CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Ten

[MAGGIE'S PoV]

It took several breaths for my brain to process what my eyes were seeing. Faye's wrists were bound together with thick cloth, and the cloth was tied to the leg of her work bench. Her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-stained, her black curls matted to her forehead with sweat. And coiled tightly around her torso was a sleek silver cobra with its fangs buried deep in her bleeding collar bone.

"Go," she mouthed, her tear-filled eyes darting between me, the door, and the snake. The creature hadn't seen me yet, and Faye seemed intent on keeping it that way. "Run."

I blinked, a cold sweat breaking over my skin. What was happening? Shouldn't I try to get the snake off her? Kindle. He would help, he would know what to do.

I turned toward the door where Carlyle had been floating a moment ago. He had brought Kindle to me when Inari attacked, he could do the same now. But he wasn't there.

"Maggie, run!" Faye gasped, but her words were obscured by bone-chilling laughter.

Cold, bony hands clasped my upper arms, and someone's nose pressed into the back of my hair, inhaling deeply near my ear. "Hmmm what's this?" an odd, almost sing-song male voice asked. "A new friend?" He sniffed me again and every muscle in my body tensed. "Ahahaa! A human!"

I couldn't see him, and for how skinny he seemed to be, he had a horrifyingly strong grip. I tried to wrench my arms free, tried to kick behind myself. Elle had taught me basic self-defense, but all rational thought flew from my mind with every panicked beat of my heart. I brought my leg back as hard as I could toward the region I assumed his groin was in. He laughed and easily side-stepped my attack.

Behind us, I could hear Faye's workbench shake as she tried to pull herself free. "Jakoby, get away from her!"

"Faye, Faye, Faye, Faye, Fa-aye..." he sang, clearly enjoying this entire situation. "You're in trouble now." He leaned down and sniffed me once again. "Mmmm your skin is lovely..." His icy fingers trailed down my arm. "I'll enjoy bruising it."

I knocked my head back into his with as much force as I could muster, he hissed— hissed— and stumbled back, releasing me. Now that my arms were free, I turned towards him, swinging my arm to hit him as I did so.

The man, Jakoby, was sickly pale with yellow eyes and sharp teeth. Silvery hair hung limp and greasy around his face, and a forked tongue darted out of his mouth to lick the blood that was starting to trickle from his nose. He wore only a loose pair of pants.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a pair of scissors atop a pile of fabric to my right. I darted for them.

"Feisty, feisty..." Jakoby laughed. He watched me with a smile, but made no move to come near me again. He seemed to take this whole situation as one giant joke.

I pointed the scissors towards him like a knife as I maneuvered my way over to Faye, keeping my eyes on Jakoby the whole time. "Are you okay?" I breathed as I cut her free.

"Oh, Magpie, I'm so sorry this happened..." Faye whimpered. She hugged me and I returned the hug with one hand, angling myself between her and the snake man and keeping the scissors ready at all times.

"Are you okay?" I repeated more firmly.

"For now." She nodded quickly and swallowed a sob. "But you won't be."

Jakoby laughed again and the grey tattoos that marked his skin darkened and expanded, becoming scales as he shrunk down to snake form before my eyes. I charged forward, trying to stomp on him as he slithered across the stone floor and out under the door.