awake?”
For long moments, there was only the shriek of metal and the sound of his breathing. Then, voice so hoarse I almost couldn’t understand him: “Lark?”
And then hands were shoving us forward again, into what felt like an even smaller space. The hinges shrieked once more, and a door clanged shut behind us.
A fog descended over my thoughts. Muffling iron surrounded us on all sides, the metal insulating my senses. I was worse than blind. Devoid of every sense, cut off, everything silent and still as death. I gasped, trying to force air into my lungs, and could only breathe the smell of metal, sharp and cold.
Dimly I heard Tansy say something, and then the answering bark of one of the men. A light came on, dazzling my eyes. Our captors stripped off their suits, revealing ordinary people underneath. Their clothes were worn, but nowhere near as ragged as ours—but for the sweat and grime of wearing the suits, they seemed normal. Another door opposite opened and we were shoved through. I couldn’t see right, couldn’t hear. All around was iron, worse than the Iron Wood, worse than my cell in the Institute.
I went where they shoved me, kept my feet only because falling would mean touching the iron beneath me. Even Oren felt like metal when his body brushed against mine—I couldn’t feel the familiar tingle of energy between us, sensing only death and stillness.
After an eternity they shoved us forward and then clanged a barred door behind us. I ricocheted off the back wall of the room. No, not a room. A cage. Bars on all sides. Trapped. I scuttled to its center, as far from the four iron walls as I could. We were all together, Oren sprawled on the ground and Tansy leaning against the side wall, glaring through her one good eye.
A key turned in a lock.
“Wait,” I gasped, as hoarse as if my lungs were on fire. “Who are you? What are you going to do with us?”
Two of our three captors kept walking, but one hung back. I realized it was a woman, now that she’d taken off her suit.
“You’ll stay here until he asks for you. If he decides you die, you die. If he has a use for you, you live.”
“He,” I echoed, starting to shiver as shock settled in. “Who?”
“Prometheus.”
CHAPTER 6
They’d left a light on, just enough for us to see by. It glowed a steady white-gold— magic, I thought, but I couldn’t sense it. The iron bars, the iron in the walls and the floors and the ceilings, kept me from sensing anything properly. The air was thick and close, warmer than outside but still clammy and cold.
Though my head still rang with the silence of iron, my other senses were beginning to return and try to compensate. I hadn’t realized how much I’d gotten used to being able to feel the magic around me, and how much there was to sense even in a magicless void.
I dropped to my knees where Oren was slumped on the ground, ignoring the way my instincts told me to get as far away from him as possible. “Are you okay?”
He pressed his palms against the stone floor and shoved himself upright. His face was haggard, making him look older. The blue eyes were distant, confused. Though there was no sign of the monster in his gaze, I could still see the ferocity— that belonged to Oren as well. Not just to the beast.
“What’re you doing here, Lark? Why aren’t you—” His gaze swung past the bars, the whites of his eyes showing his panic at being closed in. “Where are we?”
I glanced at Tansy, who was watching us with clenched jaw. She shook her head, and I turned back to Oren. “I don’t know. Underneath the ruins of a city. You were—” I stopped, unable to say it.
Oren swallowed, gazing at my bleeding ear before turning so that he could see Tansy, taking in her injuries as well. “Did I—”
“No,” I said quickly, interrupting him. “You saved us.”
He grimaced, brows drawing inward. “That doesn’t sound right,” he muttered, lifting a shaking hand to rub at his
For long moments, there was only the shriek of metal and the sound of his breathing. Then, voice so hoarse I almost couldn’t understand him: “Lark?”
And then hands were shoving us forward again, into what felt like an even smaller space. The hinges shrieked once more, and a door clanged shut behind us.
A fog descended over my thoughts. Muffling iron surrounded us on all sides, the metal insulating my senses. I was worse than blind. Devoid of every sense, cut off, everything silent and still as death. I gasped, trying to force air into my lungs, and could only breathe the smell of metal, sharp and cold.
Dimly I heard Tansy say something, and then the answering bark of one of the men. A light came on, dazzling my eyes. Our captors stripped off their suits, revealing ordinary people underneath. Their clothes were worn, but nowhere near as ragged as ours—but for the sweat and grime of wearing the suits, they seemed normal. Another door opposite opened and we were shoved through. I couldn’t see right, couldn’t hear. All around was iron, worse than the Iron Wood, worse than my cell in the Institute.
I went where they shoved me, kept my feet only because falling would mean touching the iron beneath me. Even Oren felt like metal when his body brushed against mine—I couldn’t feel the familiar tingle of energy between us, sensing only death and stillness.
After an eternity they shoved us forward and then clanged a barred door behind us. I ricocheted off the back wall of the room. No, not a room. A cage. Bars on all sides. Trapped. I scuttled to its center, as far from the four iron walls as I could. We were all together, Oren sprawled on the ground and Tansy leaning against the side wall, glaring through her one good eye.
A key turned in a lock.
“Wait,” I gasped, as hoarse as if my lungs were on fire. “Who are you? What are you going to do with us?”
Two of our three captors kept walking, but one hung back. I realized it was a woman, now that she’d taken off her suit.
“You’ll stay here until he asks for you. If he decides you die, you die. If he has a use for you, you live.”
“He,” I echoed, starting to shiver as shock settled in. “Who?”
“Prometheus.”
CHAPTER 6
They’d left a light on, just enough for us to see by. It glowed a steady white-gold— magic, I thought, but I couldn’t sense it. The iron bars, the iron in the walls and the floors and the ceilings, kept me from sensing anything properly. The air was thick and close, warmer than outside but still clammy and cold.
Though my head still rang with the silence of iron, my other senses were beginning to return and try to compensate. I hadn’t realized how much I’d gotten used to being able to feel the magic around me, and how much there was to sense even in a magicless void.
I dropped to my knees where Oren was slumped on the ground, ignoring the way my instincts told me to get as far away from him as possible. “Are you okay?”
He pressed his palms against the stone floor and shoved himself upright. His face was haggard, making him look older. The blue eyes were distant, confused. Though there was no sign of the monster in his gaze, I could still see the ferocity— that belonged to Oren as well. Not just to the beast.
“What’re you doing here, Lark? Why aren’t you—” His gaze swung past the bars, the whites of his eyes showing his panic at being closed in. “Where are we?”
I glanced at Tansy, who was watching us with clenched jaw. She shook her head, and I turned back to Oren. “I don’t know. Underneath the ruins of a city. You were—” I stopped, unable to say it.
Oren swallowed, gazing at my bleeding ear before turning so that he could see Tansy, taking in her injuries as well. “Did I—”
“No,” I said quickly, interrupting him. “You saved us.”
He grimaced, brows drawing inward. “That doesn’t sound right,” he muttered, lifting a shaking hand to rub at his
Similar Books
