“I could make you answer,” he threatened gruffly. Solveig stood straighter, jutting her chin out as if daring him to come closer.
She may have been chained, but she had enough wiggle room to do some damage. As part of her training, she’d been restrained in chains in preparation for a situation just like this one. The idea delighted her.
He must have seen the dare she levelled through the little bit of light flashing in her eyes. The first male prowled a few steps closer, and Solveig’s skin burned under the pressure of her energy. It may be possible to break through the Block that held her magic at bay. But he stopped after only three steps, nowhere near close enough to reach.
She could practically feel his eyes boring into hers, but she still said nothing. It was a battle of wills. He stared her down, and she refused to speak. Solveig had won many battles, but her greatest asset was her inability to back down.
Latham would disagree with this statement, but she didn’t care. Grateful for her centuries of experience being unyielding, she’d be able to withstand whatever they had in store for her.
The male looked as though he was about to step closer but for whatever reason, decided against it. He turned his back on her and stalked outside the cave where the other figure waited. More muffled voices and the other figure appeared, slightly shorter and stockier, clothed all in black like the first one. She could barely see the differences, but they were there.
Aggression rolled off this male. With a speed she could barely track, he was in front of her, hand yanking her hair, his other fist coming towards her face.
Instinct took over and Solveig threw her hips back, knocking him off balance before he could connect, forcing him to release her. She quickly swung her arms around, using the chain to strangle him as she pushed him to the ground. With her knee in his back and the chain wrapped around his neck, she had enough leverage to do some real damage. The more he struggled, the tighter she pulled.
The other male rushed back in, likely having heard the scuffle. Solveig grinned at him, cold and harsh. He froze as she tightened the chain.
Her assailant beneath her fell limp and she continued to squeeze—it would take a few minutes to kill him. His companion did nothing but watch intently. Interesting.
Without warning, a stinging pain shot through her arm. She glanced down in surprise at the little dart sticking out of her muscle. Her eyesight went blurry and she sensed herself drifting out of consciousness. The last thing she saw was the tall male coming towards her. Just before she blacked out, a tug on her hands loosened her grip.
A shock lit up her skin when his glove made contact, and then she was out cold.
Head groggy and arm still tingling, Solveig woke. Only a dim light came from the mouth of the cave and she had no idea how much time had passed.
She wondered if the male she strangled had died. She hoped so. As she reached up to rub the painful spot on her arm, something tugged at her wrist, holding her back. They had shortened her chains. Smart move. Whoever came close again would’ve ended up flat on their back, and not for any of the fun reasons.
Solveig wanted to kill as many of them as she could. These shortened chains simply made it all the more challenging, with not even enough length to stand.
With a sigh, she reached for the water set directly in front of her, leaning forward as far as she could to drain the cup in a single swig. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, illuminating the outline of someone sitting at the entrance to the cave.
He most likely heard her wake but didn’t react in any way. She threw the cup with surprising accuracy given her short range of motion, but with lightning speed, he plucked it right out of the air before it hit his back. He stood and left without looking at her. So much for goading him into coming closer.
She wanted to wring his neck too.
How to escape was her first priority, but she could do nothing without the small bit of light shining through the narrow opening of thecave. She picked at the bread they’d left next to her cup with one hand, hunger settling deep in her stomach. Where was this place?
The sun was almost gone. Without it, it would be almost pitch black, and even her Vanir eyesight wouldn’t help. She slowly ate her bread, contemplating her next moves. She may not have the upper hand in this situation, but she did have a few things going for her.
They didn’t know who she was, and she would keep it that way. She’d die before divulging anything. She could withstand torture, and with the absent gods as her witness, she would never betray her people.
Using this predicament to gain as much insight as possible seemed like a prudent move while biding her time until Latham came for her.
Another figure approached the entrance to the cave, a female with a slender physique and accompanying curves. She had more grace than the two males, moving fluidly as if walking on water. She came right into the cave and knelt beside her, just out of reach. Solveig knew better than to expect mercy or kindness simply because she was female.
“We are not a patient group,” the female started in a soft, gentle whisper. “This will be your only warning. When we return to question you, we will not ask twice. Give us the information we need and you will not be harmed. Continue this silence and you will regret crawling out of whatever vermin witch hole spawned you.”
Solveig couldn’t see her face but heard the smile in those words.
“Think it over,” the female said as she stood, walking back through the mouth of the cave.
Solveig counted her steps as she left and didn’t relax until she disappeared completely.
She laid her temple back on the ground, head still spinning and weak from being knocked unconscious multiple times. Whatever poison they’d used lingered in her system, muddling her mind. All she had to do was hold out for Latham to find her.
It didn’t matter that they had never successfully rescued anyone who was captured before—Latham would never give up.
Though the orders were strict about how long the search for their lost soldiers was to last, she would never stop looking if Latham had been taken, and he would do the same for her. They had made an oath to each other. She only had to wait for him and, while she waited, keep her strength up.
