She’d never not had access to her magic. Even after a brutal healing when she nearly drained both her magic and her lifeforce, there was always the sphere of gold at her core. Her mind said her magic was fine. Connected to her lifeforce, they’d have to kill her to truly disconnect her from her magic, which meant whatever this was had to be temporary from the drug.
Dread coiled at the severity of their new tactic. What had they given her? She needed any information she could get, had to focus on that instead of the painful absence of her magic.
Solid, deliberate footsteps approached and stopped in front of her. Opening her eyes, she found an unfamiliar face staring at her with assessing eyes. The proximity was not what she had expected, and she automatically shifted back in surprise, straining her rope bindings.
Ignoring her frantic movements, he cupped her face in one large hand and checked her eyes. “You’re lucid, good. Alric, some water.”
The second man glared at her with a ferocity that bordered on personal accusation as he poured a mug of water and handed it over. “Lieutenant, shouldn’t we dose her again before you touch her?”
He didn’t look familiar, so he must have been the guard she’d zapped when he drugged her.Good.Alric’s affronted attitude would have made her smile if not for his eagerness to dose her again so soon.
The lieutenant eyed her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head.Please, no drug.A substance that powerful in high doses would be very dangerous. She was barely functioning as it was.
“We won’t need more until tomorrow at the earliest,” he said.
“Are you sure? She’s strong.”
The lieutenant rolled his eyes at his subordinate. “She’s a Calderran adult with full control of her magic, not a child just discovering it. Of course she’s strong. The captain will be here soon. He’ll want two collars.”
“Orange and Red, sir?”
“No. Red and Black.” He snapped his fingers when the soldier frowned. “Now, Alric.”
Swirling the mug of water that Alric had provided, he took a sip of the contents, rolling it on his tongue before swallowing it. She blinked in confusion at the action.
“The water is clean.” Leaning forward, he put a palm on the back of her head and brought the mug to her lips. “Drink. The added drug that knocked you out makes your mouth dry as dirt.”
He was right, and the fact that he felt the need to test the water before giving it to her made her wary of taking water from anyone else later. That may have been his intention, but she hated it nonetheless as she opened her lips and let him pour water slowly into her mouth. He stopped occasionally to let her swallow but kept pouring until the mug was empty. At least her mouth wasn’t parchment dry anymore.
“That’s better.” He set the empty mug on the ground. “Now, how about we start with your name? I’m Devryn.”
Her heart fluttered wildly as she debated, but she couldn’t come up with a good reason to withhold the information and anger her captor at the first question. His gentle treatment indicated he was likely trying to make progress with her before his commanding officer arrived. “Celina.”
“Celina. You’re lucky to be alive. I’ve never seen someone react as badly as you did to the drug. I would advise you not to encourage getting another dose prematurely.”
“Who decides when to drug me again?”
“I do.” A deep voice echoed the banging of the door as an intimidating man strode into the room. “So, you’d best choose wisely.”
“Celina, this is Captain Darrett. He controls things here, including the drug.”
“You’re a mage. By Eldrin law, your rights are forfeit.” The captain grasped her chin, angling her face to look at him as he towered above her. “You’re at my mercy. Do you understand that?”
Words froze in her throat as fear lanced through her.
“Answer me.” The captain gave her a quick, violent shake.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Your responses will determine what happens next. Ultimately, you have two choices. Cooperate, and you stay under my guard. Be difficult, and I’ll choose two of the less scrupulous soldiers as your handlers and turn a blind eye to whatever methods they choose to gain your compliance.”
A trembling took over her body from fear and anxiety, and they’d barely begun. She sucked in a desperate breath to fill her lungs as he stepped back, pulled the other chair close to her, and took a seat.
Two collars, two choices.She’d heard of the color system from the refugees before, but never black. There had to be more to it than what was just spoken. “What does the black collar indicate?”
“Black is exclusive to command, used for special prisoners. At the moment, that means I and Lieutenant Devryn are the only ones allowed to punish you. The other men would need permission before handling you.” His face remained placid as he continued, answering the question she hadn’t asked. “Red means that barring permanent damage, the guards have free rein to punish or encourage compliance. The colors decline from there. With the strength of your abilities, your options are quite limited.”
“Marin, the red-collared teen we have, has been with us since the beginning of this capture season and is starting to lose her fight.” The lieutenant’s tone held a touch of warning.
