Page 89 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
“Where is here?” I launch myself at the bars, gripping them so tightly my arms tremble. “Where have you taken me, you arrogant prick?”
Fear claws its way up my throat. Without Zephyros, I’m half a person. Without him, I’d rather die.
“What have you done to my dragon?” My voice cracks. “If you’ve hurt him?—“
“Your dragon is fine, I suppose,” Tahranis cuts me off. “He simply can’t hear you anymore.”
“What do you want from me?” I slam my fists against the bars, my knuckles splitting open. “For the last time. What does the King want? Answer me, you pompous ass!”
Tahranis continues examining his nails, completely unmoved by my outburst. His gaze doesn’t even flicker toward me.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” I scream, my voice bouncing off the stone walls.
Nothing. It’s like I’ve become invisible, inaudible.
I grab the plate and hurl it at the bars. Food scatters across the floor, but Tahranis doesn’t flinch as gravy splatters his pristine coat. He simply stares through me, as if I’m not even here.
Wait.
The realization crawls up my spine like ice water. This isn’t right. The torchlight doesn’t flicker naturally. The shadows don’t move. And Tahranis... he’s too still. Too perfect.
I press my palms against my temples as a wave of dizziness hits me. My vision doubles, then clears. The cell walls waver like heat rising from summer stones.
“This isn’t real,” I whisper.
The words trigger something. The cell darkens around the edges, and suddenly…
“This already happened,” I realize with dawning horror.
This is a memory. A vision of my time beneath the mountain, dragging me below the surface like an undertow. I struggle against it, fighting to stay present, but the memory pulls harder. I’m slipping deeper into the past, watching myself interact with Tahranis, seeing what happened after he took me.
“No,” I gasp, clawing at reality. “I need to wake up. I need to get back to?—”
But it’s too late. The present fades as the past claims me once more.
“Eat,” Tahr insists, gesturing at the plate. “You must be hungry. It’s been two days.”
The food sits before me—roasted meat glistening with fat, vegetables in vibrant colors, bread that steams in the cool air, and a generous pat of butter. The smell makes my stomach clench painfully. How long since I’ve eaten?
Tahranis steps closer to the bars, the torchlight playing across his features. “Are you certain you don’t want to see what I have toshow you?” His voice drops to a silken purr. “I promise you’ll find it... illuminating.”
The way his gaze lingers on my face makes my skin feel too tight, hot and cold at once. A curious mixture of revulsion and fascination washes over me.
“Enough games,” I snap.
I thrust my hands forward, calling on my wind power. My fingers tingle with anticipation… but nothing happens. The air remains still, unresponsive to my command. Again I try harder this time, straining until veins stand out on my temples. No Wind Blast comes.
Tahranis clicks his tongue against his teeth. “That’s not going to work here either, Omneira. Save your energy for more... productive pursuits.”
“What have you done to me? My powers?—”
“Are merely dormant.” He turns away, coat swirling around his legs like liquid shadow. “I’ll return when you’ve calmed yourself. Perhaps then you’ll be more receptive.”
“I’ll never be receptive to anything from you!” I yell at his retreating back, frustration boiling over into rage. “Do you hear me? Never!”
Only silence answers as he disappears into the darkness beyond the torchlight.
I jolt from sleep as Tahranis appears again at my cell door. He peers at me with those unnerving eyes of his, causing my skin to prickle. I have no idea how long I’ve been here. Hours bleed into each other in this windowless prison.
