Corabelle wasn’t treated poorly, not at least comparatively.

  The rope and blindfold stayed securely affixed, but she was provided with food and water. She was given a cot, not as though she ever used it as more than a place to rest her legs.

  The meals she was provided were never live prey, instead a small serving of bland goo. Though, she appreciated the effort. As the days passed, she began to wonder if she should request permission to hunt insects and other pests around her small cell. She could sense them around her, but she didn’t dare to move suddenly to attempt it.

  She got used to the rotation of her guards, familiar footsteps coming and going on a regular three part schedule. Each set stood in the same positions on the floor. One set had two who like to chat quietly among themselves, though never about anything of substance. Another had one who couldn’t seem to stand still, pebbles crunching beneath the soles of their boots as they swayed.

  The third group was her least favorite, among them was a mage of fair power, the sound of energy increased around her on that shift. Perhaps it was the mage, but one person shifted sharply in place whenever Corabelle dared to move to eat or sit upon the cot.

  Ella came to visit on occasion, asking the same sorts of questions to which Corabelle answered honestly every time.

  She never dared to ask about Zaramir again, instead turning her attention to Pearl's Keep.

  Her questions were simple, predictable. She wanted to know numbers, objectives, and plans. She wanted to know the basic physiology and capabilities of the Demons, the Lessers, and anything Corabelle knew about the High Fae. Her questions were simple and militaristic.

  Only a few times did she dare to tread into the territory of Corabelle’s creation, but was careful to keep her question impersonal and scientific.

  Corabelle couldn’t answer them as well as she hoped. She wasn’t sure of the technical specifics. Zaramir hadn’t shared the entire process, likely in an effort to spare her any more horror.

  “Well,” Ella said the exact same thing every time she left as of late. “I have other things to attend to. I’ll be back when I can.”

  Corabelle couldn’t wait to ask any longer. The ambient drain on her Spark from her Binds was beginning to affect her mind, despite not using any active magic since her arrival. The exhaustion of burning power with no return was leaving her memory fragmented. It wouldn’t be long until she wouldn’t be able to answer their interrogations with any degree of accuracy.

  “Miss Ella?” She asked softly before her footsteps recede beyond her room.

  She stopped, “Yes?”

  “I’m hungry,” She hoped her words wouldn’t alarm the guards. Of all the people here Ella seemed to understand her situation the best.

  “Hungry,” the echo wasn’t so much a question. Corabelle could tell she knew her exact intention. Finally she posed her own question, loaded tight as a spring, “What do you want to eat?”

  “You have pests here,” She told her. “Small mammals will be enough for now but….” She lowered her voice further, ensuring no one outside her space could overhear. “I hope you know enough by now to know that they must be alive.”

  “Hmm,” She acknowledged, disgust curdling the sound. “I suppose you would need to have use of your hands and eyes then, wouldn’t you?”

  “To have any sort of efficiency, yes,” Corabelle confirmed. “I could possibly do without, but I would be afraid of hitting one of your people by mistake in the attempt.”

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  “Can you hold out long enough for me to discuss this with others?” It wasn’t an outright ‘no’ which was a good start at least.

  “I won’t die without,” Corabelle was honest. “But soon I won’t be able to answer your questions.”

  “It seems like you aren’t giving me a choice,” Her words were sharp with alligation.

  “This is not an ultimatum,” Corabelle stated. “I’m tired. Without this, I have no energy, and with no energy my brain won’t work correctly. I promise you this is not a threat, just biology.”

  Ella released a slow breath, “I will have an answer for you by tomorrow.” Then she left without another word.

  --------------

  Everyn started, nearly dropping her pickaxe as a rough hand gripped her shoulder.

  Uldin gave her a tired but pleasant smile, “Elissa wants to see you.”

  Behind him, stood Valan with a dark expression on his silver smudged face that surely matched her own.

  Elissa wanted to see them both? This couldn’t possibly be good.

  Though she couldn’t really argue.

  She and Valan began to make their way toward Elissa’s quarters, “What do you think this is about?” She finally asked under her breath.

  “She finally decided on a real punishment,” Valan seemed certain, though Everyn wasn’t sure.

  His posture was rigid, his eyes darkened. He looked older than he had before all this.

  It wasn’t often Everyn could see the soldier Valan used to be. He almost seemed like a different person.

  Even his voice lost its warmth, even for her, as he spoke.

  She stopped, placing a hand on his arm, “Valan.”

  He turned to face her, though his gaze was miles away. He’d already resigned himself to this narrative, “You couldn’t really expect it wouldn't be that easy, did you?” he snapped. His voice was loud, terrifying when he wanted it to be. “Treason, Everyn,” He hissed, lowering his voice to not be overheard.

  He finally seemed to focus on her, his shocking eyes boring hole into her own.

  There he was. The soldier. A parasite rooted inside her Valan.

  This thought wasn’t new to him, she realized in that moment.

  He’d been harbouring this fear, feeling like a dead man walking, since the moment Elissa sent them to Uldin.

  She’d been too tired, too caught up in thoughts of that Demon, to see it.

  She wrapped her arms around his rigid body, “I’m sorry,” She muttered.

  She couldn’t insist it would be alright, because now she wasn’t so sure.

  He pried her arms off him with too much ease, “Let’s get this over with.”

  When they entered Elissa’s chambers, Sterling and Ryala were already standing before her.

  Definitely not good.

  Valan’s jaw tightened. He was right.

  Ellissa cleared her throat, standing to greet them, “Thank you for making your way here quickly.”

  When no one responded to her with forced politeness as she seemed to expect, she continued, “I’m taking you off your new work details.”

  Valan shifted ever so subtly, placing his body just in front of her. Muscle as taught as rope, he was poised to spring as though he expected an attack.

  “At least for the time being,” Elissa continued. “You are going to your old positions. On probation of course.” She looked among them as though she expected some sort of celebration.

  “Frankly,” She said when the four remained cautiously silent. “I can’t afford to have good couriers doing grunt work here. We have plenty of able bodies to clean parchment and hollow stone, but not nearly enough capable of defending themselves long enough on the outside to gather resources. So, as bad an idea as even I think this could be, the consensus is you should get back to your regular functions.”

  “Is this some sort of joke?” Valan’s voice tore harshly through the room, startling all three of his teammates.

  Elissa blinked slowly, unaffected, “We have more mouths to feed and less people to feed them without you four at work. So, no, this is not a joke, but this is not a free blessing either. Beyond retrieval of food, I have a permanent side mission for your group specifically.”

  Of course it wouldn’t be so easy.

  “You need to make more of your Dewsilver solution,” She instructed. “Because when you go out, you are taking the Faedemon to hunt with you.”