David swam through clouds, going nowhere and everywhere. The clouds began to thin out, and he started sinking. Deeper, ever deeper, until he was falling like a rock.

  He jolted awake as he fell on a bench, his eyes snapping open. He was inside an autocar, and on the bench opposite him was-

  Niala! Still unconscious, with a steel wire collar around her neck, and a stranger's arm around her shoulder, a dagger in his hand. He followed the arm back to its owner.

  The man from the alchemy lab. Regis.

  David let rage fill his veins, unleashing his mana, empowering his imbuements, and-

  Pain! His body seized up, every nerve on fire, barbed wire ripping through his body like a chainsaw. His scream caught in his throat, unable to even push the air out.

  He closed the spigot to his mana, and the pain faded away. Panting, he looked up at the man, death in his eyes, to see Regis smirking at him.

  “Good morning, David. I was hoping I'd get to warn you, but I guess you're a man of action. No better teacher than experience, anyway.” He said, pointing at David with the dagger.

  “We put a mana feedback collar on you. The more mana you try to pump out, the worse the pain. Judging from your reaction just now, you must have unleashed quite the amount.” He added, smiling.

  David did nothing but promise him pain through his gaze.

  The man tilted his head. “Hmm, well, as long as you understand. Just so you know, your girlfriend's collar? A bit different. It's a steel wire attached to a small winding box, in the back. It's controlled with this remote.” He pulled out a small metal box from his coat pocket with his other hand, showing it to David and slipping it back in.

  “It's strong enough to crush through a log, so your girl's neck won't last long. Keep that in mind.”

  David remained silent, his sight locked on Regis, who in turn leaned back into the couch, grinning, Niala slumping against him.

  Some minutes later, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open, darting around in confusion before landing on David.

  “David!” She exclaimed, surging forward, only to be kept in place by Regis' arm, and a dagger pressed against her neck.

  She froze in place as David flinched toward her.

  “Now, now!” Regis said, waving the dagger at Niala's neck. “Let's all calm down. Niala, what a pleasure to have you join us. Your belamour is an awful conversationalist. Perhaps you'll offer better conversation?” He asked, smirking.

  She turned eyes full of scorn in his direction. “What do you want?”

  A genuine smile spread across the man's face. “Ah! Finally! I was waiting for someone to ask! See, it's very simple. We want your boyfriend to work for us. You, my dear, are his motivation. If he's a good boy, we won't hurt you.”

  Regis looked from one to the other, both of their stares dark and angry. “I see you understand. Wonderful. Now, don't ask me more questions, this is all I and my companion know. I guess the mastermind behind all this will explain more. For now, just enjoy the ride, right?” He asked cheerfully, giving them a smile before observing their reaction.

  They shared a quick glance before keeping their eyes on him for the rest of the trip.

  Regis settled in for the long ride ahead of them. Although he was about as safe as he could be from both of them, thanks to their collars, he had to admit that being stared at for bells on end by two people who were clearly imagining ways to hurt him did end up feeling somewhat uncomfortable after a while...

  With the cabin's windows covered, they couldn't see the path they were taking, nor could they tell the time of day. All they knew was that it had been several bells, and the lack of ambient traffic or noises coming from outside meant they hadn't passed through any major town or thoroughfare.

  Once the autocar stopped and they were led out of it, they could tell the trip had been long, with the sun having begun its descent.

  They were in front of a small manor, surrounded by wilderness, with a diminutive brick-and-grill wall keeping the greenery at bay.

  A few guards milled about, though they wore no identifiable crests. Probably mercenaries, David thought.

  Escorted by Regis and the driver, they were led inside, toward the main hall, where a tall and large man, sporting a full beard, his shoulder covered by a thick fur mantle, waited.

  A satisfied smile crept up his face as he saw his “guests”.

  The autocar driver grabbed David by the shoulder, while Regis walked up to the main, shoving Niala forward.

  The noble looked her up and down, nodding. “Undamaged. Well done, Regis. Hopefully, for her sake, she means a lot to the boy. What do you think, girl?” He leaned forward and asked.

  She speared him with her eyes. “David will never do whatever debased pigshit you want him to do, you lumpy shit-stained maggot!” She shouted.

  Regis strangled a snicker in his throat as the lord's face fell, his eyes widening, his lips turning into a scowl. His hand rose and back-handed Niala across the cheek before anyone could react. She yelped and stumbled to the side.

  The room was bathed in blue light, a primordial scream filling the space. The driver shouted in surprise and stepped away from the living inferno that David had become. All eyes turned to the young man, who had blue lava draining from his eyes, barely managing to stay on his legs, crackling bolts of mana scouring his body as his collar punished him.

  Yet, he remained standing.

