Green shadow, p.8
Green Shadow, page 8
“Congratulations, Lucan, you’ve secured the second key.” I smiled as he hung up. I may have lost everything, but I was on the right path to getting it all back.
I would find Mackenzie and bring her home. Heat rose behind my eyes as my dragon came forward. I’m coming for you, Mate, and I pity the fool who stands in my way.
Chapter 9
Mackenzie
I scratched a fifth line into the wall of my cell. Five days since I was led into my small prison. After waking in that carriage, a chill settled in my soul. The darkest parts of my mind insisted it would be better never to have awoken.
Then, my body had sagged, and my spirit was content to let the world continue without me. But images of my siblings interrupted my pity party. Alec, treating a child, Connor, alight with passion as we combined metal and plants to create better seedballs for me to use in battle. Tyr, helping an old woman with her groceries, and Brooke, my precious Brooke, dancing around the kitchen without a care in the world.
Strength returned to my limbs, and resolve hardened in my heart. Locking my emotions down, I vowed to survive. To make it back to them. Whatever it took.
Now, flopping down on the floor, I stared at the ceiling. A pair of luminescent blue eyes flashed through my mind, and my gut clenched. The memory of the utter disgust on Lucan’s face haunted me. He had a right to feel that way. I was an abomination, a murderer who killed innocents trying to atone. Working for Catch and Release, I’d helped people. But none of it washed away the blood on my hands.
A shiver ran through me. The constant cold and dampness penetrated my bones. If I stayed here much longer, I’d get sick. Dr. Smith usually treated her prized lab specimens better. After all, they needed to last long enough to satisfy her curiosity.
I listened with half an ear for the tell-tale sounds of boots approaching. Thug One and Thug Two came daily to deliver me into the hands of Doctor Smith. In her care, I went through a battery of tests. The good doctor was in her element, measuring how much my magic had grown, whether my tolerance to pain had diminished, and how they could use my new necklace to control me with the least amount of damage. Each day I expected to face a choice between what I knew was right and surviving. Today was no different, and I had a sinking feeling that soon, my fears would bear fruit.
I traced the runes etched into the collar, and a tingle sparked as my skin made contact. It wasn’t painful, merely a mild reminder of what would happen should I tamper with the band. Not that I would forget. Not after the first and only time I’d tried to rip the damn thing off.
The solid metal door to my cell banged open, and I squinted as the artificial light from the hallway flooded the room. Tilting my head to one side, I used the figure who’d stepped into the doorway to shield the worst of it.
“Good morning, Terra.” Thug One’s deep voice rumbled.
Ignoring him, I stared at the ceiling. It was a game we played, and I would never deprive him of the joy he got from it. My spirit lightened. The way his face progressed from professional to enraged never ceased to bring me pleasure.
Emotions locked down tight. It was easy to pretend the man didn’t exist. Thug One shuffled in the doorway, his hands fidgeting at his sides. Eventually, like every other morning, the large man reverted to a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. Scowling, he crossed his arms and all but stomped his foot in irritation. Five minutes, a new record.
Thug One held a special place on my kill list, a record of people I would take out without hesitation despite my vow to preserve life. He’d earned his top-five spot by shooting Brooke with a potent poison and smiling while doing it. Dr. Smith, Ben, and Jasper Dracos all came before him on my list.
When he rapped a long slender rod on the metal frame of the doorway, causing electricity to spark, I thought about ending the silent contest of wills.
Speaking would make this easier and give me more ways to attack my captors. But I couldn’t force myself to do it. Somehow, deep down, I knew that if they could find a way to force me to talk, they could get me to do just about anything. So my vow of silence had become a measuring stick to gauge how much control my captors had over me.
Continuing to ignore him, I tucked my hand casually behind my head.
“Come on now, Terra. Are you really going to make me come over there and get you?”
Damn, right, I am. I needed to set the tempo of our interactions from the start. If I gave even a little, everyone would walk all over me. It was much easier to instill wariness and respect in the beginning than try to gain it later. These acts of rebellion showed my tormentors that I was no easy prey. That I got pleasure out of it was a bonus.
