Page 49 of A Raven Revived

Anderson nodded. “He has someone shadowing you.”

Fitz rolled his eyes. Of course he did. “I don’t know exactly what the plan is. He sent for Patrick, and when he gets here, we’ll put something together I guess.”

“I’ll help in any way I can.”

Fitz nodded, still feeling completely useless. “Thank you.”

ChapterFifteen

Daisy was woken by the sound of her cell door opening. Her whole body still ached as she opened her eyes. Samantha was already standing, seemingly awaiting instructions. The man in the white coat stood in the doorway.

“Are you going to cooperate today, Jane?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, but eventually, she nodded. Perhaps she could cooperate, at least for a short time, without giving them her soul. She didn’t want any more punishments and pain.

“Good.” He held up a pair of slippers. “These give you the privilege of walking around outside of your cell. If you go back in the tub, you will lose them. Is that clear?”

She nodded and he handed them over.

“Do you have a name?” she asked quietly as she slipped them on.

“I’m Dr. Mickelson. Now, on your feet, and no more talking. It’s time for breakfast.”

Apparently, it was morning. At some point, as she’d dropped in and out of sleep, she’d completely lost track of what time of day it was, or even how long she’d been in this heinous facility. It felt like an eternity, but she was pretty sure it had only been a couple of days. Slowly, she pushed herself off the bed, every part of her protesting as she stood.

“Lead the way, Samantha,” he instructed.

Daisy followed her out of the room and down the long corridor, Dr. Mickelson right behind her. She didn’t waste the opportunity to scan everything with her eyes as they passed. There had to be a way out. As they made their way to another long hall, she spotted what must be the passage that led to the front door and made note of it in her mind.

Eventually, they entered a large dining room. A handful of women, all wearing matching white nightgowns and slippers, were seated in chairs situated along three rectangular tables. Dr. Mickelson had apparently stopped following her at some point, because he was nowhere to be seen. There was another man—one of the many nameless large men in tan suits who always dragged her to the tub—standing next to the door, keeping watch.

Samantha led her to a sideboard where a stern-looking woman dished them each a bowl of porridge. Samantha then took an apple from a large bowl and Daisy did the same before following her to one of the tables.

Porridge had never tasted so good. Daisy hadn’t eaten since she’d arrived. She’d had that warm milk yesterday, but her stomach was so grateful for real food. After the porridge, she savored every bite of the apple and was disappointed when it was gone.

Samantha gave her an encouraging smile, but didn’t say a word. Given the silence in the room, talking must be forbidden at mealtime. A part of her wanted to stand up and shout, just to prove that they hadn’t broken her. But perhaps they had, because the knowledge of what would happen if she did made her hold her tongue.

The other women in the room got up as they finished and left without any kind of escort. Presumably, that meant if she cooperated for a while, she could have more freedom. But how long would that take?

When Samantha had eaten all of her food, she pushed in her chair and collected her dishes from the table. Daisy followed her and they deposited their dirty dishes and apple cores into a receptacle before leaving the room.

No one followed them as they made their way down another corridor, which eventually led outside. They entered a small yard surrounded on all sides by a tall, red brick wall. The air was chilly, but the sun was shining, and its warmth was heavenly. Daisy raised her face, closing her eyes to soak it in.

Samantha grabbed her hand and tugged. All the other women were moving, single-file around the perimeter of the yard. Daisy nodded and fell into step with them. With each footfall, the fresh air and sunlight replenished her soul. It was yet to be seen whether it would give her the strength to fight again, or simply make her more complacent.

They completed three circuits around the yard before Samantha walked back inside. Daisy wanted desperately to stay in the sun, but if she didn’t follow, she’d undoubtedly lose this privilege, so she reluctantly trailed along behind her, back into the shadowed hallway.

When they reached their cell, Samantha immediately dropped to her knees on the side of her bed. No one closed the door behind them. She should run, or hide, but she just couldn’t do it. With a sigh, Daisy followed Samantha’s lead. She didn’t want to go back in the cold water. Not that she’d be praying. She’d done that countless times in the days leading up to her wedding day with Geoffrey, and it hadn’t done a bit of good. In the end, she’d had to take matters into her own hands.

Instead, she thought about Fitz. She hadn’t known it was possible to miss someone so much. As she imagined his arms wrapped around her she could almost feel his warmth, his love.

“I’m proud of you, Jane.”

It wasn’t Fitz who spoke the words, though. It was Dr. Mickelson, and his voice ruined her moment of respite. He stood in the doorway, watching her.

She wanted to rail against him, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She wasn’t brave enough to face the consequences. Eventually, she simply lowered her forehead onto her hands on top of the bed. For now, at least, he had defeated her. The door closed, followed by the scraping of the lock.

“Fitz,” she whispered to herself. And even though he wasn’t there, her mind conjured the sound of her name whispered from his lips. She would get back to him. Somehow.

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