Defying Equilibrium: Book II

Chapter 7: Spilling secrets of the past

*Again, sorry for being so slow to update! I've been really busy with school, but I'm on holidays now so updates should be quicker hopefully! I know that's exactly what I said last chapter, but I mean it this time! One other thing, after writing this chapter and the next I realised that this story has taken a bit of a grim turn...Please let me know if I'm getting a bit too morbid for your liking. Criticism and comments are always welcomed. xCinda*

Ella...Shari... Riess visibly shook. Mother....Father.....Oh god, how could I.....How did I....

Dare shot daggers at Mayard with his eyes. “What the hell did we ever do to deserve this? What crime did we commit?”

“What crime?” Mayard laughed cruelly, and then began to tick off his fingers as he listed. “Well, let's see. First, your kind desecrated the lands that my people called home, because they feared us. Today, three of my soldiers are dead thanks to your interventions, because you fought them out of fear for your own menial lives. And you questioned the one absolute, the Rule of Equilibrium, because you fear authority and you fear being controlled. In short,” Mayard returned Dare's gaze with an icy glare of his own. “Your crime was cowardice.”

Cowardice. The word resonated with Riesss like a tune from childhood, like a drumbeat from a nostalgic piece of the past. He had been cowardly.

“And it's not cowardly to kidnap an innocent girl?” Dare returned with an intensity to rival Mayard's. “It's not cowardly to send assassins after us in the dead of night? You are a worse coward than I will ever be, and it is because of cowards like you that my brother is dead!” Angered, Mayard pulled back his foot and kicked Dare once, hard, in the side. Dare bent double, gasping.

“Normally I wouldn't resort to such crude methods, but my considerable knowledge on offensive magic is wasted on the likes of you.” Mayard kicked Dare once more, then straightened. Dare tasted blood and couldn't get his breath back. He wanted nothing more than to hit back, but he remained shackled and helpless.

Mayard's eyes moved across the room, taking in each one of them, and he smirked. “What a sorry sight this is. Pathetic. If it were up to me, I would have killed you all already. But it isn't, so I can't. There is something that my superior wants from you, so I'll just have to wait.”

“Oh, so you're just an attack dog then? Not in charge? Can you sit and roll over as well?” Dare never did know when to shut up.

Mayard's eyes flashed with anger, and this time Dare was gripped by an invisible force and began to choke. Mayard was using his magic as a weapon in a way that even Dakora had never seen, he was using it to cut off all of the air around Dare. He began to suffocate.

Oscar shouted, but it was to no avail as he still couldn't move. He pulled and pulled on his shackles but only succeeded in making his wrists bruised and bloody.

He wouldn't kill him. Ahmed knew that, and so he didn't panic and fight as Oscar did. Ahmed knew Mayard's nature, as they had met before, in a way. In fact, he was surprised that Mayard had not recognised him yet. And so he knew that Mayard would not kill Dare, he would not dare to go against orders. Just like the rest of his line, dutiful to the end.

Mayard released Dare before he lost consciousness, and then stalked out of the room, but not before seeing fit to remind them all that he'll be back. Dare was gasping, but strangely he seemed mostly unharmed. There were light bruises on his neck, but after a few minutes he was able to breathe again without any pain. Such was the control that Mayard had over his power. Even if he was just an attack dog, his bite was one to be feared.