Warrior, Forbidden: Book Three of the Comhairle Chronicles

Chapter Three: Hell

The throbbing pain in Mairsinn's head almost persuaded her to keep her eyes closed, but she needed to know where she was. Where she'd been taken. The roughness of concrete against her naked ass said she no longer sprawled on Haze's mattress, and although the air still smelled of piss, shit, and blood, it no longer smelled of weed. She'd almost certainly been abducted.

Anyway, the spiced scent of bhampair blood wafted through the air rather than the sweet scent of aingeal blood, yet the fact there was blood at all made her nervous. Whatever happened in this place, it wasn't good; an assessment confirmed by the heavy weight of an iron collar that pressed against her throat, burning where it chaffed.

Forcing her eyes open, she stared up at the concrete underside of the floor slab above, noting that an iron mesh covered the surface. The whole place had been lined with iron, and that would cause her problems even if she managed to escape the collar. She couldn't even traverse the realms while trapped inside an iron box.

Damn it.

Although portals provided the easiest way to get between the gods' realms and earth, like stepping through a door, all Taghadairean could teleport themselves between the worlds too. It just took more energy, a lot more focus, and a great deal more ability to navigate the pathways between worlds. It was the equivalent of going for a hike rather than stepping across a threshold, which was why most of them used portals whenever possible. However, with an iron collar around her throat and iron lining her cell, she wouldn't be able to send her molecules flying through existence. She was stuck.

The preparation that must have gone into the cell unsettled her. Had her captors always intended to capture a Taghadair? Had she been the focus all along? But how? Why? Was it all revenge for the brutality she'd doled out during the trials? How would any foe even predict that she'd go to Haze? It seemed so unlikely that anyone could've predicted her movements enough to plan this, not unless they were gifted.

Was that the answer? At least one gaisgeach possessed the sight. He might have seen her location, and that would be worrisome considering Aodh held a position second only to Tancred. But no; she didn't think Aodh would rebel against Ràsbàrd by taking her prisoner. So, who had possessed the foresight to create a cage capable of holding her? Especially on the off chance she got sloppy and made herself into an easy mark?

Unless the cage wasn't meant for her at all. Maybe it wasn't meant for a Taghadair at all. Maybe the creator had designed it to hold another impeded by iron, either preventing teleportation... Or the use of magic.

The baobhan sìth princess. Deòthas.

The thought struck Mairsinn with a certainly that refused to be discounted. Deòthas had made plenty of enemies in her time, and whoever built this cage might've had the baobhan sìth in mind. Putting her in it instead had been opportunistic, nothing more.

Her fingers went to her new neck ornament; a thick iron band sat so tight against her skin that she barely managed to hook her fingers under it. She gave it an experimental tug but it didn't come free. When she felt around its surface, she found a heavy lock to one side, likely too substantial to break. Or rather, it would take time and effort to break it, and her captors would likely see and replace it before she managed such a thing.

No, getting the collar off likely wouldn't be practical. It also wouldn't help her if she remained in an iron lined cell, and she had no doubt that iron mesh had been embedded in the floor slab as well as attached to the ceiling.

Pushing herself up into a seated position, she wasn't surprised to note that mesh had been attached to the back wall of her cell too, while iron bars made up the other three walls, so tightly spaced that she wouldn't manage to squeeze out. The structure would prevent magic use or teleportation just as surely at the mesh.