The Spirit Academy

Chapter 8 - Captives

Dahlia

It was peaceful. Calm. Quiet. And everything was distant. Disconnected. Far away. It was a beautiful sleep. Like floating in the ocean. It was endless. No, it couldn't be. It couldn't be endless. It shouldn't be endless.

She didn't want to open her eyes. They were so heavy. Glued shut. She couldn't see. She couldn't see. She didn't know where she was. But she could hear something.

Hear. Footsteps. Constant footsteps. Wind rustling through trees. A door slamming. A bark. A groan. Smell. Sweat. Dirt. Touch. She was backed up against something hard. Rope was tied up around her arms. Taste. Metallic. Inside her mouth. Blood. Why did she have blood? Think. Dahlia. Think. It came back in flashes. The trip. The fire. The dagger. The hand. Oh no.

Dahlia opened her eyes. It was blurry. She was tied to a chair. Someone stood in front of her. Dahlia blinked once. Then twice.

Something warm brushed past her legs. Milo.

She glanced back up. It was a girl around their age. She wore a long black coat.

Her face was so pale Dahlia could see some veins on her face. Her hair was completely white, and her eyes were a faded grey and her left eye had a scar through it. She wore no colour at all except a ring on her left hand. It was silver and it had a pale blue flower on it, with swirls on the edges.

"Ah. We're all awake then." She spoke in a penetrating voice.

Betha. Dahlia had completely forgot about her. She was tied up to a chair on her left. Dahlia shifted in her chair; her hands were bound too tight. "Who are you?"

The girl waved his hand dismissively, "That's beside the point."

"Are you going to let us go?" Betha asked.

She turned her gaze back to Betha, and looked at her as if looking at Betha for the first time. "Who is she? I asked only for Dahlia."

"She could be useful," It was another girls voice, she spoke in a tight voice. Dahlia turned her head. She had black wavy hair and dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. She wore a long blue silk dress and held a sword in her left hand.

The pale girl gritted her teeth. "How?"

Dahlia and Betha looked from one to another as if watching a table tennis match.

"She's from the academy," 

"So?"

"We think-" The dark-haired girl's voice was wobbly.

"You think, Marina? You brought her here because you think she might be from the academy and could be useful? She probably doesn't even remember!"

"Roxy-" The girl, Marina, looked to the ground troubled.

"Get rid of her,"

Dahlia's eyes widened and she gave a startled gasp, she looked to the girl, Roxy, but she didn't make eye-contact with her, "What do you mean?" Dahlia asked, sounding braver than she felt.

"Her fate is much worse if she..." She trailed off, her eyes spacing out.

"You're going to kill us!" Dahlia yelled, trying to get out of her chair. She turned to look to her left, Betha's face remained impassive.

"Not you. Her." She said in a dead voice.

"Why?" Dahlia's voice was small, and then she straightened up, be brave, she thought.

"Details. Details." She said drily waving a dismissive hand. 

"You can't kill her!" Dahlia protested, her hands shaking.