I slowly regained consciousness to a throbbing jaw that travelled up to my cheekbone and a low murmur of voices. Confusion swamped me as I listened to the grumbling, unrecognisable tones.
Where was I?
I started to open my eyes, bracing myself for a piercing light, but some internal instinct begged me to keep them shut. To listen.
"...she was found with coin and shielding charms from the Wildecrest household in a holster..." a distant voice rumbled in disapproval, too far away for me to hear all of the sentence.
A different voice filtered into my hearing, another masculine vibration. "...Wildecrest wants her imprisoned immediately..."
At the name, the past evening came roaring back to me. The heist, the unexpected appearance, being exposed, and my mad dash to find safety.
I cursed myself for getting caught, even though I shouldn't have since it was General Volorn who managed to trap me. As a highly trained soldier, as well as a Cerulean, I only had a meagre chance of escaping his eagle eye. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side today.
I strained to hear any more conversations between the unknown men, barely hearing the whispered words "...we have no choice..." before booted feet thumped on wood floor, trailing away from my prone state.
I blinked my eyes open, taking full view of my surroundings whilst it was safe to do so, but I stayed lying on my back in case the voices returned.
I was lying on a cot in a small compact room that barely seemed big enough to fit two people in. From my reclining vantage point, I could make out that the walls were painted a soft eggshell colour, which was worn and dirty after years of neglect.
A single small window lit up the room with the moonlight's beam. It illuminated a candle that rested on the windowsill, and its small burning flame flickered to a small breeze that the old window allowed to swish through minuscule space.
The room would have seemed old, uncared for, if it wasn't for the soft bed beneath me. The pristine white linens glowed like a fluorescent ghost in the candlelight, and the soft mattress was stuffed with wool rather than the usual straw I was used to.
A small scuff sounded beside me and I snapped my gaze towards it, finding movement within the shadowed corner.
A man lay sprawled in a chair beside the bed, his golden hair in disarray as though he had been sweeping his hand through it. A frown was etched into his face as if something greatly puzzled and frustrated him.
General Volorn, I realised with rising panic.
He was wearing the same clothes from the Wildecrest home, telling me not a lot of time had passed since our encounter, except now they were creased and rumpled.
I shifted my eyes as the door to the room swung open, revealing another form I vaguely recognised. It took me a moment to place him, but I soon identified him as the soldier with ocean blue eyes from the woman's home.
His leather armour seemed to mould to him like a second skin, showing off an impressive physique. He stood at over six feet tall, but he looked taller from my horizontal view. A single strand of black hair had fallen to the front of his face and he slowly lifted his hand, sleeking it back whilst watching his general with a troubled expression.
I waited for them to move, to call on the fact I was awake and in their custody. But they seemed to be musing over something, completely in their own world.
Finally, something in my favour.
Slowly, I started to move, darting a look to the door to judge how quickly I could try to escape. I had the element of surprise on my side; however, they had years of training on theirs. Even if I somehow managed to dive my way out of the room, I still didn't know where I was. It was a risk. But the alternative...
I counted down in my mind.
Three.
I bunched up my muscles and gathered my wits.
Two.
I very slightly pushed up, ready to sprint.
I didn't even get to one before the soldier realised I was awake.
He cleared his throat, interrupting what General Volorn was about to say, and made a gesture in my direction as I sat up further to start my dash.
"It seems someone has woken up."
Volorn's eyes whirled to mine, and his frown smoothed out to a neutral expression as he wrapped an arm around my torso and flung me back onto the cot. Not that I had far to go.
His action gave me a personal view of his features, highlighting the shadows that lingered underneath his eyes. But they were focused as they met mine.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," he remarked as though he hadn't just stopped my escape.
Anger surged through me like fire in my veins, and I snapped upright and bit back, "I wouldn't have been unconscious if it wasn't for you!"
He studied me with raised eyebrows as I gritted my teeth from the sudden throbbing in my jaw and glared daggers at him.
He gave a slight nod. "True, however, you are a thief who stole from a member of the Elite, took on their persona, and fled from capture. A criminal who also tried attacking me. I'm well within the law to detain you by any means."
His words didn't dull my anger, but I could help the small wince as his words hit home. Criminal. Sure, I had been stealing for years, but I had never thought of myself that way.
But I didn't let him see that vulnerability. Instead, I threw a few truths at him.
"What you saw was survival. You can call it a crime all you want but when it's the only way to get food on the table, it's a necessity, not a crime. I'm just like hundreds more in the city, another orphan of the war trying to survive."
