Fragments of Ash Vol. 2 (Urban Fantasy)

Chapter Nine: Ada's Suffering

Ada awoke, all she could see was black, she could smell an odd mixture of fabric and blood. She had a stabbing pain around her wrists and her body was cold and numb. It took all these senses to register and piece together like a puzzle until she realised, someone had strung her up, naked, and she had a bag over her head. She was knocked out at some point after the event. She started to shiver, partially because of the cold, and partially because of how naked she felt, not that she felt naked without clothes, but naked without Eleanor.

"Oh, she's shivering." It was that woman's voice, "I guess she must be awake again. Take the bag off."

A particularly tall and odorous outlander pulled the bag off of Ada's head. As she had expected, she was in what looked like a small butcher's room, there were chunks of meat on dirty wooden tables, splattered stains of blood all over the walls and floors; it explained the smell she had experienced when she woke up. The room was quite dark and claustrophobic, it must have been a few hours since she was knocked out. The woman in front of her was tall with long black hair, her regal purple top, white gloves and black trousers and boots made her look like a particularly fashionable knight, or perhaps at the very least a high ranking soldier. The beast that killed Eleanor. Ada looked at the floor, blood was trailing down her feet and on to the floor.

"Oh, that. I suppose you forgot," the woman smiled, she was sat on a chair right in front of Ada, a glass of wine was sitting on the little table next to her, "you passed out when the outlanders were abusing you; you see they get a kick out of causing as much pain as possible, especially to vulnerable human women." She looked at Ada, she scanned her eyes up and down her body, surveying the damage, "You took a beating well though, three hours completely bound and gagged and you didn't even scream once, they got bored and just left eventually. I fed you a few herbs when you were passed out to dull your nerves so you'd forget once you woke up," she chuckled, "for your benefit of course,"

"Y-you..."

"Don't bother trying any incantations, I drugged you specifically so that you'd be too out of it to cast any spells. At the state you're in I'm sure we'll all be safe here."

A cold glare,

"You should thank me, they were going to abuse you in other ways... ways that scar women for life," her smile started to turn into an evil smirk, "they're the type that don't like sharing."

"I-I've endured... worse..." Ada muttered,

"Really? The last person they got their hands was torn limb from limb." The woman maintained the detestable look on her face, as if she would have loved to have had the same done to Ada. Something was stopping her.

"That's nothing..." Ada croaked, "nothing compared to what I'm going... to do to you..." she sniffed, still trying to hold back tears,

"Poor girl. You don't know, you can't feel it or remember it, it'll all come crawling back to you as the effects of the drug start to wear off. Your bones are mostly likely smashed into dust, your organs are probably mush. You're an invalid my dear. You won't be able to do anything to me."

Ada didn't remember, but she was starting to grow aware of the fact that there was indeed a time when she was conscious in between this moment and the moment in the town square. The question was whether the durability spell was still active when it was all going on. If it was, then she would probably still be able to move. If not, then this woman, whoever she was, was right.

"Eleanor..." Ada muttered,

"That female soldier? Dead. Of course."