Page 80 of Remnants: Disruption
“I guess we can find out,” I hum and strain to swing my feet over the opposite side of the bed.
They move; despite the last thing I remember being the lack of feeling below my pelvis. Slowly, I press my feet to the cold wood below and brace gently as I stand. There’s no real pain, but the unsteadiness is evident in the slight wobble at the base of my spine.
There’s a huff of breath behind me and I turn slightly to see Mary’s relieved expression before it turns stern again.
“How long till—” I frown and turn to look at her fully. “Did you say magic?”
I don’t miss the quick look of panic on Mary’s face before she schools it.
“There’s a lot to explain, Arya,” she moves to a closet by the door and pulls out a pair of joggers, a shirt, and a dark cloak.
I glance down at myself now and realize I’m only in a hospital gown and underwear.
“Do not be embarrassed,” Mary says, voice soft. “You nearly died fighting Darkrend. There are only two people who have survived an encounter with him—and they’re both in this room.”
I take the offered clothing and pull on the pants quickly. I turn to face the corner and let the gown fall then quickly pull the shirt over my braided hair.
Braided?
I massage the tail. It feels sturdy and solid—pulling just enough to feel exactly like how I would do it.
Except I definitely didn’t.
“I didn’t fight him,” I whisper, shame flooding my chest. “I just took it. There wasn’t much choice, I suppose. He broke my powers.”
Mary is quiet for a beat before I feel her behind me. She presses a gentle thumb to my taut neck muscles, and I almost melt into the ground.
Neither of us comment on the soft whimper I let out.
“He only suppressed them. The ankle bracelet must have broken in the last few days. Probably before your fight with me since you hardly put up a fight then, either.”
I turn to face her, and she lets her hands drop to her sides.
“The bracelet?”
Mary’s nose crinkles a little as she frowns.
“I will have it fixed. It should make you resistant to our powers.”
“Our?” I squeak, feeling a pang of alarm start low in my chest. And then realize the shadows aren’t amorphous anymore. “Oh, shit, it’s wearing off.”
Mary nods once and wraps a gentle hand around my arm, directing me through the wooden door. And not for the first time in my recent memory, I’m at a loss for words.
“Are you a mole person?” I ask stepping into what has to be the largest cavern to ever exist.
Mary lets out a soft chuckle as she directs me off the deck of the cabin I’d been in.
Buildings of various designs are scattered across a vast rock hillside that spans further than I can make out. Some look like New Chicagoan copper and gears, while others look like what I’d seen in photos of the Western Alliance.
Winding between them all is a stone path that looks well maintained despite the rest of the place looking ancient.
The path winds up the hillside to what looks like an elevator tucked far off into the corner. And there’s no sky. Just rock.
“This is just the residential area,” she says, following my gaze. “The commercial district is on the other side of the mountain. And, no, we are not mole people.”
“We?” I ask, turning back to her. “Can you start explaining, or do I need to start begging?”
She gives me a worryingly meaningful grin, but nods.
