Chapter 17
HAZEL
Ishould have been more frightened than I was, but by this point I figured I had nothing left to lose, and I desperately wanted to take a bath. The washroom was surprisingly spacious, and pale blue light from the walls cast a soft glow over the smooth stone covering the floor and walls.
A shelf covered in coral, shells, and what looked like a natural sponge of sorts sat against the wall, and I grabbed a pod of what I assumed to be soap before approaching the edge of the pool.
The water in the circular pool sparkled from within, enticing me with the idea of a proper bath.
Thankfully, I could see the bottom, only two steps down from the floor.
Much like the rest of this damp tunnel of a city, the bath was uncomfortably cold.
Gooseflesh pebbled over my skin as I sank into the water, and I made quick work of scrubbing my body and my hair.
My muscles tensed the longer I stayed in the freezing water, and I realized after swaying a few times that I was feeling quite lightheaded and my breathing was far too shallow.
I wanted to cry, but no tears formed in my eyes.
I felt so empty, so desolate, lost and alone in this strange city.
Objectively, my current situation was far better than it had been a few days ago, but I still had no autonomy or control over what came next.
I’d sought freedom in the depths of the ocean and the death I’d assumed would follow, only to be deposited into another form of captivity.
The Talassi weren’t necessarily cruel, but they weren’t what I’d consider hospitable either.
I understood why they kept their distance from humans, considering someone like my father would pillage this city and sell it for everything it was worth, but I wondered what it was like for the Talassi who had human blood or preferred to stay in their human form.
Did they enjoy their lives in this cold, wet, underwater mountain? Did they long for the land? I hoped I’d meet another Talassi soon, someone who wasn’t Draya and who would be more willing to chat with me.
A set of linen clothes had been left out on the table, alongside a pouch that looked to be full of water, and some sort of cooked fish. I hadn’t heard anyone enter the room while I was bathing, but the items certainly hadn’t been there before. The thought was unsettling.
At any rate, I ate the food and drank the water before dressing and curling up in the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable.
It vaguely reminded me of the hammock I’d slept in on that wretched boat, but this felt far more sturdy and safe.
Exhaustion hit me like a steamship as soon as I slipped under the quilt, and I fell into a sleep so deep I didn’t even dream.
There was no way of telling time in the cavernous room, but upon waking I was refreshed enough to know I’d been asleep for quite a few hours. More water and food had been placed on the small table, and I was once again unsettled by the thought of the Talassi entering without my knowledge.
But I supposed I couldn’t complain. The food tasted fresher than anything I’d ever been given at the asylum, and I’d slept better than I had in years.
I rinsed my face and cleaned my mouth in the washroom before combing out my hair with my fingers, grateful the freshwater had softened it enough to arrange it in a long braid down my back.
Shortly after I finished, a soft knock sounded at the door and a small woman entered. A petite frame, dressed in a black linen button-down dress with no sleeves, she eyed me up and down before introducing herself.
“I’m Cordelia,” she said, her piercing gaze making the hairs on my neck stiffen. Long black hair fell over her toned shoulders, and if I didn’t know any better I would have thought she was a ghost. I’d never seen anyone wear so much black unless they were attending a funeral.
“I’m Hazel,” I replied cautiously, wondering what she wanted from me.
“I’m a Talassi doctor, and I’m here to assist with your… afflictions,” she said, though the cryptic tone of her voice did nothing to calm my already agitated nerves.
“My what?” I asked.
“You’re believed to have Talassi blood, meaning you have magic. I’m here to confirm or deny this,” she stated, her voice cold and void of emotion.
“Oh,” I said. “How?”
“I’m going to give you an elixir, and then we’re going to assess how it reacts in your body,” she answered, as if this were a standard procedure she completed twice a day.
I didn’t know how to respond, though I supposed it couldn’t be too awful. They’d put me through shock therapy at the asylum, I was positive an elixir couldn’t be nearly as terrible.
“Please lay in your bed, this is going to hurt.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I sighed and complied, not willing to put up a fight.
