Page 51 of Fallen Thorns
“What are we waiting for, then?” Mars stood up eagerly and headed over to the door. I watched them go, confidence and impatience radiating from every stride. Marianne looked as if she was about to stop them, but held her tongue.
“I’ll get them talking,” Mars said, fishing out some keys and preparing to open the door. “If you had told me they were here all along, I’d had done it a lot sooner.” I sensed some bitterness in their tone, and one glance at Marianne confirmed my suspicion.
“Now, now, Mars… there’s a reason I—” The creak of the door cut her off as Mars was already heading down the stone steps and into pitch blackness.
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before heading down after them, leaving me with no choice but to follow.
I’d seenplenty of action films to have a clear idea of what a secret holding cell looked like, and this was a perfect example. There were no lights except for two burning torches on either side of the walls, and a tall iron cell sat right in the centre. Mars was already inches away from the bars, scraping their keys across the iron to attract the attention of the two figures in the corner. Their backs were hunched as they turned to face us, yet their dark clothes made it difficult to decipher anything about them.
“Well, you can hear me alright,” Mars started; impatience laced their tone.
Not a peep.
Marianne pulled Mars by the shoulders. “Come on, step back,” she said, but Mars shrugged her off, refusing to budge. In fact, out of sheer stubbornness, they took a step forward, so that they were practically pressed against the bars. They grabbed at the poles and pressed their face in between. “I’m talking to you. It’s rude to ignore people, you know,” they shouted, voice echoing into the void.
“Mars!” Marianne yelled.
“What?” They spun around sharply, the ‘t’ harsh on their tongue with a scowl fixed into their usually friendly face.
Marianne lowered her tone. “Safety. Please, Mars.”
I tried to think of a way to intervene, but decided against it. Yet Mars listened to Marianne that time and walked towards me in a sulk, brushing past a concerned Marianne in childish defeat. “Do it your way then,” they muttered.
This tension between them had nothing to do with me, though I stood still when Mars came to my side, and I flashed them a sympathetic smile, which they half-heartedly reciprocated.
We then watched Marianne’s attempt. She glided over with an air of grace and professionalism. Her voice angelic — hauntingly so. Even Mars sensed the shift, and I watched their shoulders straighten as they watched their leader.
“You will tell us what you know about the recent killings here in the city.” Her Manipulation was so compelling I found myself wanting to confess my own deepest thoughts. The sheer strength of this woman petrified me.
“Nice try,” one of them muttered into the darkness, a low gravelly voice.
That didn’t phase Marianne at all. “I was just getting started,” she said, proudly. I felt her grin from across the room. “Tell me.”
A ruffle of clothes and a scrape of metal echoed against the stone floor then one of them stood, turning into the light and stepping forward to face the leader of The Thorns. A young woman, or so it seemed, with soft ginger curls and the purest of faces. She could have been ancient for all I knew, but then Mars gasped, and I turned towards them.
“Jade?” they questioned, stepping closer. The creature behind the cage stepped to one side to peer over Marianne’s shoulder, her cold expression loosening into a grin.
“Well, well, nowthiswas most unexpected.” She licked her lips, fangs flashing in the amber glow. “They got you too, huh?”
I didn’t see Mars’ reaction but Marianne turned around and faced them with remorse. “I did say…”
Mars knew this person. Most likely from when they were alive — someone significant enough for Marianne to have also known them.A friend? Ex-partner?
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Still masquerading as a student or have you moved on from that now?” Her tone adopted a patronising edge. “I didn’t last long doing that; people are a lot more observant than you think, aren’t they?”
Mars stayed silent.
“I bet you feel good seeing me like this though. It’s what I deserve, right?” Her brow quirked up and an evil glint shone in her golden eyes. This was no friend.
“Got a new pal?” Her gaze jolted towards me, making me involuntarily gulp. Definitely not a friend.
“Shut up.” Marianne snapped back around. The woman — Jade — staggered back with force.
“We’re not here for a catch up. You don’t deserve that.” She made a brief glance to Mars then turned back. “Tell us what we want to know. Now.”
Her words shook the room, and the other assailant stood to face us as well. A much older looking man with a scar across his nose stood, easily a foot above Marianne, but she did not cower an inch as he walked up to the bars and glared down on her. Instead, she repeated herself, one final time.
The man seemed to be holding back words, attempting to maintain composure and dominance. Finally, he released a heavy breath and stepped back slightly. Jade glared at him in annoyance. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll tell you what we know.”
