In My True Element

Chapter 5

Crap. Everything hurts.

It was so much better when I was lying here unconscious. Back then at least I had no idea of the pain my body had been subjected to. I look around the windowless cell submerged in semi-darkness with the only source of light coming from behind my door and sigh. How much longer are they going to keep me here?

My eyes slide to the ceiling. The limited lighting can't hide the mold that covers heavy looking blocks of different sizes and colors. But even if my eyes were incapable of detecting the greenish mass covering the largest portion of the ceiling, the smell would certainly give its presence away.

Painfully slowly one minute blends into another, no one is coming for me and it begins to feel like the whole world is having fun at my expense by freezing this particularly stinking moment in time. And this uneven stone floor I am lying on certainly doesn't help much. It would be just great if in addition to all the injuries I were to get a cold.

The sound of people's voices stirs my curiosity, and I lift my head to see who is talking. I know it's not my family; I haven't seen or heard them since I was brought here. They must have been taken to a different dungeon.

It's difficult to make out the words of the whispering but soon enough two sets of footsteps approach my cell and stop right in front of me. Both men are wearing indecipherable expressions. For all I know they could be here to take me upstairs or kill me on the spot.

The one on the left opens the door; they come inside and order me to get up. I obediently comply and try not to show how much pain I'm in. All my muscles are really sore from the ascent and my head still hurts from all the beating it took yesterday from Brackwick and the day before from my sister. Every move makes me want to, if not scream, then at least moan really loudly. Brackwick's soldiers take positions on both sides of me, and my gut feeling tells me that they are about to ... yes, hit me in the stomach. I bend over but before I can catch my breath they grab my arms and pull me back up.

"This is just to warm you up," the same soldier who hit me laughingly says in my ear.

"Thanks, I do feel much warmer."

Upstairs I am taken to a different room from the one I was in yesterday. This one is nicely furnished and two large windows let in the light so generously offered by the sun. There's an enormous fireplace, a coffee table, a white sofa and two armchairs, one on each side of the sofa. A big chandelier is hanging low. And on the walls there are several paintings of landscapes. If I didn't know the people this room belonged to, I'd genuinely believe that big family gatherings with lots of presents and laughter were a common occurrence here.

One of the soldiers pushes me in the shoulder blade. This nasty habit of his makes me want to rip his hands right out of his slightly oversized body; I grit my teeth and walk farther in.

Ilana enters the room two minutes later. For a second I seem to be consumed by my past habit – I seek her eyes to see what mood she is in. In the soft light of the room, her fair skin is almost glowing. Her hair is pulled up in a tight bun and her soft lips are partially open; she looks almost too beautiful to be real. But her eyes – they're just as cold and distant as yesterday and again, they look anywhere but at me.

"Looking good." I smile at her. "How about a peck on a cheek? For old time's sake." I spread my hands to the sides as if waiting for a welcoming embrace that would never come.

It might be stupid, but this is the only thing I could think of doing to hide my pain. Maybe it's childish, but it gives me a semblance of control and strength.

"Touch me and I'll gut you right here." Ilana spits the words out walking deeper into the room with her head held up high.

Brackwick who seems to be in high spirits follows Ilana in the room. His wide and ugly smile grows bigger as our eyes meet.