The Land of Shadows

Chapter Two

The next morning, I'm woken up when the door swings open, light spilling into the room and blinding me. Matt strides into the room, every bit as proud as a King should be. I only look up once the door's swung shut, putting us back into darkness. By then, he's knelt in front of me, one hand reaching out and tilting my chin up so that I meet his eyes. I want to jerk away from his touch, but I have nowhere to run. I glare at him, and even though I'm beaten and chained, I know that I'm still pretty formidable. He leans forward until I can feel his breath stirring the air around me. "I hope you're ready, Allie. I've been waiting to do this for a long time. I think this will finally break you," he tells me. "That's what you think," I choke out, my throat thick and dry from thirst. He laughs and slips something out of his pocket, keeping it out of my line of sight. 

I automatically know that he's got a syringe in his hand. I try to shy away, the manacles chafing at my already raw wrists. He laughs, and I feel the needle sinking into my skin. I let out a hiss. "Why?" I ask, sucking in a breath. "For our special session, of course." My throat's already constricting from whatever the hell he injected me with. "Then why can't I breath?" I wheeze, and he shrugs. 

Suddenly, he disappears. The manacles around my wrists feel lighter, and somehow I know that my magic isn't restricted anymore. Maybe whatever he gave me strengthen my powers. Testing my magic, I let it unfurl and I can almost see the delicate lines creeping along the metal chains until they crack and break, freeing me. I jerk my arms to my chest, rubbing at the raw flesh where the manacle bit into me. Everything aches, and as I move to stand up I know automatically that my legs won't support me, too weak from all the months of torture. I stretch them out in front of me, gritting my teeth as my muscles protest. The pain fades to a dull, throbbing ache, and using my magic, I manage to get onto my feet. 

My legs feel like jelly, and I grip the metal table to steady myself. I glance over at the stone table where he would sometimes put me so that he could reach me better and limp over to it, sitting down on the edge. My fingers grip the cool marbled stone, the rough edges digging into the skin on my palms but not quite drawing blood. I wait until I feel stronger, then stand again, wobbling much less. 

Keeping my eyes on the door, I step forward slowly, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. I reach the door and put my hand on the cool iron handle, gripping it tightly. I know the door is going to be heavy, and I'm not entirely sure that I'll be able to get it open. Taking a deep breath, I tug as hard as I can, just barely managing to get it open. I struggle with everything I've got in me, just barely managing to squeeze out of the opening I made. The door slams shut as soon as I'm through, almost catching the edge of my tattered chemise as I dodge through. 

I lean against it once it shuts and catch my breath, wishing desperately that I was what I used to be. I still can't figure out where Matt went, or what exactly he injected me with, but I decide that while I've got the chance, I'm going to get out of this hell. Glancing up and down the hallway, I let my feet carry my right, sending tendrils of magic out to feel the way ahead. I can't sense anyone, and that worries me. A castle like Matt's, as big and fancy as it is, should be filled with servants, guards, and guests, but it's empty. I bite my lip as I pad silently and unsteadily down the hallway, always letting my magic feel ahead of me. 

I manage to make it to the main hallway without seeing anyone, which really freaks me out. Like I said before, a castle like this should be swarming with people this early in the day. The entrance is clear as well, so, cautiously, I step forward and scurry to the doors. They're made out of oak, the same shade as the dungeon door, but they're nowhere near as heavy. I open these with little difficulty, and I step out into the night air. 

Night? Wait a minute, it was daytime when Matt injected me, he always came during the morning. Whatever he injected me with must have been a sedative that knocked me out, or something that erased my memories. At least I can write up the castle being empty due to the fact that it's night. Carefully, I step down the grand stairs and onto the grass, shivering in the cool air. When Matt captured me, it had been summer. Now it was almost spring, the air still cool but not quite cold. I crossed my arms over my chest and rubbed my hands over them, walking as fast as I could towards the treeline. If I could get far enough away, he couldn't find me, and I'd be free. 

I was surprised that the night guards didn't catch me as I walked across the grounds in plain sight, but maybe there had been a feast tonight and Matt needed them inside. That was the only possible solution I could come up with, and I went with it to keep from worrying. 

I was deep in the forest when I let myself celebrate mentally that I was finally free. After all those months of being chained up, he made a careless mistake, and I was free. As I took another step, a wave of nausea swept over me, nearly bringing me to my knees. With each step I took, the sickness inside of me intensified until I curled up on the ground. Everything went dark for a moment and I felt my eyes shut. I blinked them open and I was so disappointed by what I saw that I almost let out a cry. 

Across from me, still in the godforsaken dungeon, sat Matt, a smug smirk on his face. "How do you feel after your little hallucination?" he asks. Part of me knew that something was up when I couldn't find anyone, but most of me feels the anger swelling up inside of me and welcomes it. As Matt stands up and steps towards me, I let out a long, low snarl of every curse that I know. My magic is very weak and diluted by the metal chaining me, but it's still there, swirling vibrantly around me, and he staggers back a little from the force of my attack.

I open up my mind, and with everything I've got in me, I drive that anger towards him. He stumbles back to his seat and falls into it, his head falling into his hands from the force of my mental attack. 'Let that be a lesson to you, coward,' I think towards him, then retreat back inside my own mind.