonchalance. "Remember, you asked me about it? I was sincerely attempting to answer your question."
He reminded me of a damn politician, always talking and never saying a thing. "You didn't answer me, though. You just made me more confused."
"I'm sorry for that," he apologized in an irritatingly pacifying tone. "I could go into more detail, but you're not ready to accept the truth. For now, simply know that I'm on your side and I'll help when I can."
I rolled my eyes. He was clearly giving me the runaround. However, since I didn't have the strength for a prolonged bickering match, I figured I'd better try persuading him to free me one last time. "So, seeing that you're supposedly my friend, why don't you prove it by getting me the hell out of here?"
"As I said before, I cannot assist your escape. If I were to help, you'd die and they'd severely punish me which would benefit neither of us."
"I'd die? If I stay here I'll be killed for sure," I snarled. "Untreated wounds, blood loss, blackouts, dehydration, starvation. Does any of that ring a bell? Also, have you taken a moment to think about what those sick freaks are gonna do to me next? That, coupled with the fact that I've got no clue how long I've even been here, means I'm completely screwed. Seriously, what day is it anyway?"
"It's Thursday. And I agree with you, Luna. If you stay down there for too much longer you might not make it, hence the reason for my visit."
"You're kidding me, Thursday! It's really Thursday? Oh my god!" Well, that explained a lot. Obviously, five days deprived of sustenance combined with considerable blood loss and numerous unknown drugs in my system wasn't good for my health. Truthfully, it sorta amazed me that I still remained conscious. Didn't people usually die after three days without water?
Adrian's feet shuffled around above me, almost like he was fidgeting or something. I couldn't tell for certain, though, on account of my cold cement enclosure and the endless darkness. "Luna, you need to listen," he warned, adopting an earnest tone. "I can sense your energy level and I'm unsure how many more days you'll be able to endure. You must drink from the chalice."
I clenched my fists in aggravation. So, he was on the chalice kick too, huh? Great, just fucking great. "Look, I'm not gonna drink the shit! I've already made that exceedingly clear to the old man."
"Did you call him that to his face?" he snickered, working hard to deflect my outrage.
"Of course I did! Why should I be nice to my kidnapper? And he probably is old, after all, he sure sounds older than dirt."
Adrian let out several seconds of bellowing laughter before finally pulling himself together. "And he didn't reprimand you?"
Glad to be entertaining, dickwad. "No. And, for real, it's not as though he could do much worse. He already locked me up in this crap hole. Fuck him!"
"I wouldn't goad him on. You don't know who you're messing with."
"Fuck him and fuck you too," I grumped, hostility exuding from every pore. "I'm not gonna cooperate, no matter what you do to me." If I was gonna die, I'd go out kicking and screaming.
"You need to see reason," he asserted, raising his voice urgently. "The chalice is your one shot at survival."
He must've assumed that, if he kept at it, I'd eventually be convinced. Sorry to tell you buddy, but it's never been that easy to manipulate me. My mom raised a strong woman, not some shrinking violet that'd simply accept her fate. "So, why's drinking that stuff, whatever it is, my only option? It makes more sense to me that I'll survive by escaping. I mean, I was doing perfectly fine until you people showed up."
"Yes, you were. Regrettably, your circumstances have changed. If you decide against drinking from the chalice, you will die. There's no avoiding it."
I took a few deep breaths, giving a sudden dizzy spell time to subside. "What's changed about my circumstances? And why does my refusal to cooperate automatically mean you guys'll kill me?"
"Unfortunately, even the most basic of explanations is significantly complex. And, considering your unwillingness to broaden your perspective, wasting the time would be counterproductive. Nonetheless, I do feel it's important to reassure you. I give my word that the chalice's contents aren't harmful."
Uh, huh. "So, let me get this straight. You want me to guzzle down some mysterious shit that, on your word, won't hurt me. Also, on your word, you want me to accept that this is the only way I'll stay alive." My eyelids were growing heavier by the minute, yet I refused to give in to the comforting pull of another blackout. Instead, I carried on with my cynicism. "Why in the hell would I trust my kidnappers? Do you think I'm retarded or something?"
"No, I don't, Luna. I hold you with more esteem than you know. That's why I'm here, remember I'm on your side," he pleaded. "Your death would be a travesty. You must listen to me and drink."
"Okay, so why the chalice? Why not just give me the stupid, lifesaving liquid in a cup?"
He sighed, apparently exasperated with my questioning. "You're an important person to us and this is the vessel that's been used during ceremonies of this nature for centuries. It's tradition."
I shook my head in astonishment. "You really are a whack job aren't you?"
"No, Luna," he growled, his calm and collected demeanor bursting at the seams. "I speak the truth and you must hear me."
"Yeah, okay, sure. If you say so." When would the guy catch on to the idea that I wasn't gonna take his word for anything? He was a lunatic of the first order, exactly like the old man. I had a better chance of evading this mess on my own.
