It was someone nudging me in the side that woke me up.
My head was spinning and my vision was still dark. A massive headache hit me when I opened my eyes but I took the time to notice Maeve sitting next to me, half naked and in her underwear and chained at her hands and her feet. No sooner did I notice I was in the same position, huddled in a ball with my knees pulled to my chest.
Maeve's usually bright green eyes seemed dull, and her crimson hair was a mess, as well as mine. We were in some kind of cell, sitting on cold stone floor and staring ahead at thick iron bars. Across from our cell was another empty one, which led me to worry about where Kade and Odis were. I leaned over only slightly since Maeve was glued to my side, shaking, and whispered the question quietly in her ear.
"Where are the guys?" She didn't seem to know the answer and shrugged.
"I don't know. I woke up in the same condition as you, confused and half naked," she answered bluntly and continued to stare ahead with frantic eyes. "The gargoyles knocked me out not too much longer after Xur took you down. To be honest, I don't even know if the guys are still alive."
Her words made my spine tingle and my blood go cold. If the two of them were dead, there wasn't much Maeve and I could do. But if they were alive, there was no telling where or what was happening to them. God, I hoped they were okay.
As if on cue, a door at the far end of the hallway opened, squeaking with presumed years of use. I wanted to rush to the bars to see who it was, but the question was answered when I heard arguing voices. It was Kade and Odis yelling at people who were keeping their mouths shut apparently. When they reached the door of our cell, their captors seemed just like normal guards in uniform... but something led me to believe that that wasn't the case.
At that time, I didn't bother to block out the feeling of relief at seeing the guys alive, even if they saw me in my underwear. But to be fair, they were almost in the same condition as me and Maeve. Their shirts were gone, and their pants replaced with black shorts that went to their knees, torn and tattered at the ends. They looked like poor sailors, chained and neglected. When they noticed us girls, their eyes widened with disbelief and shock. For some reason, I felt they were thinking we had received the bad end of the bargain. All I could do was give them a reassuring look as the guards shoved them inside the cell, sitting Kade beside me and Odis on Maeve's side.
And then there we all were, squeezed together in a squished line of four. After locking the cell door again, the guards were off through the squeaking entrance at the end of the hallway again.
Silence followed.
"Are you okay?" The guys suddenly asked in unison and kept their eyes turned, most likely out of respect. Maeve and I nodded quietly and allowed our silence to continue. I, for one, was willing to answer any questions.
"They didn't... you know," Kade said awkwardly and glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
I shook my head slowly and held his gaze. "No... at least not that I know of. Who knows what they did while we were unconscious," I answered.
"Damn... those suckers are gonna pay," Odis grumbled from his side of the line. It was then that I noticed all the bite and scratch marks covering his body, only scratches and burns on Kade's.
"What about you guys? Are you okay?" Maeve asked for me and examined them with her dull eyes. They also nodded silently. She then laid her head on Odis's shoulder and whimpered almost too low for us to hear. I did the same to Kade, just without the whimper. Almost in unison, they laid their heads on ours and breathed heavily a couple of times.
"Where are we?" I eventually asked.
"I think it's best if we don't know," Kade answered. That statement I agreed with. I realized I honestly didn't want to know.
"What do you think they're gonna do to us?" Maeve questioned afterwards, followed by a solemn "I don't know" from Odis.
I turned my head on Kade's shoulder and felt his skin suddenly grow warmer. His mouth moved to my ear where I could feel his also warm breath. "You're shivering," he whispered so quietly I barely even heard him. But he was right; I hadn't noticed before that I actually was shivering from the cold. Grateful for his body heat, I scooted closer and quietly thanked him.
Moments later the door down the hallway squeaked open again, and soon there were two large gargoyles standing in front of our door. Xur was one of them, and the other one was just a few inches shorter than him, nowhere near matching his muscle size though. Xur unlocked the door and snatched it open with a rough pull. When he came up to me and Kade, I turned away from his disgusting bat-like appearance.
"Get up," he ordered gruffly and went for my arm. Kade grabbed his wrist aggressively and pulled his hand away, pissing off the gargoyle even more. Xur bent over and screeched with his mouth wide open, the walls making the sound echo and hurt my ears. I touched Kade's arm gently and ensured him to hold back; it wasn't worth getting his face bit off. Reluctantly, I stood to my feet while Xur ordered him to do the same.
"Salazar has a special request for your presence in our Chamber. Says he's excited," Xur growled, amused as he glanced from me to Kade. "He also told me to tell you two to behave... or he'll make you suffer for any disobedience," he added and eyed Maeve and Odis with beady eyes. "Now come!"
