Indigo's Owl [Indigo Rewrite]

Chapter 36 - Silence

When Athira woke from her nightmare in a grey-tiled box of a room sitting opposite of Karma's smug, tattooed face, she knew she hadn't imagined it.

"I see you're finally awake," said Karma, folding her hands neatly over the tablet on the table in front of her. "We did have our concerns that you might—"

"Where's Shift?" asked Athira. Everything else felt hazy, but that much, she could recall.

Anything, remember?

Not this. Not you.

"He's in a secure location," said Karma. "I'm sure you have questions, but first, there's a few things I need to discuss with you, such as—"

Athira glanced herself over as Karma spoke, paying zero attention to the Warden's words.

She was still in most of her Owl outfit with the exception of her cloak and mask. Her legs and waist were restrained to a sturdy, metal chair bolted into the floor. Her arms were forward, covered up to the elbows in a large pair of heavy-duty binders secured to the table.

"I'm not talking to you about anything until I see Shift," said Athira, tired of Karma's voice droning on in her ears.

Karma sighed and tapped the tablet in her hand, bringing up a video feed and turning it towards Athira. "If you insist. Here."

Athira didn't even look at it. With her arms forced in front of her, what remained of her runes seemed to stare her in the face. The once sharp, crisp edges were ragged. The more solid sections of Blue were patchy, and even the flickering had been reduced to little more than a dull, dying glow.

"I want to talk to him in person."

Karma's eyes narrowed as she slid the tablet back across the table. "What would that accomplish?"

Athira flexed her bicep, watching the outline of a rune split and sputter. There was so little of them left — and for the first time, Athira found she didn't care.

"To be sure it's him, for starters," said Athira, hardly recognising the levelled calm in her voice. She flicked her eyes up to Karma, giving the Warden a razor-thin smile. "And because if you've hurt him, I'm going to kill every last one of you before I leave what's left of your little hideout in ruins."

"You might want to consider your threats a little more carefully, Athira," said Karma, leaning back in her chair. "Those binders were specifically designed to contain your Colour, and I assure you, you will not be getting out of them until we're satisfied that you're no longer a threat to our cause."

"Is that so?" drawled Athira, giving her restraints an experimental tug and finding them firmly locked in place. She drew Black to her hands, attempting to phase them through the binders only to find the Black sucked away before she could use it.

It didn't matter. She didn't need her hands to use the Black for anything more than a safety precaution. If Talon were ready to help her restrain it, she could be out of these binders in the blink of an eye.

Talon? she called across the empty expanse of her mindscape, receiving nothing but an echo in reply. Athira frowned. Tal, can you hear me?

The spirit is gone, growled Rathe, prowling at the edge of her thoughts. I saw to it myself.

Dread sank its teeth into Athira as she glanced down in a panic and realised what she'd missed earlier. The detail she'd taken for granted.

"I assume from your alarm that you've noticed there's no way out of those binders?" said Karma. "We've studied your Colour extensively, and—"

"Where's my amulet?" snapped Athira.