It was impossible to calculate the time in the cell. There were no windows, and no noise, nothing that would indicate to the time of day or night. Lorena was tempted to speak with Murtagh but did not want to be over heard nor did she know what to say. Instead she took Murtagh's earlier advice. She closed her eyes and pictured her and Murtagh trekking through the Beor Mountains, happening upon hidden wonders.
* * *
Murtagh and Lorena sat on a ledge overlooking green valley's when she heard an odd scraping noise. Lorena squeezed her eyes shut, and lifted Murtagh's hand to her lips. No, she whispered. Lorena opened her eyes and looked upon a tiled ceiling. Three pairs of footsteps began to descend the stairs. The metal gate clattered open, then the footsteps continued. A carved wooden chair was set down beside Murtagh, and on it sat the King. A Twin stood beside him while his brother made his way to the brazier, which still glowed hot.
"Murtagh," Galbatorix leaned back in his chair, his composure calm and confident, "tell me what has happened since you left Urû'baen." Lorena watched him out of the corner of her eye, she knew Murtagh would not willingly tell Galbatorix anything, and she knew that Galbatorix also knew that. He was playing with him. A cat who has caught a mouse, allow it to run before again pouncing on it.
As expected Murtagh remained quiet. The only noise in the room emanated from the scraping of the irons in the brazier. Galbatorix cleared his throat, and looked expectantly at the twin. He turned, hot iron in hand, and the process began all over again. Galbatorix would ask what had happened since Murtagh left Urû'baen, Murtagh ignored him, and he would be kissed by the iron. They swapped between the two victims, as they had done before but this time there was no soothing voice explaining why this was happening to them. Eventually as Galbatorix asked what happened Murtagh began to shout no, his voice hoarse. Lorena restrained herself from joining him. She knew that Galbatorix had no interest in what she had to say, this was all about Murtagh. When they stopped for the day Galbatorix was in a dark mood, the very air around him seemed to densen. He stood and left, without saying a word, the twins followed quickly behind him, slamming the door and leaving the two alone.
A gurgling laugh escaped Lorena's lips. To her surprise Murtagh's voice joined hers. Their bodies burned, ached, and screamed at them but that did not seem to matter at this moment in time. Their laugh was so out of place she thought that they must be going mad.
* * *
When Galbatorix next visited them he came alone. The King stood beside Murtagh's slab silently, before reaching down and snapping the manacles loose. Murtagh paused, then slowly rose watching the King warily. Galbatorix helped him to his feet before escorting him out of the cell. The door closed behind them, then the scrape of the bolt.
Utter panic set in. Lorena cried out and pulled against her manacles. She looked toward the stairs thinking it must be a trick, that Murtagh must still be here. But she was alone, and Murtagh was gone. Lorena lay against the cool slab feeling terrified and useless. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes and before she knew it she was sobbing.
"Where are you?" she cried desperately.
* * *
Lorena's body clenched when she heard the scrape of the bolt. Two pairs of footsteps descended the stairs. When Murtagh appeared at the corner of her vision Lorena released a breath she didn't know she was holding. The King appeared beside him and without a word helped him back onto the slab, before securing the manacles and leaving.
"Murtagh!" Lorena cried once the door closed. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine." Murtagh seemed distant, as if in a daze. "He took me to see his dragon eggs."
"He..." Lorena pondered the meaning. "He must think you could become a Rider. Since your father was one."
"Galbatorix believes I would make a good Rider, he talked about how pleased he would be if I was in his service."
"You can't- I mean, you don't want to be in his service, do you?"
Murtagh seemed to snap out of his daze, his voice sharp and forceful. "Of course not. But in case you have not noticed we don't have much of a choice here. Hopefully an egg won't hatch for me."
* * *
The Twins seemed to have grown bored of the process when they visited. When told to carry on their work they let the iron land with a careless aim, unlike before when they carefully planned out the most excruciating spots. Murtagh had also seemed to grow tired of the sport, he no longer replied to the King but rather lay unmoving waiting for the next kiss. Lorena thought of Du Weldenvarden, and eventually the searing pain dulled into moderate burns.
* * *
The next visit came only a few hours after the King and his minions had left. Lorena was glad to see the bulbous head and grey lips of her gaoler, as he leaned down to release her. The food was bland but today they were given a warmed spiced wine that danced exciting flavours over their tongues. When the gaolers left Lorena allowed herself a small smile.
* * *
The two prepared themselves as they heard the bolt scrap. Two pairs of footsteps descended the stairs. A bold figure appeared between the slabs, Lorena was surprised to see that the Twins had come without Galbatorix, and was shocked that they both stepped beside her, a carving knife in one hand.
"Do you remember when we discussed flaying a living man?" A knot formed in Lorena's stomach as she looked from the Twins to the carving knife. "Let's give it a try."
Lorena cried out as a Twin tore her shirt open, the material ripping away from where it had burnt into her flesh. The Twin pushed up the wrap constricting her breasts to reveal her lower sternum, then his brother brought the knife down slowly, the fire from the brazier giving it an evil light.
