Of Love and War Book 3: In The Thick of Battle

Chapter 35: Season 4 (Escape From Kadavo)

"Where is he?"

Zelina clenched her teeth together as hard as she could, refusing to make a sound even as the electro-whip repeatedly dug into skin. The crack caused her to wince several times, but she gave no other reaction. When Zelina still made no sound, the electro-whip suddenly stopped, and the soft hum of the electricity disappeared to be replaced by the click of heels on stone. The Queen approached Zelina, taking Zelina's chin in her hands and digging her fingernails into Zelina's skin, drawing blood. Zelina refused to flinch..

"You will tell me where General Skywalker is," she growled. "One way or another."

"Isn't it obvious? He took a vacation to Hoth," Zelina told her in a mocking tone. The Queen let go of Zelina's chin and backhanded her across the face hard enough to draw blood, which Zelina promptly spat to the floor. "A little harder; it didn't feel like you were putting your back into it."

The Queen growled at Zelina again, though Zelina remained tall—as tall as she could be chained up to the wall on her knees—and defiant, eyes sparking in a silent challenge to try and break her.

"You will learn your place again little slave; and then you will tell me where Skywalker is willingly." The Queen jabbed a threatening finger at Zelina to emphasize her point before turning back to the enforcer. "Whip her until she breaks; no food or water until she gives us Skywalker's location—"

"Wasn't hungry anyway," Zelina muttered, glaring at the wall in front of her.

"I have a call to make to Count Dooku..."

Involuntarily, Zelina stiffened, though she forced herself to relax again moments before the electro-whip came back into play.

She really didn't like the thought of her favorite Sith Lord paying her a visit right now; her mood was sour enough with her situation. Then again, she did have a good new memory to hold onto.

Even while the whip cut into her exposed back, Zelina smiled at the memory of Anakin kissing her, even if he'd been mostly unconscious at the time. She was still going to count it, and it was a memory that she knew would be able to carry her through quite a bit of pain and trials.

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"R2...come here buddy..."

Anakin crouched down behind a cluster of shrubs, gesturing for the little astromech to roll closer to where he was hiding. Once the droid was within reach, he placed a gentle hand on its dome.

"Nice to see you managed to avoid that mess back there too. Do you think you could do me a favor?" Anakin waited for R2's whir of confirmation before he continued. "I need you to get inside the Queen's castle and see if you can find out where she's keeping Zelina, Obi-Wan, and Rex. Think you can do it?"

R2 beeped enthusiastically, causing Anakin to crack a smile. "Be carefully R2; I don't want you to end up captured too. Contact me if you find anything; I'm going after Ahsoka."

R2 whistled in acknowledgement before he spun around and continued on his way, the picture of an obedient droid minding its own business. Anakin made sure that the little droid made its way safely to the corner before he turned and dropped down from the railing behind the shrubs into the alleyway below. He pulled his pilfered cloak's hood further over his face before he continued on, keeping to the back-alleys of Zygerria to avoid most of the unwanted attention.

Anakin felt a tremor in the Force and paused, listening intently to the stirrings of the Force. It was brief, and there were just flickers, but it was all Anakin needed.

Something dark was coming—most likely Dooku, as he was sponsoring the Queen's attempt to revitalize the Zygerrian Slave Empire—and he'd captured a flicker of pain from Zelina before she'd withdrawn into herself again. Anakin's jaw tightened at the pain he sensed from her; he'd been catching fragments here and there, though nothing more than that. Apparently she was shielding her presence from him to keep him from sensing how much pain she was really in.