Violent Heart

Chapter Eight

        They left her in the dark for hours on end with nothing but a chamber pot for company. It was cold and damp, leading her to stay huddled in the corner of the small space. The ground was uncomfortably hard, and continually fed off of her body heat; she was miserable to say the least.

        Violet had woken up to find herself lying face down on the floor, with cuffs round her wrists; frightened and confused, it took her a few moments to recall yesterday's events. The prince, Ellen screaming, the flash of light... and Tomas; did they bring her here? Too dark to see, she had to feel her way around the small cell, understanding only when she felt the bars of the door. They had locked her up in a prison cell, with not even a guard to watch her.

        How long has she been here? It felt like hours had passed since she'd woken up. Violet stared ahead silently, her arms wrapped around her legs for warmth, she let her mind drift off to a better time.

        It had been in Lucy's den, she could almost see the cozy little room in her mind, the overcrowded shelves, the furniture, and the glowing fireplace; it's crackling barely heard over their raucous laughter. Her uncle had been there, Gilda and Edith too, and they were all having a great time. She could taste Gilda's delicious blueberry jam, and hear Edith telling them of the hysterical tales of her youth.

        The clanking of metal brought her back from her daydreams; a door was slammed open, dim light filling the hallway in front of her cell. She squinted her eyes as it grew brighter, unconsciously tightening the hold on her knees as footsteps echoed towards her.

        "Get up," he said shining the lantern onto her face, rendering her as blind as a bat.

        Violet hesitated, before she pushed herself off the ground, holding on to the wall for support. Her leg was stiff from sitting for so long, the feeling below her knee almost lost to her.

        "Step forward."

        She heeded him, being careful not to stumble, and watched as he unlocked the door. "Out," he swung the door open, and took a step back, waiting for her. Violet placed her hands on the wall to her left as she slowly walked forward, grabbing hold of one of the bars when she came up short.

        "Will you stop with the act," Tomas yanked her arm causing her to stumble forward. She pulled back in time to balance herself, before straightening up to glare at him.

        "What is the matter with you?" She leered up at him, "what would make you think this is an act?"

        "Well, for one thing, no one has heard of a Violet Sears, and not once does the name appear in any of the records pertaining to Douglas Sears," he answered looming over her small frame.

        "That innocent guise you used to lure the Godfreys into trusting you will not work on me. So you might as well reveal your true identity here in the dark and tell me your intentions, before we publicly expose you," he hovered over her threateningly.

        Violet gaped at him unbelievably; she opened her mouth to retort, but decided against it not wanting to dig herself deeper into this mess. Closing her parted lips, she remained silent clenching her teeth in frustration.

        Tomas sighed, taking a step back, "I should have known that wouldn't work on you." He held on to her arm with a firm grip and began pulling her down the hall passing a number of unoccupied cells, "let's get this over with."

        He led her to the end of the hallway, where an open door stood to the left leading to a stone stairway. Violet did her best to catch up, but ended up being dragged anyway. Tomas huffed at her in irritation, though he chose not to say anything. The staircase led to another door that was left slightly ajar, he kicked it open basking them in afternoon light. A pair of guards stood to either side of the door, barely acknowledging their presence, until Tomas handed one of them the lantern.