"Please listen to me. Don't do..." His comeback trailed off as we both heard footsteps moving toward us. "I must go. It'll be better if no one discovers that I've been here. Please keep this meeting to yourself." His voice shifted into a whisper. "If you see me around court, don't pay me any special attention. This is important, Luna, for your safety as well as mine. Don't speak of my visit. In fact, don't even think of it. Merely remove our conversation from
your thoughts entirely."
He'd barely finished speaking when I heard the whooshing sound again and, somehow, I intuitively knew that he'd departed. My brain hurt from struggling to conceptualize it all. Seriously, how had he come and gone with nothing more than a whooshing sound? Could I be hallucinating? I've definitely been stuck here long enough. And why was it so important for us to avoid being seen together? Also, the stuff about not thinking of his visit? Crazy talk, right? And what did he mean by court? And, most importantly, why was this happening to me? Why fucking me?
Chapter 4
"Are you prepared to drink from the chalice, my child?" the old man asked, his scratchy voice echoing down from above.
I was curled into a ball on the floor again, my mind clinging to lucidity with all its might. And, yeah, I so wanted to mouth off to the decrepit bastard but I lacked the energy. In fact, I barely forced myself to utter a simple, "No."
"You must partake of the sacred fluid, child, or you'll surely perish. I know you feel yourself slipping away. Do you truly desire death over life?" His tone held an edge of concern which sounded genuine, even though I knew it had to be fake. Why would my kidnapper and torturer be concerned?
I cleared my dry, aching throat before speaking in a lame attempt at seeming a little stronger. Regardless, when the words came out they still sounded pathetically frail. "No. I don't wanna die. What I want is for you to let me go."
"Luna, you must think rationally," he replied, discharging one of his annoyingly audible sighs. "If I free you in your present condition, you'll retain absolutely zero chances of survival."
"If you release me," I whined, totally disregarding his deranged logic. "I promise I won't go to the police." Yeah right. If I ended up getting out of this mess, I'd go straight to the cops. Fucking lunatics. They deserved jail time for this shit. My super sweet voice didn't betray my true intentions, though, as I resumed my groveling. "I swear, I'll go on with my life as if this never happened. And I won't rat on you guys. Seriously, just turn me loose and everything's forgiven."
"Why do you insist on being this difficult?" he grumbled, his attitude taking on a much colder quality. "I wish it wasn't necessary to progress in such a fashion. Alas, you leave me no other alternative. I won't permit you to kill yourself."
"Go to hell!" I snapped, hastily dropping the bygones are bygones act. "Either set me free or murder me, 'cause talking in circles ain't helping and I'm sick of getting the runaround."
"That's it, Luna. I've become quite tired of your insolence. In future days, remember that you brought this on yourself. It didn't need to be this way. Unfortunately, time grows short and so does my patience. Therefore, I command you to drink, now!"
Suddenly, a sharp burning sensation pierced my skull. Then, almost immediately, a pounding headache set in followed by blinding pulses of pain vibrating along the length of my spine. Although disconcerting, it paled in comparison to what came next. My mind, my resolve, my willpower. All stolen. Brutally and irrevocably stolen.
I felt like a human onion with each protective layer being malevolently peeled away. The unfolding rattled my soul and I struggled against it. However, in the end, my determination faded into nonexistence. I was a puppet, or maybe a zombie, as I sat up and started crawling the short distance toward the chalice. All the while, my tongue burned with an ever-present compulsion to satiate its thirst.
As I pushed ahead, I heard my frantic voice in my mind screaming, "No! No! Don't drink! Don't do it! Just go lay back down!" Sadly, the desperate pleading made no difference; I was driven forward anyway.
Minutes later, when my hands touched the cold metal and lifted it off the ground, I tried again. "No drinking! Be strong! Set the chalice down!" Still nothing. Damn. The mystery liquid was only inches from my face.
Devoid of options, I did the last thing I could think of and cried out to a higher power. "Please god, if you really do exist, you have to help me! I've never asked for a bit of assistance before and, well, you know I don't usually pray and stuff. Even so, you gotta help me! Give me the strength to live through this! And the willpower to refuse the poison! Come on, please, I'm not ready to die!"
All that begging and guess what? God never showed up. Surprise, surprise.
My body stayed on autopilot while the chalice touched my lips and the cool liquid flowed into my mouth. It tingled across my tongue, soothing the dryness on contact. And, in spite of my free will's opposition, I swallowed gulp after worried gulp.
Admittedly, the drink wasn't nearly as disgusting as I'd assumed it might be. Don't get me wrong, it definitely continued to give me the heebie-jeebies. It sorta reminded me of an odorless, bittersweet, vitamin smoothie with a mysterious metallic zing. Nonetheless, the stuff sparked my appetite which had been disturbingly absent ever since my abduction.
"Good, my daughter, good," the old man cooed, conveying an eerie sense of affection as the final drop of liquid slid down my throat. "Now it'll only be a few more moments. Simply lay back and relax. It will all be over soon."