I clenched my jaw, only to relax it again as the pain from his blow danced along it.
Volorn watched me, taking in my reaction to his remark and the wince from his hit. Apart from a slight shuffle in his chair, he made no reaction, and I resorted to glaring at him in silence.
"What is your name?" he asked.
Instead of answering him, I tried to assess the situation and look at my options.
In his eyes, I was a criminal, not just a petty criminal but one who stole from the Elite. Which meant he had two options for what to do with me. I could be imprisoned, put on trial, and sentenced for x amount of years.
Or I could be sentenced to death.
With the lofty connections that Wildecrest had, it wouldn't surprise me if he commanded it. He'd had beggars whipped for asking him for money before.
But even as I considered these outcomes, I began to wonder if those were all of my options. After all, I wasn't currently lying in a jail cell. Nor was I dead. Instead, I was resting upon a comfortable bed, unrestrained, speaking to the man who found me in an almost civilized manner.
I slowly turned towards him, studying him as he had previously appraised me. He patiently waited for me to answer, leaning back in his chair as though he didn't have a care in the world. Whereas his soldier standing at his back was trying not to look interested, but his gaze too focused to be anything but.
This was not a regular occasion. They wanted something from me, and maybe I could use that to my advantage.
"Alise," I finally uttered, trying to adopt an earnest expression.
He gave a small snort, arms crossing over his chest in disbelief.
Clearly, I had to work on my acting skills. But I continued to stare at him with my most sincere expression, not giving him an inch.
The silence stretched and disbelief rang in the air, but I held my tongue until Volorn finally conceded.
"Okay...Alise...would you like to explain your actions last night?"
I darted a look between the men, trying to evaluate a reply that would work to my best advantage, whilst also struggling to grasp a believable reason.
"I needed the money, they are the wealthiest family around these parts. I knew they wouldn't miss some coin." I tried to make my tone a sulk, as though I were a child caught stealing a sweet.
"I see." Volorn stood up from his chair and started a slow, deliberate pace. "And what about the shielding stones you stole? They are a little bit more than 'some coin.'"
I scrambled to respond with something believable. "For protection."
"Protection?"
"We are in a war, aren't we?" I mockingly retorted.
"You have powers, don't you? Why would you need protection?" Volorn mocked back, an emotion in his eyes that I couldn't read.
My mind flung me back to the past, to my life on the streets where I had to fight for my next meal. Where other larger children beat me for the food I managed to plead and beg for. Where each child fought like a pack of wolves for a place to sleep, to eat, to drink, to get clothes. I obtained more than my fair share of bruises, cuts, and beatings, and my powers couldn't do a lick to save me. Only a kind man with an open heart many years later had done that.
"I happen to be one of the neglected. You know the ones. The ones who are at the brink of starvation. So they risk being arrested for trying to steal food because there are no jobs around to make any money. The only option is to sign up as a soldier in this stupid war, and even then, not many return."
Even though I was weaving a lie to try and save my own skin, I allowed the truth to spill from my mouth. I spoke with a righteous conviction that would make a politician proud.
"We are a broken city, one that is full of poverty, crime, and sickness. We have seen no kindness from the Elite. They hoard their money and scorn at those who beg for what they need to survive. That's why I have no problem stealing from the riches. It's an unjust world, but everyone needs to fight to survive in it. And I will protect myself and those who need it." I spoke with unwavering confidence whilst also letting my anger colour every word as it left my mouth.
Volorn seemed to give a slight conceding nod whilst the soldier behind him watched me with begrudging respect.
"Even so, you stole from a member of the Elite and were caught doing so. They can demand your head for this." Volorn's voice was thoughtful rather than angry.
Of course they would. Their pride had taken a hit, and they would want to make an example of me as a warning to everyone to not mess with them again.
If it was down to the Elite, I didn't have a chance.
But the fact I was here and not in a prison cell...
Using the ace up my sleeve, I straightened, crossed my legs, and clasped my hands in front of me. Letting him see I was not cowed, I calmly asked, "What do you want from me?"
Volorn stopped pacing, shocked by my question. "Want from you?"
"From what you're saying, my death should be imminent. The Wildecrests have caught me. I should be rotting in a prison cell waiting for my death. But I'm not. I'm here with you and your soldier in this cosy little room on a bed." I smoothly uttered, gesturing around the room. "So what do you want from me."
Behind the general, the soldier gave a slight smile, his eyes gleaming as though I did something delightful and unexpected. I tried not to scowl at him and kept my attention on Volorn.
