“Get up,” he said gruffly.
I got to my feet. One of the masked men brought a small wooden chair with shackles on the arms into the room. He gestured for me to sit. Once I’d taken my place he secured the shackles around my wrists. They didn’t really do much, my wrists were too small for them to close tightly. The two masked men stood at the doorway, and the man with the dark eyes moved forward.
“What’s your name?” I asked curiously,
His eyes shot to me. “You don’t ask the questions. I do. Your parents said you do things humans aren’t supposed to be able to.”
I shrugged. I felt betrayed that my parents turned me in. I could see how my father would, but it was a comfort that my mother seemed genuinely saddened by the decision. Perhaps she did care for me somewhat.
The dark-eyed man leaned down, “Talk, or I’ll have to make you talk.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I said truthfully.
He seemed so mean, and his eyes were cold. But I hoped there was a part of him that had some compassion, maybe some kindness still in his heart. I think everyone has some good in them.
He turned away from me and I heard a flickering sound. He turned back around. Something in his eyes seemed apologetic, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. In his hands was a small metal canister; he was holding a flame to it. The metal was heating very quickly, steam or smoke rising from the top. He brought it closer to me, keeping the flame close to it.
“What did you do?” he growled.
Once more I shrugged. He dropped the burning match to the ground, putting it out with his foot. He held the canister to my arm. I didn’t flinch.
The heat was soothing, not painful at all. I was used to the heat of fire so this was nothing. He looked at my arm for any sign of blistering. I didn’t have to look down to know there was none.
He seemed startled for a moment, then rolled the cylinder up my arm further. It left a slight pink tinge in its trail.
He threw the canister across the room in mock frustration. I knew he was faking because his eyes lit up as though it were Christmas. I frowned in confusion.
He turned back towards the masked men. “Keep her in here a few days, the pain of her burns will be enough for her to talk,” he lied, leading the men out of the room.
My ‘torturer’ knew I wasn’t like everyone else and he lied for me. Why? I made the assumption that he pitied me and didn’t want further harm to come to me. I felt relieved.
Thinking back to that moment, I can’t believe how naïve I was. He didn’t care about me, it was all a trick. A horrible trick. He was just testing me. It was pure luck that he came across the idea for fire to torture me with first, thinking it would reveal me as an ice or water elemental. It led him to what I really was straight away.
Dorian was right. Without even using them, my powers and my very nature put me at a risk of exposure.
I know Dorian meant it as a warning to make me think twice about using them again, but it had the opposite effect. I thought back to all the times my powers had saved and protected Cael and me. Cael’s words lingered in my mind once more. I knew my powers were strong, and getting stronger. The confidence I had in them when I was a child was still here, just hidden.
The dark-eyed man came to my cell a few times, followed closely behind by the two masked men. He usually brought me a chunk of old bread and a small cup of water. They didn’t say a word to me.
I don’t know how long I’d been there, but it couldn’t have been more than a week. The dark-eyed man came to my cell once more, this time with a thick rope in his hands. I immediately assumed they were going to hang me. Then I realised he was alone. He unshackled my wrists, standing me up in front of him.
“Hold out your wrists,” he ordered, “ … together.”
I did as he said and he tied the thick rope around them, leaving enough excess to serve as a lead to pull me along, out of my cell and into the open.
As we walked I took notice of where we were. It was the same forest that I’d run to so many times. It was getting late and the sun was close to setting. It was absolutely freezing. Snow had fallen, coating the ground in fluffy ice. My bare feet tingled against the cold. We stopped moving.
His hands were rough on my shoulder. My wrists burned and ached as the ropes tightened and shifted. My quick breaths came out as fog in the freezing winter air. I had seen others go through this before, but usually there was a big audience, yelling obscenities and throwing objects at whoever was being tortured. But he had me out here on my own. I was always on my own.
He steered me towards a tall tree, hooking my tied hands to a low branch.
The bandana that covered his mouth slipped slightly as he breathed out. He held up a bucket. The contents sloshed against the sides, slipping out onto the snow-covered ground, making a loud crunch. I stared into his eyes, hoping he would see the pain and fear in my own and that he would stop. He stared right back at me, not even flinching as he threw the bucket of freezing water over me.
I remembered gasping, the cool air stinging my lungs. The fear of dying out here, of freezing to death, encompassed me. I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I engulfed myself in flames. The flames soothed the painful stinging the ice-cold water left along my face, neck and arms. I sighed in relief. I hadn’t even noticed him taking the cloth from his face. A sadistic smile lit up his face and his dark eyes stared excitedly at the blanket of flames.
“For once the humans were right. A fire elemental will be of great use to the rest of the demons,” he said, pulling my bound hands free from the branch.
Demon? Is that what he is? I knew he was crueller then any human man I’d seen or heard of, but I had never thought he was something like that. Maybe he still had a nice side, even if he was a demon.
In a flash of light smoke we were in a dark, cave-like room. I was afraid. There were several others in the room, all looked to be in their early twenties. Their faces were warped and disfigured. A woman walked over to me and pulled at my clothes, then my cheeks. She looked towards my torturer and smiled.