Xur grabbed Kade (after he stood to his feet) and shoved him outside the cell, the other doing the same to me. Xur was almost taller than Kade which made it very creepy to walk alongside the two of them; my guard being taller than me didn't help either. And as we walked towards the door, the only thing keeping silence from befalling was the sound of the chains linked around my and Kade's hands. It was an eerie sound, definitely something I never thought I'd hear in real life. I felt just like a prisoner being led to their death sentence.
But who knows? Maybe I was.
Xur and his "friend" led us through the door and out into a fairly cramped corridor which smelled strongly of mold... and suffering. At the other end was a set of large iron doors, partially rusted at the hinges. Even in the dimness of light I could see how poorly they were treated. But that, of course, was something I shouldn't be focusing on.
We were led through them too and Xur's friend tightened his grip on my arm once on the other side. A steep set of stairs met us and we climbed up into another long hallway, this one a bit cleaner than the other. Down it were doors, all of iron that went uncomfortably well with the stone floor, ceiling, and walls. I counted at least six on each side, not including the giant door at the end of the hall. What each room was for, I don't know; and I honestly didn't want to. Who knew what these "people" kept cooped up in this place?
We went through the door at the end and took a sharp right down another hall that was sectioned off from the main one. From there, there was another door that led to a set of stairs heading downward, and once again another door. I was getting dizzy from all the doors and whatnot, and very confused. But it didn't matter at the moment.
The room we entered was all stone and cement, from ceiling to floor. There were chains attached on the far wall and a blanket covered table just a few feet away. Other than that, there wasn't much to see except dusty and dark corners. But overall, the room gave me a chill.
As I was expecting, Xur and his friend locked me and Kade into the two conveniently placed set of chains on the wall, our arms pulled uncomfortably above our heads. Kade looked to me and I saw the uncertainty in his eyes, the concern, and the worry. There was something about his look that told me he didn't think this was going to go well... and neither I.
Xur's friend left but he stayed behind, eyeing the two of us with excited eyes. A couple of sharp teeth were over-biting his lower lip to provide a menacing look, either unintentional or intentional. I wanted to look away but with my arms being pulled up beside my head, they prevented me from doing much.
"What does Salazar want?" Kade suddenly asked the creature in a blunt and harsh tone. His nose was wrinkled with anger as he held eye contact with Xur.
"You know what he wants," Xur answered. "But right now, he wants information. And I suggest you give it to him or things will get ugly."
"They already have," Kade insulted and ran his eyes up and down the gargoyle. I stifled a laugh, even in a time like this.
"Watch your tongue, boy. Salazar is not the only one who can shred you," Xur confidently replied with bitterness as he walked threateningly forward on his knuckles. I tried not to laugh at how much he looked like a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz. But neither of them would get the joke if I made it, most likely.
"You kill me now, Salazar will have your ugly ass head on a stick afterwards. So go pout in the corner, you big baby," Kade barked.
"I am centuries old, kid. Do not mock me," Xur immediately came back sharply.
"That's enough! Your stupid arguing is pointless, not to mention annoying," Salazar's sudden voice boomed. He walked into view from the door, hands in his pockets as he watched and studied me and Kade.
When he came dangerously close to me, my whole body tensed and I suddenly became very self conscious. I remember how he acted towards me when I first met him; and being half naked and chained in front of him made none of this better.
His look was surprisingly gentle, but behind it I could see the seduction, the sadism, and so much more awful things. His red eyes left mine and slowly examined my body, moving down carefully as if to take in every inch of my figure. The back of his hand touched my cheek and brushed it softly when his eyes came back up.
"You know... I'm not the one who did this," he began, and looked back down. "But I sure wish I did." I turned my head from his touch, or at least tried to, and closed my eyes in disgust.
"Pervert," I whispered.
"Right you are, my dear. But look! See? I'm a very forgiving person. Even after you scorched me half to death, I'm willing to give myself to you," he said and slowly slid his hand down to my waist. I jerked away and tried to lock eyes with him as a last attempt. But he slapped his hand over them and moved his face to my ear.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you," he whispered and purposely breathed against my ear. "That will only make our fun time go bad."
"Salazar, you sick bastard, stop it! Just go drown in your hellfire already!" Kade yelled and rattled his chains angrily. When the demon uncovered my eyes, I saw Xur rushing towards him, hissing with his teeth bared.
"Halt, Xur," Salazar ordered and instantly the gargoyle froze. He then looked back at me and smiled crookedly. "He's chained. There's nothing the poor warlock can do about his pretty girl now. No need to fly off the handle, especially at pointless comments like his."
Salazar cuffed his hand on my hip and the other on my cheek, holding me in position. He brought his face close to mine and became jittery with excitement.
"Now, let's get started, shall we?"