Property of Kimra Lelanst, do not duplicate without consent.
Rieishel stared at the door. She was going insane, locked in a room for five days. Foreitiket would come in say a few random things then colapse on his bed and go to sleep. Of a morning if she saw him before he left he would say a few more random things, maybe tell her to enjoy her day and once more that would be the end of it.
She wondered if he was trying to drive her insane because if he was it was working with alarming speed.
But here she was, still chained to the wall, still stuck on the bed and still unable to do anything. She had tried to demand from him a reason for her imprisonment and gotten more random statements. She had to asume he was insane himself, maybe that would explain the things he said that made no sense to her.
What irritated her the most was the way the chains about her wrists scrapped against her skin, making it raw and incredibly itchy. She had tried to slip her hands through several times, but there where limits to how much pain she could inflict on herself when asides from insanity nothing seemed to threaten her. She knew if things where different her efforts for a measure of freedom would not be so febel but that was not the case.
Carelessly shaking her hand, rattling the chain attached Rieishel considered her confines. They where thick metal, rough edges that scratched at her lightly when she slept. She had woken the day before tangled in the horrible things and that had been an unpleasent situation to try and undo while she was still half asleep. They where also heavy, simply holding her hand up seemed too much for her small muscles to handle.
Another careless shake seemed to reveal nothing she had not known before. The wretched slabs of metal that curled her wrists where fastened tightly to the chains and she had used the wall on a few occasions to test the strength of that bond. The only piece of the chain’s that did not seem solid and unrelenting was the key hole on each manicule. She had examined those spots several times, tried to dig her pinky finger into the lumbering holes but had failed to find anything of use to her.
She knew in her mind that they had to unlock, that a key would surfice to gain her freedom but there where no keys and she wasn’t quite sure how the mechanisms straped to her worked. Thoughtfully she inspected closer, trying to fathom something new, though it was a fruitless task.
With a groan of defeat that she had made almost a hundred times over the past five days Rieishel threw herself back against the bed. Whatever Foreitiket was doing he wasn’t doing it fast enough.
* * * * *
A sharp click filled the air, a click that made Rieishel freze all movement in a hope filled moment of anticipation. Slightly she shook her left wrist, and she saw the metal split apart.
For a moment she doubted her sight, doubted the hairline crack she could see between the manicule’s seal but hope was a terrible thing and wanted or not it refused to allowed trepidition. Abruptly she shook her hand harder and the metal confines slipped away, scarping her skin and drawing a thin line of blood before it tumbled to the matrice below her.
She gasped a breath of air in staring at the discarded chain in mute shock. She had been bored to distraction, two weeks of nothing but Foreitiket’s vague conversations and the walls of the room had taken their toll. She had been desperate for anything over the last week, she had tried ramming objects into the key hole, tried to dismantle it with anything she could reach. Foreitikets room had plenty of things she considered trying but she had been unable to reach them, there was only so far her chains would allow her to go. So she had taken everything in her reach apart, and bitterly noticed that her keeper didn’t have anything of value within the chains arch.
Foreitiket hadn’t said anything, she had guessed the first night he didn’t notice the two missing items, even the second night of her destructive mayhem had seemed unnoticed, after the third she knew he was just ignoring it so she had ripped her mattress up in the vague and insane hope that maybe there was something in it and maybe he would respond to such open defiance. He hadn’t. He just gave her a vague look before continuing on his usual annoying ritual.
Brute force hadn’t been working and after a while the insanity of confinement sank away leaving her feeling introspective. In the end, she had began playing with some of the metal slithers she had found about the room. That’s when something had clicked, as if the lock where convinced that this piece of wire was a key, where all other items had failed to convince it.
Slowly, still in shock Rieishal shifted the fallen chain, pulling the useful piece of wire from the key hole and moved on to her confined right wrist. It wasn’t easy to get the second one off just because the first had worked at last, she didn’t know what she was doing, what she was looking for. She tired to replicate what she had done with the first one and nearly gave up on it all except she didn’t have anything better to do. When it came away she wasn’t as shocked as she had been the first time but she was incredibly pleased.
* * * * *
Rieishal paused at the sound of voices and stared at the open archway before her.
