The Etherealites

6: Cassiopeia- Anomaly

The door to my cell opens, and in walks Alzir. He sneers at me from the other side of the thick diamond-glass between us. Alzir's gray eye and gold eye are beautiful, but I remember when they used to belong to Bracken, the male Theurgi he has possessed. As leader of the Dark Council, this particular Augur is known to be beyond cruel. And as he steps right up, shoving his hands into his pockets and sneering, I glare back at him.

"Would you like a friend? Someone to keep you company?"

I do not speak to him. I don't ever speak to Alzir, but the others .... they make me speak. Alzir knows this, too. And that knowing smile of his appears again as he pulls his hands from his pockets and places them on the diamond-glass.

"You know, you could return to Lunaris," he says.  "I know that that's what you truly want. Really."

I don't speak, I just stare. He sighs and begins to pace. "You could be free of this place, free of my home. You could wander about. Do as you wish. But no. You refuse to give me what I want, so you must remain here."

The door behind him bangs open as guards shove a girl into the room he's in. Alzir waves a hand, and the diamond-glass hisses as it opens.  I feel my body tense up, but they shove the girl in and seal it up without any preamble.

The girl looks up at me, her face flushed with fear. Tears in her gray eyes, her dyed green hair falls in them. Her dark, smooth skin is flawless, save for a mark on the back of her hand. She pulls the sleeves of her shirt down, hiding the mark, and turns back to Alzir. A defiant look crosses her face as she stares him down, like a wolf staring at a weak challenger.

"Who are you?" asks the girl as Alzir and the guards leave.

I clear my throat. I barely ever speak, but this .... I could have an ally here. So, I do speak to her.

"I am Cassiopeia. An .... Anomaly."

"Oh," she says. "I'm uh .... Quaith. I'm Quaith, a Mystic."

I nod, and turn, crawling back to my bed. The cell we are in is sterile, white, and lonely. There's a small cot against the back wall, and a pallet on the floor.  I remember when Bracken would lay on it, sleeping beside me. He was a Theurgi, and when he was stolen away by Alzir and possessed, I stopped talking to anyone. Especially the monster wearing his skin.

The room is not too big, but half of it is cut off by the diamond-glass wall that separates me from them. They come into the other half of the room to gawk at and taunt me. But I am left alone most of the time, being fed just enough to keep me strong enough to use my powers. If I did not refuse to use them, that is.

Ever since they possessed Bracken, and fed Elide to the only Augur without a body, Carina, I haven't used my powers or spoken. Not unless absolutely necessary. I hate the Dark Council. I hate all they stand for. They're the leaders of us all, and their palace in the sky above Kilwatch, that's where I am kept. In its dungeons.

And now, Quaith is here, too. So, of course I am not going to try and know her. Because I bet I know what they are doing here with her. They are going to feed her to Carina, or give her over as a host body for her.

Suddenly, Quaith goes rigid. She tosses her head back, and gasps. Her eyes turn white, and she collapses onto her side on the pallet on the floor beside my own cot. I look at her, concern, unwanted and not something I need right now, but concern nonetheless comes like a tidal wave into my heart.

"Quaith?" I ask her.

She looks up at me, blinking. "Uh.... shit. We're in trouble."