AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Forgive me.
* * *
Tegan woke to the sound of the door being rattled. Groggily she struggled to sit up even as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. She was tired, Pure Prime Castor Rorik had come to see both her and Michael last night and gave them a sleeping draught. It had obviously worked well as Tegan could recall nothing else after drinking it. The door thudded, and she frowned as she pushed her blankets back and swung her heavy feeling legs out of the bed. When she tried to stand, she fell, and the noise of her falling to the floor was what woke her brother.
“What is it?” he asked blearily as he lifted himself over to the side of the bed. “Shade, I feel worse,” he muttered as he looked down at his sister, who was staring at her legs like they had something wrong with them. “Tegan?”
“I cannot get back up. My legs won’t work.”
“You’re paralysed?” Michael cried with alarm as he scrambled out of the bed. His legs gave way from under him, and he clutched onto the bed to stay upright. “Tegan?” he asked, the panic clear in his voice.
“I canfeelmy legs, I just cannot use them.” Tegan tried to stand again even as her legs wobbled and she felt light-headed. “In Harrian’s name, what is happening to us?”
“We’ve been drugged,” Michael said with anger as he concentrated on trying to stand. “Why is the door not opening?” he asked through gritted teeth as the steady thumping on the door drew his attention.
“I think we are trapped,” Tegan said as she got to her knees and wobbled. “Also there is smoke coming from under the door. I think there is a fire.”
“Are you kidding me?” Michael snapped as he finally stood. He swayed left and right, and then with a small, measured step, he put one foot forward. His vision swam, and he went crashing to the ground. Tegan cried out in alarm, and with a momentous effort, she half crawled, half staggered to his side.
The smoke was coming in thicker, and she started to cough, and as a coughing fit overtook her, she ended up on her side beside Michael. His hand reached out and grasped hers.
“Accident or intentional?” he asked as they both lay there trying not to inhale.
“I think we were intentionally sealed in here, but I think it is an accident that there is a fire outside,” Tegan commented as she turned her head to look at him. “On three?”
“On three,” Michael agreed, and together they tried to stand, holding on to each other for support. “It seems better,” he said when they were raised with one knee in front of them and a hand each on the side of his bed for support.
“It does, so the more we move, the less effect it has.” Tegan tried to pull herself up, and with her brother’s arm around her, she used his strength to draw her second leg in front of her. Leaning over the bed, she let the bed take the support as Michael used her to climb to his feet.
“If Rorik ever offers me another mixture again, I will kill him,” Michael gasped as he pushed away from the bed on arms that shook as they lacked strength. Both of them jumped when a crash sounded against the door, and they both waited expectantly for whatever was outside to break the door down.
But the door would not yield.
“I never in my life thought I would be too unsteady and afraid to jump out of a window,” Tegan said cynically as she used the furniture to propel her to the window. As she looked out, she gasped. “The entire complex is in flames,” she told Michael. “There are Drakhyn...everywhere.”
“You,” Michael told her with worry as he forced himself upright. “He’s here for you.”
“I amnotthe female,” Tegan grumbled as she tried to force the window open.
“Maybe not, but he had made it very clear he wants you, and we cannot let him have you.” Michael lurched forward, his hands thrust out in front of him to catch his fall when he landed against the window frame. “What in shade’s name was in that draught?” he growled as he used what little strength there was in his upper body to lift the window.
The crashing against the door sounded more frantic, and the smoke swelled thicker into the room. “Is it to keep us in or them out?” Tegan questioned even as she turned to look at the door. Her gaze rested on the visitor chair, and she shared a look with her brother. “Together?” she suggested. With a sharp nod, Michael offered his arm, and the two of them slowly and carefully edged across the room to the chair. The seemingly innocent plush cream visitor chair raised such curse words from both of them as they struggled to move it that any other Akrhyn hearing them would blush.
Torturously, interrupted by many coughing fits, both siblings managed to drag the chair to the window.
“Can we lift it?” Michael asked Tegan as he wiped sweat from his brow.
“No,” she said as she fought to stop her heavy breathing; she was taking in too much smoke to her lungs. “Why are they not casting to stop the fire?” she asked as she coughed again.
“Is it real?” Michael asked her suddenly. “What if it is another illusion, a trick?” Tegan lost her reply to a coughing fit. “Tegan, it is not real smoke, it’s in your head. I am not coughing,” Michael said with clarity. “It’s another dirty illusion,” he growled as he snapped upright.
Unfortunately for the siblings, the loss of power and strength in their limbs was not an illusion, and Michael stumbled one more time.
The door shuddered again, and Michael looked at his sister with worry. “I cannot defend you,” he said as he looked back to the door. “And you cannot defend yourself.”
“I canalwaysdefend myself,” Tegan snarled as she climbed onto the chair, and then with either incredible luck or agile stupidity, Tegan threw her whole weight towards the window. The windowpane shattered, and Tegan fought the panic as she went flailing through it. A strong hand clutched hers as she started to fall and was pulled back.
Tegan looked to the male who had saved her, and jerked back when she didn’t recognise him. His blond hair and square jaw were unfamiliar as was the patch over his eye.
