Eight
Raina
Consciousness dragged me from the abyss of oblivion into a world of pain. My eyelids fluttered open, and the dim light of the room struck me as if it were the glare of a thousand suns.
I winced, trying in vain to lift my head, only to feel the bite of chains around my wrists and ankles. The cold metal was an unforgiving reminder of my captivity.
"Hells," I muttered under my breath.
The throb that pulsed through every bruise and cut on my body made my stomach roll. My attempt to sit up was thwarted by the chains’ unyielding embrace, keeping me half-sprawled on what felt like a stone slab dressed thinly as a bed.
I squinted, forcing my eyes to adjust. Through the narrow window, I could see other buildings in the capital of Antara.
Vaguely, I remembered our arrival, as we came over the last ridge and the city was revealed. The moon had cast an eerie glow over squat, rectangular buildings, which were surely made of the clays and muds found in the desert.
It resembled one long citadel, formidable and yet strangely intriguing. I must have been severely dehydrated and only half-conscious to have had any curiosity about this place.
Now, in the harsh light of dawn, I had clarity of my predicament, and it looked nothing less than sinister—a mirage to draw you in and seal your doom.
The landscape beyond the low skyline was barren, stretching out like a desolate canvas painted with shades of gray and brown. The heat was almost a physical entity, seeping through the panes and laying over me like a smothering blanket.
It was a scorching heat, one that promised an endless stretch of suffocating days and nights. Hanging in the air was an atmosphere so oppressive it felt as though it sought to crush the very hope from my lungs.
How did anyone expect a frost nymph to survive here? Unless ... they had no such expectation.
"Idiot," I chided myself.
Once sold, my captors wouldn’t care what happened to me. They were merely fulfilling their end of the bargain and cashing in on the sale.
A bitter chuckle escaped my lips. I would not let this be my end. Not here. Not like this.
I lay there, shackled and alone, baking in the heat of this oven of a room, and cataloged my thoughts. I needed a clear head.
The heavy door creaked open. My heart quickened as Tabor and Llew entered.
Llew's bulging blue eyes scanned my form with clear satisfaction, while Tabor's beady gaze held a glint of malice.
"Look at our little frostling all trussed up," Llew sneered. "We just came by to tell you it won't be long now. We found who we needed and everything's all set."
"Your parents found you an eager master," Tabor added. "They just need to outbid everyone else. I assure you it won't be a problem, not with this powerful buyer."
Llew licked his lips. "They promised you'd be well-used by many. I might offer a discount if they let me watch."
I recoiled in disgust. I had no idea who this powerful buyer was, but I knew it would be someone who saw me not as a person but a thing to be used. The very thought sent a visceral shiver through my body and rattled the chains binding me.
"Tabor," I said, my voice steady even as fear clawed at my insides. "You know this isn't in your best interest. Lady Aeryn will hear about what happened to me. She won't stand for it. She's—"
"Future queen or not, she's no concern of ours," Tabor cut in, his tone dismissive. "We already told you of the bargain. It's sealed by magic stronger than anything. We have to follow through."
"Think of it as a higher calling," Llew chuckled darkly. "A noble sacrifice for the good of your family's memory."
"Let's not pretend nobility has anything to do with this," I threw back, anger flaring despite the dread that weighed on my soul. "They betrayed me, pure and simple. And you're just the minions they decided would get their hands dirty."
Llew shrugged nonchalantly. "But you're such a valuable commodity we'll be rich minions."
Their laughter echoed off the walls as they exited, leaving me alone once more with the roasting heat and my own spiraling thoughts.
The chains clinked, a stark, chilling cadence, as I tried to shift my position.
Valuable commodity. Valuable to whom? I snorted, a humorless puff of derision escaping my lips.
The notion that I, Raina, a trained fighter, better than almost every single guard under my parents' employ, was reduced to an object of barter? No, I would not accept it.
Llew's words slithered into my mind again, and I shuddered. Well-used by many. The pain in that promise loomed over me, a shadow ready to swallow me whole.
To think that my body, once cherished and respected, might become nothing more than a plaything for depraved souls filled me with a terror so profound it strangled me.
Then, a single memory flickered to life of the one who'd been careful with me, physically, who'd never made me feel used during our time together.
Even now, as darkness consumed me, the memory of our intimacy brought a glimmer of hope. If I could experience such depth of feeling once, surely I could find it again.
I had to believe that this wasn't the end of my story, that somewhere out there was a male who wanted to find me as much as I wanted to be found. The very chance of it was enough of a reason to live.
Clutching onto the fading warmth of those memories was like clutching a lifeline.
My first love may have been lost to me, tossed aside by the cruel whims of fate, but the resilience he helped forge in my soul remained. I would reclaim my life. My dignity.
My freedom.
To break out of here, I needed energy. I needed rest, just enough to carry myself far enough to hide for a short while.
Exhaustion seeped into my bones, pulling me into a fitful slumber. In that shadowy refuge of sleep, I found myself entwined with a male figure whose features were obscured by the mists of my subconscious.
We moved together in perfect sync, lost in an intimacy that transcended the physical realm. His touch was gentle, reverent, as if he understood the sacredness of what we shared.
