Ruby Red

Chapter Seventeen

Slight CW: Brief descriptions of violence and bodily injury. 

When Alana woke up, she was in a place she didn't recognize. She was sitting in a wooden chair with cushions lined with old, crunchy velvet at a dark wooden desk by a window. Around her appeared to be some sort of study or library with bookshelves lining the walls. She felt along her hip for the dagger Karis gave her, but it was gone. Alana quickly started rummaging through the drawers of the desk, but she was startled when she heard a voice from the side of the room.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I have your dagger." Indigo leaned against the door, twirling a necklace with a key on it around their finger. "You're obviously not going to get it back, but it's fine. I would never hurt a pretty weapon."

Alana raised her chin and tried to calm her pounding heart. "Where are we?"

"The outskirts of the city. Somewhere very few people have been for years. The details are for me to know and you to never find out." They dropped the key and started examining their nails with a smirk. Every so often, their eyes would flick up and study Alana's face.

"So what are we doing now, hm?" Alana asked. "You never mentioned anything to me about going to talk to Maverick. Whoever he is."

"There was a reason for that."

"Which is?"

Indigo scoffed and glanced down at their side. A matte metal cane leaned against one of the bookshelves and they picked it up, tracing the grooves in the brass handle. They tossed it up and propped it up on their shoulder as they approached Alana. They leaned down over her chair and locked their eyes onto hers. "I don't need you."

Oh. So that was what hearing those words felt like. Like someone reaching into your chest and breaking your heart while it was still inside you. Like every drop of confidence and self-assurance you had was wrung out. Like betrayal from someone you saw as a friend.

She felt a knot begin to form in her throat. "What do you mean, you don't need me? I'm the one in charge here. I was the one who got you out of that prison in the first place."

"Not anymore." Indigo dragged their finger down the shaft of the cane. "I thought we were on the same page, Alana. Steal the Scepter, use the money for ourselves, live in luxury at least until the next Vault ceremony. But no. You care too much about random people you've never met. We took the risk, so we should get the reward."

"That was always the plan, Indigo. I thought I made that clear."

"And I sincerely thank you for helping me get this far! Unfortunately, I believe it's time to go our separate ways. It's not you, it's me. If we don't have the same ideas about sharing the Vault, we shouldn't share at all. I'm happy to take that burden on myself."

Alana tried to stand in protest, but Indigo brought the cane into the palm of their hand. They looked up at her through their lashes. She dropped back into the chair, leaning back as far away from them as she could get. If she could only sneak past them and get to the door somehow, she would be safe. Screw the Scepter, screw the mission. All Alana wanted to do now was go home.

"So what are you going to do now?" Panic flooded her veins and her body was getting high on adrenaline. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. Not if she didn't know what Indigo was going to do if she tried.

"Oh, finish what we started, of course. I can do the rest by myself. After all, that's what I did at the ball instead of flirting the whole time. Speaking of the ball, where did you put the Scepter, Alana?"

"Like I would tell you now." Through a nervous laugh, Alana smiled. At this point, she didn't care what happened to the Scepter as long as Indigo didn't have it. Now that she thought about it, giving it back to the royals would probably be the smartest thing to do. "Find it yourself, if you can. I don't care anymore. We're done."