Redemption

Redemption Part 30

I jumped to my feet. "Let him go! Do whatever you want to me but let him go!"

Zane wiped his knife on Sol's shirt. "That would defeat the purpose."

Sol pressed his hand to his cheek. Blood seeped through his fingers, his face wracked with pain.

"Sol..." said Sym faintly. She struggled to sit up, grasping the seat of the empty chair beside her. "You okay?"

"I...I don't think it's deep...."

"We've got a lot more options." Zane headed over to the table strewn with torture instruments.

Sol looked at me, his green eyes imploring. "Please—no matter what he does to me. Don't tell him where she is."

"Don't worry, I won't. But—there has to be a way—"

Zane returned with a barbed, jagged metal hook, about the size of a hand. He flipped it over, caught the weighted end in his palm. "This type of tool is messy. Designed to cause maximum damage without killing. I don't want to use it. It'd be a shame to mar his beauty. But if you don't answer...."

He ran the smooth edge of the hook along Sol's thigh.

No. This can't be happening. I don't belong here, I belong up in the Spire, safe.... Where I don't have to know about such evil...

I tried to move, to speak. I couldn't even do that. Something in me was shutting down—I couldn't let this happen—but didn't know how to stop it. I wasn't the kind of person who could act, and mold events to my will, not like the rest of my family. I didn't even have lightning. Might as well not have it, for all the good it did, shorting things out better than charging them.

"Please—don't hurt him," I managed to say. Then—the only thing I could do—the thing that was passive. "Hurt me instead." I'd save them with my own pain.

"I just may do that. But because you're begging to be hurt—I have a feeling their pain will be much more effective." He jabbed the point of the hook into Sol's knee.

Sol cried out, biting his lip, and he writhed back against the chair, breathing hard.

Zane yanked the hook from Sol's knee. "On the other hand, he does look fetching when in pain...."

"You salaehsehlae!" Sym pushed herself to her feet, clinging to the back of the chair, her face gray with pain. I almost flinched at the Winged curse, it was one of the worst there was, but Zane deserved it. "You dare touch him after all you did!" Her breaths came in hard gasps. But anger blazed through her eyes. I had a feeling it was only the pain, and the fact she was touching metal, that kept lightning from pouring down her form.

"You're not in good shape," said Zane. "You should sit down." With a flick of his wrist, he flung the hook at her. It hurtled into her side and she collapsed, the chair clattering to the floor beside her. Zane strode over to her and gave her a swift kick in the stomach. She doubled over, gasping hard.

"You don't ever, ever interfere with what I want. Got it?" Zane kicked her again.

"Don't! Please, don't!" I said. it almost felt like the hook was embedded in my own side, throbbing with each beat of her heart.

"Are you ready to give me what I want?"

Sol was deathly pale, worse than when Zane had hurt him. Sol looked at me, shook his head slowly.

I had to try to lure Zane to me. Make him hurt me.

I gathered all my strength and stood. My legs shook. But I had to save Sym and Sol, before it was too late.