He was gazing at my face, but I found myself frustrated as I couldn't read him, his expression carefully neutral.
A long minute drew out, our will battling against each other before he gave in and stated,
"I want you as one of my soldiers."
"No." I instantly remarked without thinking. I never wanted to be a part of this war; there was a reason why I avoided the testing, and I wasn't willing to be a part of it now.
"I don't think you're in a position to negotiate, 'Alise'." I could hear the disbelief when he pronounced the name. "You should have been trained for the war years ago, as soon as your powers made an appearance. Somehow you slipped through the cracks. The joke is you probably could have remained your whole life undetected with the power you have."
He leaned forward to punctuate his next words. "But you messed that up. You used your powers to break the law and got yourself caught. And now you have a choice—become a soldier in my unit or you can be left to the Wildecrests, who will imprison you, and no doubt you will be dead by the end of the week."
His sharp words boiled the blood within me, and I had to take a calming breath to allow myself to think.
I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave when Tawney might be in danger. What would happen when I left? That black eye could be just the start of it, and without a shielding charm, he had no defence. He was just an old man. And after his son died during the war, I didn't know what reaction he would give when I left him to possibly die the same way. He may not survive it.
But that didn't stop me from asking the question that pulsed in my mind. "Why?"
"Why?" he parroted.
"Why do you need me? By the sounds of it, you have your pick of powerful Ceruleans. Why me?"
"You are the only Mimic," he stated, as though that was enough. I guess it was.
I sat in silence as I thought about what to do. What my options were. I could refuse and allow him to hand me over to the Wildecrests. I could try to escape again...but as I looked at the trained men, I knew I couldn't risk that now. Or...I could accept and be a part of a war I never wanted to be a part of.
I ran through as many scenarios as I could think of, but in the end, there was only one option that ended with me living in the immediate future.
But I wasn't willing to take this lying down. I would accept, on my own terms.
So I sat with my back straight, chin tilted up, and looked Volorn directly in the eye as I said, "Okay. I will be one of your soldiers."
He didn't visibly show any sign of how he received the news, but his soldier behind him let out a small sigh, his shoulders drooping in relief.
"On one condition." I finished, my stomach a mass of nerves.
That damn eyebrow went up again, but he kept silent.
"I would like to say goodbye to someone before I go."
He let out a startled laugh. "I don't think you're in a position to demand such things."
I lifted my chin and caught his gaze with mine, and drawled out, "You would think that, wouldn't you? However, here I am in a room with a bed, relatively unharmed. Instead of dragging me away, unconscious to wherever you need me to go, you have me here. Safe. I think you need me more than you let on."
In my peripheral vision, I saw the soldier's eyebrows rise and he looked to Volorn, but my attention was completely focused on Volorn.
"You're pushing your luck here," Volorn stated, his tone like ice.
I flicked an eyebrow back at him, trying to appear calm and in control. "And you're pushing yours, General Volorn."
Silence fell between us as he thought about it, rubbing his hand over his five o'clock shadow and assessing me. But I was deadly serious. I was not leaving without seeing Tawney beforehand. Maybe I could escape on the way, or somehow Tawney could help me out of this situation. But at the very least, I needed to know he was safe if the opportunity didn't arise for me to leave. I needed to say goodbye.
"If you want me to be a part of your unit, then that is my condition," I demanded, letting it be clear that I was serious. I felt him looking at me, judging me, but I kept silent and waited for him to turn me down.
"In return, you will do all that is asked, not fight us, and be a true soldier?" he enquired.
I nodded.
"Good. Axel, bring me the chains," he commanded the soldier.
"What? Why?!" I protested as Axel walked towards me with thick metal cuffs.
I tried to back away, but before I knew it, one of the cuffs clamped around my one of my wrists and one around his, around a meter of chain between us. I swung to glare at Volorn, anger making me rigid.
"You may have agreed, Madam. But I don't know you. I can't trust you. You would probably try to escape at the first opportunity and that's a risk I cannot take. And so, until you prove you're trustworthy, you will be chained to one of my Crimson Guards. You will be clothed, fed, and trained, and when you are ready, you will help us win this war."
I gritted my teeth, feeling the walls closing in on me. Feeling trapped. "I gave my word. I will not go back on it."
"That remains to be seen," Volorn supplied, seeming satisfied with the chain that entrapped me.
"Fine. Let's go," I bit out.
"Where is the person you wish to say goodbye to?"
I stared ahead as they lead me out of the room, a sense of dread filling my stomach as I told them. "Tawney's Trinkets."