The Moonlark

The Shattered Silence

       The door creaked open again, the dim light from the hallway casting long, jagged shadows across the room. Sophie's wrists ached from the ropes, and her throat felt raw from thirst. She had bruises, burns, and cuts all over her body from the interrogations. But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was staying strong—stronger than they expected. The Neverseen thought she would break. They didn't know her.

Gethen was in the shadows when Gisela and Vespera reentered, their expressions unreadable, but something in the air had changed. It was colder now, the atmosphere sharp with a kind of anticipation. Vespera, with her pale eyes glinting like ice, stepped forward first.

"This is pointless, you know," Vespera said, her voice soft, almost coaxing. She circled Sophie, her steps slow and deliberate, like a predator playing with its prey. "We don't need you to tell us everything. Just a few details her and there. A location. A name. A weakness."

Sophie kept her gaze fixed on the floor. Don't engage. Don't let them in.

Gisela sighed theatrically from behind Vespera, her heels clicking against the stone floor as she moved closer. "You're making this harder than it needs to be. All you have to do is talk, Sophie. We're not monsters—we can be reasonable." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "But we do need information, and if you refuse to give it willingly..."

Sophie clenched her fists as she heard Gethen walking towards Vespera, biting back the burning fear rising in her chest, she refused to give them anything. Not the Black Swan's secrets, not her friends' locations, and definitely not her own vulnerabilities.

Gethen's cold fingers grazed Sophie's arm, sending a shiver down her spine. "You're thinking you can resist, aren't you?" He whispered. "That you can hold out. But I assure you, everyone breaks eventually."

"Not me," Sophie spat, her voice hoarse but steady. "You'll never get anything from me."

Gisela's laugh was low, almost mocking. "You think your defiance is noble. Admirable, even. But this isn't about heroism, Sophie. It's about survival. How long do you think you can survive this... before your friends pay the price?"

At the mention of her friends, Sophie's heart stammered, but she forced herself to stay calm. They're trying to use them against me. Don't let them.

Gethen's voice cut through her thoughts like ice. "Let's see how far that stubbornness really goes."

Before Sophie could react, something sharp and searing hit her mind—a mental attack, so sudden and violent that she gasped. It wasn't like a telepathic probe. It was something darker, twisting, latching onto her thoughts with venomous precision. She fought against it, slamming her mental defenses up, but Gethen was relentless. The pain echoed through her skull like claws scraping against her mind.

"Give me a name," Gethen whispered, his voice echoing inside Sophie's head. "Just one. Who is the Black Swan's next target?"

Sophie squeezed her eyes shut, her mind thrashing against the invasive presence. Focus. Block him out. You've been through worse.

But the pressure intensified, and Gethen's voice was everywhere—slicing through her concentration, twisting through her memories. She felt Gethen prodding fragments of her thoughts, searching for cracks to exploit. Faces flashed in her mind: Fitz, Tam, Linh, Wylie, Keefe, Biana, and Dex. No don't let him in.

"I said, give me a name!" Gethen's voice sharpened, his patience wearing thin.

Sophie's breath came in shallow gasps as she forced her mind into silence. She focused on the cold stone beneath her feet, the smell of dust in the air—anything to keep herself grounded. She couldn't let them in. Think of nothing.

The attack stopped abruptly, leaving Sophie reeling, her mind throbbing from the force of Gethen's assault. But she had held. She hadn't given them anything. Not a single thread of information.

Gisela stepped forward, her expression less amused now, more calculating. "Impressive. I'll admit, your stronger than we anticipated." She glanced at Gethen, who scowled but remained silent. "But this was only the beginning, Sophie. We have other methods. And your running out of time."

Sophie struggled to keep her breathing even, her chest heaving with the effort. Her body ached, her head felt like it was torn apart, but she refused to let them see her weaknesses. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Gisela leaned in closer, her eyes locking onto Sophie's. "Your going to break. It's only a matter of time. And when you do, I want you to remember this moment—the moment you could have spared yourself, but chose not to. We'll see how much pain you can take before you regret that choice."

Sophie's heart raced, but she stared back at Gisela, her voice barely a whisper but filled with fire. You'll never win. Not with me. Not with any of us."

Gisela's smile flickered, a brief crack in her composed mask. She straightened and turned toward the door, Vespera and Gethen walking closely behind. "We'll see," Gisela said over her shoulder as she left. "We'll see how long you last, Sophie."

The door slammed shut, and once again, Sophie was plunged in darkness.