Page 136 of Crown of Storm and Silence
"NO!" I scream, my voice tearing with desperation. "STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING! TAKE ME INSTEAD!"
But they can't hear me, or they don't care. The extraction continues while Banu's struggles grow weaker, her beautiful green eyes growing dim as piece after piece of who she is gets stolen away.
"Nesilhan," she whispers with the last dregs of her true self. "Remember—not all—prisons—have—bars—nest of—stars?—"
The light dies in her eyes, leaving something that wears her face but carries no trace of the friend I've loved for years. The figures step back with obvious satisfaction, examining their harvest while the empty shell that was once Banu hangs motionless in her chains.
"Perfect," the lead figure declares. "Now deploy the asset. The target must be eliminated during the darkest hour, when the child is most vulnerable to extraction."
I wakegasping on the library floor, my head cradled in Elcin's lap as she presses cool fingers to my temples. The magical sleep dissipates slowly, leaving me disoriented and terrified.
"Thank the gods," Elcin breathes. "You've been unconscious for nearly an hour. I couldn't wake you—whatever magic she used was beyond my ability to break."
"Banu," I gasp, struggling to sit up. "Where's Banu?"
"Gone," Elcin says grimly. "The moment you fell unconscious, she just... walked out. I had to choose between pursuing her and staying to protect you."
The dream's horror clings to me, those images of torture and extraction too vivid to be mere imagination. "We have to find her. Something's wrong—something's been done to her."
"I've already sent guards to search," Elcin assures me, helping me to my feet. "But Nesilhan, what happened? What did you see?"
Before I can answer, a sound reaches us from somewhere below—faint but unmistakable. Crying. Soft, desperate sobs that could only belong to one being.
"That's her," I whisper, my heart racing. "That's Banu."
"It could be a trap," Elcin warns, her hand moving to her sword.
"I don't care." I'm already moving toward the door. "She's in trouble."
We descend through the palace together, Elcin insisting on taking point despite my protests. The corridors feel different somehow—shadows deeper than they should be in afternoon light, while magical resonances pulse through the walls with alien rhythms.
The sobbing grows louder as we descend toward the dungeons, accompanied by the sound of chains rattling against stone.
"This is wrong," Elcin mutters, her blade now drawn. "The dungeons have been empty for years."
We find her in the deepest cell, exactly as I saw in the dream. Chained to the wall with her wings spread wide, her beautiful face streaked with tears as she struggles against silver restraints.
"Nesilhan!" she gasps with desperate relief. "Thank the gods you found me! They took me while you were sleeping—I tried to fight, but there were too many of them!"
"Stay back," Elcin commands, putting herself between me and the cell. "This doesn't feel right."
"It's Banu!" I protest. "She needs our help!"
"Who did this?" Elcin demands, not moving from her defensive position. "Who exactly took you?"
"Light Court agents," Banu sobs. "They said something about timing, about making sure Nesilhan couldn't interfere with their plans. Please, hurry—I think they're coming back!"
I push past Elcin despite her protests, golden light already flowing from my hands to dissolve the cell door. The ancient locks are no match for my magic.
"Nesilhan, don't—" Elcin starts, but I'm already rushing toward Banu's chained form.
My hands pass through her like smoke.
The illusion dissolves, leaving only empty chains. For a moment, we both stand frozen in shock.
"What the—" Elcin starts, then spins around, sword already drawn. "It's a trap. We need to leave. Now."
But before we can move, we hear it—soft crying from deeper in the dungeons, beyond a turn in the corridor we hadn't noticed before.
