- Messages
- 107
- Character Biography
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Sadie woke slowly this time. It felt like she was clawing her way from deep in the ocean. Her head throbbed in time with her pulse and the room swam in and out of focus for several minutes before stabilizing. It was dim now- candlelight, not sunlight, and the air smelled faintly like metal and something herbal.
She tried to sit up, limbs heavy and her body sluggish. Something tugged at the crook of her arm, but it wasn't metal from the bindings she bore earlier. She hissed, looking down at the fresh bandage there, pristine white stained by dark red in the center.
"What did you do?" She questioned aloud. Cinna from the corner moved closer, gliding like a long-limbed spectre into the light. Her expression was infuriatingly calm, maybe even pleasant, as if she had been waiting for the moment Sadie would wake.
"Good, you're awake now."
Sadie's fingers curled into the blanket on her lap. "I asked what you did to me.."
"Nothing you won't recover from. Relax." Cinna explained smoothly, crouching so that she was eye-to-eye with Sadie. The glow of her bluish skin looked almost luminous in the candlelight. "We needed to know how dangerous you are to Nikolai. We tested your blood."
Sadie's stomach twisted. "Tested it..how?"
Cinna's smile widened, but there was no kindness in it. Only that madness she first displayed when barging into Nikolai's room. "We fed it to a variety of things. Fae beasts, lesser sprites, a few old familiars that were on their way out anyway. It killed all of them." She tsk'd thoughtfully. "Every last one. It was almost instantaneous in most, but slower with others. Painful in a few cases."
Sadie's breath caught in her throat, her hand lingered over the bandage. "You-"
"You should know, too." Cinna cut her off, tone sharp. "Whatever you are, whatever you are becoming, whatever magic is knitting itself into your being, it is not benign. It is not gentle. It's a miracle it didn't kill Nikolai. Lover's bond and all of that..." She rolled her eyes. "Won't let you harm a mate, though we aren't sure if it kills any Ail'Thain. Bit too hard to track down their kind, and I don't want to deal with Whorew- Morrwyn if she somehow senses that you are alive."
Sadie stared at her, hollow and furious all at once. "And tying me up was part of this?"
Cinna laughed, tilting her head. "Would you have let us try it otherwise?" Sadie had no answer for that. She turned to face away, pressing her lips together tightly, eyes burning with tears she wouldn't let fall. But Cinna straightened, the detached smile back in place. "Rest, little Ilith. We've learned what we needed today. That is enough for now.."
But Sadie's hand shot out, clutching Cinna's wrist before she could turn away, grip surprisingly strong for how groggy she still felt. "You don't just get to walk away." She said, voice raw and trembling, something close to range and panic brewing beneath the surface. "You drugged me, tied me up, cut into me like I was some sort of experiment.."
Cinna arched a blue brow, unbothered by the accusation. "You are dangerous."
Sadie's nails bit into the fae woman's skin. "Then answer me. How many?"
"How many what?" Cinna's smile slipped, just slightly.
Sadie swallowed hard, staring at the bandage on her arm. "How many of...how many people like me have there been? How many did he..." Her voice cracked, but she forced it out anyway, suddenly feeling small, insecure. "...kill?"
For a long beat, Cinna only studied her. And then quietly, "Hundreds."
Sadie's stomach dropped.
"Perhaps more if those scrolls were true. He never did teach me enough of the language to read them well on my own, but you know once he read them, he never forgot a thing on the page. He may destroy every account of you, but that doesn't mean he has lost the memories." Her tone turned clinical again, but her gaze was careful as she watched for Sadie's reaction. "Most killed never made it past infancy. Those that did, well.. I suppose there is no confirmation, but he stated that those who wield the nightmares lose control quickly. Bad tempers. Their creations have consumed villages, but Nikolai has been there to put a swift end to it."
Sadie felt sick. The scrolls she had translated came back to her in pieces. Sketches of ruined circles, lists of dead children, bloodlines traced to nothing but ashes. "Why me? Why am I still alive?"
Cinna's mouth twitched. "If you ask me, I think the gods got sick of him interfering. They trapped you with a bond that wouldn't allow him to kill you..no matter how hard he tried. Apparently fate would like to make things interesting this time around."
Sadie's head dropped forward, feeling the tears that she had fought back falling down her cheeks, onto the bed. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't wish to bear the title you've given me-"
"That fate has given you!" Cinna interjected.
"I don't want to fulfill this prophecy."