The ancient oath I’d sworn to Dr. Smith, guaranteeing my sibling’s freedom stated I wouldn’t try to escape. At no point had I promised to cooperate. They really should have read the fine print before signing.
Finally, gathering his courage and taking a step forward, Thug One muttered under his breath but not quite low enough that I didn’t hear.
“Fucking assholes. Why do I have to do this every day? We should just send Shadow in and teach this bitch her place.”
Shadow, I’d heard that name a few times since my arrival. But who he or she was, remained a mystery.
When my nemesis was close enough to touch if I stretched out my legs, I shifted my eyes to meet his. My face held the cold, flat look I reserved for the criminals I hunted for my guild.
Thinking about Catch and Release sent a pang through my soul. It was the one place I’d found where I fit. The people there became a sort of dysfunctional family, and I’d even started to let some of them through the barriers I’d erected around my heart.
I’d never had friends growing up, so of course, I sucked at it. But for some odd reason, Quinn and later Liz – another lifer – had stuck by me. I’d even started forming a tentative friendship with Amber, outside the guild. These connections were something I never thought I’d have, and I missed them.
Thinking about who I’d lost eventually led to thinking about Lucan. If I concentrated too hard on the man, who now more than likely hated me, I could feel a pulse of warmth in my chest right next to my heart. It caused my pulse to race and a flush to rise up my neck. It took every bit of my training to keep my reactions from showing. Instead, it distracted me, and I couldn’t afford distractions.
Thug One dismissed my warning stare and moved further forward. He kicked out at my booted foot. Oh, no. You’re going to have to do better than that.
“Screw this,” Thug One snarled. Lunging forward, he attempted to catch me off-guard. I froze. This wasn’t how our mornings usually escalated, and I kicked myself for becoming complacent.
Yanking my hand out from behind my head, I threw myself to one side. Not fast enough, I held in a grunt of pain as the rod he wielded brushed against my ribs. With that slight touch, it was as if he’d tasered me. Agony blossomed as electricity crackled.
I fought the urge to curl into a ball and cry. There would be enough time to break late at night when I was all alone. Right now, I had to survive. With practiced grace, I got my feet under me and my hands in a fighting position.
Thug One’s face scrunched in anger as he methodically attacked. Fatigued pulled at me, and I cursed in my head. Food came regularly, but it never seemed enough to stem the hunger.
Dr. Smith had reactivated my food regime from childhood, though modified to my now adult body. Between my lack of sleep and the diet restrictions, I felt slower and weaker than usual.
Thug One went to strike a second time, and the rod caught my left thigh. My leg buckled.
Twisting, I tried to stop my fall. Unfortunately, in doing so, I left my torso wide open. Thug One lunged forward with his wand extended and jammed it into my chest.
I couldn’t stop the scream that tore out of me. The noise didn’t stop when I ran out of air. My body spasmed in uncontrollable waves, and a brief thought broke through my crumbling mind. He isn’t going to stop. He’s going to kill me. A spark of joy shot through me.
No such luck. Right before the black spots dancing in front of my eyes merged into the darkness of death, something even the collar couldn’t stop, Thug One removed his weapon.
Limp on the floor, I couldn’t avoid the kick delivered to my side. Then, satisfied I was disabled, Thug One snapped his fingers, and two new stooges entered my hell. Bracing my arms over their shoulders, they half carried, half dragged me down the hall. My muscles twitched as I tried to fight them, but my limbs didn’t respond.
A small smile graced Thug One’s face as I passed by. “You should learn to cooperate. It will be more beneficial for you in the future.”
Gathering as much moisture in my mouth as I could, I spit on his face. Hey, look, my fine facial motor controls are back. Sweet.
His eyes hardened, and he motioned for the pair holding me to stop. Then, positioning his face inches from mine, Thug One said. “It will be interesting to see how long it takes you to break. From what Dr. Smith says, they did it once before. She is eager to see if she can reproduce the results.”
