Chapter 12 Ariana #2
“Don’t you have more important things to do, Iver?” Kole said casually, though his muscles stiffened ever since Iver’s attention turned to me.
“Of course I do,” he replied dismissively before turning to me.
“Till we meet again, princess.” A devious smile flashed my way before he casually strolled away, disappearing into the forest as suddenly as he appeared.
Though he was no longer in my line of sight, it was as if his presence still lingered.
Unease coated me in restlessness, and the falling of a single leaf could have startled me.
Kole and I remained in that area until we were certain he had truly left us.
“He’s terrible,” I mumbled to Kole, whose brows were drawn in thought.
“Indeed. Let’s go. This has been enough adventure for now.” We made our way through the woods at a brisk pace led by Kole. He remained quiet, neither of us speaking the entire time.
Upon entering my prison room, it surprised me to find new clothing folded tidily, along with three books stacked neatly on the bed with a note.
May these take you on brilliant journeys. -Erik
I frowned. Never being much of a reader to begin with, I doubted the books would bring me any form of enjoyment. Nor did I see a reason for them, not when I had plans of learning all that I could about the Lysians.
Unfortunately, progress in information gathering proved harder to come by than initially thought.
Kole made sure I always avoided areas that may be of importance.
My limited freedom confined me to places where there was no knowledge to gain, and my conversations with him also proved fruitless.
No matter how I tried to approach him whenever I sensed the smallest of cracks in his mental defenses, he would retreat as if noticing that he had come dangerously close to sharing something I could find a use for.
It took me two more days before I grew restless enough to open one of the books Erik left.
It took me two more days to finish the first book.
I assumed I was reading at a pretty pathetic pace, as I was an extraordinarily slow reader.
But given that I had no place better to be, the story offered a much-needed escape.
When I wasn’t conducting limited and often unrewarding information gathering, I was yanked into a different world by the words on a page.
It was extraordinary. It felt as though I partially wasted my youth by not allowing myself to go on more of these magical adventures.
Journeys that were at my fingertips the entire time; all I needed to do was turn the page.
The next several days were uneventful, and all began roughly the same way.
I was getting used to Kole’s presence, and I think he was getting used to mine.
We fell into a rhythm. In the mornings we went for a jog.
Slowly he began letting me spend more time in the town and wandering around certain parts of the building.
Though Kole continued keeping me from wandering off into spaces that he deemed too risky for my eyes or presence.
I still caught the lining of mistrust when he watched me, but it also became easier for me to pull a smile from him, one that was not at my expense.
Typically, we rarely spoke of things that truly mattered. It was the way Kole preferred it.
I did not know where Erik vanished. I hadn’t seen him since that day I fell asleep on the balcony under the stars with him lying on the ground beside me.
Besides my brief encounter with Iver, it appeared no one wished to interact with me, except for Kole whose job it was to monitor me.
I asked him once how long they intended to keep me, Kole only said I would know when my time was running out.
In my free time, which there was a lot of, I read.
I had been devouring the second book when the story hit a lull and my stomach began growling. Putting the book down I padded over to the door to my room and cracked it open to find Kole lounging in a chair, a book of his own in hand. Blue eyes snapped to mine.
“Is there anywhere a girl can get a snack around here?” I asked with a small smile.
“At this hour?” he grumbled, looking me over before giving in. With a sigh, he shut his book and stood. “Fine, let’s go see what we can find for you.”
I followed him through the dark hallways to a unique part of the building, one which I had not been to before.
He led me to a kitchen-like area and began rummaging around, collecting various things onto a plate.
It was a decent-sized room filled with pots and pans, capable of making enough food to feed a small army.
Kole began humming a strange tune to himself as he focused on gathering my snack. He was distracted.
The door to the room was left wide-open when we entered. Beyond it was an area I had yet to investigate. While Kole busied himself, I very slowly backed into the hall.
It was considerable, lined with large windows spaced uniformly down its length, dark blue drapes framed the glass. Moonlight streamed in through the windows. My skin prickled at the thought of wandering around without the Lysian shadowing my every movement.
I thought back to the first book I read about a band of thieves. One of the characters was incredibly nimble and silent, a collector of secrets. I tried to embody that character as I slowly moved further into and down the hall. I am as silent as a shadow.
“Look what we have here,” a voice murmured, followed by a chuckle.
My heart stammered, and the blood in my veins turned to ice. Spinning around, I found myself face-to-face with two Lysian males.
“What a sweet little rabbit,” the other said, raising his hand as if to stroke my cheek. We were way too close to one another. I stepped out of his reach and they both laughed lowly. “Run, little rabbit,” he said as they both stepped towards me.
They were faster and stronger than I was. Running was futile. I knew it. They knew it. Yet at the moment, I tried to do just that. There was no thought behind it, just a terrible instinct.
I made it only a few steps before foreign hands circled my waist, pulling me towards a muscular body.
Immediately, I bent forward, throwing my weight to the ground.
The motion forced the Lysian forward. His hold on me did not break, but it loosened enough to provide room for me to turn and send an elbow to his face. I felt the crunch of his nose.
He cursed, abruptly releasing me.
I barely stumbled away before the other Lysian shoved me.
Like a rag doll, I flew into the edges of one of the windows with my shoulder before tumbling to the ground. The blow forced the breath from my lungs.
Adrenaline rushed in rivers through my veins.
Power within came alive at the threat and the stinging at my shoulder.
I cursed, for I could not hope to fight two Lysians, not without the use of conjuring.
But doing so would reveal me. If the Lysians knew what I was capable of, then I would not be free to leave a cell.
They would see me as a dangerous threat, and my future escape would be nearly impossible.
I needed them to see me as a Bavadrin girl and a potential Leader Superior to her people, nothing more.
My only other option was to scream. Kole would hear and come. I opened my mouth, but sound did not come. The way I hit the wall squeezed all the air from my lungs.
Placing a hand underneath my ribs, I moved on the ground to turn and face my attackers. I needed to figure a way out of the situation without completely compromising myself.
“I will break off the next part of you that touches her.” Kole’s voice was low and bitterly cold.
Thank the Spirit, I thought while rolling to my side and backing away, putting more space between myself and the two Lysians.
Both of them retreated from me at once, their focus on my Lysian guard.
They did not speak to him, did not offer an excuse for their behavior, nor did they offer an apology.
Without a single word, they ran, leaving me alone with Kole and the platter of food in his hands.
He did not take his eyes off them until they disappeared completely.
Kole grumbled with thick displeasure, “I told you not to leave my side.” His icy eyes narrowed on me, drifting briefly over my body and then back to my face.
“You did not say such a thing,” I countered, wincing as I moved. It was true, he hadn’t, though I knew it was very much implied.
He growled, not liking my response. His crystal-blue eyes fixated on me with a lethal focus.
I knew not to push him any further and so I remained silent on the ground.
With a frown chiseled into his face to the point I did not know if he would ever smile again, Kole practically stomped towards me. When he finally closed the distance between us, I fought the urge to shimmy away from him.
He held out his hand.
I nearly flinched before realizing that he was only offering to help me up and not to strike me. Taking his hand, he pulled me up with ease, cursing when he saw my shoulder. I followed his gaze, finding a nasty cut with blood dripping down my arm.
“Let’s go,” he said bitterly, turning away as he led me back to my room.