Kindred Spirit

Chapter 8

I awaken to the same darkness I had fallen asleep in. My muscles ache from sleeping upon the hard stone floor. I groan slightly as I roll over onto my back. I had been curled up on my right side. It's then that I notice the warm feeling wrapped around my body. I feel the soft fabric curiously, wondering how it got here. Could the King have given it to me while I slept? No, surely he wouldn't have.

He is too heartless to do such a great act of kindness although he did kill a man for simply speaking poorly of me.

I'm unsure of the King's true motives here, and I don't wish to know. All I want is to return home to my brother and Anne. I break off my thoughts the moment her name enters my mind. Anne will not be there when I return home, if I return home. The cold-hearted King killed her.

Why do I continue thinking of him by his undeserving title? He is not fit to be a ruler, unless it is the Kingdom of Hell he powers over. Ryker does not deserve any hint of respect from me. My eyes tear up as my thoughts return to Anne, but no tears fall. I throw the blanket off of me, welcoming the coldness that brushes against my skin, giving me icy kisses. I would rather freeze than accept any gift from him.

The blanket falls somewhere on the stone floor. I cannot see a thing around me so I cannot even make out its shape in the darkness.

My thoughts turn towards my brother. I know for a fact he is worried about me, he has to be. We're the only family each other truly has. The staff of my castle adores me as well. We don't force humans into our service as Ryker does; they are all there willingly and are rewarded for their services.

I try to call forth a vision to see what my brother's current plans are, but I can't quite grasp the power that always resides within me. I need blood, I need food... I need strength.

Thinking of my brother and those who are worrying for me causes my need and desperation to escape from here to grow. I pull myself up from the ground and begin feeling along the wall. I can't handle being trapped within the confines of this small prison any longer. My hands travel along the stone wall, searching for any sign of the door. I've already seen the layout of this horrid room before Ryker had locked me it. No windows, no door except the one he had opened.

My hands glide along the rough stone, searching for anything that would reveal how to open the door from the inside. It's then that my hands touch something odd. It feels as though there are cravings within the stone. I begin feeling the letters, tracing them with my finger. They spell out words, names.

Merayya,

Shayla,

Calleyanna,

Kiari,

Amerie,

Amabelle,

Fraya,

Feya,

Valarie,

My hand begins to trace the Largest of the names, one done in a much larger style above all the rest.

Li-

The door suddenly opens, causing me to jump and my hand to pull away from the wall. Ryker stands in the now open entrance across from me. My muscles tense as he nears me. "Are you ready to come out? Or should I give you more time?"

"I didn't know touching a curtain is illegal," I say coldly. I gasp as I suddenly find myself crashing hard against the stone wall. I stare up at Ryker who looks down at me. He has an odd expression on his face, one that is hard for me to decipher. It seems to be a mix of anger, frustration... and something else. Sadness? Regret? I can't be sure.