Dread pools in my stomach as I walk past the cells, toward the screams. It’s not like I haven’t seen cells before. I went with Blake plenty of times to the dungeon beneath the demon palace, but this feels different. A sense of foreboding sweeps over me as my boots scuff the rough, stone floor, and I’m halfway down the rows of cells when I stop walking.
“What is it?”Elgen hisses to me.
Frowning, I peer at the cell on my right. It looks identical to the other ones I’ve passed, and yet, dread pools in my stomach when I stare at it. The barred door is slightly ajar, and I push it open, getting a better view. Scratches cover the walls, deep grooves taken out of the stone, and my breath catches in my throat.
I finally remember why the cell looks so familiar.The dreamcrawler.
An image appears in my mind, and it’s the memory I’d seen in one of the dreamcrawler’s eyes. This is the cell thatI’d been shown, and I remember watching myself as some past version of me rocked on the floor, sobbing.But…how?My stomach cramps as panic has me freezing in place, and I stand there for a little while, unable to move.
“Like I said, some memories are best left forgotten,”Elgen’s rasping voice is grim but kind, and it helps snap me back to the present.
“Do you know what happens down here? Have you seen me before?”I ask the shadows, desperate for answers, but also terrified of what secrets my past might hold. I wonder then, whether the fact I can’t remember could be due to a coping mechanism. Had I endured something so horrific that my brain completely shut down, protecting me from the memories? I shudder.
“We have not seen you, girl. We don’t like to come down here,”Tarlaz replies.
I frown.“Okay, but you must have seen?—”
“Admiring the artwork?” a man’s voice cuts in, and I jolt, my heart leaping into my throat.
“Oh cruel souls!”Elgen shrieks in my head, like she was surprised as well.“See, this is why we don’t come down here, girl! Someone is always sneaking up on you.”
Heart pounding, I pivot to find Professor Yevar is standing a couple paces away from me. He’s dressed casually in a neat gray suit that washes out his pale eyes, and he smiles showing his perfectly straight teeth.
“Crap, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” I blurt, because it’s the first thing that comes to mind. I clutch my chest because my heart feels like it’s going to pound right out of there. “P-professor. I’m glad I finally found you.”
“You’re glad you found him? Is that the best you’ve got?”Elgen scoffs in my mind.“Like I said, Tarlaz. She has a death wish.”
“You’re not helping,”I sing-song back at her.“You could have kept watch and told me he was coming!”
“We were very helpful, girl,”Elgen gripes.“When we warned you not to come down here in the first place. Now, tell us what grilled cheese tastes like before he ends you.”
I ignore her.
“Found me?” Professor Yevar quirks a brow.
I scramble for an explanation, all too aware of the manic gleam in the professor’s eyes. “Uh yes, Professor Thane sent me,” I lie. “He wants me to…” I trail off.Dammit. Why isn’t this guy at the meeting like the others?Except, for all I know, the meeting with the queen has finished by now. I wonder if the guys are looking for me, and the thought gives me comfort, because Professor Yevar is creepy as hell.
“Yes?” the professor urges, his milky eyes boring into me expectantly.
“Tell him you’re here to collect someone,”Tarlaz suggests.“It is a prison, after all. Why else would you be down here, except to deal with a prisoner or become one.”
“Well, look at that,”I reply cheerfully.“Someone’s finally helping.”
Elgen grumbles in my mind.
Professor Yevar is still staring at me with his unsettling gaze, and I fake a smile. “Yes, he sent me to get her,” I say confidently, and I give him a look when I say ‘her’ like I’m implying he should know who I’m talking about. Of course, I’m making this up, but I think of the cries I’d heard earlier. The cells are quiet now, but they’d sounded feminine, so I hope I’m on the right track. I hold my breath.
There’s a flash of something dark in Professor Yevar’s mirky eyes, but I’m rewarded when the professor’s expression changes, becoming passive. He spins on his heels, leading the way to another cell.
“Well, it’s about time,” he muses. “I confess, I hadn’t expected Professor Thane to send a student to return her to herdorm, and the timing is poor, but I’m glad he’s finally stepped in to put an end to her punishment.” He stops at the front of a cell and unlocks the door, gesturing inside. “It was getting rather uncomfortable having her here.”
My stomach twists with dread as I stare into the cell, not sure who I’m going to find. The air is stale, and the scent of faeces has me trying not to breathe too deeply, but I squint into the darkness. At the back of the cell, I spy a figure with a mop of black hair, crouched against the wall. Her knees are drawn up to a face with red rimmed eyes, and I let out a small gasp.
“Satine?” I whisper, then I clamp down on my shock, remembering that I’d said I was here for her.
It’s weird staring at the woman who nearly killed me. I should be angry, but when I stare at her huddled form, all I feel is sympathy.
Satine turns her head, blinking like she’s not sure if she heard her name or imagined it. I want to ask Professor Yevar how long she’s been down here, and what has happened to her, but I hold my tongue.