“Throw her in with the other one,” she grinned, turning back to the others.
When my torturer led me from the room, they began talking about the reward they would get.
Remembering this experience is hard but it reminds me that my powers aren’t something for me to be afraid of. Even then they were strong enough to keep me alive. Dorian was wrong. Besides, if the masked men had never captured me then I would never have met Cael. He saved me more than I saved him, regardless of what he thought. Or what he thinks of me now.
My torturer escorted me down a long, twisting tunnel and we came to a door with thick iron bars along the top. It looked almost the same as the cell I was kept in before. He opened the door and threw me inside. I heard a thick latch lock in place.
Several candles along the walls lit the room. In the corner I saw the shadow of a boy my age hunched over, his head in his hands.
“Who are you?” I whispered, keeping my distance.
He looked up; his blond hair fell away from his face revealing bright blue eyes.
Something about him felt familiar. I moved closer. He looked hesitant as I sat down beside him. He was afraid too.
“How long have you been here?” I felt safe beside him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know … not long; a few days maybe. Are you like me?”
I frowned in confusion, “What do you mean, like you?”
The boy looked at me with fear in his eyes, “I can’t show you, I don’t want to be hurt by them.”
“Tell me.” I had the urge to know.
He whispered in a low voice. “I can control water, I try not to. I don’t want anyone to get hurt or think I’m strange.” He looked towards the door, “They called me a water elemental. Is that what they call you?”
I shook my head. “No, I control fire. That’s how they found me, I suppose.”
“Exactly! That’s why I don’
t use my powers,” he said with a bitter laugh.
“But that’s silly! The powers we have are amazing. They can protect us too!” I said.
He looked down at his hands. “They don’t do any good down here though.”
“Then I’ll protect you.” I said with a reassuring smile. “I’m called Emilie. How about you?
“Cael,” he said in a soft voice.
I still find it hard to believe that I played the protector, and was always watching out for him. I think he feels indebted to me for how I cared for him while we were there. Cael has put me on some sort of pedestal, thinking I deserve all this protection that only he can offer. Sometimes I wish he would just stop, but I would never bring that up with him. He still gets touchy when I talk about our time in the demonic realm.
I never found out the name of the demon who’d captured me, but I’d never seen him again. When I think of all the things that happened while he held me prisoner, I hate to admit I still feel like he wasn’t all that bad. I suppose I’m naïve to think that there’s good in everyone, but I do try to find it.
I wondered what Cael would think if he knew I was meeting another elemental, especially after what happened with Holly.
The door creaked open once more. To my relief it was Soul.
He shot me a grin and wandered over to the bed, sitting beside me.
“Everything okay, Em?”
I nodded. I didn’t feel like talking to him about Dorian right now, I was tense enough about meeting the elemental.
CHAPTER 13
Soul didn’t say a word as he walked me out into the dark hallway, past a weathered old front door and down three rather hazardous-looking stairs. Outside several cars overcrowded the tiny, dull front yard. They had dark tinted windows and were similar tones of burgundy and black. As we walked towards Soul’s car I noticed his number plate. “B1TE ME”. I smiled a little as I read it.
He held the passenger door open for me, helping me into the low seat of his car. As I reached for the seat belt he grabbed my wrist and stopped me. He leaned down and kissed me gently on the cheek before quickly pulling back and apologising. He backed the car cautiously out of the neglected driveway, putting his arm around the back of my seat as he reversed onto the narrow street. Once we were clear of the abandoned-looking house, he sped up.
He manoeuvered around the side streets at high speed. Day had broken a while ago, which confused me. How was it possible that the house was so dark? There were no curtains or blinds blocking the windows, so perhaps the overgrown garden had blocked out all natural light.
Soul drove into the parking lot of a large shopping complex. Before I could reach for my door, he had run around to my side and was holding it open for me, ready to help me out. I remained silent as we walked towards the automatic glass doors. At our approach, they opened quickly and a cold gust of wind rushed out.
I shivered slightly and he reached over as though to put his arm around me but stopped halfway and placed his hands in his jean pockets. He verbally steered me towards a small clothing shop with hot pink walls and blaring electro-pop music. He hesitated at the entrance, looking at me with an awkward smile. I stared at him in confusion.
“Clothes shopping isn’t my thing, so,” he handed me a silver credit card, “ … why don’t you go pick out some clothes or whatever, and just sign your name on the receipt?”
I nodded and walked in. A bleached blonde shop assistant looked up from her teen magazine. She stared at me for a moment before returning to the magazine. I walked reluctantly towards the jeans section and grabbed the first black pair in my size. I found the shirt section and grabbed a t-shirt that looked a few sizes bigger than me before making my way back to the counter. The girl put her magazine on the counter and moved quickly at the register mumbling “credit or savings?” as I handed her Soul’s credit card. I signed and was slightly concerned that she would ask questions about the differing signatures, but she didn’t.
“Have a nice day,” she said brusquely, picking the magazine up again.
