chapter FORTY-ONE
“How about you help us?” Elizabeth lightly traced her knife down my arm. It scratched my skin, but did not draw blood.
“What do you want from me?” I tried to keep my voice steady.
“Samuel thinks you can translate a very old text he recently acquired.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “He needs to do his research better. I don’t speak any languages other than English.” Maybe if I kept her talking, she’d forget about the knife she held. Yeah, and I was Mother Theresa.
“That you're aware of.”
“Maybe if you’d quit being so damned cryptic, I could give you a proper answer.” The pressure from the knife grew, drawing a thin line of blood.
“There’s an ancient language that only one strega each century is able to read. Because of the strength of your power, Samuel thinks you may be that strega.”
“And what am I supposed to translate?”
“A spell. Nothing more.”
I had the feeling it was more than just a simple spell. Otherwise, why would they have had to kidnap and torture us? “If that’s all it is, why do you need Vittorio?”
“You will need someone to guide you through the translation. Clavius has taught him about this language, though neither are able to read it. It will be easiest for him to guide you since you trust him.”
“But why not just ask us? Why all this?”
“Maybe it’s just more fun this way.” She cut deep into my arm. Again, I managed to not cry out in pain.
“What’s your answer?”
If the spell was as benign as she said it was, I know Vittorio would have done anything possible to help his friend. Rather, former friend. But if it was harmless, why was it coded in some ancient language almost no one could read? No, I didn’t think helping them would be a good idea. I spat in her face, and earned another cut. I realized she was carving a pentagram into my arm. “Very original. Can’t you think of something better than that?” Another cut. “Pain doesn’t really bother me. I can take this all day.” My voice held confidence, but I wasn’t so sure about that. There was a lot of blood dripping down my arm.
“Very well then. Let’s try another approach.” She stood back a few feet from me, and I felt her power build.
A million knives stabbed my entire body, as I felt when we battled at The Chapel. The pain was worse this time as she took her anger and frustration out on me. I could not stop myself from crying out. Just when I thought I would faint from the pain, it stopped.
“Now will you help us?” She flipped the knife absently from one hand to the other.
Breathless from the pain, it took a few moments before I could respond. “Is that all you have?”
“What the hell is wrong with you, Elena? Just help her,” Kevin said.
I wondered if he had endured the same from Elizabeth.
“You should listen to your little friend, you know.”
“Why is that? You obviously can’t finish a job. You didn’t even complete your drawing on my arm.”
“We’ll get back to that soon enough.” She thrust another burst of knife-wielding power at me, tearing screams from my throat. “You’re not so strong when you can’t defend yourself, are you?”
“I think I’m doing just fine,” I panted.
“Maybe Neal’s specialty will be a little more persuasive.” I looked at Kevin’s broken arm. “No, that wasn’t from Neal. I did that when he called me a whore. Sometimes the use of your hands is the most satisfying.” She cracked her knuckles.
Elizabeth did that? Now I was scared of her. If she was strong enough to break someone’s arm, what else could she do to the human body?
“Oh, Neal,” she called in a sing-song voice. “I think Elena would like to talk to you.”
Neal walked into the room playing with a metal lighter, flipping the lid open and shut with a flick of his wrist. My pulse raced. I swallowed hard and scooted the chair back until it hit the wall.
“Looks like we may have found what frightens Elena. Neal, why don’t you show her just what she has to fear?”
Neal held the flame near the arm that only had one cut, first just close enough for me to feel the warmth of the flame, then slowly moving it closer, until it burned my skin. I resisted as long as I could, but was forced to cry out. When I did, he stopped.
The horror of a camping trip when I was young surged to my memory. A spark from the dying campfire landed on my sleeping bag in which I’d slept, leaving second-degree burns on my legs. I had been afraid of open flames ever since.
Again he brought the lighter close to my arm, burning me in another place. I screamed, but this time he didn’t pull the flame away. The smell of my burning flesh sickened me. The pain threatened to make me pass out.
“Stop it! Leave her alone!” Kevin shouted. This only angered Neal. He pulled the flame away and I felt his power grow. If his power was what I thought it would be, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. The flames jumped down my throat, and I screamed until my throat felt raw. My body was engulfed in flames. My hair was consumed by the flames, shriveling like burnt plastic. My skin blistered and blackened before becoming like leather. Still, I was alive, though I prayed for death. Even through this pain, I would never help them.
Then, I felt a familiar wave of power, and the burning stopped. I inspected my body best as I could while tied to the chair, saw my hair was still on my head, and my skin was not melted. I should have known. Tears poured down my face. Another minute and I think my mind would have broken. I wasn’t entirely sure it was still intact.
I felt arms around me, and opened my eyes to find Vittorio holding me. His power enfolded me, easing my fear. I felt sane again. He started to pull the amulet from around my neck.
“Wait!”
“I must take this off you if you are going to be able to defend yourself.”
“Not yet. I’m in so much pain and so angry and weak, I don’t think I can control my power right now. If you take it off now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to focus it. I’m afraid I’ll hit everyone around me, including you and Kevin. Please, get him out of here and untie me. I’ll take it off once you’re out of the room.”
Before he could respond, he was pulled away from me by an invisible force. Samuel. Vittorio must still be weakened by the tranquilizer they gave him. I looked around frantically for Elizabeth and Neal. They were motionless heaps on the floor. At first I thought they were dead, then saw their chests barely rise and fall. At least they were out of the picture for now. Now, it was Samuel’s turn.