Fury coiled within me. This place had broken me before. But I was no longer a child and would not allow their cruelty to win again. Become the soulless weapon they desperately wanted.
The two stooges dropped me on the floor when we got to the lab.
Dr. Smith stood to one side, clipboard in hand, observing and making notes. Her shoulder-length brown hair frizzed around her face, untamed. Blue-gray eyes that held a cold intelligence hid behind thick glasses. The sight of her white lab coat sent an involuntary shiver of fear through me, a conditioned response from my childhood.
“Problems?” She asked as I lay at her feet. It was more a statement than a question. Dr. Smith was fully aware I was making life difficult for them on purpose, and, in her mind, it was simply another piece of data to collect and analyze.
“Same as the previous days,” Thug One told her.
She spoke as she made notes on her paper. “Subject continues to act defiant.” She looked at Thug One again. “How were her reflexes?”
Thug One’s tone became clinical. “There’s a definite decline in her motor skills.”
“As expected, her body is readjusting to an optimal food schedule. Unfortunately, most humans indulge in far more calories than the body needs. It will take time for her system to realize that she’s not starving and reallocate resources to her motor skills.”
Thug One nodded and continued his report. “However, I believe that if she had more room, she would have fared better.”
“Very well,” she replied, looking in my direction now. “We will continue with the course. I want to know when her body has acclimated to the changes.”
My muscles no longer shook, and the spots disappeared from my eyes. I shifted into a seated position as the door opened and the bane of my existence sauntered in.
“Ah, Benjamin.” Dr. Smith said in the same monotone voice she used to describe her experiments. “Perfect timing.”
Ben’s mental abilities washed over me, as they did every time we were in the same room. Searching, seeking any weakness he could exploit.
Of course, he failed every time. He was a powerful mage, but my shielding magic was stronger. The collar was designed to keep my magic contained within my body. For my earth magic, it meant I couldn’t access it at all. My shielding, however, stemmed from spirit magic and could work within the body. So the collar didn’t interfere if I didn’t try to force the magic past my skin.
Mental magic was most effective against the weak-willed. Ben would have a more challenging time latching on if I stayed on my guard and kept my convictions strong. Of course, the more powerful the mage, the easier it was for them to get in. Good thing I was far too stubborn to succumb to his influence.
Fear punched me solid and hard. It was easy to say that now, but given enough time, Ben had a good shot of bypassing even my best mental defenses. Bumps rose on my flesh, the thought utterly terrifying.
Ben’s power had wormed into my sister’s mild annoyance at my rules, built them up until they became this suffocating force, then exploited those negative emotions to make her rebel against the family. Eventually, creating so many worms in her mind, she was open to any suggestion the man gave.
If that happened to me, I would become a true monster. Unthinking and without mercy.
Ben’s magic stopped its sickening caress. No weaknesses today, asshat.
“What’s on the table for today, Doc?” Ben asked, a charming smile on his face. He wasn’t stupid. He knew he was a favorite and delighted in taking advantage of it.
“Live trials.”
Ben’s smile turned wicked. “This should be fun.”
“Not fun, Benjamin. Educational. I need to see where her martial arts skills are and how much they have degraded over the years. She is to be put back on active duty, and the board does not want to waste its investment, and I do not want to waste my specimen.”
A different door opened, and Thug Two dragged a man in. The poor guy’s hair was disheveled, and his clothes were tattered. But, with the one-star accommodations Dr. Smith provided her lab rats, he might have been a long-term guest as easily as a homeless person.
The man’s wild stare turned to me. “What’s this? Where am I? Why am I here?” A constant stream of questions escaped him. All the while, his eyes scanned his surroundings. His shoulders were tense, but he didn’t tremble with fear. This was a man assessing his environment and using every tool available to gather data.
Thug Two dropped him on the floor ten feet from me. A knife clattered next to him. Pulling at every scrap of will I possessed, I fortified my mind against what I might have to do.
