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I struggle against my bonds, howling animalistic through my gag, but the sound that escapes is muffled and pathetic. Yurghen stands nearby, calmly observing our reactions.
My rage intensifies at the sight of Mira’s battered body, at the harm that has befallen her. A wave of sadness crashes over me as I watch her fight against her own restraints. Tears of frustration well up in my eyes as our gazes remain locked.
Yurghen smiles at us, then walks over to his desk and starts writing notes in a book. He continues speaking, almost to himself.
“You see, I am a scholar, first and foremost. When you brought her here, I immediately sensed something odd. I needed to study it.”
Finished writing, Yurghen watches as Mira slumps helplessly, accepting her cruel fate. I desperately try to communicate to her that everything will be okay, but my words come out indistinct and unintelligible. Dismissively, Yurghen carries on with his explanation.
“She can’t hear us, Prince. I’ve used air to plug her ears. I understand it appears grim, but beyond a few beatings, nothing truly harmful has happened to her. I needed to push her to her limits, make her believe she was in danger, to get her to unlock her abilities and channel as much Chroma as she can hold. Rest assured, once I finish studying her, I will free her.”
Yurghen bends down to make more notes, while I fruitlessly attempt to sense Mira’s emotions through our bond. Suddenly, he straightens up with a newfound spring in his step.
“Ah, there it is,” he says to himself, standing straight up with a new bounce in his gait.
Suddenly, the world spins and the rush of air surrounds me as I lurch towards Mira. I blink my eyes a few times, trying to find my bearings as I kneel on the ground a few paces away from her. Confusion and disorientation cloud my thoughts.
Bound and gagged, I lower my head, my heart sinking with the sight of Yurghen conjuring a cat o’ nine tails. The twisted cords knotting and rippling with that eerie darkness. I brace myself, waiting for the punishment that is about to be inflicted upon me.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Mira
I stand limply, tied to the pillar as usual. Yurghen only allows me to return to my cell at night for sleep and meals, but there are no windows or clocks, leaving me unaware of the passing time since breakfast. However, something feels different today.
Normally, when Yurghen leaves me alone, he forces my eyes and ears shut, but today my eyes remain open. I scan the room, searching for anything that could be of use. Leaning out as far as I can from the pillar, I try to read the notes Yurghen has been taking.
Suddenly, the door to the observatory swings open, revealing Yurghen with a satisfied expression. Floating behind him is Sunder, his body contorted in an unnatural position, a few inches above the ground. He is bound and gagged by Yurghen’s black ropes.
Sunder’s eyes widen with rage as soon as he sees me, and I struggle against my restraints, trying to show him I haven’t lost hope. I’ve spent fourteen nights here, hoping for a glimpse of him or Bobble. The relief floods through me as I see that he’s okay, except for the gaping wound on his chest.
Through our bond, I can barely sense him, but nothing more. Fruitlessly, I try to send him comfort, letting him know that I’m okay too.
Yurghen continues talking endlessly and taking notes while I desperately wish I could hear what he’s saying to Sunder. Suddenly, with a forceful motion, Sunder is flung 20 feet into the room, landing hard on his knees just in front of me. A nine-tailed whip materializes in the air beside him, and I see Sunder’s head sink low in acceptance.
My attention is drawn back to Yurghen as the air that plugs my ears and mouth disappears just in time for me to hear the sickening crack of the whip landing across Sunder’s back.
I gasp as his flesh separates and blood oozes onto the floor. Sunder’s eyes widen as he screams through his gag. A raw scream tears from my throat as another blow follows, and then another. Dozens of wounds split open on Sunder’s back, releasing a torrent of blood. With each strike, he screams, his muscles tensing momentarily after each fresh wound.
“Sunder,” I call to him, pulling his eyes to mine before another blow falls.
The skin on his back sags and the blood gathers at his feet. His cries pierce my very soul as I push against my physical and mental barriers, desperately trying to help him.
My heart freezes when his screams cease. He slumps against his bonds, unconscious, as the last strike brings him down.
The ropes dissolve and Sunder falls forward onto his face, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood.
“Sunder? Sunder!”
Panic grips me when I realize I can’t see his chest rising, and there is suddenly no sign of our bond. I scream, tears streaming down my face. Sunder doesn’t have much time left. To save him, I need to free myself, if it’s even possible. Time is slipping away as the thick red pool continues to grow beneath him.
“Do something! Please! Heal him. He’s dying.”
Yurghen stands nearby at his podium, absorbed in his notes and observations. I reach out for my Chroma, searching for the deep well within me, desperately attempting to find it. It feels distant, yet tantalizingly close. I sense it, but I can’t quite grasp it, as if it’s trapped beneath a layer of clear glass.
“Please,” I whisper.
My mind races, searching frantically for an answer as I prod and sense the shield Yurghen holds around me. I glance at Sunder’s lifeless body; the urgency pushing me forward. Yurghen watches, fascinated, as I lightly and carefully explore his shield with my mind, looking for a crack.
