Page 57 of Anywhere

“Liam,” the man that had me yelled again, and someone came running from another room.

“Aye, Master, I be sorry for bein’ slow, wha can I…Oh my. Ya found yer third,” the man, who I assumed was Liam, said.

I could understand him better but didn’t know what he meant by a third. The only thing I knew of that was a third were the three pillars of sacrifice, and panic lanced my heart at the thought of being sacrificed on the full moon.

“I did. Do we have a room that she can’t escape from?”

Liam tapped his chin. “I tink da dungeon would be best. Magic dinnie work down there, and da cells ‘ave all been recently redone. She cannie be escapin’ from dare.”

“Perfect, lead the way.”

My heart pounded out of control, the beats loud in my ears as his boots thumped on the stone floor. We wound our way through an endless number of hallways and stairs that led farther down, away from any windows. The darker it became, the more my fear took hold of my mind.

It was like he was taking me to the Dark Fade through a portal in the floor. At the thought of never seeing Keeva again, my soul ached almost as bad as what happened to me last night. I never meant to leave her alone. What would she think when I never returned? Would she think I abandoned her? Would she try looking for me? I didn’t want her to leave the safety of the coven, but I knew she would. Keeva had the tenacity of a warrior in her small body.

Liam opened a thick metal door, and the room beyond smelled terrible. Damp mould and old piss permeated the air. But there was something else as well. Death. It smelled like rotting carcasses, like whatever went in there never came out.

“You’ll be needin’ ta secure her before we walk through da door. All spells will stop workin’ as soon as we walk over da threshold.”

The man who had the spell on me turned to look at me, and the strange swirling of butterflies took flight in my chest. “Great, round two it is.”

The man, whose name I still didn’t know, dropped my stick and knife onto the floor, then proceeded to put his hands inside my travelling tunic. I tried to growl at him and move, but nothing happened other than my body flushing hot as his hand roamed over my stomach, hips, and then down my legs. He found my other two knives and dropped them to join the others.

“Well, you certainly like your sharp objects, don’t you?” He smiled at me like I should know what that meant.

Those captivating blue eyes had my pulse pounding. I couldn’t understand the sensation and figured it was my fear. It was the only thing that made sense.

My eyes followed him as he walked behind me, and my body trembled inside the spell. Not being able to see him was worse than staring into those eyes that sucked me in. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pinning my arms down to my side. His other arm went around my neck. Then he pulled me sideways in the air like I was nothing more than a bird.

“Go get the cell ready,” he said.

Liam dashed through the door and opened one of the other barred doors. “Ready.”

Two steps later, the man’s arms around me tightened until I couldn’t move or breathe as he walked through the door. I knew the moment the spell had dissipated and tried to fight, but the position and tight grip made it impossible. He was too strong, and my throat was almost completely closed off.

“I’d save your strength. You're going to need it,” he said as he walked into a small room. The temperature dropped, and I shivered like we were walking hand in hand with the dead. They were locking me up. The realization that I wouldn’t be able to escape and get back to my coven or Keeva had me fighting twice as hard.

The man lifted me so my feet touched the floor, but he shoved me before I could get my balance. I flew across the space and fell onto a straw bed. He backed out of the room and closed the door. The sound echoed in my head. I was locked in. Even though it was futile, I ran at the bars, my hands reaching through to grab at him. Hurting him and making him pay before he killed me was all I could think of as I screamed like one of the phantoms that I was sure occupied the place.

He jumped back out of the way of my nails.

“I’ma gonna killz ya. Ya feckin’, murdarar,” I yelled, my hands wrapping around the metal bars and shaking the door.

“Well, ya certainly got a lively one,” Liam said.

The man who had captured me looked at Liam with a look that I couldn’t decipher before he shook his head and walked out. The little flames in the torches along the far wall flickered as the outer door closed and sealed my doom.

The room felt like it was closing in on me. I stumbled back, my ass finding the thing that was supposed to be a bed, and hot tears trickled down my cheeks. The magic in this room had stripped me of my power. I’d never felt so naked before. It was natural to reach inside myself and touch the place that held the gift. My lower lip trembled, but I refused to show more emotion than I already had. I needed to keep strong.

This was all my fault. Why hadn’t I just left the man alone? I had to stick my nose into village business, and now look at me. Here I was, locked up for trying to avenge those who had lost their lives when they would never have done the same for me. How many times had I been chased with pitchforks or arrows skimmed me? How many times had I been attacked by men who thought I was an easy target? The villagers had never shown me an ounce of kindness. Not a piece of bread, a smile, or a hand to find the babes. They were as much my enemy as the man who had taken me. Yet I felt drawn to this man and angered by what I’d seen. No matter what they would’ve done for me, it didn’t feel right to let them all die the way they had without punishment.

My small pack rustled, and Barry poked his head out.

“Ya come fir da trip, did ya? I’ma tinkin dis is one trip yer gonna wish ya had no made.” Barry ran up the front of my tunic and sat on my shoulder where I could pet him. “I’ma glad ya did, though.”

Pushing myself back so I could lean against the wall, I pulled my feet onto the bed and let the tears fall silently on my knees. The emotion clogged my throat. I pulled the hood up on my cloak and tried to bury myself in the material like that would somehow make the nightmare go away.

Mari