I walked quickly out of the store and at first I didn’t notice Soul leaning against the blank wall beside the bookshop holding a hardcover book. I approached slowly, handing back the credit card the instant I was close enough. He smiled and held the book up.
“Shakespeare’s a genius.”
“Which one is it?” I asked, gesturing to the book.
“Hamlet,” he replied straightening up and walking towards me, closing the gap between us.
I hadn’t noticed before, but Soul looked quite handsome. He was wearing a black leather jacket and dark blue denim jeans with the same black chucks that he was wearing the day before. I blushed when I realised that I was staring at him, and looked down at my shoes. I probably looked like crap, especially in comparison to some of the other girls that had been walking around the shops. I knew Soul wasn’t blind; he had to have noticed them.
“Is something wrong, Emilie? You look weird,” Soul said nudging my arm
“Oh jeez, thanks,” I frowned. “Nothing’s wrong.”
Soul’s eyes told me that he didn’t believe me.
“Can I change?” I mumbled shaking the shopping bag.
“Oh yeah, of course. I’ll wait for you at the music shop. I’ll get you something to eat, too,” Soul spoke quickly, already beginning to walk away from me.
The female bathroom was the first door down the hallway. The walls were a dull, off-white colour with a dark green strip that ran horizontally along it. I only took a few minutes to change and when I was done I stopped to check myself in the chipped mirror. I turned away the second that the reflection started to cloud over and Lilith’s face replaced mine. I ran towards the door, but pulled back in fright. The door was frosted over with ice.
“Do not walk away from me,” Lilith ordered in a cold, threatening whisper.
I walked reluctantly back to the mirror and looked her in the eye, “What if a human comes in?”
“I’ve frozen time. I don’t appreciate your attitude much either.” “How did you freeze time?” I stuttered.
I had only been aware of Lilith being a storm demon. I suppose it wouldn’t be entirely unheard of for a demon to gain more powers.
“Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I’ve tolerated your insubordination until now. You do not ask me questions. I am the one who is in charge, not you.” Lilith’s voice was full of venom and her face now held a murderous expression.
“I’m sorry, Lilith,” I lied, dropping my gaze.
She was a typical dictator. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had barely any real power at all; it was probably just connections she made that had helped her rise to the top.
“Good. You are to tell Soul to check that Markos’ loyalty is still with us, and tell him that Vashel has been trying to contact him.” Her voice remained harsh, and seemed to drip with authority.
I nodded towards the door, which was still frozen over. “May I leave?” I asked quietly in a completely monotone voice. It was best not to start a fight with her now, I supposed.
“Go!” Lilith hissed.
I watched her face disappear from the mirror and looked over to the door – all was back to normal. I left the room instantly and found Soul standing in front of the music store with a small plastic water bottle in one hand and a bright green apple in the other.
“Here, you should eat,” Soul said cheerfully, handing me the apple.
I took it but said nothing.
“You’re welcome,” Soul said.
“Lilith wants you to check that Markos is still on her side and Vashel was trying to call you or something,” I said, taking a bite of the apple.
Soul shook his head, “Lilith spoke to you?”
I nodded and continued eating the apple. “These are my favourite, how did you know?”
“Lucky guess … are you okay?” he asked, reaching forward and pushing my hair out of my face.
“Oh, I’m fine. Lilith looked like she was going t
o murder me, but I’m fine,” I said sarcastically, taking another bite.
“She won’t hurt you, I won’t let her. I already told you, I’m only working for her for the power,” he said, reaching out and placing his hand at the base of my neck. “In a few days things will change.”
“Don’t touch me. I don’t know if I believe you. Even if I did, why does that have to mean I’ll come running back to you?” I couldn’t believe my own words as they left my mouth.
Soul obviously did believe me. His hand dropped from my neck and rested back in his jeans pocket again.
“I’m not lying, Emilie. I just need to check with some others, then the revolt is ready,” Soul said.
“Why won’t you give up?” I asked with a sigh.
Soul chuckled; his hand squeezed mine so tightly it hurt. “I already told you, I’m in love with you. I’m not giving up, Emilie. I know you love me too.”
I turned away, which only caused Soul to laugh louder than before.
“So maybe we should get going, we’ve got to see Markos,” Soul said cheerfully.
“Why are you so happy about that? Who is he?” I was really confused now.
Soul continued smiling, “Markos is sick of Lilith too. With his help, overthrowing Lilith and Samael is going to be a piece of cake.”
I said nothing but I knew that whoever, or whatever, Markos was, he had to be a powerful entity. I was beginning to believe that Soul might actually have a good chance of getting rid of them. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through another set of sliding glass doors to the parking lot. When we reached the car, he opened my door.
“You look beautiful,” he grinned.
I kind of wished he would give up trying to win me back. My restraint was running thin and, knowing me, I would end up with him again. Not that it was a bad thing. I probably wouldn’t have ended it the first time if he hadn’t killed that innocent girl. The catch was, I knew that even if Soul did achieve emancipation from Lilith, he might go mad with the power. I didn’t know if I could trust him, but my options were fairly bleak. The alternative was being enslaved by Lilith, which was far less appealing, and Soul actually seemed genuine.
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