“Where were you when they took you?” His voice remains calm, and he hasn’t given me any indication that he doesn’t believe me. A bolt of confidence shoots through me, and I keep going, especially knowing the questions are only going to get harder.
“I was near the marshes, just below the plateau.”
Lie.
He takes it, without question, moving on to the next.
“Where did they take you? Where is their camp?”
This is the part I’m most worried about, the part I really need to sell.
I start to move my lips, soundlessly choking on my own words, and feigning frustration with each new attempt to speak.
“Ugh!” I groan and shake my head. “They forced a potion down my throat as soon as I was at their camp. I can’t tell or show anyone where they are, no matter how hard I try. I think it’s what has been protecting them.”
He grumbles, his face drawing in anger as he crosses his arms and runs his fingers over his lips. “I’m sorry they did that to you, but it’s not your fault.”
“I’m so sorry, Dane. I just want this nightmare to be over.”
“It is,” he says, softening again. “It is. It’s over. I got you back now.”
A chill runs up my spine. Has he always sounded this possessive? Like I was an object he controlled or owned? How didn’t I notice it before?
He pauses and collects his words before starting again. “I know her side, but I need to know yours. What happened with Mara?”
“I told her the truth in the clearing. I even tried when she was attacking me out on the cliffs, but she wouldn’t stop to listen to me. There was no other choice. I had to fake being on their side. You warned me about Weston’s manipulation since the day you brought me here, so I tried to fight it. I tried to spin it back on them, making them believe I was on their side so they would trust me. It worked for a while, but when I saved Roley, they started to question me. I knew I had to try to leave then. I couldn’t stay longer. Weston caught me and locked me up.”
“How did you escape?”
“Attacked the Castaway that was guarding my cage when I said I needed to use the bathroom. We got into a fight, that’s why I look like this. I got away, but they will know I’m gone soon.”
His spine stiffens. “Everyone needs to be alert. They might come looking for you.”
“Please don’t let him take me again,” I plead, my voice laced with fear.
“Trust me, I won’t. You aren’t leaving my side.”
I shake my head. “I’m going to have to. I have to keep looking for the cure.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. We will figure that out when you’re ready to look again.”
I nod and sniffle. He hasn’t questioned any part of my story, and I can’t decide if that is a good thing, or a bad thing. Does he believe me implicitly, or is there something more that he knows? I thought I could trust him, thought we spent all that time building it between us, just to end up questioning every word he says and every thought he has.
“What about Fin?” he asks.
My face falls again. “He’s too far gone, Dane. I tried so hard, but Weston’s tricks worked on him too easily. He’s just a child. I wanted to bring him with me when I left, but I couldn’t. I just needed to get out.”
“And Taril?”
Shit.
Sig and I hadn’t prepared for how to deal with Taril being taken. I decide quickly to go with complete ignorance.
I snap my eyes to his, widening them in shock. “They took Taril?”
He narrows his gaze. “You didn’t see him?”
“No,” I say. “They had me locked in a room for days, or weeks. I don’t even know how long. I never saw him.”
