71. Clash of Stone and Steel #2
“Talyn?”
The voice in the darkness made her jolt. It wasn’t loud, but it was still jarring after so much blessed silence.
Talyn lifted her head and saw the outline of Samhail’s huge form filling the doorway of the cell. There were only a couple torches burning in the dungeon at this time of night, so she couldn’t see much of him, but she’d know his silhouette anywhere. She’d forgotten he usually came.
“Why are you crouched in a corner on the floor?” he asked. Concern fought with wariness in his voice. “Are…you alright?”
Talyn swallowed. Her throat was raw from trying to hum all day so she couldn’t hear Morland, and her voice came out harsh and raspy.
“Morland is no longer under Lord Bressen’s mind control,” she said. “I don’t know how he broke the hold, but-”
Samhail swore, cutting her off.
“Bressen and Cyra are away,” he explained. “They left a couple days ago. Bressen’s mind powers only extend so far. I’m sure he forgot Morland would be released when he got out of range.”
Talyn let out a puff of air that was almost a laugh. It was somewhat comforting to think Lord Bressen hadn’t released Morland on purpose to torture her, but that didn’t erase the horrors she’d heard today.
“What happened? Did he threaten you?” Samhail asked.
She couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped.
“Talyn,” Samhail said firmly. “What did he do? Tell me.”
She swallowed again and took a deep breath before answering.
“I got to hear in exquisite detail today everything he did to my sister in the seven days he kept her,” Talyn said quietly. “There was nothing I could do to make him stop talking.”
There was silence as Samhail stood there looking at her. Then he turned and walked away.
Talyn’s heart sank into her stomach. He didn’t care. He thought she was weak for not being able to endure a day of hearing Morland talk. He…
Samhail’s form moved back into view, this time in front of Morland’s cell. The lock clicked open, and the door clanged loudly as Samhail shoved it open forcefully before stepping inside.
Talyn shot to her feet and hurried on unsteady legs to the bars of her own cell just as Morland’s sleepy voice sounded.
“What…What’s happen-?”
The words were cut off by his shriek of surprise. Talyn heard scuffling in the cell, but it was too dark inside to see what was happening.
“Samhail, to what do I owe-?”
Morland’s words were cut off again, this time by a strangled noise, and Talyn imagined that Samhail now had him by the throat against a wall.
“I should break your neck right now, Morland,” Samhail spat out, “or maybe pull out your tongue. You can’t tell stories without a tongue.”
Morland only choked out a laugh. “But you can’t do either of those things,” he wheezed against Samhail’s hold, “because you’d be doing them to Aidan too.”
Samhail’s answering snarl was so bestial and vicious that Talyn wondered if he’d shifted into his gargoyle form.
There was another scuffling noise, then Morland screamed.
“That dislocated shoulder won’t cause any permanent damage,” Samhail said calmly, “but it’ll hurt like fuck until I send the healer over in the morning.”
“You can’t leave me like this!” Morland yelled, but Samhail had already stepped out of the cell and pulled the door shut again.
He turned to Talyn’s cell and took the ring of keys out of his pocket. Talyn’s eyes flared and she backed away as he found the right key and turned it in the lock.
She looked around frantically for something to use as a weapon. Gods above, her limbs were still shaking from the strain of trying to block out Morland this afternoon. There was no way she could fight him now.
But he didn’t step into the cell.
“Come here,” was all he said.
“W-why?” she asked.
“You’re not staying down here as long as Morland has his mind back. There’s nothing I can do to keep him quiet, so I need to move you.”
“But-”
“Come here,” Samhail repeated. “Or I’ll come in and throw you over my shoulder.”
Talyn was about to tell him exactly what she thought of that, but she snapped her mouth shut. She was too tired and weak to fight him on this, so she stepped forward until she was in front of him.
Samhail took her wrist and reached into his pocket to pull out a caronium cuff that he snapped onto it.
Again, Talyn didn’t feel like fighting him, so she let him do it.
“I still know how to pick the locks on these,” she felt the need to point out, and she saw him smile in the dimness.
“We’ve made some improvements to the locking mechanism since then,” he said. “Now let’s go.”
Talyn let Samhail lead her out of the dungeons, up to the first floor, back toward the main part of the building, then up several other flights of stairs.
Finally they exited into a hallway, and she frowned as she followed him down it.
She assumed he was bringing her to some other place in the Citadel where they might have backup holding cells, but this area looked like a residential part of the fortress.
Talyn stopped walking.
“Where are we going?” she asked, suddenly wary.
“Just follow me,” he said without stopping.
Talyn didn’t move. She crossed her arms and waited for him to realize she wasn’t following him. Finally, he stopped and turned to face her.
“Talyn, let’s go,” he said.
“I’m not a dog,” she said. “I’m not just going to come when you call.”
Even in the dark she could see his grin.
“That’s fine. I have other ways of making you come,” he said.
Talyn forced herself not to react, but her body readied to move as he walked back toward her.
“Tell me where you’re taking me,” she said.
He sighed. “My room.”
“The three hells you are!”
She tried to step back, but he caught her arm.