Chapter Seven
Part Ten
Arasha sighed “Line? What time is it?”
Line opened her eyes to look up at her “it’s just past midday”
Arasha nodded “this is supposed to be our last day. Ali had better bring some good reinforcements”
“Don’t worry about that, Ali will definitely come in time”
“Inspector” it was Nicola “is my mother alright?”
Line softened “she is. She just misses you”
This made Nicola smile “I miss her too”
Arasha sighed again. She was leaning up against the bars separating the cells “I hate this. Being stuck here, waiting for Ali”
Line closed her eyes, going back into her quiet meditative state. Line was quite unbothered by sitting in a cell with nothing to do but wait, she even considered herself an expert at this in this point of her life. She’s definitely had the practice, albeit at the time of said ‘practicing’ she was also quite scared back then. Just how Nicola would be scared right now. Line forced herself out of that train of thought, bringing up past memories wasn’t what she should be doing right now.
Arasha spoke up again, it seems that she despised the deathly silence as much as Ali did “why do you think Divan is avoiding me?”
Line once again opened her eyes to gaze at Arasha “what’s brought this about? I wasn’t expecting such a question from you at a time like this”
Arasha shrugged “just seeing you and Ali back at Merchants Street. It’s nice, knowing that you have friends”
“And do you not have friends?”
Arasha back immediately straightened and with a frown she said “hey, wait. I’m not trying to be all depressed or anything. You said it yourself that I’m your friend, so don’t go there”
Line smiled “I remember”
“good”
“...you?”
They both turned to face Nicola.
“...are neither of you scared?”
“why would we be?” Arasha responded. But saying that probably wasn’t the best thing to say, so she continued “don’t worry, you’ll be alright”
“you keep saying that. But I... but I’m not like you”
“how so?”
“how so? I’m just a regular person, not some highly trained monk”
Line winced to herself “it probably doesn’t help that we’re the two most emotionally unstable monks that Candour Monastery has”
Arasha frowned at that “what do you mean? I’m perfectly sane”
Line ignored that statement “you would probably have a much better time with Ali, my partner. She’s much more emotionally intelligent than us”
Nicola didn’t say anything after that.
“Line?”
“Yes?”
“you really are a good liar”
*
The sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps. They were coming down the stairs. A candle light came into view, and Line could make out the woman that was holding it. She walked around the room, lighting all of the wall candles. Followed behind her was the boy that they called Jack and the man who had first greeted them at the door.
Line remained quiet, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Arasha became quite confrontational, and stood at the cell door glaring at them through the bars. Nicola, on the other hand. She cowered in the corner of her cell, trying her best not to look at the three people who entered.
“well, Jack?” it was the man who spoke “which one?”
Jack beamed “give me the keys”
“Wait” the woman chimed in “they’re no longer bound”
“yes. Next time, bind our hands behind our backs” Arasha couldn’t hold back anymore “any smart person would’ve done it that way”
Line glared at her but remained quiet.
“but I promise” Arasha continued “I won’t hurt any of you”
Now who’s the liar, Line thought to herself.
The man picked up the sledge hammer that was leaning up against the stone brick wall “shut up”
Arasha didn’t though “you won’t be able to hit me this time. Because this time, I won’t stupidly drop my guard”
“...Arasha” now Line couldn’t keep quiet anymore “if you keep talking back, they’ll never open the cell door”
This just made the man even more furious “Shut. The. Fuck. Up”
“Pa, I want that one” Jack pleaded while pointing at Line.
Arasha’s anger flared yet she spoke calmly and collected “you dare”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Pa...” Jack still pleaded.
Line talked before Arasha could “you wouldn’t like me, I’d taste terrible” she paused for dramatic effect “and besides, after eating me you would all die. My blood is highly poisonous”
Arasha faltered and looked at Line. Anger could no longer be seen behind those eyes, and was replaced by something else. Line wasn’t entirely sure of what though.
The woman scoffed “as if. If you were that poisonous then you wouldn’t be alive”
Jack unlocked the cell door with the key ‘Pa’ had given him, and before he entered Line turned her head towards look at Arasha.
“don’t do anything”
“Line?”
“do you trust me?”
And once again the emotion behind Arasha’s eyes changed again “of course I do”
“then don’t do anything”
Arasha clenched her jaw as Line allowed herself to be pulled from the floor by Jack. She didn’t really care about what happened to her, she just cared that neither Arasha or Nicola was in this situation. The cell door was relocked as soon as she had left it and she was pushed towards the metal operating table.
“Lie down on your back” Pa instructed her.
Line stared at the rusty blood-stained table. She was used to cleaner ones, but now she was this close to it, she couldn’t help but think about her time back at the colosseum. She had spent a lot of her time on operating tables like this one, being administered poison. She supposed that that was slightly better than being cut apart in front of two other imprisoned people. And besides, it wasn’t the poison she was scared of. It was the man behind it.
She slowly followed Pa’s instructions and lay down on the table. After which they began to strap her down to it with thick once-brown leather straps.
“They’re too loose, make them tighter”
The three of them hesitated. Why is this woman being so helpful to them. First, she followed Pa’s instructions without a fuss. And now, she was even asking for the bindings to be tightened. Just who was this woman?
