Chapter Thirty-Three; Interrogation
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... "Nila?"
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I couldn't believe my eyes, but yet here she was. Her figure slim but strong, her eyes harsh and unforgiving as she gazed upon me.
"What... have you done?" The facade had dropped, her voice going into a quiet whisper as her eyes softened.
No longer was she my mentor, now, she had become another victim.
I couldn't speak, my eyes wide as I stumbled back in shock.
'What was she doing here?' ... 'What have I done?" ... 'Did mama send her?'
Thoughts raced through my head, my body feeling faint as everything crashed down around me. I had contained myself as much as I could these few days, but the moment I saw her... it was lost. A tidal wave of emotions swept me under the current and I was struggling to breathe.
"Compose yourself at once, I don't have much time before they find me." She said, coming closer. Her footsteps silent and nimble.
"I-I don't... what's going on? What are you doing here? Where is mama?" The words struggled to come about but once they did, I couldn't control them.
"I didn't know- I'm so sorry! I-I... I thought he wouldn't- but he did. Oh my- what have I done?" The tears poured down my face as I sobbed, my words stumbling over each other as I hyperventilated.
"Breathe! Breathe, dear child. We don't have time for this, the guards will be around any minute now. You need to run, get out of here as quickly as you can.
"The realm is unstable, there is too much damage and there is chaos all around us. Until it stabilises we are all in jeopardy. I don't know how long it will take, but we need to leave." She was frantic, her hand ushering me to quickly start gathering my things. But I didn't move.
"I can't."
Confusion spread itself across her face as I uttered those words.
"Why not? I don't have time for these silly games, Alannah. Let's go." She demanded, before turning to open the closet door.
"I have hurt, ruined, tortured and killed too many lives. Enough is enough, I need to end this. You need to find a way out; if this goes wrong the entire realm can collapse."
"What? No. Alannah, listen to me. I have orders- I need to protect you. Please, just come with me. We don't have much time!" She quietly shouted, her voice firm but worried.
"Wait... orders? From who." I demanded. I quickly stood up, dropping the book onto the chair behind me.
"It doesn't matter. If you don't come with me willingly, I'm taking you by force."
"Orders from whom?" Each word and syllable pronounced slowly and deep.
"I cannot tell you. Last chance, Alannah."
We were in a standoff. Standing opposite each other, the air thick with tension as we glared hard down at each other. It was a challenge.- from an old mentor to its mentoree.
I could feel my arms shaking, anger rising as stepped closer.
"Orders from whom?" I spat, fury now coating every fibre of my being.
A thumping came at the door. The guards have arrived. We were out of time.
"No!" I screamed as Nila sprinted towards the balcony, smashing through the glass and wood with incredible strength.
The guards immediately slammed open the door, glancing at me and towards the balcony. Just in time to see Nila jump off the edge.
She was gone.
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I was being interrogated.
"Who was that?" Mother Edna shouted as she slammed her hand onto the hard wooden table creating a harsh bang.
I was brought into a darkened, windowless room, two candles dimly lighting the room, just enough to see each other, but not enough to see the walls.
Once I had been brought it, I was strapped in, my hands bound with leather to the centre of the table, where a thick wooden beam rose and spread into a 'T' shape.
"As I said, I don't know. She claimed she was a maid." My answers were blunt and informationless.
"Voices were heard! Who was she?- Where you trying to escape? Tell me now!" She demanded, her heavy frame hunched over the table as she interrogated me.
"I told her I didn't need my room cleaned and she ignored me."
"You didn't have a maid assigned to your room at that time!"
"I was locked in my room, how was I meant to know that?"
"There were voices arguing. A maid walking by heard it and reported it."
"She was cleaning and I wanted to be left alone. We argued." All my answers were blunt, the same person who trained me to fight, to sneak, steal, and to lie, was the same person I was now being interrogated for.
How had things come to this?
If you don't tell me the truth you'll be punished, 30 lashes to the feet and hands." She threatened, but she held nothing over me but more torture, and I had already dealt with the worst they could inflict.
"I said; She claimed she was a maid. I invited her in. She started cleaning. What else can I tell you?" I sighed, rolling my eyes before blowing a piece of hair out of my face."
"If you are to be a future Queen, you will act as such. If you do not submit I will be forced to bring in the cane." She was angry, spit flying out of her mouth as she shouted, spit landing beneath my eye.
I grunted in disgusted, unable to move my hands to move it away.
"Do it." I snarled in anger, "I've been through worse."
"One last time. Tell me what she was doing in your room. One doesn't run if they have no reason to run." Her lip curled; eyebrows scrunched as she glared furiously down at me. Her words coated in fury as she shook in frustration.
"She wanted air."
"That is it- Guards!" She hollered, "Get the King."
The minor victory fueled my ego as I sat up straighter, my lip curling into a keen smirk as I tilted my head up at her. My eyes swimming in mischief.
"Just you wait."
This sparked me as odd, my cockiness simmering as I attempted to read her body language. What could the King do? Starve me, beat me, trap me, force me to kill people.
What else could they throw at me?
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