"No! Why isn't the king here?" Murtagh pulled against his manacles, his eyes showed more white than grey as he tried to see from his bad position. "Do you have permission to be doing this?"
The Twin with the knife looked up with an annoyed expression. "We can do as we please in our spare time. You may be protected, but for us, she's free game." The Twin on her right firmly placed a hand on Lorena chest, then the other on her abdomen to further restrict her movement before his brother sliced her skin. Lorena clenched her teeth which muffled her groan, but her body still jerked causing the knife to cut deeper than expected. "Hold her down!" scolded the Twin with the knife.
Lorena felt the odd sensation of hot blood trickling down her sides, and clamped her eyes shut to stop them watering. "You've cut her too deep... Keep going, do not do it again and we should not have too many problems."
The sharp pain of the knife returned as her skin was delicately sliced open down to the navel. Her body jerked again but the Twin had a better grip and the slice was barely hampered. The Twin with the carving knife repositioned the blade and began to cut horizontally across her navel. Despite her good sense to stay still Lorena pulled against her manacles and squirmed against the knife causing the blade to swerve and cut deeper. The Twin cursed, "Hold her still, you fool!"
The Twins bantered at one another, but Lorena was paying more attention to the pain in her stomach and the blood flowing over her dirtied skin to pool on the slab beside her. Before long the Twins agreed to start skinning, she was held down again as a Twin began to cut the flesh from her stomach. Before she could stop it Lorena screamed so high pitched she saw the Twins wince.
Lorena continued to scream as the Twins flayed her stomach, until the knife wielder put down the blade and slapped her across the face. The scream caught in her throat, and her face would have hit the slab if not for the head restraint. "It's not working as well as I'd hoped." Lorena lay dazed, watching a Twin examine the flayed flesh from under hooded lids.
"It would have worked better if you would have held her down properly." snapped his brother. Lorena heard the scrape of the bolt.
The Twins heads snapped up as a pair of footsteps descended the stairs. "King Galbatorix," the Twins bowed low as the King approached the slab.
"What is going on here?" Lorena spied the King at the edge of her vision, glancing down at her with a cold expression before closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing.
"We decided to experiment, in our leisure time, with-"
"With a valuable captive," The Kings hard soled boots clacked the ground as he stepped beside the prisoner. "How were you planning on healing this? You were planning on healing this, were you not?"
"Of course, Your Grace. We would have healed this like any other flesh wound."
"You are not particularly learned on the healing arts, are you?" Lorena flinched when cool fingers touched the fevered skin of her stomach. She looked up at the King, who towered over the Twins.
"No, Your Grace."
"Do you know how much energy would be required to heal this wound?"
"No, Your Grace."
"So you experimented on a valuable captive without knowing for sure how to heal their wound and if you would be able to."
"Your Grace, if we have displeased you-"
"Yes. Yes you have. Now get out. I'll punish you later for this." The Twins bowed again before heading towards the stairs. "One more thing," the Twins turned to look at their King, "if you had done this to Murtagh, you would both be dead right now." With that the pair fled up the stairs and out of the cell.
Galbatorix looked down at the wound, inspecting the flow of blood before repositioning the flap of skin over Lorena's stomach. He placed a hand over her sternum and muttered "Waíse heill," his palm glowed-as Eragon's had-and the flesh began to knit itself back together. The King worked his way down to her navel, healing the deep wounds before the flayed flesh. Lorena's body wriggled involuntarily as her stomach itched, until the King held her down with a firm hand.
When the King finished Lorena lay panting, covered in sweat. She resisted the urge to thank the King, and instead bit her tongue and willed herself to hate the man. Lorena sucked in her breath as the King reached for the side of her head, he paused, a faint smile on his lips before flicking the restraint open. He removed the manacles from around her wrists and ankles before helping her to her feet. Lorena's head spun and she clutched the King's right arm to keep her balance. Her shirt flapped uselessly around her form full of holes and blotched with fresh blood. The King led her away from the slab toward the washbasin beside the stairs, Lorena glanced down at her red smeared stomach and noticed the flesh was once again whole with no permanent hint of abuse.
Once at the washbasin the King removed a cloth from his belt and dipped it into the water, then turned to Lorena began washing her face. The water was cool against her fevered skin, the cloth turned the water a reddish hue when Galbatorix rinsed it before cleaning the gore from her stomach. Her guts suddenly knotted and her mouth became watery, Lorena released the Kings arm and she turned quickly away. Galbatorix made no move to grab her as she stumbled over her feet and her knees hit the ground before the contents of her stomach came up and sprayed across the cell floor. There were tiny chunks of food but mostly liquid coloured crimson. Lorena stared in horror, thinking one of the Twins must have damaged an organ before smelling the sickly sweet smell of the wine. The odour made her head spin and she sat dry heaving.
