Maidens & Killers

Fancy Seeing You Here

      When I finally open my eyes, my first instinct is to take in my surroundings. This instinct didn’t come from Rider’s Survival class, I truly believe that survival is not something that you can teach a person. It’s a natural instinct that you are either born with or not, and one thing that Garrick and I have always had in common, one thing that drew us to one another, is that we are survivors. I can’t see much in the very dim lighting, but I can see enough to make out that there are a handful of us in this dungeon-esque room.  There is one person in the center of the room that is restrained in a chair and the rest of us are haphazardly strewn across the rest of the room.

      Even in the dark I recognize Violet’s long braid coming from the back of the person restrained in the chair. I try to regulate my breathing, I seem to be primarily unharmed, though I do not know if I have already seen a healer. Violet looks worse than me, with obvious small amounts of blood dripping slightly down her face. I wonder how long I’ve been unconscious and naturally reach out to Craobh in my mind to ask him. I am met with absolute total silence, not even a hint of his normally dry humor on the other end. Shit. They must have dosed us with the same stuff that they did during the map exercise. Well this is frustrating, why teach us to rely on a dragon and become one with them when you are just going to take away that ability at a moment's notice. Seems manipulative to me and that shouldn’t surprise me anymore.

       “Fancy seeing you here,” a voice says hoarsely to my right. I turn to see if I can make out who the voice belongs to and immediately recognize Ridoc’s cocky half smile. Though, that always present smirk is now sporting a busted and bloodied lip that it doesn’t usually have.
“How long.. Was I out?” I ask, my voice box resisting speaking after having been unused for a time.
“You were out the longest, maybe about five hours or so.” Ridoc whispers back to me. “We all seem to have gotten different doses, so we were all out different amounts of time. It’s weird though…” Ridoc trails off as though he is listening for noise outside of the single door to our prison.
“What’s weird..” I urge him to continue.
“It’s almost like…like their focus is on Violet.” Ridoc continues. “Which, maybe because her mom is General Sorrengail? I don’t know, but she is the one who woke up first and they have questioned her most. Even some of the questions they asked me were about Violet. Weird right?”

      I just nod to Ridoc, as a feeling of dread overwhelms me. Of course Ridoc doesn’t understand what is really happening here, as he has no clue what Xaden and Garrick have been working on for years and what the true enemy is. This little activity probably really isn’t even about rider survival, though I’m sure the rest of our classmates aren’t having a walk in the park. No, Navarre leadership aren’t idiots, and they know that something is up. They have tried for years to pin something on Xaden and he has been too elusive, and now they believe they have the weakest link strapped to a chair. Well, if they think Violet aka a girl who lives in pain almost every day of her life is the weakest link, then they are even dumber than I thought they were.

      Before I can say anything else to Ridoc, I hear the small noise that he must have heard earlier. It quickly becomes a much louder one that is the distinctive sound of boots walking down a concrete hallway. I have little time to prepare myself as the bright overhead light above me is switched on without ceremony and I am momentarily blinded with yellow light. Gods, I can’t see a thing for easily ten seconds before my eyes begin to adjust and I can make out the moving shape of Major Varrish. He is walking with a purpose and kneels down so that he is face to face with Violet, who is awake again. In fact, I can tell by the small groaning noises echoing around me, everyone is awake now thanks to that vicious light. I can’t hear what is being whispered between Varrish and Violet, but I can tell by the anger in his eyes that Violet is getting the better of him. It makes me smile to see, until he stops whispering to Violet and looks up and locks his eyes on mine.

     Varrish hollers for someone to come help him and one of his many minions enters the room to assist him with helping Violet out of the chair and to one of the steel bunk beds that are on the back wall. Thankfully, it doesn’t look as though Violet is unable to walk, more so that she is being stubborn and difficult. The Navarrian way is to torture people and then heal them so you can torture them some more, so that makes sense. She’s probably been healed multiple times over.
“Cadet Holsten. Please, come have a word with me.” Major Varrish says and points to the chair in the center of this prison-like room.

     I take a deep breath and walk slowly to the chair that he has indicated, the only one in the room. Despite being un-injured I am weak, and I wonder if that is from the hours on the floor of this room, or something in the elixir that they gave me. I begin to count off my breaths, the way that I would any time I am in need of centering myself. In …1,2,3 then out…. 1,2,3. Feel the floor beneath my feet, it’s hard concrete but I push lower, feel the Earth below the concrete. Reach for it. I sit in the seat that is sticky with a substance that I don’t want to think about and stare blankly into Major Varrish’s eyes. I wait for him to make the first move.

     In his defense, I don’t think that Major Varrish really knows what to make of me. I am sure he has smoked cigars and traded stories with my father, maybe even stayed in my family home. Does he see my father when he looks at me? Is he wondering what I, the middle daughter of the honorable Lord Oliver Holsten, is doing wrapped up in this part of his world. Probably. Am I going to give him any answers? That would be a hell no.

      “So, Cadet Holsten. That was quite the display at Reunification Day. Are you very close with Lieutenant Tavis?” Major Varrish begins.
I stare directly ahead and shrug slightly, I don’t want to give him anything that can be used against me.
“I need you to use your words here Cadet Holsten.” Major Varish says, and I detect a hint of frustration in his voice. He doesn’t like that I am not trembling at the sight of him. I can use that.
Before I speak, I make sure that I am fully centered and my breathing is even.
“I don’t like talking about my sex life with my superiors. Especially the ones my dad knows, that’s gross.”  I say and force myself to smirk.
I’m expecting the slap that follows, but it still manages to throw my head back and hurt my neck. I make sure to turn back to face my imprisoner quickly and make eye contact again.
“Why Major Varrish, do you want to hear about my sex life?” I say in mock shock. I hear Ridoc begin to snicker before it is quickly cut off when a large boot makes contact with my right knee. I don’t have much to say after that, my strength being taken up by the constant barrage of hits and kicks that are being distributed on me as I avoid Major Varrish’s questions about Garrick, and any comings and goings I know of Xaden’s.

       At some point I black out, I am not sure when. A healer must have been brought in because when I wake, none of my bloodied lips and previous wounds are there and I am back on the floor of the same room. I am dazed but I can hear the excited whispers around me. Violet has a plan to get us out of here, and God’s I hope it works.