Dream of a Vast Blue Cavern

Chapter 11: Marked By Fire: Stasia

 Stasia woke from a dreamless sleep to intense heat and a roaring sound that filled her ears. She did not raise her head or open her eyes; she might learn something useful if her captors thought she was still asleep. The heat made her drowsy and nauseous, but she fought the feeling. She did not know why she had been separated from her people, but she did not like it. She remembered the General demanding she come with him, and refusing, and then nothing until now.

 “The answers to the questioning were difficult to decipher, Majesty.” That was Medoc's voice. “They don't know how many of their ilk were killed or imprisoned when we first took the lake, and none can agree on how many were killed later, during their raids, or in the last attack. One thing was certain, however. It does seem that most of them did not join the other captives in surrender, but instead struck out for the Outer Tunnels.”

 “Find them, Medoc.” The Fire King's voice was shaky, like one of the guildless who had succumbed to madness. It crawled up Stasia’s spine like razor-footed spiders. “Cowards, running away. Destroy every last one of them.”

 There was a moment of silence, and then Medoc spoke again. “Majesty, I would like you to reconsider and allow me to bring some of the Icers to the lake. The problem with the baths stems from the lake, and I think I can fix it if the Icers—”

 “I am not accustomed to repeating my orders,” Dynat said. “General, you will see to this personally. Now.”

 “As you command, Majesty.”

 “Leave me, Medoc. Tell the Guards to admit no one.”

 Stasia fought to control the fear that gripped her heart. If the Fire King saw her shaking, he would know that she was awake. She was afraid of being alone with him. She wanted to call out for Medoc not to leave. Why she thought the General would be any better than Dynat, she could not say. She heard his footsteps echo away, and then the heavy thud of a stone portcullis being lowered. The heat seemed to increase by a fraction, making her more ill. In spite of the nausea, she tried to draw the heat inside her.

 For a short time all she could hear was the roar that filled the cavern, and then the clink of armor and thud of footfalls approached her cage. He must have been very close, for she could hear him breathing even over the white noise of the roar. “Yes, yes.” The Fire King muttered to himself. “I know. The Dreams.”

 The footsteps came closer, and she sensed a hand on the bars of her small cage. “I know you are awake, little Ice Fairy. You might as well stop pretending.”

 Stasia slowly pried her eyelids open. The light in the cavern blinded her, a piercing red-orange glow instead of the soft blues she was used to. With an effort, she pushed herself up on her elbows. If she stood, the top of the cage would force her to stoop. Instead, she sat up with her legs folded under at the knee, trying to appear dignified.

 She was completely naked, and although it had probably been intended to humiliate her, she was grateful. The chirsh she had worn before would have trapped the warmth of her body in the intense heat of this room. Her skin was slick with sweat, and she had to blink it back where it ran past her eyebrows into the corners of her eyes. Her hair was matted to her back, but the crown of Iskalon still sat heavy upon her head. After a moment, Stasia reached back, divided her hair in two, and swept it forward in an effort to cover some of her nudity. The ends tickled the tops of her thighs.

 The Fire King towered above her, clutching the bars of the cage with one hand. His long black hair was tied back, and in a completely different context, she might have thought him handsome. His chin and cheeks were round, but his jaw was hard, and there was a wild look in his eyes, shining gold in the wretched light, like a dangerous male slink. She wondered what he intended. Once, she had thought that no Flame and Icer union was desirable or even possible, but now that she knew her mother had been a Flame, she had to wonder. Had he caged her here beside his throne because he desired her as a woman?