  The lord looked at David, incredulous, before turning to Regis, spittle flying as he barked. “What is this!? Didn't you put a col-”

  David managed to raise his foot and bring it down in a thunderous crack, the wooden floor erupting in a line toward the Lord, jagged pieces of wood flung forward. The large man grunted as he was pelted and thrown to the side, slamming into the floor, the air driving out of his lungs.

  Regis grabbed onto Niala, pulling her in front of her and between him and David, bringing his dagger up to her neck. “Stop!” He shouted.

  David had already taken two laborious steps toward him. He remained mid-stride, his mana fire reaching the roof of the hall, his skin pockmarked with mana burns from the collar.

  “You brutish fool! I said STOP!” Regis yelled once more, pressing the dagger into Niala's neck, a hair's breadth away from drawing blood.

  David kept staring, enduring.

  “David,” Niala called out. “It's ok, we'll figure it out. Please, stop hurting yourself.”

  The young man looked at his love, torn between his rage and his reason.

  He let his mana sputter out.

  The defiance sustaining him drained out of his bones. His eyes rolled in their socket, and he slumped to the floor.

  Nobody moved, eyeing the monstrous man on the floor, waiting to see if he was going to wake up.

  The Lord cursed and pulled himself up to his feet, dusting himself off, finding part of his clothes ripped, and his flesh bloodied underneath. Nostrils flaring, he stomped toward Regis, planting his reddening face a few centimetres away from Regis'.

  “What was that?!” He screamed. “How could he do that?! Did you cheap out on the collar, you pig bastard?!”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Regist blinked as the spittle rained on his face. “I did not! I used the one your men gave me! Did you cheap out, Torsteel?!” He accused back.

  Lord Torsteel scowled at the noble for a few seconds before grabbing Niala out of his arms and storming off, dragging the catkin along.

  “Get that maniac into the mana cell! Make sure it's powered up! And check the collar, replace it if needed! Griff, with me!” he shouted over his shoulder.

  The last thing Niala saw as she was pulled out of the room was Regis kicking at David's unconscious form.

  She was pushed into a small bedroom, with a single high-set slit for a window, and the bare minimum of furniture: a bed, a small table, a chair and a dresser.

  Lord Torsteel shoved her onto the bed, turning to speak to Griff. “Stand guard, nobody listens in.”

  The man-at-arms nodded, closing the door on them. The lord returned his focus to Niala, his large and slightly bloodied form looming over her. She met his gaze with jagged defiance.

  He scoffed. “I wonder how long you'll keep those eyes.”

  “Longer than you'll keep yours, once David breaks out.” She spat back.

  “Spare me the theatrics, you mewling shrew! Your man isn't getting out of the mana cage, and even if he could, we have you!” His scowl turned into a nasty grin. “And, in your case, we have him. So, you're going to behave, aren't you?”

  “What do you want?” She gritted out, ears tucked back.

  “From you? Well, I heard you were some sort of alchemist. Just so happens I need a skilled one.” He said, pulling out a folded piece of paper from one of his pockets and handing it to her.

  She narrowed her eyes before snatching the paper out of his hands and, keeping her eyes on him, unfolded it and glanced at its content, the tip of her tail twitching.

  It was a long and complex formula, one she hadn't seen before, with a list of ingredients that went almost top to bottom. She didn't see any indication of what the resulting potion did, however.

  She looked up from the paper. “What is this? What does it do?”

  He shook his head. “Not important. Can you brew this?” He demanded.

  Niala looked back at the formula, mentally running through the steps. She turned her eyes back up at Lord Torsteel.

  “I'm guessing that you'll force me to brew it if I say I can?”

  Torsteel's features hardened. “And if you can't, I'll keep you alive, but remove your eyes and tongue.” He growled.

  “...I can. Is that the only thing you need out of us?”

  The lord huffed, grabbed the paper out of her hands, turned and left the room. She heard the door lock from outside. There were no handles from within.

  Her features dropped, ears drooped, tail falling limp, as she curled up on the bed, her eyes moistening.

  “David...” She pleaded.

  She couldn't find the strength to say anything else.

  David found himself waking up on a hard, cold and uneven floor. His whole body protested as he hauled himself up to a sitting position. He was in a cell, one that was in the middle of a larger room. The iron bars went from floor to ceiling, and he could see runes engraved on them. Peering between the bars, he noticed the carved stones that made up the walls, floor and ceiling also had runes.

  He forced himself up to his feet and paced the small cell, running his hand across the bars, testing each one of them. All solid. He tried the door. Didn't budge.

  He sat down on the small wooden bed, with nothing but a straw mattress as comfort, and lay his back against the bars, suppressing his anger as best he could.

  Being angry might be satisfying, but it wouldn't help them out of this.

  His family would investigate for certain. Nobody went against the Wardenfels, not even other Wardenfels, and escaped the consequences. Whatever Regis had been promised, it wouldn't serve him once he'd been sent to the blood pits.

