Rei's POV
The dark-haired girl and I were led down a dark, cold hallway that smelled faintly of decay, with cobwebs clinging to every nook and cranny. Neither Tamaghna nor Blaecleah uttered a single word as we all made our way through the basement. A chill made its way up my spine, and I hugged myself to keep warm. We rounded more corners, walking down more hallways, until we finally reached our destination. The palace dungeon.
Tamaghna opened the barred door of one of the cells, the metal squeaking awfully. He gestured for the girl and I to get in; I had to gently pull her in with me, for she was frozen in fear. Using the rusted key Fahyim had given him, Tamaghna locked us up, giving us both a sympathetic look before stalking off with Blaecleah, leaving us alone.
The cell was small, with not even a cot or a toilet. The walls were dry and cracked, and the floor was made from cold gray stone. Upon further inspection, I saw what almost looked like dried blood staining the floor. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I sat down on the floor, legs crossed, back against the wall. I heard a shuffling, looking over to the girl. She had sat down, hugging her tattered sweater to her small frame.
"It'll be okay." She met my gaze, but looked down after a few seconds. I wasn't really sure if it would truly be alright, but I felt for her, and she looked so utterly broken. The least I could do was give her hope, even if it were only a small bit.
The silence was deafening. The only discernible sounds were our breathing, nothing else. It was as if we were alone in this place, alone with our dangerous thoughts. Not wanting to go crazy from the isolation, I sought to make conversation with my cell mate.
"So... what's your name?" I spoke softly, so as not to startle her. Slowly, she looked up at me, a helpless look in her eyes that made me angry all over again.
Her voice was quiet and raw; she must've cried a lot earlier. "A-Alexa." I knew I'd remembered her. She had gone to my school, back in the human realm. I had never spoken to her, but I definitely knew who she was. She had been a member of the student council, and she always had the best ideas that benefited the school greatly.
"I'm Rei. We went to the same school." I did my best to not talk a lot; it was a habit of mine that didn't prove necessary in situations such as this.
Alexa smiled sadly then. "We did, didn't we? The world is a small place; how unfortunate that we had to have met in such a place."
"It sure is, isn't it?" It really was quite a pity that we both somehow ended up in Sapphira. At least I had been able to adapt, make a name for myself. It was Alexa I was worried about; what would happen to her? My mind strayed to awful conclusions, thus I quickly pushed the thought from my consciousness.
Alexa cleared her throat, eyes flickering about the cell. "So this is where you disappeared to, all that time."
"I guess so. Say, how did you get here? I was told- never mind, you wouldn't understand." I had only thought those with fae blood in them could get here. Then again, maybe Alexa did have fae blood in her, but maybe she didn't. For all I knew, I could've opened up some gateway to hell.
"Well, I'm not quite sure, to be honest. What's weird is, I had begun to have these weird dreams, just before I woke up here. Then when I was on my way to your house to help out your aunt, I thought I saw something in the trees, so I got closer. Then, I started to feel dizzy, and blacked out, then woke up here in the forest." It was strange how it all connected, how our stories were so similar in a way, as if we were meant to be here all along. Maybe all of this did mean something; after all, even Ryouko was having these dreams.
I drew in a breath, catching a whiff of the musty scent of the dungeon. "Have- how long have you been here?" It was obvious she hadn't been here long. I wondered if she even knew anything about this place.
"About a day. I was still in the forest when those people found me." If only she knew that those weren't people. "Do you... know where we are?" Alexa's voice was quiet, curious.
"We're in Sapphira, the realm of the fae. So those people that brought us here, they aren't human. No one in Sapphira is." I watched as she took in this information, as her face took expressions ranging from shock to confusion. "I understand that this is all so new, but trust me, I felt the same way when I first found out. And it does take a while to get used to, but it actually isn't so bad if you're surrounded by the right fae." I hoped that maybe we could somehow make it out of here alive; Alexa could live with Verena and I, live a peaceful life in the village. If Kiaran decided to be cooperative, that is. I was still convinced that he didn't value my life at all.
"Is that why everyone here is so beautiful?" We both laughed; I had to admit, she was right. Our conversation continued like this late into the day.
* * *
It had become quiet again; both Alexa and I had started to feel tired. Not yet ready for sleep, I let myself think. I hoped Verena wouldn't be worried; I didn't know how long I'd be stuck here, but something told me it'd be a bit before Alexa and I would be getting out. I'm sure Kiaran had better things to do than deal with two mortals.
I wondered what Kiaran was doing right now. Now that I knew he was the Unseelie king, he probably had important things to care of. It made sense; he had always been gone while I was over at the house on the border. It still didn't explain why he was always near when I was in trouble. He must've been watching me, just as Ryouko said. I had no idea why, though. He did say that I fascinated him, but why? I was utterly boring, average. What was so interesting about me?
My thoughts were interrupted by a faery I didn't recognize entering the hall. I flinched when he spoke; his voice was loud, breaking the silence.
"Lights out."
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Anyone remember Alexa? It's okay if you don't, I probably wouldn't either 😂 especially since she appeared for like just a few seconds way in the beginning of the story.
It looks like her and Rei are becoming friends... what might happen??
Hopefully you guys like this chapter, I know it's not the most interesting chapter, but in a few chapters it should get good again!
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Dark Magic
Fantasy"Are you two close?" I didn't have to ask what he meant by that. "And why should you care?" A part of me, deep down, hoped he would say he cared for me. I had a feeling he was worse than I'd imagined, and yet, I wanted to forget all of that. "Do yo...
