Page 31 of Hope Entwined (Chronicles of Aldreda: Hope Rising)

H azy light floated in front of Celina in the dusky colors of sunset. Tiny particles of dust and dirt spun and floated in a suspended dance, blinking in and out of her vision as she stared across the empty room. The movement made the dizziness swamping her mind so much worse. Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut before reopening them. More golden-brown shimmers appeared.

A tingling sensation struck her hands when she tried to flex them. She’d had to stop pulling on her restraints as the blood slowly drained out of her hands and arms, afraid of damaging wrists she could no longer feel. No magic, drugged with intoxicating fruit, and fully restrained, she didn’t need to add to her problems.

Scanning the room for the hundredth time produced nothing useful, but it did give her mind something to do other than worry about the absence of sound from the child in the next room. She’d answered all his questions, but he’d still occasionally knocked on the wall anyway. By the end of the session, he’d more than proven that his power and control over the inhabitants of the fortress was absolute.

Before he left, he’d gagged her, wiping away the tears that had leaked from her eyes. Do you know what I’ve learned over the years? he had asked, his voice deceptively conversational. Captives function better when they know their place. You’ve shown you’ll be easily controlled through the children, but you still need to learn that your place, your existence, is whatever I wish it to be. He traced the line of black around her neck, reminding her that he’d taken her freedom. I’ll be back to finish your lesson after I dispose of your friends.

After her ravaged emotions had settled, she’d forced herself to focus on practical things. Rodric and the others would find her; she just had to hold on. Her ragged breathing was still a work in progress, and even muffled by the gag, it was loud to her sensitive ears. Between that and straining to hear any indications of the battle outside, she was quickly driving herself crazy, so looking for tools to escape was a desperate alternative. Every footstep or voice had her freezing in anticipation. Was the team already infiltrating the site? Were they actively engaged with the soldiers yet?

Worst of all was the thought that if someone was injured, she’d be unable to save them—a scenario recurrent from her nightmares.

Come on, Celina. Think. There was no way to know what was happening out there, so she was on her own.

A scrabbling sound drew her attention to the high window letting in the dimming light. If the team hadn’t already begun the raid, they would be any moment. Dusk didn’t last very long, so they would make the most out of it. Soft muttering sounds were amplified to her sensitized hearing. What in the world?

A tiny paw came from below, hooking over the ledge, followed by a second.

Blinking still blurry eyes, she focused on the opening in time to see the tips of pointed red ears pop into view. Next came a furry little head, nose leading the way through the window.

“Jed!” she squealed around the gag muffling her voice.

Rooloo! The osa’s response almost sounded like a little hello.

Jed scurried into the room, pausing to look at her before walking straight down the wall and hopping to the floor. She’d seen him climb trees straight up and down the trunks, but never thought about the stunning dynamics of such movement until he scaled the stone wall in front of her. Jed’s excited whooping matched his bounce as he ran to her, broadcasting energy that said he’d just won the hardest game of hide and seek ever. Hopping up, Jed braced his paws on her legs and gave her a considering look.

How did she explain to the osa that she needed help? She tugged at the ropes binding her wrists tight, making as much movement as she could. Jed’s eyes snapped and focused on the movement before looking back to her. Making pained, whimpering noises, she tried to convey in the simplest sounds that the ropes were hurting her. Jed made a questioning sound, tilting his head. She continued the universal sounds, letting the fear, pain, and sorrow she had buried release in a wave of energy.

With a sharp, decisive noise, Jed jumped off her lap and scurried around behind her. Craning her neck as far as she could, she was able to see him rise to his full height on his back paws and reach for the bindings.

Nimble paws tugged at the ropes, loosening them a smidge, but not nearly enough to free her. Another wave of distress escaped as her sudden hope diminished. The ropes were too tight for his paws to manage.

Giving a hunting growl, he attacked the bundle of knots, front paws sprouting claws she’d never seen before.

Stunned, she watched as he shredded the knots with his claws. She could feel his thick, wiry fur on her fingertips occasionally as he worked. Latching on to the last piece of rope with his teeth, he bounced back, shaking his head as if the rope were live prey in his mouth. Another hop and tug, and she could feel the strands splitting as they stretched. One last muffled, satisfied growl and the rope pulled free, sending Jed flying backward. Scrambling onto all four paws, he bounded around the chair and jumped, landing in her lap with a thud.

Happy sounds poured from her as she brought her arms forward and tried to shake some feeling into her hands. The nerves woke in pins and needles, causing her to fumble unsuccessfully with the buckle on the gag before finally releasing it. Wrenching it from her mouth, she breathed in full gasps of air and pulled Jed into a hug.

“Jed, you’re amazing! You freed me!” She squeezed him to her chest until he began to chortle at her. Releasing him, she kissed his fuzzy head, uncaring of the jungle dirt and debris he was covered in.

