Page 10 of Cursed By Malignant Magic
"You should not have told them you were a scout. It will not go well for you."
I raised my wrist, or tried to. My wrists hung above my head to the sides, my shoulders aching from the position. No chains cuffed my ankles, although the shackles for them lay in the far corner of my cell, as well as a collar with a short chain. No doubt a reminder of how my situation could be worse.
"Things are not going overly well for me right now," I pointed out.
A soft mutter of agreement came from the other side of the wall. I couldn't see her, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was chained up as well, or at least contained in the cell next to me. Whoever she was, she was just as stuck as me, and yet she had decided to speak to me. If she hadn't spoken first, I would never have known she was there, but now that she had, I appreciated it.
I had spent so much time alone, or with no one bothering to speak to me, that I hated silence and the lack of companionship. Considering what a nuisance I was most of the time, it had kept my circle of companions small because most people couldn't put up with me for very long.
The only good thing about being chained up in adjoining cells was that whoever the girl was, she was stuck with me.
The girl fell silent, as if contemplating. I let my head fall forward, closing my eyes in an attempt to ease the pounding within.
It was another few minutes before she spoke again. At least, as far as I could tell.
"That is true, but they will think you know something, that you're a spy. They'll torture you for information."
I flinched. I was self aware enough to know that I was not the bravest person out there, and I couldn't hold out against torture forever. Sure, I was petty enough to tell them to shove it for a few days, maybe longer, but I wasn't prepared for any kind of real pain. If it came down to it, I feared what I would say.
I couldn't give up Ehuna. I wouldn't.
I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath, reaching for my magic, my fingers twitching. My magic was too volatile to lash out with unless I absolutely had to, but I certainly couldn't take the chance of trying to shoot at the chains. Given how the last few days had gone, I would no doubt end up blowing a hole in the wall and still not end up taking out the chains.
Besides, they didn't know that I still had my magic even without my gauntlets. Until they did, I had a better chance at getting out of here, even if I was taking a risk by waiting. But what other choice did I have?
Once again, I was faced with two bad choices. One—I used my magic to get out of here and let them know I still had magic. Something that they would almost certainly want to know more about, and I had never let anyone else know about that. Not even Ehuna.
Or two—wait and hope I could come up with a plan to escape before I was tortured or killed. I might be able to gain more information by waiting, or I might get myself in so deep that I could never get myself out.
Hardly a choice at all.
Chapter
Seven
Ispat, dredging up the last bit of saliva I had in my mouth. The wad hit the guard almost directly in the eye.
The resulting stinging slap was worth it.
The rest of the guards closed in.
I bit the inside of my lip, my whole mouth tasting of copper, and spat again.
"You've got quite a mouth on you," one of the guards snapped, stepping closer as my chains rattled.
I cocked my eyebrows, refusing to show any fear. Guards were bullies, no matter which side of the war they fought on, and bullies preyed on fear. I would give him none.
"When someone is standing this close to me, they normally aren't complaining about my mouth," I retorted.
He snarled, his hand tightening in my hair to yank my head back. My eyes watered, my shoulders screaming at the sudden weight of his grasp pushing down on me.
Gathering my strength, I jerked my head back, my hair tearing free from my scalp, then head-butted him. A burst of pain lanced through my nose. Blood gushed from my nostrils as the bone grated, and I fought down a yelp. Every breath ached, but it was worth it to see the expression on the guard's face.
"That is enough."
The guard stepped back, lowering his bloodied head as two figures in helmets stepped through the doorway. They were so lean that they could both walk through at the same time, and I recognized the design of one of the enemy helmets as belonging to one female who had been present when I’d been captured. I also recognized the sword at her waist as the one that had been violently introduced to my forehead, which still throbbed.
“Leave us.”
