Inked

34

"Well?" Soleil asked, gesturing around the tower room.

It was round and completely bare, but it was arguably better than the dungeon for numerous reasons, one of them being -- "It has a window," Farid said, the hint of a smile creeping up his face as the sunlight streamed in from the large open rectangle.

Soleil looked over his shoulder at the sprawling castle grounds outside. "I'm glad you like it. But Devondria can't know you're up here, okay?"

Farid spun to face her. "I am not about to get in even more trouble for you, Soleil," he said, and Soleil held up her hands, rushing to assure him.

"Don't worry, I'll --"

"You've been saying that a lot lately." Sighing, Farid glanced longingly outside once more, then he headed for the door. "I cannot believe I'm saying this, but you should take me back to the dungeon."

Soleil lowered his outstretched arms. "Seriously, Farid, I'm trying to help you. Now listen." Farid crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for her to continue. "There's a trial later."

Farid interrupted her. "Oh, so that's why you are being so nice. I will be sentenced to death soon."

"No, no. The trial isn't for you, it's for..." she trailed off. "You'll find out later. I can bring you, but you'll have to act the part of prisoner still."

Farid chuckled bitterly. "And why would I want to go the trial if I'll be treated so?"

"Because," Soleil began, and a dark smile tugged at her lips, "it will be very entertaining."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pounding on the door was loud, insistent. But, aggressive as it was, it was merely a formality. Farid had no opportunity to reply before the massive wooden door was forced open and a pair of armored brutes clambered in.

"Stand," one of them grunted. Farid glanced between them for the briefest of moments, but that was enough for the impatient guards. Gripping Farid's long dark waves in a beefy hand, one of the men pulled Farid to his feet. "Let's go. The show is about to start."

Farid clenched his jaw and forced his feet to step one in front of the other. The last thing he wanted was to give these two boneheads another source of entertainment.

But Soleil didn't know that. As soon as he stepped through the door, Soleil, who had been waiting outside, began yelling furiously. "What took so long? Her Ruthlessness is waiting." Glaring at the guards with fiery eyes, Soleil lowered her voice to a fierce whisper. "What is your opinion on having your nails pulled from your nail beds one by one, hmm?" The two men blinked, staring down at Soleil in baffled silence.

"Give him to me."

"But we are supposed to --"

Soleil held up her hands and clicked her fingernails together, red sparks inadvertently flicking between her thin fingers. The guards' eyes widened, and one of them muttered, "Take him, miss."

Smiling sweetly, Soleil gripped Farid's arm and tugged him forward. "Walk," she sneered, and Farid caught her eye. He assumed this was part of the act she had mentioned earlier, but, watching her expression in that moment, he couldn't quite tell how serious she was.

"Are you deaf?" Soleil balled her hand into a fist and brought it around hard against Farid's ear. "I said walk!" Cursing under his breath, Farid stumbled toward the stone staircase, clambering down as quickly as possible. It did not matter if Soleil was acting or not; she was unusually strong, and Farid was still so weak. He did not wish to receive any more of her blows.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Soleil began hurriedly leading him through dark stone corridors, switching from expressions of concern to ones of false loathing whenever someone passed them.

"Almost there," Soleil began to say, but then they rounded a corner and Farid came face to face with the last person he thought he would see in this castle.

"Meggie?" he breathed, staring at the beautiful, brave girl he had known so well, now pale and sweaty in the grip of a blank-faced soldier.

"Farid? You have to help me!" Meggie cried, and Farid felt the force of her words like a dagger to his heart.

"Move," the soldier rumbled. He shoved Meggie forward, but she dug her heels into the polished black stone, trying mostly in vain to maintain eye contact with Farid, simultaneously pleading with him to help her and accusing him of the highest form of betrayal. When she could not produce any more traction on the slippery black marble, the guard hurriedly ushered her toward the end of the hall.

"Wait!" Farid cried, and the soldier stopped. Everyone -- the guard, Soleil, Meggie -- was looking at him.

"Is there a problem, Farid?" Soleil asked as she stepped in front of him. Farid glanced at Meggie, at her bright, terrified eyes, and then his eyes met Soleil's, from which he could not tear his own away. She stretched up to kiss him, latching her fingers into his hair, but he did not feel her touch. He only heard the distant voices of the darkness that coursed within her, within the castle walls, within his own body. They overtook his thoughts until there was nothing of his own left.

When Soleil let him go, Farid looked at the soldier, an unusually young man -- no older than Farid himself -- who stared at him with an impatient question in his eyes. "Take her," Farid growled. He ignored Meggie's curses and shouts as she disappeared through the small wooden door up ahead, not knowing if it would be the last time he heard her voice.