Her feet where cold, her legs sore and her mind was in chaos from the maze like tunnels she had been trying to navigate for the past few hours. She had discovered one crucial thing after leaving Foreitikets room, something that had failed to make it’s way into her caged mind before: she had absolutely no idea where she was, or how to get out of there. And as she had walked in these circles, as if the walls themselves refused to allow her out she had found herself returning continuously to this spot.
It was possible there was only one way out of this maze and it was through the myriad of voices she could now hear, but she was sure she had passed through no such arch when Foreitiket had brought her into these tunnels.
A male voice made a sound of shock behind her and she spun to face the unexpected intruder. He had made no noise, none at least that she had heard and he looked as surprised by her presence as she was by his. His surprise lasted a shorter time then hers because a savage grin overcame his face and the next moment there was merriment in his eyes.
“Looks like someone’s girl’s lose!” The man called out over her shoulder and through the archway. A second latter there was a ruckus and several men stepped through the archway into the tunnel. Rieishal spun to face the new men, trying not to turn her back on the large man who had snuck up on her before.
One of the men looked her over assessingly, then declared: “Not mine, but she sure looks cold.”
“We should get her a drink, warm her up a bit.” Another announced, sounding very amused, and the glint in his eye worried her, but before she could say anything the man behind her had taken a hold of her arm and propelled her in through the archway and past the scrutinizing men.
It took a moment to regain her footing and look around. But she found herself standing, a little unsteadily, in what she could only guess to be a bar. A very quite bar.
For a moment there was no noise except that of the five men following her in through the archway, then there was a little murmuring that trickled through the large room and nothing seemed willing to break into that until a short woman stood up from one of the corner tables then shouted out rather briskly. “Well who’s is she?”
There was a rattle of curiosity that moved through the room and unexpectedly she was grabbed from behind. She froze with uncertainty, unsure who held her and unsure what struggling would accomplish. There where a multitude of eyes turned on her, as if nothing else in the large room was of interest.
She jerked when her holder slipped the shirt from her shoulder, ready to voice any kind of protest she could think of when she was abruptly released from the man’s hold.
“I think you’ll find, she’s mine.” Foreitiket said evenly from behind her. She turned in surprise her hand automatically fixing her shirt up and met his blue eyes. For a moment he looked angry and she realised it was probably at her but what ever the first expression was it did not last long enough for her to scrutinize and all that was left was an extremely amused expression on his handsome features. “Rieishal, you got out of your chains.” His smile was a little crooked. “Who let you out?” He casually looked at the men closest to them.
“Nobody.” She answered, wondering why anyone would have let her out. She realised even as she answered that she probably should not have, but the smile he gave her was positively brilliant and she found herself for a moment surprised that it suited him so well when all his other smiles where near mocking.
“So you got out all on your own?” He seemed pleased, and confused she nodded.
Instantly there where groans about the room, and surprised she spun to try and find the cause only to realise she was still the very centre of the room’s attention. She noticed a shuffling of money across some of the tables, a few murderous looks thrown at her and one or two surprisingly cheerful looking characters beaming at her. Her confusion doubled.
She jumped when a hand slid about her waist and secured itself around her hip and turned her head to find Foreitiket by her side smiling with smug enjoyment. He glanced out the corner of his eye at her and inclined his head in her direction.
“I think I’m going to like having you around.” He whispered into her ear, then walked her deeper into the room to a crowded table on the outskirts.
She was a little off put by the robust greeting that rang out to her from the assembled group, two of the men went so far as to jump up and throw unco-ordinate arms around her before tyring to crush her in what she had to guess where hugs. But Foreitiket, allowed it to happen before steering her onto one of the free seats at the table and glaring at the assembled group.
“Don’t kill her.” He warned once, before abandoning her.
She would have jumped to follow, the sense of panic thick in her stomach but the woman next to her caught her arm and kept her still.
“He wont be long, I’m sure love.” The woman sounded amused and she certainly had a smile to replay amusement adorning her rough face.
“Where’s he gone?” Rieishal asked, the panic in her voice a little too obvious. The amusement in the women increased.
“Probably to get his money. Seems he had high faith in you, put a nice big wager on your early escape.”
“Escape?” Rieishal repeated, feeling confused. These people all seemed so alien to her. The woman gave a roar of a laugh which was echoed by some of the others at the table.
