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Authors: Robert McKay
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guards fell into line beside their prisoners without any spoken command. Beatrix pondered Woolly's weird reaction and realized her rage had subsided. That was good. Fighting more at this point would just get her killed.
"I don't know why they didn't kill us all," whispered Torch from behind her. "But if you try something like that again, I'll take you out myself."
Beatrix gave him a curt nod, not trusting herself to speak. They were ushered inside the building through a grand entrance twice as tall as Beatrix. The beauty of the place was mostly lost on her now that the beast had soured her thoughts. Still, some part of her observed the rich colors of the tapestries and the beautiful pink striations in the marble below their feet. This place was nothing like the cold stone structures she had imagined the Colarians living in. Any noble in Nedra would be proud to live in a dwelling as fine as this.
They only saw a tiny portion of the house before they were ushered through a narrow door and down a dimly lit concrete stairway. The air was cool and smelled of dust. At the bottom of the stairs the walls were lined with small cubby holes, most of them containing a bottle. A wine cellar. In the back of the cellar was a heavy metal door in Colarian grey.
Beatrix knew that beyond that door there would be nothing of beauty and even less of hope.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Beatrix awoke the next morning in her cell. The others were trying to cheer one another up as best they could from their own cells. Beatrix remained silent beyond letting them know she wasn't hurt. They all knew her well enough to leave her alone when she didn't want to talk, and she was thankful for that. She needed time to take stock of her situation.
The beast who had murdered her father really was there, and he'd talked to her. There was no more denying that he'd been the one that dropped A Dark Beauty into her cage on the ship. She'd taken comfort in it, and now it was gone. He was toying with her and that pissed her off like nothing else could. She had to get out of her cell, if only so she could find a way to kill him. As she went through scenario after scenario in her head about how she would snuff out his life, she began to shake. She'd killed over two hundred Colarians, but it was this one who haunted her nightmares. He'd taken on a role that was bigger than life. He was like one of those monsters in old movies that stomped through cities, kicking cars like toys, and crushing buildings beneath his feet. How was she supposed to deal with something like that?
She resolutely pushed the thoughts of killing the beast aside. That was the ultimate goal, and there were lots of steps to complete before then. She couldn't do anything while she was trapped in a cell. She had to focus on finding a way out first.
She was alone in a grey cube with cement on three sides and bars on the fourth. Her companions were in cells like hers, one right next to the other, with just enough wall between them so they couldn't touch if they reached out through the bars. Hands was next to her, then Gadget, Torch, and Pickle on the other end.
Each cell had a single caged light on the ceiling, a toilet, a sink, a ledge jutting from one wall with a mattress, and a couple of dust bunnies for company. As was expected, all of it was in Colarian grey. It was a recipe for madness. Seeing color and beauty for a few short minutes and then being plunged back into the abyss of grey, even for one night, was hard to take.
If any of them were going to see the outside again, she had to figure out what the Colarians wanted them for.
Beatrix didn't have enough critical information to pose a threat to Nedra as a whole. Not even Torch had enough information worth being tortured for. Since the Colarians had shown no interest in negotiation before, they probably weren't being held as hostages. That left only a couple of other uses and none of them were pleasant. The first that sprang to
"I don't know why they didn't kill us all," whispered Torch from behind her. "But if you try something like that again, I'll take you out myself."
Beatrix gave him a curt nod, not trusting herself to speak. They were ushered inside the building through a grand entrance twice as tall as Beatrix. The beauty of the place was mostly lost on her now that the beast had soured her thoughts. Still, some part of her observed the rich colors of the tapestries and the beautiful pink striations in the marble below their feet. This place was nothing like the cold stone structures she had imagined the Colarians living in. Any noble in Nedra would be proud to live in a dwelling as fine as this.
They only saw a tiny portion of the house before they were ushered through a narrow door and down a dimly lit concrete stairway. The air was cool and smelled of dust. At the bottom of the stairs the walls were lined with small cubby holes, most of them containing a bottle. A wine cellar. In the back of the cellar was a heavy metal door in Colarian grey.
Beatrix knew that beyond that door there would be nothing of beauty and even less of hope.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Beatrix awoke the next morning in her cell. The others were trying to cheer one another up as best they could from their own cells. Beatrix remained silent beyond letting them know she wasn't hurt. They all knew her well enough to leave her alone when she didn't want to talk, and she was thankful for that. She needed time to take stock of her situation.
The beast who had murdered her father really was there, and he'd talked to her. There was no more denying that he'd been the one that dropped A Dark Beauty into her cage on the ship. She'd taken comfort in it, and now it was gone. He was toying with her and that pissed her off like nothing else could. She had to get out of her cell, if only so she could find a way to kill him. As she went through scenario after scenario in her head about how she would snuff out his life, she began to shake. She'd killed over two hundred Colarians, but it was this one who haunted her nightmares. He'd taken on a role that was bigger than life. He was like one of those monsters in old movies that stomped through cities, kicking cars like toys, and crushing buildings beneath his feet. How was she supposed to deal with something like that?
She resolutely pushed the thoughts of killing the beast aside. That was the ultimate goal, and there were lots of steps to complete before then. She couldn't do anything while she was trapped in a cell. She had to focus on finding a way out first.
She was alone in a grey cube with cement on three sides and bars on the fourth. Her companions were in cells like hers, one right next to the other, with just enough wall between them so they couldn't touch if they reached out through the bars. Hands was next to her, then Gadget, Torch, and Pickle on the other end.
Each cell had a single caged light on the ceiling, a toilet, a sink, a ledge jutting from one wall with a mattress, and a couple of dust bunnies for company. As was expected, all of it was in Colarian grey. It was a recipe for madness. Seeing color and beauty for a few short minutes and then being plunged back into the abyss of grey, even for one night, was hard to take.
If any of them were going to see the outside again, she had to figure out what the Colarians wanted them for.
Beatrix didn't have enough critical information to pose a threat to Nedra as a whole. Not even Torch had enough information worth being tortured for. Since the Colarians had shown no interest in negotiation before, they probably weren't being held as hostages. That left only a couple of other uses and none of them were pleasant. The first that sprang to
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