The Forsaken Prophecy

Chapter Seventeen

Rowen pressed herself against the wall. She knew whatever was coming, it wasn't good.

Five guards walked briskly through the dank chamber toward them. Their ugliness merely added to the terrifying effect.

Rowen glanced to her right and saw Jason, twitching, not supporting his own weight at all. Only the shackles held him upright. Ayren was watching the approaching entourage with a steely expression.

"What's going on?" he called out as one unlocked the door.

"We're here for the One," the man replied. Rowen's blood ran cold and she tugged in vain at the shackles binding her to the wall.

"Why?" Ayren demanded.

"She is believed to hold crucial information. We must extract it."

Rowen began trembling. She knew what happened to prisoners when their captors wanted information. "I don't know what you're talking about, I swear," she pleaded, voice shaking.

"We're not going to torture you," assured the lead guard. He smiled grotesquely, holding up a strange device shaped like a metal claw, two rigid fingers with suction cups at their ends. "We're simply going to extract it."

"No, what--" Rowen glanced wildly at Ayren. "Ayren--"

"Don't touch her," he said calmly.

The guard looked conflicted. "But--"

"Turn around."

The guard began to sleepily shuffle in a circle before one of his companions snapped, "No mindspeak! You have been marked a traitor to the Overlord and do not hold any authority!" He grabbed the claw from the first guard and slammed the suction cups against Rowen's forehead. She uttered a piercing scream.

*

"No!" Ayren shouted, straining against his bonds. "Stop it! You're hurting her!" He pulled so hard that he felt the metal cutting into his wrists. He couldn't think of anything except for the fact that he had to stop Rowen's suffering.

*

It felt like metal fingers were ripping Rowen's skull open and peeking inside her brain. Her life flashed before her.

She was three and sobbing from a scraped knee.

She was six and drawing a lopsided flower.

She was seven and eating ice cream with her father.

She was nine and trying not to cry as her mother and father hurled insults back and forth.

She was eleven and cooking for her mother as she called around town, trying to find out who her father was with.

She was fourteen and her father--

No.

Rowen stopped screaming with tremendous effort. She began pushing back, prying the fingers one by one from her skull.

And then they were gone.

And she was alone in her head again.

Rowen passed out.

*

Ayren hadn't felt this helpless since his mom had died. He was trapped, Jason was deep in a vision, and Rowen was passed out cold. There was no hope of escape. He was a traitor, and plans were likely being made to murder the trio and the princess.

A plan began to materialize in Ayren's head.

*

Rowen awoke to Ayren carefully and painstakingly cutting through his bonds with a white-hot flame. From his fingertip.

Every once in a while, he was stop and shake out his wrist. Sweat beaded his forehead and he trembled with concentration.

Rowen started to do the same. Ayren glanced over at her, relief written all over his face, but didn't say a thing.

She could quickly see why Ayren was exhausted and sweating. Having her wrist bent at an unnatural angle for too long sent spikes of pain through Rowen's arm. Also, summoning such a hot flame was incredibly strenuous.

The door opened.

Instantly, both flames went out. As tired as she was, Rowen still threw up an imperfect illusion to hide the near-sawed through shackles.

A guard opened the cell door, pulling a cart with three bowls and cups on it behind him. "Dinner," he said abruptly.

Was it that late already? How long had she been unconscious?

The guard started with Jason. The visions were slowing down and the boy had somehow managed to fall asleep.

The guard slapped him across the cheek. "Wake up!"

"Don't do that!" Rowen snapped as Jason started and glanced wildly around him.

The guard ignored her, shoving a spoonful of food into Jason's mouth. Jason ate greedily, some dribbling down his chin.

Rowen felt sick, seeing her best friend be reduced to this. She knew it would soon be her turn.

After the bowl of porridge was emptied, the guard held a roughly hewn wooden cup to Jason's lips.

"Don't worry about wetting yourself," the guard sniggered as Jason slurped at the liquid. "They've got a no-pissing spell over this cell block." He chuckled and moved to Ayren.

Rowen could see that Ayren was furious at being reduced to this and embarrassed that his friends had to see him like this, but he was also too smart to turn down food.

She extended her hand. Her fingertips grazed his limp ones. His hand stiffened and then moved to grasp hers.

Rowen sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. The severity of their situation began to drift away, and it was all she could do to focus on her illusions. They would escape.

"Hey, doll-face, your turn," the guard drawled, snapping her out of her internal pep talk. She squeezed Ayren's hand tighter.

*

Ayren knew what was going through the troll's head as he surveyed Rowen. Red filled his vision and he felt the uncontrollable urge to hurt the beast.

As the guard began to roughly feed Rowen, he took a deep breath to control himself.

They had a solid plan. They were so close to saving themselves and Princess Maria. He couldn't blow it now.

Rowen drank her fill. The guard left.

The flames were ignited.

The metal was broken.