Something With a Prince

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Deliverance

Tallethea

    I couldn't tell if I was awake. My eyes were open, but all I could manage to see was darkness at every angle. The only reason I knew we were in a room and not outside was because of the smell and the fact there was a stone floor beneath me. It was a terrible dusty smell, the kind that smothered my lungs and nose to the point I couldn't tell if I was smelling it or simply breathing it. Maybe that doesn't make a lot of sense. Nothing made sense as I worked my hands against each other, trying to untie the ropes that bound them behind my back. That is until I felt another hand grab mine and squeeze.

    "Lansing?" I whimpered out, holding violently still.

    "I'm here." He pressed his back into mine, squeezing my hand once more, "And I've already tried, there's no use."

    There was an echo when he spoke, telling me the room was big and empty. Gods I hoped it was empty. Despite the endlessness, I tried again to see something in the room, forcing my eyes to adjust. There was the smallest sliver of light above our heads, possibly a window, but that was it, and it was at least twelve feet high. Dust seemed to filter into my every breath, coating my tongue and throat, threatening to make me sneeze. On top of that, I could feel the slightest drip of water falling on my shoulder. That's going to drive me crazy at some point.

    Worming my fingers over the rope around Lansing's wrists, as well as my own, I tried to find a knot. "Trying to escape the dark, scary room is not useless."

    "No, but trying to untie a rope with no knot is." His voice was quiet and seemed deeper. Dejected. His forearms brushed over mine, as he shifted against my back, "Our waists and feet are tied too."

    I tested both, and he was right. On top of that good news, there wasn't a single knot to be found. "That's impossible..."

    But that wasn't the first impossible thing we had encountered today. If today is still today. The image of me standing in the center of camp, holding his face in my hands. Impossible. It was when he fell down, his face crumpling in pain, that's when I found the strength to move. She, me, must have known I would come, because she looked right at me and smiled. Once Lansing had blacked out she met me with outstretched arms, despite the fact I had a drawn sword and every intention to run her through.

    Then there was a blinding agony tearing through my chest like claws. It dropped me instantly, making me wretch onto the soil. My sword went skidding off into the bushes. Each breath was like inhaling glass, I didn't know whether to cry or scream, and my heart was burning. Twisting, rolling, and cramping in my chest, thrumming against my ribcage. I tried to crawl to him. That's when everything went black.

    The memory of Lansing laying in the dirt made me press his hand. It felt calloused in mine, and my fingernails were probably digging into the side of his palm due to the angle our hands were at, but I didn't care.  "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

    There was a long pause, filled with the sound of our breathing. I waited, searching the darkness for whatever was behind it. I had the feeling we weren't alone, but it didn't matter much, as long as I knew exactly where he was. The window seemed to lend more light to my eyes now, and I could see the white of his shirt over my shoulder. Everything was reeling, I almost felt as if I were in a strange dream, but a deeper part of me knew that wasn't true. This moment felt more real than anything.

    "I don't know, my head hurts." Lansing spoke in that same gravely tone. "I came back and you were there, but..." He pulled a sharp breath through his teeth and his hand gripped mine harder. His arms went rigid as he took whatever was happening on the chin. After a minute, he relaxed. "Damn," Lansing laughed a bit, but it broke something inside me, "this headache is unpleasant."