“N…no,” Sain stuttered. I could hear the regret in his voice, the plea for forgiveness. I wanted to tell him it was all right; that I deserved it after not speaking up before, but I couldn’t find the words.
I heard one tap of Cail’s foot near my head and then my body flew through the air, Cail magically lifting and restraining me against the wall. I screamed as my body tumbled limply before slamming against the wall with such force that my vision went black. The movement of my body ignited every single new injury in a pressurized pain I couldn’t focus through.
My eyes opened slowly, the bright light that Cail had cast on our prison eliminating everything. My eyes burned, and I tried to look away, but Cail’s magic kept me so perfectly restrained that there was no hope of moving. I stared at Cail as he came toward me, his arms folded as he sneered.
“Hmmm, say, pretty little sister, did you help them?”
I met his eyes, squared my jaw and glared into him. I wasn’t going to tell him anything. He’d known it was me from the beginning. I was just going to take whatever punishment he doled out for me. I kept my eyes locked with his, wishing he would back down as I fought the shiver of fear that wiggled its way up my spine.
“It was Ryland,” Sain gasped, his guilt making him take a regrettable back step.
Please don’t, Sain, don’t push him. I could see it in Cail’s eyes; he was going to take everything out on me.
For one split second, his face softened, his hand moving up to cup my face. Then it was gone, the gentleness I had seen before leaving as the hand on my cheek turned into a slap.
My arms flew above my head of their own accord, my shoulders stretched painfully as the shackles wrapped themselves around my wrists and the chains lifted until my feet left the ground. I felt my big toe release from the ground just as Cail’s magical restraints left me; leaving my shackled wrists to support my own weight. I screamed in agony as my body weight pulled against my shoulders and the heavy metal cuffs cut into my wrists.
My scream had barely left my throat before the flat palm of my brother’s hand moved across my cheek, sending my head to the side before it dropped down to my chest in defeat and weakness. I let my head hang there, my scream forgotten, not wanting to muster the strength to lift it.
“Leave her alone!” Talon’s weak voice echoed around the stone walls, making him sound much stronger then he actually was. My head snapped up at the sound of his voice, my eyes opening at him, pleading with him to just lay down and stay out of it, to save himself.
I knew he wouldn’t. He was slowly attempting to pull himself up, but his arms gave up halfway, sending him down to the ground. Cail moved away from me to squat down in front of Talon, the large slimy bars of my cell the only thing between Cail and my husband.
“I guess I need to teach you a lesson too.” Cail didn’t even move; he stayed squatted with his hands hanging limply in front on him when Talon started to scream. I screamed along with him, trying to plead for Talon’s safety, trying to fight back. My back arched as I screamed and tried to fight my way toward him, sending my body bouncing against the stone wall, my screams changing to my own agony at each impact.
Talon screamed as his body shifted on the ground, his weak muscles not giving him an option to fight back. Cail was hurting him without skin contact. I didn’t want to start thinking about what else he might be capable of. I knew it wasn’t his own magic he was using there – it was Edmund’s. And Edmund was capable of just about anything.
Talon’s screams died, and Cail’s eyes widened. I froze, my eyes stuck on my husband and on the limited movement in his chest.
“Talon?” I gasped, not caring about the consequences.
I stared at his chest, at the stillness of it. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.
“Talon!”
“Shut up, sister!” Cail yelled as he pulled himself back to standing. “He’s only passed out. I wouldn’t kill a perfectly good body, not when there are so many other chances to torture him.”
He looked at me and smiled. I tried to control my breathing, I tried to settle down and scowl at him. I wanted to show him that I wasn’t afraid, but I couldn’t. For the first time, I was scared.
“Well, it looks like my work here is done,” Cail said as he strode out of my cell, leaving the door wide open.
“I’ll go get your reward, shall I, Sain? Be right back.” He spoke like a friend. But his words were more of a warning than anything.
I watched him as he left, leaving his light behind to brighten the disgusting prison we were trapped in. I watched him go, my shoulders on fire, my head spinning slightly as my body attempted to give into the pain.
Please let it give in soon.
Chapter Nine