The Fall Of Imbria (The Fendara Series. Book One)

Chapter Seven: Victoria

There it was again. That sound. The sound of my brother's voice echoing through the vents of my cell.

Victoria it's not your fault sister. It's not your fault.

I peek my eyes open, I had fallen asleep. Looking over to Nell, so had she, and apparently still is. I wonder how she can sleep on the hard stone floor but I guess malnutrition will do that to you.

My thoughts keep racing and then it dawns on me. We need to act now. There is no way Theo is not going to know that his key is missing. We have to get moving before Theo comes back. I move over to Nell, and whisper her name. "Nell." She jolts from sleep and looks over in my direction.

"We need to act now. Theo is going to know I have his key." I palm the key as I say this. She glances down at it and understanding alights on her face.

"Fuck." She spits out, "We are not going to make it very far in the condition we are in." Nell holds up her bound wrists for emphasis. She is right and I know it, but we have no other option.

"I know. And to make matters worse, I can't believe we fell asleep. We must've blacked out or something." I say bringing my hand up to rub my head and smacking my forehead with the metal cuff attached to my wrists. "Goddamn. I swear if we don't get out of here I might just lose my mind."

"As funny as it is to see you accidentally hurt yourself, I think we should use the key your little boyfriend unknowingly gave you to get us out of here." Nell retorts as she began pushing herself off the stone.

Grabbing my hands Nell pulls me up and we exchange a knowing look. "If we don't make it out, We go down swinging." I tell her.

She nods in agreement and we walk over to the cell door. I reach my hand in-between the metal bars just enough to turn my fingers and slide the key into the lock before the silver cuffs around my wrists stop me from going further.

One twist and a struggled one at that, with the slight sound of a click, I unlock the door.

We exchange a glance and I slide my arms out, letting go of the key, leaving it in the lock. Slowly and quietly me and Nell push the metal bars of our cage open.

Slowly we inch out into the hallway. Nell follows right behind me. We try to move as silently as possible but neither of us can advert our eyes from the other cells along the way. Each holding a different face, some human and ill stricken. Others different kinds of fae and dark creatures.

Finally my eyes catch that of a lizard shifter. Talons scratching against the stone walls as it stares out at me, causing a chill to run down my spine. The form of a human it holds but every visible inch of skin is mulled over with green scaly cracking scales. His large face that of a snout, lips a long line and tongue hissing as it slaps back and forth. Even his head has boney spikes poking from it. But those eyes. Those eyes are bright yellow, every blink an eye cap follows, making me more uneasy.

"You're not supposed to be here...are you?" He hisses at me.

We take another step trying to ignore the comment. But this time it's a familiar voice that speaks causing us to stop in our tracks. "Where do you think you're going?" Theo drawls.

"Fuck." I whisper to myself. Me and Nell turn to face Theo whose standing a few feet behind us. He has no weapon drawn but his eyes show he's questioning that decision.

Quickly I say the first thing that comes to mind. "Looking for you of course." I try and keep my cool. Make my voice sound innocent.

He scrunches a brow, already doubting my words. "I'm sure you are." He looks back at our cell and his eyes linger on the key sitting in the lock. His key. He sighs "I thought you trusted me. To get you out of here. I promised." As he twists back to look at me his eyes turn sorrow filled and a tinge of guilt sours my throat.

I won't let that cloud my judgement. I can't. I have to get back to my family. Get Nell back to her Father.

I slowly move towards Theo. I don't even look back at Nell who is probably freaking out internally and if I caught her gaze, im sure that feeling would be plastered on her face.

"Theo. I do trust you. You know I do, I'm just running out of time." I keep getting closer to him. Step by step by step. "Come with us."

Finally I reach him and I lower down on my knees. Doe eyed I stare up at him. "Please Theo remove our cuffs. Help us escape. Help me escape." I beg.

He only stares at me for a moment and then kneels before me, inches from my face. His warm breath caresses my lips. I won't lie with every beat of my heart my loins throb, begging for release.

What is wrong with me? My mind and my body can't seem to get on the same page. A battle of lust and betrayal racking my brain back and forth. Has it been so long that my body would betray me and allow myself to have sex with this traitor just to get one off?

I snap back trying to keep my composure. Still staring at him he smiles and leans in pressing his full lips against mine. I should pull away, I want to. . . right?

He leans back, giving me a smirk as he takes out the small blade he has stashed away in his boot and glides the metal along the palm of his hand, blood pooling in the center and rolling off onto the floor. With a wave of his hand over my cuffs, the heavy metal falls to the ground, the sting of the metal clashing with stone, barrels down the hallway. Quickly he puts the small dagger back in his boot, giving me a smile. How? How is that even possible, he's just mortal. Isn't he? Would he really stoop so far as to using blood magic? If so who does he have to teach him?

I rub my aching wrists, raw from the metal sitting there for far too long. Then I fall back on my ass and he does the same to the chains on my ankles. Both cuffs now laying on the ground. My magic buzzes through me, finally released from the signals and markings of the cuffs.

"How?" Is all I ask. Confusion all over my face.

He huffs. "Just a few things I picked up from the spell keeper." Not that I could believe that but I'll go along with it.

I angle my head back to Nell, waving her over. She hesitates but comes anyway.

Standing in front of him he does the same for her that he did for me and suddenly were both free.

Still on the ground I turn back to him and he kneels before me again. That same smile still planted on his lips. "Oh Victoria, how long I've wanted to kiss those lips. I'm sorry it was under such. . . Poor circumstances." He grabs my chin between his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger. A light touch that holds so much more meaning for him than me.

"I'm sorry too." I speak.

His forehead scrunches. "Sorry for what?" He asks confused.

"This." I quickly grab the dagger that is sheathed on his ankle and stab him in the left leg. Blood starts running down his thigh. His breath hitches as he stare at me. Guilt washing over me as his eyes coat in anger.

Confusion.

Betrayal.

I guess now he knows the feeling.

He tumbles back on to the ground ripping the dagger from his leg. "How could you?" He asks, placing his hands on the wound trying to stop the loss of blood from coming.

"How could you?" I ask in return. My eyes welling with tears and anger.

The face he makes next I don't allow myself to see. I just grab Nell's hand and bolt down the hall straight for the big wooden door at the end.