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Whatever it was that was making it impossible to move wasn't just holding my feet in place, as the light grew stronger, it held everything about me. Once I was secured, Fenvalur walked over to me, holding some kind of artifact in his hands, something that I didn't recognise.
He stepped into the magic circle without any concerns or hesitation and held it up against my skin. He started with it up against my forehead, holding it like a mother would hold a wet rag to a feverish child before moving further down my face, to my chin, and then to my neck and my shoulders. As he continued to move lower, the light grew stronger and I couldn't even object. My lips wouldn't move. I could barely even breathe.
Fenvalur seemed to be taking measurements all over my body, as though he was fitting me for a new garment. It wasn't as invasive as it could have been, and yet it wasn't pleasant either.
He shuffled over toward the dais, where he had a desk set up under the orrery. Faint mutterings reached my ears as he seemed to be jotting down different pieces of information. Not that I had any idea what any of it was, but still, I wish he wasn't just mumbling to himself.
When he had finished with that implement, he moved on to another and another and another. Each time, his face glowing more and more as he became ever more excited by whatever it was that he was finding.
I, on the other hand, only had dread growing within me. