Pieces of Time

Ch 12: Pallas

She wasn't really asleep, yet she wasn't awake either.

It was an odd darkness, not unlike what flying might be, only without freedom of movement. Suspended, weightless in the darkness of her own mind with no other senses.

The deep, dark silence was shattered when all of a sudden it felt like she was falling straight down. Kali's senses came rushing back to her.  She had just enough time to open her eyes and gasp before the shock of hitting cold stone sent a whoosh of air rushing out of her lungs.

There was immediate pain in one side and something made a sick popping sound. She would have cried out had she been able to catch her breath. Only a strained gasping sound came from her as she rolled to her unhurt side, her expression a pained grimace.

She was sure it had been at least a few of her ribs that made that popping sound, judging by the location of the throbbing pain that consumed her thoughts now. After a few very long minutes, she was finally able to suck in enough breath to groan loudly through her clenched teeth.

She drew in a long breath, to try and control her breathing before she made herself pass out. Breathing in sent shocks of pain through her side, and she decided on slower, shallower breaths might be better.

How did this happen? She'd almost been able to get rid of those two shadows, but then all of a sudden...

She remembered the voice just before she'd been suspended in that odd darkness. She hadn't recognized it at all.

Her hand wandered over reflexively to her side, careful to not apply pressure. She wasn't sure what to do, still so dazed by the whole thing. One moment she had been enjoying the night with Kiden, then the next...

Her eyes shot open wide as the image of Kiden, unconscious and bleeding on the floor flashed in her mind's eye.

She bolted upright and moaned again at the pain in her ribs. She tried to ignore it as she looked around, thinking she still might be in Kiden's home.

She was so very wrong.

"I can see, after that squabble, why it was so difficult for you two to capture her." chuckled that same unfamiliar voice. "She's got spunk!"

Kali twisted around to face whoever the voice belonged to. She was in some kind of prison cell.  Three three figures stood on the other side of the thick, iron bars. The two she recognized as the twins were standing, hunched before a taller figure.

One of them still held his hands to his face, doubled over and she could hear the dripping of his blood on the stones below. The other held his arm idly over his stomach, where she had kicked him backwards.  He glared at her.

Then she looked to the figure addressing them. He was taller, and much stockier than the twins that he towered over. The light was dim and his back was to her, so the only thing she could see was the slight reddish tint in his brown hair.

"M-My Lord....My nose..." groaned the twin doubled over, trying to stop the bleeding from his broken nose.

At that the tall man laughed even louder.

"But the girl was right!" he boomed, his deep voice echoing off the stones of the hall, "You two do match again! Why set it right now?"

While Kali felt no pity whatsoever for the twins, her eyes narrowed at the plain cruelty of this "Lord" guy to his henchmen. Something about the way he laughed didn't sit right with her though. There was something in the tenor of his laugh, the uncontrolled way his shoulders shook that seemed....slightly unstable.