  Their response would take some time, however, and he had no idea if it was time they had. Their captors had revealed just about nothing of what they wanted, though he could take a guess...

  He lifted his arms, looking at the small burn marks the collar had given him. Mana feedback: a great way to lock someone's mana in. Also very expensive, and very regulated.

  He didn't know who the lord was, but he had to have ties with the higher echelons, especially within the military or judicial system, to have access to these things.

  His face scrunched up when he thought about the one around Niala's neck. Unlike his, hers could lead to a quick death. It was a device he had seen used on career criminals, especially when they were transported or sent out to work.

  On activation, the wire would constrict and block the airways and blood flow. The device could be activated a second time and cut right through the neck within a few seconds, beheading the poor soul.

  He squeezed his fists until his knuckles went white.

  If they hurt Niala in any way... if they KILL her, I don't care about this pittin' collar, I'm going to overload it, and I'll rip their heads off, one after the other, making sure they WATCH...

  He slammed his fists on the bed, the pain helping him focus back on the present.

  He needed to talk to her. Make sure she was ok. Formulate a plan together, but how...

  They had taken all of his gear, including his cargo cloths.

  Well...

  Not all of them.

  He pushed a hand into one of his boots and felt along the edge, cracking a smile as he felt the soft padding where the cargo cloth had been sewn into the boot's collar.

  So he had his emergency gear. Had to take it out at the right time; his cell didn't exactly allow him to hide anything.

  Still didn't have a way to contact Niala. He looked at the door of his cell. How easy it would be to just burst through it, if he were willing to push through the pain, but then what? Keep busting through doors until he found her, with her collar on, and maybe a dagger at her neck?

  He shook his head.

  Then stopped.

  A door.

  He had a door, and he was pretty certain where it led, but hadn't gotten around to confirming.

  He shut his eyes and let himself fall within, deep into his being.

  His eyes opened on the vast mirrored sea of his internal world. Some distance away, the wooden porch, with the door, floating above the waters.

  He propelled himself that way, stepping up the few steps and grabbing the handle.

  And then he pushed.

  Niala, curled up on the bed, grimaced. Something was pressing inside of her. She couldn't tell where or what... was she getting sick? It really wasn't the time.

  She pressed her hand over her body, but the pressure didn't seem to come from anywhere specific. It just came from within.

  As if something was pushing against her whole being. The feeling reminded her of using her mana, the same whole-body sensation, but pushing instead of pulling.

  Frowning, she closed her eyes and tried to feel her pathways. She didn't have the same affinity that David had; whenever he spoke of his inner self, it all sounded so clear, definite. As far as she knew, most people were like her; they only had a general sense, a vague vision.

  Still, as she navigated the dream-like library that she thought of as her mana, she thought she could see something in the distance, thumping, struggling.

  She let her senses guide her toward it. It gave her the general thought of a... door. A door that wanted to be let open. She hesitated.

  Whatever this was, it was new. Or perhaps it had always been here, and she had never noticed.

  She felt for something else: the link she shared with David. Through it, she could feel worry, urgency, and... begging. Begging mixed with frustration, which came in waves, with the same rhythm as the door's thumps.

  She squinted. Could it be?

  Concentrating, she imagined herself reaching up to the door's latch, flicking it open.

  Her breath stole away as the door flung open, unleashing a wave of colour and definition across her interior world, as if a fog had lifted, and powerful glasses had appeared over her nearly-blind eyes.

  Her library became a real, solid place, all the books arrayed on its shelves just an arm's length away, begging to be read. The musty smell of paper and leather filled her nostrils. She could smell her internal world!

  And, at the door, David!

  David! Looked at her with wide eyes, soon replaced with happy eyes and a giant smile!

  She felt the corner of her lips crawl up her cheeks of their own volition, and her feet dash toward him without her command. She threw herself into his arms. His solid, totally real arms. She felt them wrap around her as she furiously rubbed her face on him.

  “David!” She cried.

  “Hey, kitten.”

  “What is this?! How did you do this?! I can speak with you!”

  “I know, and I don't know. The door's been there ever since we had our link, but I wasn't sure what it is. I guess it IS the link.”

  “This is awesome! I can speak to you whenever!”

  He hummed. “I can feel it pulling at my mana, though. Is it doing the same on your side?”

  She blinked, and then closed her eyes, feeling out...

  “Yeah, I can sense it too.” She said, disappointed. She looked at David. “We don't have unlimited time, then.”

  “In your case, no, but this is still going to help a lot. We need to come up with a plan. Did you learn anything about what they want?”

  “Hmm. Torsteel wants me to brew him a potion.”

  He tilted his head. “Torsteel? He told you his name?”

  “No, I heard Regis say it, after you passed out in the hall... are you alright?”

  “I am, don't worry about me.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Let's figure out how to get out of this, together, alright?”

  “Together!” She repeated, nodding, smiling.