“It’s quite simple. Kill her,” Dr. Smith waved a hand in my direction, “And you are free to go.” She made another note on her clipboard. My fingers twitched, wanting to snatch the thing up and break it over my knee.
“Who the hell are you people?” The man stood, ignoring the knife. He was a few inches taller than I was, which had him towering over the Doc. His hands clenched at his side, seeming seconds away from taking a swing. His balance, stance, and confidence all screamed fighter. Ex-military, perhaps. His demons might have pushed him to the streets, but he had an intelligent face and wasn’t some easy mark.
Ben leaned towards him, a subtle hint of white sparking in his brown eyes. “I know you’re scared right now, but maybe if you pretend, make a good show of fighting, you can survive long enough to escape.” He didn’t have to speak aloud to plant his seeds. No, that was for my benefit. He was taunting me.
I tensed. This was it. What part of my soul would I have to trade to see tomorrow? Sending up a silent prayer to the Old God, I hoped the disheveled man had the mental strength to match his physical.
“Survive… Escape,” the man said as if he hadn’t heard Ben speak. Cold seeped into me. I knew Ben was strong, but this show of power was far above anything I expected.
My opponent swooped down and picked up the knife, holding it loosely. The blade becoming a natural extension of the man’s arm.
I paused as my mind raced. Soldiers could be weak-willed. Grunts had it trained out of them early. Easier for commanders to give unsavory orders and have them followed. But from how this guy entered the room, he didn’t strike me as a grunt. Calm, cool, and collected, he seemed a far cry from weak.
My shoulders drooped slightly. Dr. Smith had drugs to lower a person’s will. They had nasty side effects, but that wouldn’t matter if whoever took them wasn’t supposed to live long. Narrowing my eyes, I held in a grunt of frustration.
I decided to call the man Bait, a habit formed by always hiding on the run. For years proper introductions weren’t possible, and calling everyone ‘him’ or ‘her’ got confusing fast.
Dr. Smith wanted to know how far I would go in the heat of the moment. Survival be damned. I would not become someone my family would be ashamed of.
I stood, and our eyes met. Bait’s dark green orbs pleaded with me to understand, and to play along. I gave Bait a shallow nod.
Then, with a lunge a blind man could’ve seen coming, Bait attacked. He swept the knife from right to left. It was slow and clumsy, not at all to the level his stance suggested him capable of.
A spark of admiration blossomed for the man, along with pity. He didn’t know the game being played, but he tried to help me anyway. This morality strengthened my resolve not to let Dr. Smith win.
We danced back and forth for a few minutes. Even in my weakened state, it was easy.
Bait switched to flashy moves that looked good, and I noticed Dr. Smith leaning in, eagerly analyzing the fight. I almost laughed. As a non-combatant, she didn’t realize that, despite all the flare, the moves Bait performed loudly telegraphed his intent, and were simple to avoid.
Then, as I watched, Bait’s eyes began to cloud over. His attacks grew more vicious, and Ben stopped speaking out loud. A few minutes later, Bait’s eyes were milky white, and my stomach dropped. Brooke had the same vacant look when Ben had shredded her mental defenses and subverted her will. Bait was no longer in any control of his actions.
The intensity of our fight increased significantly. Bait’s hits coming faster, harder, and with more skill. I kept pace but was having trouble avoiding all the strikes. My gut clenched. I was no longer confident I could get out of this match without killing the man.
Our fight devolved into a no-holds-barred contest. I tried to keep my strikes non-lethal, but it was getting harder and harder to hold Bait back. He was fast and physically powerful. I could match him. But as my reserves steadily weakened, I was less and less confident of success. Then again, in the lab, even winning was losing.
I reached for my magic. Forgetting for a microsecond that it was beyond my reach, I tried to coax a trickle of power out, enough to give me an edge. But, instead of power, all I got was bone-deep pain as the collar punished me for trying to access my abilities without permission. My magic remained firmly locked behind a wall. I let go immediately.