Cinna tilted her head as Sadie released her, telling her to get out. She didn't argue, she only straightened, dusted her hands on her skirts and said softly, "Pray you stay this way, little Ilith."
She tried to sit up, limbs heavy and her body sluggish. Something tugged at the crook of her arm, but it wasn't metal from the bindings she bore earlier. She hissed, looking down at the fresh bandage there, pristine white stained by dark red in the center.
"What did you do?" She questioned aloud. Cinna from the corner moved closer, gliding like a long-limbed spectre into the light. Her expression was infuriatingly calm, maybe even pleasant, as if she had been waiting for the moment Sadie would wake.
"Good, you're awake now."
Sadie's fingers curled into the blanket on her lap. "I asked what you did to me.."
"Nothing you won't recover from. Relax." Cinna explained smoothly, crouching so that she was eye-to-eye with Sadie. The glow of her bluish skin looked almost luminous in the candlelight. "We needed to know how dangerous you are to Nikolai. We tested your blood."
Sadie's stomach twisted. "Tested it..how?"
Cinna's smile widened, but there was no kindness in it. Only that madness she first displayed when barging into Nikolai's room. "We fed it to a variety of things. Fae beasts, lesser sprites, a few old familiars that were on their way out anyway. It killed all of them." She tsk'd thoughtfully. "Every last one. It was almost instantaneous in most, but slower with others. Painful in a few cases."
Sadie's breath caught in her throat, her hand lingered over the bandage. "You-"
"You should know, too." Cinna cut her off, tone sharp. "Whatever you are, whatever you are becoming, whatever magic is knitting itself into your being, it is not benign. It is not gentle. It's a miracle it didn't kill Nikolai. Lover's bond and all of that..." She rolled her eyes. "Won't let you harm a mate, though we aren't sure if it kills any Ail'Thain. Bit too hard to track down their kind, and I don't want to deal with Whorew- Morrwyn if she somehow senses that you are alive."
Sadie stared at her, hollow and furious all at once. "And tying me up was part of this?"
Cinna laughed, tilting her head. "Would you have let us try it otherwise?" Sadie had no answer for that. She turned to face away, pressing her lips together tightly, eyes burning with tears she wouldn't let fall. But Cinna straightened, the detached smile back in place. "Rest, little Ilith. We've learned what we needed today. That is enough for now.."
But Sadie's hand shot out, clutching Cinna's wrist before she could turn away, grip surprisingly strong for how groggy she still felt. "You don't just get to walk away." She said, voice raw and trembling, something close to range and panic brewing beneath the surface. "You drugged me, tied me up, cut into me like I was some sort of experiment.."
Cinna arched a blue brow, unbothered by the accusation. "You are dangerous."
Sadie's nails bit into the fae woman's skin. "Then answer me. How many?"
"How many what?" Cinna's smile slipped, just slightly.
Sadie swallowed hard, staring at the bandage on her arm. "How many of...how many people like me have there been? How many did he..." Her voice cracked, but she forced it out anyway, suddenly feeling small, insecure. "...kill?"
For a long beat, Cinna only studied her. And then quietly, "Hundreds."
Sadie's stomach dropped.
"Perhaps more if those scrolls were true. He never did teach me enough of the language to read them well on my own, but you know once he read them, he never forgot a thing on the page. He may destroy every account of you, but that doesn't mean he has lost the memories." Her tone turned clinical again, but her gaze was careful as she watched for Sadie's reaction. "Most killed never made it past infancy. Those that did, well.. I suppose there is no confirmation, but he stated that those who wield the nightmares lose control quickly. Bad tempers. Their creations have consumed villages, but Nikolai has been there to put a swift end to it."
Sadie felt sick. The scrolls she had translated came back to her in pieces. Sketches of ruined circles, lists of dead children, bloodlines traced to nothing but ashes. "Why me? Why am I still alive?"
Cinna's mouth twitched. "If you ask me, I think the gods got sick of him interfering. They trapped you with a bond that wouldn't allow him to kill you..no matter how hard he tried. Apparently fate would like to make things interesting this time around."
Sadie's head dropped forward, feeling the tears that she had fought back falling down her cheeks, onto the bed. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't wish to bear the title you've given me-"
"That fate has given you!" Cinna interjected.
"I don't want to fulfill this prophecy."
Cinna tilted her head as Sadie released her, telling her to get out. She didn't argue, she only straightened, dusted her hands on her skirts and said softly, "Pray you stay this way, little Ilith."
