Unknown Factors (Book One)

Ch.43: Sit back, relax, I'll take my time

  I screamed when I woke up, panting as I felt my heart slowing from its rapid beat. 'Hold up....' I thought. 'Why can't I move?' Looking around, I found myself in a windowless room made of concrete. My hands were chained together behind me and my legs were chained to the legs of the chair I sat in.

  "About time you woke up." Glory was looking at me, her chin in her hand. "I thought you were gonna sleep forever."

  "What?" I froze. "Wait, where's Dawn?!"

  "Don't worry, the Key is fine. She doesn't bleed until you do." Glory waved a hand. "So," She rose to her feet. "how'd a thing like you find itself in this dimension?"

  "Wait, you know what I am." Shifting in my seat, I looked at her. "What do you mean 'this dimension'?"

  "Oh, you don't even know what you are?" Glory grinned. "Do you?" She rose to her feet. "I bet you wanna know, huh?" The Hell-god tilted her head at me. Swallowing, I looked at her and hesitantly nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, you're gonna die soon anyway."

  "Why?"

  "Your blood." Glory grabbed my chin. "Your people were named pretty bluntly- no imagination went into it." She shrugged. "But as the Ustrina Augendae name implies, your blood enhances magic. It even heals otherworldly things like demons....and gods. The fresher, the more potent." And she was suddenly holding a knife. "It's like a super-charged energy drink without the side effects of a crash."

  She cut her hand while smiling before she cut my cheek.

  "Now, let's see how strong your blood is." Glory wiped up the blood with her finger before the cut on my cheek healed. Putting her finger into her mouth, she showed me her hand as the wound closed. "Oh, you're just a halfbreed." She tossed the knife behind her. "Either way, it's still strong enough to work."

  "Work for what?" I asked.

  "Aren't you listening? Your blood enhances magic- I'm gonna bleed you with little Dawnie to make me get home faster."

  "Don't you dare call her Dawnie." I snarled.

  "Aw, don't be like that." She poked my nose. "I thought we were getting pretty close. You know, with how I'm telling you all about yourself."

  "Whatever." I jerked my head away while looking to the side.

  "Anyways, I really liked your dimension." Glory went on. "It was so tropical, palm trees and sandy beaches everywhere." The Hell-god began to pace. "Your kind inhabited the islands and areas with volcanoes- the hard-to-reach areas. But once it got out about your blood- Look out, you're being hunted down. They made soft scarves from your pretty tails and used your hearts and blood in spells to make them stronger."

  "So the fire breathing and the fangs wasn't enough to scare them away."

  "No." She grinned. "Because your world is all tropics and sun, a simple spell to make it colder was all it took. Can't be all demonic if you're frozen."

  "Siberia." I mumbled as it dawned on me.

  "What was that?"

  "Nothing." I quickly said.

  "No, no, I heard that." Glory pointed. "You said Siberia. Let me guess, that's where you thought you were from?" She grinned. "Oh, maybe mamma Ustrina skipped dimensions and skedaddled up to Russia to hide." The Hell-god put her hands on her hips. "That'd explain why you're so pale. Lack of all that sunlight your world has."

  "Your Highness!" There was a knock at the door.

  "What?" Her head turned to look as one of her followers entered the room.