Cards of Our Fate

The Second First Day

I was thrown onto the cold, hard ground of the dungeon floor. I winced at the pain at the back of my head.

"You were a little rebel, now, weren't you?" Tracy said, smiling a little while shaking her head. I sat down next to here, pushing my hair back into its ponytail.

"Ah, what can you say? I left Spades for a reason." I shrugged a little bit, flicking a rock away from me.

"How was solitary?" She asked.

"Lonely, but actually better than this dump."

"I know the feeling, had to spend a few days in there myself. It makes good time to think, really." She said, rubbing the palm of her hand with her fingers, "Plus, I didn't have to be stuck in these chains all day." Tracey looked me over, "Where'd you get new clothes?"

"Uh," I paused at the simple question, "The king was so disgusted with my appearance, he order me to be cleaned before I was to speak to him."

"It's his fault, really." Tracey said, shuffling so she could sit Indian style, "If he'd treat prisoners, gypsies, and even humans like civil pieces, than we would be groomed like so."

"Instead we're treated like animals." I said, giving a lopsided smile, "Ah well," I turned, "better than being treated like royalty."

"That's for sure-" Tracey started to say, but some plump man stood up and walked towards us, yelling.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK BADLY OF THE ROYALS?!?!?!" He yelled, much louder than he needed to, catching the entire dungeon's attention.

"Calm down, it's not like we're planning against him." I said, holding my hands up.

"THE KING DID A GRACE NOT KILLING ANY OF US-!" He continued to yell, until people across the cell interrupted him.

"Shut up, loyal moron!" 

"Why do you think we're in here in the first place?"

"Who do you think orders the king to kill us?"

"YOU ALL SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!" He yelled out, he was so mad that his face was red, turning purple, and he was panting, "YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS OF THE KING!"

"Shut your talking, big mouth." A lone voice said, as a young man, stood, "You're just used to better treatment from the king, damn Spade." His face was covered in ugly scars that were from his left eyebrow to his left jawline.

"YOU'RE PROBABLY SOME DAMN CHARMER, COME TO OVERTHROW THE KING! HOW DARE YOU?!" He said, still yelling at the top of his lungs. I pressed a hand to one of my ears, his yelling was becoming painful.

"Sit back down, before I make you." The young man said, spitting to the side.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO COOL, HUH?! YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME, YOU LITTLE PUNK?! COME AT ME!" He yelled, but as soon as he was done, he was swiftly thrown to the side, by a move of the young man's hand.

"Dumb old man," was all the man said, before dozens of guards rushed in, dragging both the young and old man out a side door that the cell had.

A silence sat in the cell, before everyone shrugged off what had just happened. But I sat, staring at where both men were dragged off to. There was a feeling that I should've done something, but for who? I pushed the question from my head, and ignored what just happened like everyone else had.

"Are ya having a good time in this filth?" A voice said from behind me. I rolled my eyes, knowing it was Imani.

"Go away, Imani." I said, holding my forearm. 

"Aw, come on, I just wanna have a little fun." Imani said, swinging around into my line of vision.

"Leave me alone, Imani." I said, turning so I didn't see her anymore.

"I just wanting to help." She said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged her off, knowing behind her innocent voice was a nasty smirk.

"Ha, would it be like your help this morning?" I asked, glaring at her a little, before turning away again.

"Fine, if you won't let me help, then I guess you don't need help." She said, as she sat next to Tracey, "Look at how calm Tracey is."

"Yeah, so?" I said, leaning my back against the wall, looking over at them.

"Remember last time I was here? She went crazy, cause your 'her human.'" Imani said, then pausing to mumble something about how Tracey was an idiot under her breathe, "Anyway, look at her. She's not responding at all, she's just staring ahead. Just like everyone else."

Imani gestured with her hand at the silent room. Every person sat, staring blankly into nothing. Some stared at the ground, some at the walls, the ceiling, but surely, everyone stared. There wasn't the usual grumble that had always been there. Not a person moved, it seemed like no one even breathed.

"What's wrong with them?" I asked, standing. No one looked up, no one noticed.

"They're being hypnotized, they almost always are." She said, walking around, "After anything happens, anything- from a person dying to a simple bicker -they are hypnotized. See?" She said, taking a woman's head and turning it towards me. Her eyes...they were black. Not just the pupil, but the color of the eye as well.

"Why?" I asked, studying the woman closer. It felt as if I was holding a dead person. Imani just shrugged, leaning against the bars of a side of the cell.

"To keep them in control, I guess." She said, scratching the back of her head, before completely changing the subject,"They told you humans can't make magic, but they never told you that they resist magic. And when they don't want a spell on them, it's nearly impossible to do so." I stood as I stared Imani down. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, I watched Imani's confusion grow into a smug smirk.

"Well, let's say it makes it a little more interesting." She said, before taking a step back, on the other side of the bars.

"It?" I asked, Imani studied an imaginary watch, not looking up at me.

"The king's overthrowing." She answered, as if it were obvious, "I would like to stay longer, really would, but I got a tight schedule. See ya." She said, then waved before disappearing just as soon as she had appeared. 

I turned, everyone was still. They hadn't moved an inch since I had turned my back from them. I sighed, sitting down next to Tracey. I was thinking about what just happened, when a sudden tiredness fell on me. It felt as if my thoughts were escaping, as I almost fell asleep. Shaking my head, I broke from the sensation, looking around like a madman for no apparent reason.

I held my head in my hands, staying awake. This must be the how I forget, I thought, with the spell's aid, of course. Remembering what Imani said, I thought of all the times a spell had been placed on me. But all I could think of were the disguise spells that had been placed on me, and I had wanted that spell on me. 

"What were we talking about?" Tracey asked, shaking her head as she 'woke' from the hypnosis.

"Nothing important," I said, turning away from her, wondering how much she actually remembered.

I sat back in silence for the rest of the day, in a peacefully blank state of mind, created by me and only me.