A form knelt next to her, Lorena turned to see Galbatorix, cloth in hand, reach out and wipe the spittle from her chin. She stared dumfounded and the king helped her to her feet before picking up a cloak near the washbasin she had overlooked. He shook the material of dust before wrapping it around the shaking woman. He took her arm and headed toward the stairs. Lorena paused to catch her breath, the King waited patiently before silently continuing on. The door opened for them and they moved out into the corridor beyond the cell. The door closed firmly behind them before Lorena heard the scrape of the bolt, she winced at the sound.
* * *
Bright yellow light blinded Lorena as they stepped through a large set of double doors. She blinked rapidly waiting for her eyes to adjust. When the light subsided Lorena was surprised to see they were outdoors, in a blossoming garden. Flower beds lined the walk ways flourishing in reds, blues, purples, and all other colours she could think of. She stood mouth agape, until Galbatorix chuckled and-still holding her arm-began to walk through the beds. Lorena stumbled along beside him, admiring the flowers and concentrating on holding her balance.
"Where there many flowers where you grew up, my Lady?" Lorena looked up to see the King smiling down at her. She studied his expression, this man was suppose to be evil, vile, despicable, but now he walked arms linked with her own smiling and talking to her about flowers?
"Quantity, yes. Variety, no. I have never seen flowers in these colours before. Usually by the Az Ragni we have petals of white and orange. I've never seen a purple flower before." Lorena made her way to one of the flower beds, the King supporting her weight as she leaned down to cup a uniquely shaped flower. It consisted of three inner upright petals, and three outer falling petals of vibrant purple with yellow tongues. She sniffed deeply and detected a faint, dainty scent.
"This flower is called an iris. It only blooms for four weeks, you are lucky to see it."
"Lucky." The word rolled heavily off her tongue. She released the flower and allowed the King to continue walking her through the garden. Lorena peered over the beds at the walls of the grounds. The stone circled the entire perimeter, windows dotted the walls evenly showing figures walking by.
A tug on her cloak sleeve caused Lorena to jump. She turned to see Galbatorix examining the amethyst bracelet circled around her delicate wrist. "You seem to favour the colour purple."
"Yes, I guess so. A lady gave me that when I helped her make a basket. I didn't realise I was still wearing it."
"Must have been an impressive basket. Where did this happen?"
Lorena laughed softly, "Must have. She gave it to me on my second day in the-" No, she realised suddenly, we tell him nothing! "I don't remember."
Galbatorix looked down at her sharply, "You no longer remember. Did you use to play outside often as a child?"
Lorena watched her feet as they walked. "I don't remember."
"You don't remember," Galbatorix sighed. "It is odd how your memory has suddenly disappeared. Do you remember how you and Murtagh met?"
Lorena shook her head.
"You seem close. You must have travelled together for a long time, do you remember?"
Lorena shook her head.
"Do you love him?"
Lorena stared at the ground, not trusting herself to move nor speak. Galbatorix continued to look down at her until she shook her head.
"You're not a very good liar," the King laughed. "Would you like to hear about what Murtagh was like as a child? It might surprise you how much he has changed."
"What, you mean before Morzan tried to kill him?"
Galbatorix grew serious, "That was unfortunate. Morzan was a good killer, not a good father. He did not know how to love. He was cruel, especially on the drink. Murtagh happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Did that happen often?"
"No, not really. Murtagh did not spend much time with his father. His trainers and governess knew better than to allow him to be seen often."
"Would you ever do something like that to one of your children?" Lorena looked up into his black eyes, thinking that he must be at least as terrible as his servant.
"I haven't fathered any children. My children are the people within my Empire."
"But how could you not have any? You have had plenty of time to father an heir."
"I do not have any children because I do not want any. As a Rider I am an immortal, I do not need any ungrateful offspring to strive for my throne. I already have the Varden for that." The King noticed Lorena's expression and laughed slightly. "Do not think of me as abstinent, I may not want children but I do fulfil my manly urges."
"Interesting, but to result in no children still confuses me. Tell me, do you fulfil your manly urges on other men or do you simply shoot empty seed?" Lorena had half expected it but the blow still sent her flying to the ground. Her cheek exploded with blinding pain as his hand collided and her head bounced after striking the stone. She lay still while the pain dulled, her arm twisted awkwardly beneath her. When she finally pushed herself up she noted the bloody graze along her right forearm and her wet hair stuck to her face by a thick liquid.
A hand grabbed her good arm and pulled her to her feet. "It is time for you to go back to your cell." Galbatorix's words were steady and controlled but Lorena could hear the bubbling anger beneath them. The young woman allowed the King to escort her back through the garden and hallways of the capital, not speaking a word and moving as quickly as her sore legs would allow. When they entered the cell Galbatorix removed her cloak and restrained her on the stone slab before leaving and slamming the door shut behind him.
"Did you see the eggs?" asked Murtagh.
"No, he took me to the gardens. We had a pleasant talk to begin with," Lorena groaned as her head swam. "but apparently he doesn't like his manhood being questioned."
Murtagh groaned himself. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Lorena laughed, "I guess so."