The woman was smaller than me in stature, but I knew without a doubt she was far stronger than I.
The muscles in her arms rippled with each movement, and her cold, serious demeanor was off-putting.
In truth, I had no interest in altercations with this strange doctor.
“Have you eaten and had water recently?” She asked, and I nodded slowly as I laid atop the quilt. I wondered where Draya was, then chastised myself for it. He’d made it clear he didn’t care much for me, and I shouldn’t spend time speculating about his whereabouts.
During my time in the asylum, I’d held onto the idea of him as some sort of misguided tether to hope.
The mere idea that he existed had given me the strength I needed to pull through all the terrible things that had been done to me there, and the way Cordelia was treating me sent my mind right back to that awful place.
I feared I may be scared of doctors forever.
Shuffling sounded from behind her, and two men entered the room. They were much larger than Cordelia, dressed in the same black linen, but for them it was only pants. They did not wear any shirts, and their large, toned bodies put any inkling of a fight I had left in me to rest.
“Who are you?” I blurted out, immediately regretting it.
“My assistants,” Cordelia answered, then yanked the front of my shirt up over my head.
“Am I to be undressed?” I asked, wriggling my arms so she could pull off the chemise.
“Yes,” she replied, moving to my trousers. Why were the Talassi so rigid?
I allowed her to strip me naked, pushing away my irritation and schooling my body and emotions into compliance.
I was no stranger to this, having spent the last two years of my life at Akala, but I couldn’t help the defeated feeling settling over my limbs.
Being pushed around like cattle made me feel numb, insignificant.
For one short day, I’d thought I’d escaped this fate. I thought I’d found freedom and a new life within this dark, ominous underwater city, but clearly that was a lie. Once again, my mind had created a new reality for me that would never exist.
Cordelia’s companions stood on either side of the bed, and before I could process what was happening, they were strapping my ankles and wrists to the netting beneath me.
Panic bloomed in my chest, and my breathing came quicker. Visions of scowling doctors in white coats strapping me to a table flooded my mind, and phantom shocks from the treatments at the asylum teased my nerves.
“Calm down, please,” Cordelia’s voice cut through the noise in my mind, but it did nothing to help.
I tried to say something, but no words escaped my throat.
Instead, I choked out a pained gasp. My lips were met with a cool cup, followed by smooth liquid rushing into my mouth.
Before I could protest, I swallowed and looked up into Cordelia’s black eyes, searching for any sign of compassion.
None was given, and she held my head back until all the liquid had slipped down my throat.
Within seconds, I understood why I’d been strapped to the netting. The elixir felt like fire coursing through my veins, and I let out a guttural scream. I wasn’t sure if any sound actually left my mouth, but the sharp, burning pain was so intense that my vision blurred.
My back arched as I protested against the invasion of my body, and my limbs started to shake as the liquid made its way through my system.
I was hot and cold at the same time, and my skin felt like it was stretching itself over my bones.
After what felt like an hour of this agony, it suddenly subsided, and I lay limp in a pool of my own sweat.
By the time my mind cleared and my vision came back into focus, I was alone in my room once again, naked atop the damp quilt and staring at the black stone ceiling.
My body felt like it had been run over by a carriage, and before I could get a handle on my emotions, tears flowed from my eyes.
The feelings erupting in my chest were so painful, and I felt so alone.
For the next few days, I’m unsure how long, exactly, I drifted in and out of a restless sleep.
Cordelia and her assistants were often around when I woke up, and I soon grew to associate her presence with more of the painful elixir.
Once again I found myself daydreaming of Draya, this time in his human form, wandering into this strange room as I was in this state of limbo.
His deep blue eyes peered down at my face while his clawed fingers gently caressed my cheeks.
I tried to push the daydreams away, telling myself they were hallucinations yet again.
But the treatments continued, day after day, and I had no other resolution.
I retreated into myself while Cordelia worked, trying to force my feelings and thoughts into oblivion, and my only reprieve was the daydreams of the man who’d plagued my mind for years.
By this point, he’d become a part of me, and I wasn’t sure how to reconcile that thought.