I recoiled into myself as Ryland began to writhe and fight against the chains that he had bound himself with only moments before. Sain's emaciated body moved around like a rag doll with each of Ryland’s spasms as he fought against his own restraints. Ryland screamed and yelled and howled, his now blue eyes panicked as he attempted to claw his way out of the cell.
I watched him as he reeled and fought, my heart thumping. This was like no side of Ryland I had ever seen. This was not the compliant Ryland that Cail seemed to control. It was not the aggressive Ryland that had attacked us at the party, nor was he the calm and loving boy that I had seen with Joclyn before this all began. He was desperate, emotionally unstable and terrifying. It was the terrifying factor that affected me the most. That raw primal aggression was powerful as he repeatedly lunged against his chains, hitting his head against the bars in an attempt to move through them.
I scooted as far away from him as possible. My arms stretched painfully above me as I moved toward Talon, knowing he couldn't protect me, but needing to move away from the scene in the cell in front of me. As much as I wanted to move away, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I am not sure I would have been able to look away even if I hadn’t been chained. I am not sure I wanted to. A part of me needed to see what they had done to Ryland, to understand what was coming for me.
"Joclyn!" he screamed, his voice weak and breaking. "What have you done to her?" Ryland continued to scream and writhe as Cail laughed, his footsteps heavy as he moved to stand in front of Ryland’s cell, right next to our father.
"I haven't done anything to her," Cail said innocently. "What you should be wondering is what you have done to her."
Ryland froze, his jaw working in terror, "What I did?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “I did… nothing…nothing… I’m good. Not hurt…”
Ryland rambled for a moment, his words disjointed as his head twitched around.
"What did you make me do?" Ryland asked, the sporadic action disappearing quicker than it had come on.
"I didn't make you do anything, Ryland," Cail taunted, his voice heavy with malice. "Did you hurt her?"
"You made me hurt her!" Ryland yelled, his body pushing against the chains that bound him so tightly. What little relaxation my shoulders had found left as I tensed away from the anger in Ryland's voice.
“Made me hurt…made me hurt…” he repeated, his voice clicking through the mechanic repetition.
"Now, now," Cail taunted, his voice calm and condescending. "I did nothing of the sort. I didn't wrap my hands around her neck. Did you?"
Ryland's voice broke for only a moment before he answered in a hiss, "Yes…yes."
"Did I break her arm?" Cail asked, his back arching as he lowered himself to Ryland's eye level.
"No." Ryland repeated over and over again. His voice had weakened in desperation, his body now only barely fighting against the chains.
"Did she try to kill me? Did I try to kill her?" I froze, my breathing catching at Cail's words. I knew what they were talking about, but it didn't make any sense. Joclyn tried to kill Ryland? She hadn't said anything about this.
"No." Ryland's voice was soft.
"Did you?" Cail taunted. It was not a question.
"Yes."
"Will you do it again?" Cail spoke to him like a psychiatrist, his words soothing, and yet the intention behind them was heavy and as clear as day. “Will you hurt her?”
“Hurt her…hurt her…hurt her,” Ryland repeated as he began to rock, the rocking stopping suddenly as he switched over again, his voice loud.
"No!" Ryland roared, his desperation coming back quickly. "No." Ryland yelled and screamed as he fought against the chains, pulling at the heavy link that bound him to the rock wall.
"Really?" Cail taunted, his back straightening as he stood. "But she hurts you in your dreams doesn't she?"
"No. Nonono…"
"What about when she kissed me, when her hands were all over me," Cail paused, “that hurt, didn’t it?”
Ryland said nothing but looked around frantically, his eyes darting all over the dungeon as his breathing picked up, his fingers curling as he moaned a deep lament filled with agony.
Watching him was traumatizing. I found myself torn between pity, an insane desire to help him, and fear over the explosive nature of his moods. I tried to catch his eyes, hoping that maybe getting him to see me would calm him, but he didn't seem to notice anyone other than Cail. Sain, however, was staring into me with his bright green eyes, seemingly oblivious to the exchange going on mere inches from him.
I returned Sain's stare, not knowing where else to look, not wanting to see Cail torment Ryland anymore. I looked at him, silently hoping that the strong gaze of the old man's eyes would fill in the gaps I was so obviously missing.
"Or what about when she tried to snap your neck?" Cail asked.
"It wasn't her."
"But you just saw her, on the roof top of that little farmhouse, clinging to Ilyan," Cail taunted, his lips turned in a sneer. Timothy chuckled wickedly at the look on Ryland's face.
“Nonononono,” Ryland moaned, his fingers curling again as he rocked back and forth, his head hitting against the bars several times.