“Your new. Everyone always puts a bet on the new ones.” The woman continued.
“It’s tradition.” A man across the table declared, and at a glance Rieishal realised she had seen him before but it took a moment to remember him as Yariken, the door guard.
“He wanted me to escape?” She asked still confused, more then confused.
“Well, nobody leaves the rooms without going through the bar. And that’s about as far as he wanted you to get.” Yariken replied, seemingly amused.
“Here, have a drink.” One of the few other women at the table ordered and pushed what looked like murky water in her direction.
Rieishal hesitated a moment, aware that although conversations where happening about the table her actions where being closely examined. She threw a glance over her shoulder, wondering where Foreitiket had gone to before admitting to herself that the next move was entirely her own to make. Hesitant, but not wanting to offend Rieishal drew the drink to her mouth and took a sip. The immediate taste was utterly disgusting and she would have spat it out if some part of her mind wasn’t telling her that it was rude and she shouldn’t be rude. So instead she drank it down, trying to seem politely thankful.
Her attempts it seemed, where entirely amusing to the table and they broke into uproarious laugher with little regard to her. Before their conversations took on more animation as if she was no longer a fixture in their attention.
Bored as the others continued to talk, segregating her Rieishal ignored the unpleasant taste of the drink and continued to sip it. If nothing else it was taking up her time and although no one was talking to her, these surroundings where more engaging then Foreitikets room had been over the last five days.
* * * * *
By the time Foreitiket reappeared she wasn’t sure what was funnier, that every time she finished her drink another one happened to appear in front of her, or that the drink seemed to taste better the more of it she consumed.
Upon his approach however, she lunged from her seat to throw a hug about him. She barely saw his amused expression but noticed the one he sent to her new friends… what ever their names where.
“You got her drunk?” He asked it deadpan.
“What’s drunk?” She slurred up at him, unable to release her hold on his waist because she realised with something akin to horror that the world was spinning far to fast for her to keep stability on her own.
He seemed to realise her problem, because his hands settled on each side of her waist and he lifted her into a proper standing position flicking a quick smile at her before sending a mock angry one at her friends.
“How much did it take?” He asked with curiosity in his voice.
She went to turn around to see who he was asking and the world chose to tilt again. Franticly she grabbed at his shoulder with a squeak and clung burying her head against his shirt, eyes clenched shut against the swirling colours that where trying to unbalance her. The hands on her waist slid around to encircle her completely and she heard a sigh from somewhere above her head.
“I’ve seen babies take in more then she did before she couldn’t keep her cup steady.” There where some chuckles from the words but Rieishal didn’t get it, and was too busy trying to keep the world from spinning by sheer force of will.
Another sigh came from above her making the top of her head tingle. She gave out an involuntary giggle, found the idea of giggling incredibly funny and continued to giggle. “I’ll take the pixie back to her room.” Foreitiket went to move and she nearly screamed at the sudden movement of her support until she realised by some chance she was moving with it. “Come on Ry.” He encouraged.
“Rieishal.” She correct automatically, her words still oddly slurred.
“What?” He asked pleasantly as he drew her away from the noisy room.
She had her eyes clenched shut still, clinging to him fiercely. “My name is Rieishal, not Ry.” She sounded certain, her voice not so slurred with those words.
“For someone who’s not even sure if that’s her name you seem awfully attached to it.”
“It’s my name.” She refuted. After all she was beginning to get used to it.
* * * * *
Her eyes opened to the glare of a white room and her first thought was to question if Foreitiket had left the bucket by her bed, because all at once her stomach did not feel at all accommodating of the food inside it.
She lunged up, heard a rattle, ignored it, found the bucket and proceeded to throw up. Her head throbbed even after the action was completed and she threw herself back against the bed feeling links of cool metal against her arm.
Puzzled, forgetting she was in any form of pain Rieishal raised her arm for inspection only to find a well polished silver shackle locked about her wrist. She took only one moment to realise it was a much better chain then she had been wearing the previous day before she let her arm drop to the bed and forced herself to concentrate on nothing. She didn’t think it would help at all if she allowed the realisation of confinement to sink in again.
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Property of Kimra Lelanst, do not duplicate without consent. |
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