But to Line, she knew just as well that the bindings were to help keep the person in them from thrashing about after being cut into. And after eyeing the tools in which would be cutting into her, Line definitely needed the bindings to stop her from moving and make smoother cuts. Especially since smoother cuts are easier to heal for the monastery healers.
The woman handed Pa an extremely sharp looking axe “here”
Pa took it from her without a thanks in return. Line thought he could at least be polite. Out of the corner of her eye, Line could see Nicola covering her ears. While Arasha was staring intensely at Line. Arasha was gripping the bars of her cell so tight, her knuckles were turning white. Line smiled to herself at that.
Pa placed the axe’s blade on Line’s shoulder and raised it a few times, like he was gauging his trajectory. He was about make his first swing, when the door above them opened. And coming down the stairs was the little girl.
“Pa, there’s someone at the door”
Pa stopped mid swing “tell them to go away”
“but they asked for an adult”
“...Fuck!” He half tossed the axe to Jack “you do it” Pa picked up the sledge hammer again then followed the girl up the stairs.
Even the woman left after him and said “Jack, I’ll go with your Pa. In case he needs any help” Help? Line thought that Jack would’ve been the one who needed the most help.
Jack nodded “alright”
The woman closed and locked the door behind them.
Line eyed Jack. This probably wouldn’t go as well as if Pa would’ve been the one cutting into her. Pa looked a lot stronger that Jack, and probably would’ve been able cut through or around her muscle. But she had a bad feeling about Jack. And it seems her worries were justified.
Jack swung down without even gauging his swing, and the axe buried itself into Line’s shoulder. She couldn’t help but to let out a scream. Jack tried to pull the axe back out to make another swing, but the axe was thoroughly lodged in muscle and bone. It barely even moved. It was only then did Line realise just how weak Jack actually was, and after a few tugs on the axe the door above them crashed open with a loud bang.
**
Splinters of large wood pieces clattered down the stairs, along with the tail end of a torrential wind. Then suddenly, a heavy wall of wind, blasted into Jack. Sending him crashing into the wall across the room, he fell to the floor very unconscious.
The familiar red of Vax’dian’s coat came into view “Line!?”
She smiled “you’re back”
Vax’dian didn’t answer right away, instead he focused on untying the leather bindings.
But someone else who spoke up, spoke with a very familiar voice “Line!?”
“...Ali”
Ali appeared on the other side of Line’s vision “this is the second time you’ve been impaled by a bladed weapon”
“It can be almost funny, if you think about it”
“Ali” it was Arasha “unlock these doors. Please”
Seeing Vax’dian with Line, Ali left the two and began picking the padlocks on the cell door.
As soon as Line’s had was free, she instinctively reached for the axe. But before she could grab it, Vax’dian took her wrist in his hand.
“Don’t. The axe is the only thing holding you together right now”
Line stared into the eyes of Vax’dian, those golden flecks seemed oddly more vibrant and beautiful than she remembered. He seemed angry and greatly concerned at the same time. Despite herself, she fell into that gaze for a moment before snapping herself out of it.
“I know”
Even so, he still didn’t let go of her wrist.
Once Arasha was free, she immediately headed towards Line and lightly punched her in the shoulder that wasn’t embedded with an axe.
“Don’t ever do that again. That was so extremely stupid of you”
Line winced “sorry. I’m just glad that neither you or Nicola have an axe in you” Line used Vax’dian’s arm to pull herself up into a sitting position, leaving a small pool of her own blood behind. She winced again “ow”
On the other side of the room, appearing through one of the cell doors was Ali. But now, Nicola was clinging onto her arm.
“I’m going to go ahead and take Nicola outside now” Ali took a look at Line “But Line, just so you know, you really need to stop getting stabbed by things”
“I’ll take that into consideration”
Ali sighed “how can you be sarcastic in a time like this?”
Line shrugged, but immediately regretted it as another surge of pain hit her. Vax’dian’s hold on her tightened.
As if Arasha just remembered something she said “oh, right” she grabbed hold of Jack by his collar and dragged him behind her as she followed Ali up the stairs.
Line’s head tilted with a smile on her lips “when did you get back?”
“I am not having this conversation with you while you have an axe buried into your shoulder” Vax’dian helped her down from the table, even though her legs worked perfectly fine “let’s go”
***
Up the stairs, through the hallway and into the living room. Hyde was standing in the middle of the room, above the kneeling Pa and presumably Ma, each of his swords pointing at them.
And when he looked over at Line he said with some concern “...Line?”
“I’m fine, it’s just an axe”
“just an axe?” Vax’dian repeated.
Line continued “where’s the girl?”
“she ran off” Hyde answered “and we were slightly too busy to chase after her. But I have already sent some men to look for her”
Line gave a nod, then looked at Vax’dian “you can let go, my legs do still work”
Vax’dian eyed her.
“I promise I won’t pull out the axe”
Vax’dian continue to eye her.
Ali spoke up “you do realise how awful you look right now?”
“No”
“Line, your arm is covered in blood. You’ve even left a blood trail behind you. And you are as pale as a ghost. Not only that, but also you have an axe in you”
Arasha spoke up “Line? Is your blood really poisonous?”
Line smiled “I just said that to buy some more time, but clearly that didn’t work out” she could lie, but she doubted Arasha would believe her. She also could’ve said the truth, but she didn’t really want face that right now “can we go? I’m in a lot of pain”