Leaning down, she undid the ties on her ankles and stood on shaky legs. “Whoa.” She crashed back to the chair, the dizziness and unsteadiness colliding. “He wasn’t kidding about that stuff messing with your mind.” Carefully, she put a small amount of weight on her legs, using the back of the chair to steady herself. It felt like all the nerves in her body were disconnected when she tried to move.

Jed had already unlatched a small chest and was halfway inside, hanging with the edge under his arms, his back legs stretched out with about a foot to the ground.

“Find anything interesting?”

Scurrying back out, Jed dropped to the ground as she kneeled next to him to peer into the chest. Some clothing and an extra set of boots were nestled to one side. The other held a variety of implements, a spare blade and a leather case. Avoiding touching the torturous items, she picked up the case. A tiny lock sealed it. Reaching back, she touched the lock keeping the black rope secured around her throat. Did she keep looking or take a risk that the case held the magic-blocking drug?

Frustrated, she inventoried the chest again, but nothing new showed up. Playing with the lock, she ran her finger over the soft leather wings that secured the case. An alternative to unlocking the case was to remove the lock. Picking up the captain’s knife, she forcefully sliced along the seams of both straps.

Opening the case revealed three vials secured into individual slots, opposite three empty partitions. Yes! If they were going to confront these groups on a larger scale, they needed to be prepared to handle the new element of danger the drug created. Not just for the children, but their potential rescuers. Grabbing one of the spare shirts, she wrapped the case in cloth, tying the sleeves securely around the precious object. Retrieving a small satchel from the bottom of the chest, she deposited the case, keeping the knife out to use as a weapon.

Rising, she slipped the satchel crossways over her chest and moved to the door. “Time to go, Jed. We have someone to rescue.”

Jed rumbled his agreement, pausing to peer out of the room before bounding out. He was surprisingly good at this stealth game.

The room opened up to a narrow hall, studded with tiny windows that looked down on the outside of the fortress. Stairs continued up another level but were completely in ruins. Instead of going back down to the ground or the hidden passageway, she followed Jed across the walkway to the next room.

Her body fought her, wobbling with weakness as she took slow, careful steps, grateful that the path was still intact. She never would have managed to climb a crumbling stairway with the way her legs kept giving out.

Trotting ahead of her, Jed disappeared and gave a soft chortle. Holding her breath, she peered around the corner to see a young girl lashed to a wood beam. Disheveled brown hair curled around her face where it had come out of her braids. She looked just like the drawing Rodric traveled with, if a little older.

Leather and rope bound her, not a metal chain or hook in sight that could be manipulated by a girl with metal-molding abilities. Angry red welts stood out on her arms from where Hayes had hurt her during the captain’s interrogation.

Tears pricked Celina’s eyes, blinding her for a moment. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. How was she going to tell Rodric that some of the girl’s more recent wounds were her fault?

Stumbling to her knees, she tipped the girl’s head up, rousing her. “Brenna.”

The girl woke with alarm, stiffening and trying to wrench away with a startled cry. The terrified burst of sound tore through Celina’s sensitive hearing, ripping at her heart.

“Rodric’s here. Rodric came to rescue you. You’re okay.”

A spark of hope flared in Brenna’s deep eyes before being buried by wariness. She looked her supposed rescuer over, focusing on the collar Celina wore before meeting her gaze in question.

“They got me too.” Celina touched the imprisoning black strip with trembling fingers, swallowing back the flux of nausea that rose. She didn’t mask her expression, letting Brenna see the honest, sickening fear she’d been fighting since being brought to the fortress. “Zora will probably never forgive me for getting captured and upsetting Rodric.”

Brenna’s jaw slackened with relief as her tension dropped. “He came for me.”

“He did.” Celina smiled. Certain the girl wouldn’t bolt, she used the captain’s knife to cut through her restraints, massaging warmth back into the girl’s hands as best she could.

“I’m so sorry, Brenna. It’s my fault you’re hurt,” Celina confessed. “I was in the other room.”

“Hayes hurt me, not you,” Brenna insisted, her voice wavering as she gingerly touched her arm. “Usually, they pair Gavin and I together, but they keep us in the same room. It’s a lot worse when you’re forced to watch.”

Celina had to agree with that. Though she hadn’t been able to see Brenna, listening to her being hurt had been torturous. Her healer’s heart had shredded with each occurrence. If she’d known it was Brenna, Rodric’s sunshine, and been forced to watch helplessly, she didn’t know how she would have survived the experience.

A low growl reached her just as she was about to help Brenna to a stand.

“Jed, guard.” She moved out of the room as Jed took up a protective stance, standing on his back legs, claws out, in front of the girl.

The stairs on this side were much worse, and tiny rocks tumbled and slid under her feet as she tried to descend. Closing her eyes, she tried to regain her balance, feeling unsteady. Knife in one hand, she braced the other against the wall and made it a few more steps.

A shadow shifted at the entrance to the gatehouse, increasing her heartbeat to an intense pace that made her vision blur. She couldn’t be on the stairs if she needed to fight. Stumbling, she tried to make it to the bottom. If nothing else, she could lead whoever it was away from Brenna.