Timestone

Chapter Sixteen ϟ Confusion

The guards lead me to the metal box that lifted me to the top of the cliff. They shove me inside. I can hear the pounding of my heart growing louder with each beat as the box descends. One thought grips my mind so tightly that there isn't room for anything else: I'm about to be tortured.

The box stops moving, and the door slides open. Kumar, the muscular guard with jet-black hair, stands with two others, tazes drawn. They escort me along the base of the cliff.

It's bright out. The light cycle has begun, after all. I have a better view of the lower portion of the compound than when I first arrived. Massive rectangular slabs dot the area. Most hold a hatch door or staircase, suggesting they lead to underground buildings or bunkers. Stacks of crates lie scattered here and there between the cement slabs. Farther, against the cliff, stands a gray building—like the one on top but smaller.

I'm unsure when it happened—maybe when I stepped into the light. But at some point, the terror that had been constricting my heart and mind fled. I wish I could say I'm feeling better about my situation, but the truth is I'm not feeling anything at all. I'm a mindless zombie. I know they're leading me toward torture, but that feels like a faraway thought at the end of a long tunnel.

I can see my legs moving, following Kumar, but I feel like I'm floating outside my body. The sounds of the guards marching and talking with one another seem so distant. There's a ringing in my ears. It steadily grows louder until, finally, it feels so loud inside my head that I clench my eyes in pain.

Then suddenly, I'm back in my body. The floating sensation is gone, and I can feel the weight of my legs again. My mind recovers from the shock I was in, and suddenly, I feel the full weight of my circumstances. I try to fight off the terror that's building in my chest.

With a clearer head, I recognize that I put myself in this situation by my stubbornness. What do I care if Tanek knows where my cave is? Why did I think withholding that information from him was worth being tortured and killed for? I was being stupid because I didn't trust him and because he was so desperate to know. I think part of me liked having that power over him.

But now I'm thinking more clearly. I don't know what's in the cave that he's so desperate to get his hands on, but I know it isn't worth dying for.

I remind myself what I told Vela before: I'm not on anybody's side—her people's or Tanek's. But just because I'm not on Tanek's side, that doesn't mean I'm against him. I never wanted to be involved in this conflict, and despite my newfound hatred for Tanek, I still don't want to be. So, how did I end up right in the eye of the storm on the verge of torture and death? Somehow, I ended up in the spot I was trying my hardest to avoid.

So, I'm going to give Tanek what he wants. When Andrik comes to torture me, I'll let him know that I'm willing to negotiate. I'll tell him the cave's location in exchange for a promise to be left alone. I'll ask him to find me a position at his compound where I don't need to care about anything besides working, eating, and sleeping.

The next thing I know, Kumar is popping open a hatch. He orders me inside a bunker. I climb down. A balcony hangs near the top, where a guard overlooks the room. A tunnel behind him leads somewhere else. The air is stale and smells of old sweat. I hear muffled voices rising from a grate on the floor.

Kumar orders one of his men to open the grate. The guard unlocks it. Rusty screeches send shivers down my spine as he pulls the heavy cage door open. He's waiting for me to climb inside. I peek in and see Jasik, Leena, and Zann.

Then chaos explodes around me.

In one motion, Kumar sweeps the legs of the guard holding the grate. The guard's taze flies as he falls into the cell, smacking his head on the way down. Kumar shoots the other guard, who seizes at my feet. I recoil in shock.