Captive: Hopeless

Chapter 42 - Twists and turns

Darius and Thane stared at the three women for a very long time, considering their words.

"It's certainly possible, but is it really probable?" Darcy asked when they made no comment, and their unwavering scrutiny turned to her. "Can she really be that good of an actress?" she countered under the weight of their stares.

"If Azira was as crazy as she let on, why don't any of the facts add up?" Claudia asked, and a frown furrowed Darcy's brow.

Adrian had insisted that they discuss this with no one else until they spoke to the group, not wanting to sway anyone in their direction, and Kay agreed.

"If she is so psychotic and such a law unto her own, why does no trail of bodies lead toward her castle? The dark queen has no regard for life and doesn't care about the opinions of humans or their laws. Only a very tactical, very deliberate mind could hide the things she has done from the mortal world and yet not hide it from the underworld," Claudia countered, sounding the tiniest bit defensive.

"Contrary to popular belief, in such matters as cold-blooded murder, you have to be very savvy and smart to get away with it. Notably, at the rate Azera dispatches people. She can't trust even her closest henchmen not to leave a trace."

The suggestion turned Darcy's frown into a scowl.

"Every time I watched her kill, it was the type of mess that leaves an impression on your opponents. Yet nobody hurried along to clean it up. Not like if she spilled or dropped something and people came rushing to disappear the mess," Kay agreed.

"Azera would send everybody away except Linda Tolliver and her two bodyguards. Nor did she ever murder people in the open rooms where her guests were entertained, either. She preferred the torture chamber, the living area, and by the side of the pool. Smaller, contained areas, and she never used open spaces to make a spectacle out of it."

The memory sent chills down her spine, especially with her having recently taken life and the way it affected her, even though she had not fed off that dark energy as Azera did.

"They covered the dungeon floors, walls, and even the ceiling with large sheets of black plastic because Azera didn't want to get any 'stains' on the granite, or so she claimed. In the common areas, where she often killed, the floors were lined with these interlocking black mats, and once every week, Linda oversaw their removal. The floor underneath had the same plastic coverings, she'd have it removed, and the staff would steam clean the tiles before replacing the plastic and matting.

"Azera even had the equipment in the torture chamber sprayed with a tough type of water-resistant, glossy varnish. Nothing stuck to it, not even blood, and every time they fetched me, it was all pristine, as if the room had never been used."

Kay found even speaking of those days difficult, and although she could feel everyone's instant sympathy, she lowered her gaze so she would not have to see it.

"I once heard the guards say that they 'fed someone to the pigs,' and I thought it a code for something. As time passed, I figured out that with the amount of food prepared each day, the only way for them to dispose of the refuse was to feed it to literal pigs. The pen is at the rear of the castle near the stables, and although I never saw them, the smell was distinct.

"Pigs are very good at disposing of bodies, even skulls, and they eat everything: meat, bones, and innards. Once I figured it out, I had nightmares about being eaten alive by them for weeks," she admitted, and she wasn't the only one that cringed at the thought.

"There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Azira is the crazy bitch we all know and that Carduran and Megan are the brains behind this revolt. If we really think about it, there is as much evidence that it may all be an elaborate setup. The truth may even lie somewhere in between," Marcus intervened with quiet logic.

"We don't know and can't prove anything," Darius agreed calmly, and when he saw how they reacted to his words, he regally held up his hand to silence their protest.

"Yes, you raised the possibility. This situation might not be what we thought it was, and now we have an advantage," he leaned back in his chair, his eyes thoughtful as he stacked his fingers and rested them on the armrests.

"Thane would not have married Azera if she were like this from the start, and he remained married to her for nearly fifty years before divorcing her. It took him another fifty to cast her out of his home and disavow her as his kin. If she fooled Thane, and he is not easy to fool, she could do it to anyone," Darius speculated, and they listened intently.

"When he married her, there was no dark fae. Those who had other notions kept to themselves. If they crossed the line or if their actions threatened to expose us, they were taken care of. No questions asked. She united those who had other ideas of how this world should be run and what was and wasn't acceptable, under her. That was strategy," he continued speaking, looking thoughtful.

"Thane cast her out with nothing more than the clothes on her back, yet within ten years, she had united the dark and ruled her own realm. Those facts cannot be discounted either," Marcella reminded, and he nodded.

"For two thousand years, the balance remained. The inequality of their power bases and the unwillingness of light fae to start a war that risked exposing us had kept the playing field level, but the dark is no longer a minority, and they don't care whether the light wants this war or not. They have started it. That convinces me that someone was biding their time. The outcome is the same whether it is Carduran, Megan, or Azera," Marcus spoke his mind.

"The answer to that question might give us a solution to this war. One that would not require thousands of wasted lives and the unfortunate involvement of the human realm in our affairs," Kay countered, and Darius watched the tension between her and Marcus with interest.

"She has a point," Darius finally backed her, and Marcus glanced at him.

"While we are debating if Azera is capable of this elaborate subterfuge, the war out there is raging, and people are dying," Marcella said.

"And we could be searching for the truth and forging alliances. Instead, we're wondering if Azera is Psychotic Barbie or Serial Killer Barbie or Psychotic, Serial Killer Barbie," Cat exploded, and her interruption caused a few stares in her direction at her insolence.

Her teeth snapped shut with a click, the incisors showing briefly, and she sank back into her chair.

"I second that," Marcella backed her unexpectedly.

"Fine then. Claudia and Marcus forge some alliances. Talia and I will direct our people and strategies. Darcy will discreetly research our suspicions about Carduran, Megan, and Azera without leaving this compound. Marcella will misdirect and confuse all intelligence we leak to our enemies, allies, and foes. Adrian will take over Kay's training, and Cat will supervise the deployment of our troops and weapons. Questions?" Darius took charge of the situation in an instant.

"We should turn the underground bunkers into a base of operations and shift our headquarters into one central location," Marcus suggested.

"Yes," Darius agreed. "No other suggestions?" No one responded. "Dismissed."

***

Before nightfall, the large bunker structure buzzed with activity. With its many underground entrances and long tunnels, electricity not connected to a grid, and its many-layered top structure, it was as safe as possible.

The security systems monitored every inch of the property and every entrance. Unlike the house atop the structure, the security system was not just set to trigger alarms and summon troops; Cat and Marcus rigged the traps o kill.

Dangerous place. Newest Version ©2014-2023 All rights reserved. If you find this on any other platform but Wattpad under @CSDreamer, please report it. No part of this book may be copied or reposted without the author's permission.