My hands were bound.

Blinking grit out of my eyes, I tried to push myself up only to find they were fastened to something above my head. Dizziness swirled even with that small amount of movement, and I couldn’t make head or tail of where I was. The flesh in my right arm pulsed with pain and the skin behind my ear seared. A pungent stale smell, directly under my face, was invading my nostrils. My head was also pounding, but it was clear I was lying on my stomach.

The material beneath me curved gently downwards with the pressure of my weight, and I had the immediate impression that I was on something resembling a camp cot, although I could not remember what I had been doing to end up on one. In fact, I tried to remember where I was and what had happened when I had last been awake. My thoughts, however, were foggy, sleep still clouding my rational thoughts.

There was a thud behind me, and I lifted my head sharply and opened my eyes. Blinking, I tried to focus. The cot was pushed up against a wall on my left, and all I could see on either side were creamed tiled walls. The room held a soft, dull glow suggesting a small or weak light source coming from somewhere on the other side of the room.

And then everything came flooding back: the storm, the Phaleans, the gate and Rayon’s building. The visit to the Phalean Temple also flashed through my memory. I tried to recall what had happened after the roof. The Phalean had attacked me and then… and then…

There had been movement, blurred and dark. There had been buildings and air around me, as if I had been flying. And then there had been a bright light and a large room. A flash of a man’s face appeared in my mind’s eye. He had stood over me, looking down. A man with large blue eyes, tanned skin and short black curls: a Caucasian man possibly. I tried to remember the room behind him, but I couldn’t picture it. It had been large and open, bright and colourful, but I hadn’t been able to discern shapes and objects beyond what was immediately in front of me. Maybe it had all been a dream.

Rayon.

He must have found me. Maybe that man with the blue eyes and black hair worked with him.

“Rayon?” I asked, my voice cracking and my lips burning dry.

A scoff reached my ears before gritty, heavy footsteps started to approach. I tried to move my hands to push myself up, and it was then that my body seared with pain. Every muscle in my body ached and throbbed as if I had run continuously for hours.

My current situation hit home. I couldn’t push myself up. I was trapped. A prisoner!

Wriggling my hands frantically, I ignored the discomfort in my muscles. My wrists were bound to the top of either side of the cot. Someone had even wound the rope through some of the vambrace to secure my left arm as if they knew of its strength and inability to bend.

The footsteps stopped beside the makeshift bed, and I froze.

“No, not Rayon,” a deep, male voice said.

It took a moment, but I knew that voice. It was Yalek.

“Let me go!” I demanded. “Untie me!”

I thrashed against the bindings, and to my horror, I discovered that my feet were also bound to either side of the end of the cot. A scream unleashed from my lungs. Someone had to hear me. Someone had to come and save me from this maniac. The tracking chip – Yes! Surely, Rayon would be close by and rescue me.

A scraping noise came from behind, and I paused, holding still. My ears craned, listening intently. It was followed by a gentle creak of wood. I looked over my shoulder as far as I could to see Yalek settle into a chair beside the cot, his body positioned as close as possible to the bed so I was not able to see his face.

There was also a small wooden table that came up to his knees. Beyond where he sat, I could see some of the windowless room that we were in. White tiles seemed to cover every surface. The far wall was filled with shelves containing potted plants and apothecary jars. If it didn’t continue on behind me, the room was small, barely two by three meters from my immediate guess.

Yalek’s face was still beyond my view, but from the corner of my eye, I saw him wave his hand nonchalantly over my back. A cool breeze reached my skin, and another surge of fear raced through me. My shirt was gone. My breaths came fast and hard, so much so it took me a moment to realize I could still feel my bra under me, although I could tell it had been unclasped and moved off my right shoulder. To my relief, I noted that I could still feel my trousers and shoes.

Nonetheless, I opened my mouth to scream again.

“There’s no point,” he said, his voice calm and flat. “We’re in Prince Maxin’s private infirmary and saferoom. “No one is going to hear you.” Metal items clattered together on the short table. “And I took the 4ST out of your ear on the roof that Rayon gave you, so he can’t trace us. I put a new one in.”

At least that explained the burning sensation behind my ear, but now how was Rayon ever going to find me. And prince? What prince? Why was I in a prince’s infirmary? More importantly, what was Yalek going to do to me when he had all those metal items within reach? Swearing loudly, I tried to pull at the bindings again that were holding me down. My right arm jolted with pain and uttered a sob.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Stay still. I’m not going to hurt you.” His tone was impatient. “You have a large gash on your right shoulder thanks to the Phaleans. I’m going to stitch you up, although it looks better than our first concerns. And when I’m done, you and me are going to have a chat with the prince.”

His body shifted and a large, warm, calloused hand rested on my lefthand shoulder. It was an unwelcome pressure holding me down. I tried to shift away but was unable to move out of his reach.

Yalek sighed. “You need to stop moving. If you do that while I’m in the middle of stitching you up, it’s going to make a mess. A small cup, a thimble in size really, was held in front of my face.

Drink this,” he ordered.

I shook my head frantically.

“It will help with the pain while I attend to your wound.”

I paused, but then shook my head again.

“If I wanted to poison you and do whatever I wanted with you, I would have done it after you had stopped hallucinating and were unconscious.” A flash of fear jolted through me again at his words, but I stayed still and considered what he said. “That’s why you’re tied up. You could have physically hurt yourself, or damaged your right arm even more or attacked me. Drink,” he demanded, again.