"Daughter? Why'd you..." I wasn't given the chance to finish my sentence. Instead, a series of convulsions overtook me. Rapid heartbeats roared in my ears as my arms and legs bashed around uncontrollably. No way to stop the onslaught, confused. On the floor, dizzy, hands numb, unable to breathe.
"God help me! Please! I don't..." And then, all too abruptly, my world lurched into unconsciousness.
Later on, perhaps a few hours or more, I awoke to a seemingly healthy body and was instantly elated. Well, truthfully, elated would be an understatement. My emotions soared into the heavens. I WASN'T DEAD! And I could see my surroundings! Really see! Albeit through dim lighting, but whatever. I wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. No more sensory deprivation! Yay!
It took several giddy minutes before reality finally came to the forefront. And, to put it bluntly, it still totally sucked. I remained helplessly stranded in my cement prison without the slightest clue as to why they'd kept me alive. I also didn't know the why the old man had turned on the lights. What was next? Rape? Torture? Regardless of the crackpot's reasoning, I knew his plan centered upon me.
"No, daughter, you're wrong," he chimed in, causing me to squint up at him which, of course, gained me nothing since the jerk stood a couple feet out of sight. "I haven't turned on the lights. It's you that has changed. Your night vision, among other skills, has greatly improved."
"I'm not your daughter, so quit freaking calling me that," I quipped, trying to buy myself a little time to process the situation. For real, did he just read my mind about the lights? I must be hallucinating again, right? And night vision, huh?
"Okay, daughter, if it'll make you feel more comfortable I'll refer to you by your name in the future. I must tell you, though, your defiant attitude is utterly adorable..." He paused to stifle a chuckle. "As for reading your mind, it's simple. I can hear you."
"You can hear me, um, you can hear my thoughts?" I blurted. Then, almost as quickly as the words left my mouth, I realized I shouldn't have even dignified him with a reply. He had to be playing games with me. Nobody can hear anyone else's thoughts. That's pure craziness.
"Indeed," he chortled, no longer attempting to conceal his amusement. "Most of us around here are gifted with telepathic abilities."
"For some reason, I highly doubt you've got superpowers. It's much easier for me to believe that you're nuttier than a damn fruitcake." I ground my teeth together in frustration. "Or you're screwing with me."
"I'm not 'screwing with you', as you so eloquently put it," he scoffed mockingly. "My goal is to gain your trust, not to manipulate you."
At that point, it became overly apparent that our conversation was a complete waste of time. I mean, what's with all the supernatural nonsense? Telepathy, night vision? Yeah right. Plus, his incessant chuckling and lighthearted banter were irritating me beyond belief. And, well, seeing that I couldn't have the creep enjoying himself at my expense, I decided to see how he took to the silent tr
eatment. I know, I know. It was kinda juvenile, but I didn't care.
At first, I utilized my newfound quietude to orient myself with my prison. The walls stretched more than thirty feet upward and were covered in patches of grime. The floor looked equally disgusting, providing ample evidence that nobody'd cleaned for quite awhile. Beyond that, a ladder had been built into the side of one of the walls. However, it was positioned a good five feet above the ledge. So, needless to say, I couldn't use it to escape. I wouldn't be able to jump that high.
Shortly thereafter, I surveyed my outward appearance. I was a nasty mess and required a bath, like yesterday. The robe, obviously once red and fluffy, showed evidence of being rolled in blood, piss, and throw up, among other things. In all honesty, it probably had. I sure smelled disgusting enough.
One positive, at least, was my physical state. I didn't feel weak anymore. In fact, I felt warm and strangely rested. My wounds had stopped aching and, surprisingly, the sheer terror that'd been constantly plaguing my psyche was basically gone. In short, my health seemed to be pretty much perfect. Well, if not for the hunger, that is.
The vitamin concoction hadn't even come close to satisfying my body's craving. Every few minutes, my stomach would cramp up and then growl at me loudly. Granted, my yearning for sustenance was unbearably intense. But why wouldn't it be? I'd been kidnapped for at least five days. I should be starving. That's normal, right? I shook my head, struggling to clear it. This place was making me paranoid. Sigh.
To shift my train of thought, I inspected the chalice. I held its familiar weight in my hands, scrutinizing the polished gold exterior and the intricately embedded lettering. Well, on second glance, maybe they were symbols. Either way, the strange writing looked sorta like a combination between Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese. It mesmerized me for a time until I eventually grew bored and proceeded on with my examination of the residue left inside.
The stuff turned out to be red, blood red. Jesus, it couldn't have been actual blood, could it? They must've added some food coloring to scare me, right? Or the vitamins were red? My mind spun while I considered making myself throw up. In the end, though, I decided it'd be of no use since my stomach seemed a tad on the empty side. I shuddered, thoroughly repulsed at the plethora of horrid substances that were most assuredly percolating deep within me.
The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) Page 3