I glimpsed what might await me beyond the confines of my current predicament. A life where I could once again know happiness, where the touch of another could kindle flames I’d put out years ago.
A sharp clatter jolted me away from the dreamworld. My wrists burned against the cold iron of the chains and all remnants of my shadowy lover dissolved.
I sucked in a breath, the air thick from the heat of the midday sun. I wished I hadn't fallen asleep, pissed off that I was so weak I hadn't been able to keep my eyes open.
Repositioning on the narrow cot, I rolled to my back, ignoring the ache in my limbs as I cautiously weighed my scant options. Though the pain wasn’t as sharp as it had been, each movement took energy. So I held still, thinking.
My mind whirred. If I could somehow manipulate one of these chains to break, I could unravel them and be mobile.
"Focus, Raina," I murmured to myself, testing the strength of the bindings, seeking out weaknesses in the metal.
Strands of hair fell into my face as I twisted and turned, trying different angles and pressures. Memories of training sessions danced across my mind—how to leverage, where to strike, when to do both.
My head jerked up at a scoffing sound from the doorway. Vance was there, in front of the other two, shaking his head with faux concern.
"Still holding on to that spark, aren't you?" he asked. "Personally, I find it admirable. It'll serve you well when the buyer—"
"Save it," I barked, my voice laced with the frost of my lineage.
The chains clinked in protest as I shifted, refusing to cower before them. "Whatever it is, I'm not interested in hearing it."
Llew loomed over me, his wide torso blocking the light from the window. "I can take your mind off of things. Maybe you'll be nicer once I show you what's waiting for you after the auction."
A laugh, brittle and biting as winter's chill, escaped my lips. "Come near me with your tiny cock and I'll empty my well-store to make sure it freezes and cracks right off your body."
I held his gaze, letting silence stretch until it became another entity in the room. He'd been threatening me for days. Obviously, he was all talk.
"Go on, sell me," I dared, the words slicing through the quiet like shards of glass. "Compared to my parents, your torments are nothing. Pain and misery have been my only constant companions throughout my entire life. You'd better hope the buyer kills me, because if he doesn't, I'm coming for you. And if I find you, I will inflict upon you every single harm that was done to me. Tenfold. Only then will I end your miserable fucking lives."
They exchanged a look, one that carried the undercurrents of doubt. Perhaps they had underestimated the willpower of a female scorned.
Good. Let them worry, let them wonder. For each moment they spent in uncertainty was a moment I could use to weave my escape.
"I suggest we come back to clean her up," Vance said. "I'll need to meditate and power up so I can control her for an extended period."
Unlike the first day, I didn't feel an ounce of fear at being controlled. Eventually, he'd have to let go. I'd spend the rest of my days hunting them down, even if it took me eternity to break free.
They left, locking the door behind them. Adrenaline pumped into my veins.
The chains around my wrists suddenly felt less like restraints and more like a challenge. A challenge I intended to meet head-on.
I resumed testing my bindings, seeking the weakest link. My fingers, nimble and cold, worked at the metal, seeking imperfections. And there—was that a give? Or was I imagining the tiny movement?
I twisted my wrist, the metal grinding against skin already raw and tender. I'd been manacled in these thin cuffs for so long I was sure to scar. If I could get free, I wouldn't care about the scars. If.
Because if I didn't ...
In that moment, the air around me seemed to pulse with my heartbeat, thudding in my ears like a drumbeat. A thought slithered into my mind, cold and seductive as the frost covering the grounds of Snowfall.
Would it not be easier to embrace the chill of death than to endure whatever torments awaited after the auction?
No!
That's when I heard them. The muted voices of my captors seeped through the thin walls, inside whoever's room was next to mine.
"We'll need to be careful with the chains," Tabor's oily voice drifted to me, wrapped in caution. "The blacksmith warned they were not as strong as he'd have liked. He had to use that inferior iron alloy from the eastern mines."
"Doesn't matter," grumbled Llew, his words laced with impatience. "She's just a slip of a thing. What can she do? Vance will take care of any issues, anyway."
A weakness in the chains? It was all I needed, I just needed to keep going.
"Come on," I hissed under my breath.
The links grated against one another with a grudge. I got under the blanket to try to muffle the sounds. Beads of sweat trickled down my face and neck.
"Got you," I murmured triumphantly as the chain gave way, a feeble link snapping under the pressure of my determined fingers.
With a swift movement, my hands were free. Well, not free. I still had the original cuffs, but my wrists were no longer attached to the longer chain keeping me on the bed.
I set about unshackling my ankles with the broken piece of chain—my makeshift pick for the ancient-looking padlock they'd used.
When I got the second shackle off my ankle, I rose. Adrenaline fueled me, pushing me to the door on unsteady legs.
My bare feet padded across the floor, soundless as snowfall. At the door, I pressed my ear against the cool wood, listening for movement. Silence greeted me.
My fingers traced the door's edge, finding the lock and assessing its make. A simple mechanism, laughably easy for someone who had any knowledge of how a door handle worked.
When the lock clicked open, I pocketed the small broken link in case I needed it again. With a glance over my shoulder at my temporary cell I slowly opened the door.
I felt the explosion of pain across my face before I saw the fist.