The Crystal Mines

16 Callion

I was beyond pissed at myself for suggesting that Nik send Trife to Ameer. We absolutely needed him to know what was going on, that was true. But to trust the little monkey to handle such sensitive information, on top of parting with our source of eating well, had me on edge. I stood up from the cot, trying not to wake Nik. I had insisted that she sleep on the single cot, knowing the horrors that were coming. At some point, I had gotten tired and sat beside her.

In the neighboring cell, Sorin had the same idea, and let Faolan have the cot. He looked up at me from the floor, only his eyes moving. I had thought he was dead all these years. Erix had convinced me. That was the day they had cut his balls off in front of me. They dragged him from the room, while I writhed and screamed at his unconscious and bleeding body. It was a horror no man should have to endure. It was the last time I had seen him. His eyes were so much like Ameers that as we looked at each other, bracing ourselves to relive the memories behind each other's eyes, I couldn't help but miss my friend.

We both turned in the direction of the sound coming down the hall. Reed appeared. His face solemn. The harsh man was never anything but stone. He looked at the each one of us and landed on me last. He gave me the smallest of nods, and I knew. Sorin jumped up and woke Faolan with a start and I rushed to Nik's side, urging her to open her eyes as gently as I could. Within moments, they were both on their feet. Nik scrambled to reach under the cot, where the crystals lay. Not wanting to communicate to her in front of Reed, I brushed a hand against the lioness tattoo on my forearm, pleading not to reveal the location of the stash. She froze, looking at her winged lion. How ever the tattoo was acting, she had stood up abruptly and came to my side, not hiding her glare. This woman would be the death of me. If I had any control of my lion, I would have been on all fours in a challenge. Instead, a growl began deep in my chest. She only grinned, egging me one. Sorin stepped back, causing me to break my attention away from Nik.

Footsteps echoed, slow and rhythmic. I had forgotten that sound. The Crystalists were coming. Eight of them marched down towards us, wearing clothing of pure white. Their clothes would have been normal enough, but it was the lack of pigmentation anywhere else on their bodies. Skin so white, it was translucent, brittle, white hair, and eyes of ice. They were beautiful and terrifying. Each one of them, genderless. Nik took a step back. Rightfully so. Faolan looked at her, while Sorin and I faced the wraiths before us. Together, they were called The Siblings. We knew the one in front very well. Their name was Scylla and they were ruthless.

Scylla looked at Reed and blinked. He scrambled forward and unlocked the cells. No one bothered with chains. We all knew that The Siblings were not to be messed with. Whatever manner of creature they were, they were not of this world. Any curiosity I had of where Erix found them, died the moment one of them spoke to me. They ushered us between them, one on either of our sides, making escape impossible.

With Reed leading the way, they wound us through the prison. Beyond cell blocked that haven't been touched in years. The smell was musty but clean of the sharp spice of iron. Nik took a deep breath. I could see the wounds on her back, rough scars now. The holes in her shirt barely held the garment together. Her ribs made me cringe, the starvation she has had to endure obvious to anyone that I had seen her before this shithole. She took another breath of clean air as we walked on into the dark depths of the prison. Blood dripped from all of our wrists, the manacles digging into our skin worse than they had been in days. Trife had been keeping our wounds healed as best he could with his strange spit. With him gone, they had resumed their torture. Mine ate down to my muscle withing a night, the ancient bone used to subdue my magic, astronomically stronger than iron. Reed stopped and The Siblings waited, unnaturally still, even more than a Fae's stillness. Did they even breathe?

The early light of dawn trickled into the dark prison as Reed opened a large door that came out the back of the mountain. We could see the mainland, small in the distance, and between that, were the two other smaller islands that made up the Adrastos Islands. I knew it was the largest of the two that they would be taking us to. There was no boat. No dock. There wasn't even a sign of life, feeling from The Siblings, sensing their otherworldly dangerous atmosphere that radiated off them like tongues of flame. Seemingly gentle and ghostly. Drawing you in to touch it from curiosity and before you knew it, you were being boiled alive. At the coastline, Viorica stood waiting, hair up tight and a single braid from the top of her head. Her tight black dress didn't even sparkle in the morning sun. She took a step forward aiming for Scylla. Idiot woman.

Scylla opened their mouth, a screech sounded, rattling our brains, and three rows of teeth shaped like needles, threatened Viorica. The other Siblings stepped forward, ready to open their mouths and join as a choir at Scylla's command. Everyone covered their ears until the woman wisely backed up. Scylla closed her mouth and their face contorted back to its usual beauty. They tilted their head like an animal, listening for threats. Viorica swallowed, visibly disturbed. She quickly gained composure, clasping her hands, and looked past Scylla to the four of us.

"The Siblings will be your caretakers from here on out. I suggest you do as they bid or suffer worse consequences than even I, could give." She eyed a shaken Reed, taking in his guarded stance and a hand at his whip. She put her hand out, motioning the whip. Confused, he placed the whip in her hands, and she handed him a dagger instead. "You will accompany these four... ahem, gifted prisoners and continue your charge."

Reed was outraged, clearly thinking he was done with his assignment to me. He pleaded with his eyes, saying nothing. His face wore fear more intimately than a lover's kiss. Viorica walked to the edge of the coast, toeing the gentle waves. She was a stark contrast to the nature around her. For just a moment, she looked to be from a different time. Her pointed ears were long and sharp. When she turned to face us again, I blinked, the moment gone.

"Go now. Erix awaits you and you know how he feels about those that are not on time."

Without any hesitation, The Siblings raised theirhands as one mind. Nik and Faolan were strangers to their power, and I was not surprisedby the gasp that escaped both of their mouths. Sorin and I watched, all of us shakingat the force of magic engulfing everyone and everything around. The Siblingsparted the water down to the ocean floor, where a path of Sucuri stone lay.They lowered their hands, revealing no effort or strain at maintaining the oceanflayed before us, and walked forward to the path that led to our torture.