I waited and waited. I could hear Talon’s labored breathing behind me, the shallow breathing of those on the other side of the bars and then screaming.
All three men’s voices hollered. Ryland’s in maniacal agony, Sain’s in fear, and Cail’s in anger. They joined each other for just a minute before the only scream left was Ryland’s, his scream morphing into wails of agony.
“Where did you get the dagger?” Cail yelled, his voice loud and oppressive.
“I didn’t…” Sain muttered. “Ryland…” Sain’s voice cut off as his body hit the rock of the wall.
“Don’t lie to me!” Cail roared. Ryland’s screams picked up at the increased volume of the room.
All I could hear for a moment was Ryland’s screams, his mumbling pleas, and the bang of his head against the bars. The sound loud, until it left, leaving us in silence.
“Sit down, Ryland,” Cail commanded, and I stiffened.
Cail had reattached himself to Ryland’s mind, turning him back into the black eyed monster. I should be happy for the lack of screams, but I still remembered Ryland’s cold and aggressive behavior from when we had tried to rescue him. With that one action, Cail had placed another enemy in the prison, in the jail cell right next to me.
“Now,” Cail continued, leaving a long silence and keeping his voice calm, “who gave you the dagger?”
“Ry…Ryland,” Sain panted, his voice tensed. I fought the urge to open my eyes. I really didn’t want to see this played out.
“Don’t lie to me, Sain!” Cail roared. “I don’t like being lied to, and you have done it an awful lot recently.” Cail’s tongue clicked impatiently and I heard the clang of a chain, the groan of defeat.
“First you lie to Ovailia and then to us about your first vision. Last, you lied about who your daughter was. Here I was thinking I was going to get to feed you today.
“No!” Sain begged. “Please, I need water.”
“Then tell me who gave you the knife.”
“Ryland,” Sain’s said before being cut off with a loud thunk as Cail pushed him into the stone wall at the back of his cell.
“Ryland you say?” he asked, his voice heavy in warning.
I don’t know if Sain heard the inflection or not, but his voice had lowered, “Yes.”
“Interesting.” I heard Cail’s voice right outside of my jail cell followed by the creak of metal as he leaned against the bars, causing them to jerk against their joints. “Very interesting.”
Sain’s screams filled the darkness as Cail attacked him, but it was not an attack of physical blows. Cail was attacking Sain with magic. Sain’s body spasmed as Cail laughed, the dry sound mixing with Sain’s screams as it all echoed around the jail.
I curled up in a ball and pushed my fists into my mouth, desperate to keep the scream inside of me, to stop myself from yelling out. I needed to fight back, to save him, but I had nothing to fight back with. I did not know if I could survive another beating. I didn’t know if Sain could either. Everything tightened inside of me as guilt seeped into my heart, tense anger washing over me.
I should save him, I should. But I couldn’t make my voice come. I couldn’t do it. I stayed still, waiting for the screaming to stop, dry tears seeping from my eyes as I waited for it all to end, my shoulders finally relaxing when it did.
“Don’t lie to me, Sain, or I will do it again! Who gave you the knife?” Cail asked, his voice loud above Sain’s gasping breaths.
“It was Ryland, I swear it,” Sain begged, his voice pained.
“Then I hope Ryland can give you the water you need, Sain, because you won’t be getting any from me.” Cail laughed, the loud sound making me jump.
“No!” Sain roared, the power behind his weak voice surprising. “I need water, Cail, please. It has been too long.”
Sain was begging, and I knew at once that Cail had won. Cail knew it too. I could feel the change in the electrical current that flowed through the air, the oppressive mood that Cail always brought lifting slightly. I tensed; I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t run. I could only lay there and listen to Sain as he whimpered my name into the damp air. I listened as Cail thanked him, his voice almost passing for genuine gratitude.
I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. I focused on breathing in and out evenly, keeping my chest from shaking, although I was sure that was impossible. Each of my ribs ached as they moved and my lungs were on fire as oxygen hit them with every breath. I listened to the methodical steps as Cail moved closer to me, the sound of the latch of my cell door unlocking, the squeak of the hinges and still I did not move. I was frozen in fear as I silently pleaded for mercy, pleaded that Talon would keep his mouth shut during whatever was to come.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. It only made sense that my pretty little sister helped you.” Breathe even. Don’t rise to his baiting. Stay Still.