I considered the small amount of liquid in front of me. My thoughts were still clearing and I tried to think it through. He was right. If he had wanted to hurt me, he could have done anything while I was unconscious. And my shoulder did burn with pain. It did need some attention.

“Do you want to feel the needle going through your skin?”

I cringed. “Will you untie me?”

“Only when I’ve finished the stitches. I don’t want you doing something stupid as soon as I let you go and you mess up your back even more. We better get started. You don’t want that gash getting infected. It needs to be closed up.”

My stomach squirmed at the possibility of what my shoulder might look like, and I was glad it was in a position where I could not see it.

“Fine.” I nudged my head forward, and he tilted the thimble-sized container to my lips and poured it into my mouth. It was sharp and bitter and my tastebuds recoiled against the flavour on my tongue. A comfortable warmth came to my stomach and a tingling sensation flowed over my skin. The muscles in my body also started to relax, and within a few seconds, the severe pain I had been feeling, subsided to a dull throb.

“Good,” Yalek said. “You will still be able to feel what I’m doing, but it won’t hurt.”

I waited, tense. Waiting for any sign of danger, but Yalek’s hands worked with care as a sweet-smelling ointment was poured onto my back, its liquid dripping down the side of my body and soaking into the material I was lying on. He dabbed at it and then I felt something small and smooth be pushed through my skin. He was correct. I could feel all of it, but it didn’t hurt.

A click came from further down the room. It sounded like a door opening, and I tensed again.

“Is our visitor awake?” a smooth male voice asked.

“Yes,” Yalek answered simply.

“How does she fair?” The man walked further into the room, his footsteps light on the ground. Fresh air seeped in through where they had opened the door and I welcomed its coolness on my back. But I was on edge. Who was this? Another stranger, and I was unable to do anything to protect myself.

“She is quite lucid. Her arm is bruised significantly. She might have a fracture.” My thoughts bounced to where I had blocked the Phalean when he had swung his arm down. “Once I’ve seen to her back and arm, the rest is simply cuts and scratches.”

There was a pause and then, the other male let out a slow whistle. “I can’t stop looking at the vambrace. Still can’t believe it.”

What did they want with the vambrace, and more importantly, what did that mean for me? They might be seeing to my wounds, but did that mean I could trust them? My chest heaved as my breathing became unsteady, and Yalek paused in his work.

“I asked you to stay still,” he said.

There was a slight tut from the other man. “Now, now, she’s young. Be kind. Girl,” the male voice said, his tone softer as he spoke to me. “What’s your name?”

I didn’t speak, afraid to answer.

“Is she really awake?” the man asked.

“Yes. She’s awake.” Yalek continued with his work, the needle going back into my skin as more binding was pulled through to bring my flesh back together.

“Girl?”

“Jaliyah,” I said, my voice shaking. “My name is Jaliyah. What are you going to do with me? I want to go. I need to find someone.”

“Once you’re healed you can go. You are not a prisoner. My name is Prince Maxim and you are my guest.” His voice was kind, and I desperately wanted to believe him. “Who do you need to find?”

“A man called Rayon,” I said.

Prince Maxim sucked in his breath. I was sure contempt and disgust filled the air at the sound of Rayon’s name. “We will wait until you are not so indisposed and I can see your face. Then we’ll talk about Rayon and how you came about to find and wear the vambrace.” He paused and his next words were obviously intended for Yalek. “You’re doing well with that, although it does look better already.”

Yalek merely grunted in agreement. “It would have been easier if Rajin was here.”

“I have sent word for her,” Prince Maxim responded. “She will be here soon.”

There was a slight tug on my back and a snipping sound reached my ears. I hoped it meant that Yalek had finished and he would then untie me.

“Pass me the cup on the table,” Yalek said.

Footsteps sounded in the room again, and I imagined Prince Maxim walking over to a table of some kind and then back to the cot.

Yalek held another cup in front of my face. “Drink this,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle compared to his impatient forceful tone earlier. “From the sound of your voice, you need some water.”

It was a standard-sized cup this time. The liquid appeared clear. I opened my mouth and allowed Yalek to tip its contents into my mouth. He was right. My mouth was parched dry. It was cold and cool as it went down, and I quickly finished its entire contents. When it was empty, Yalek removed the cup.

“How long will she sleep for?” Prince Maxim asked.

“It’ll knock her out for a good twelve hours,” Yalek said.

“What!?” I asked. “Sleep?” My mind raced. What had been in that water? “What did you give me? You lied. You said you would let me go!” My head was already feeling heavy.

Yalek did not answer, but there was another gentle tug on my back. I tried to pull on my bindings once more. Yalek sighed, and he placed a strong hand on my left shoulder again, holding me still. Panic surged through me. He had lied and so had Prince Maxim. I was their prisoner.

A heavy weight started to fill my head, pulling me down into darkness. I tried to fight against it, just like I had when the Phalean had attacked me, but similar to the heaviness of that drug, Yalek’s was equal in strength. It was a blanket, numbing and relaxing my brain, easing the anxiety rushing through me. Unable to keep my head up, it dropped back onto the cot.

“Did you see this?” I heard Yalek ask through the fog.

To my horror, his fingers pulled the waistband of my trousers down a few centimetres, so it would have revealed my lower back and the top of my right buttock.

“What do you think it means?” he asked Prince Maxim.

I didn’t get to hear an answer. I couldn’t hold on. Darkness engulfed me and everything went black.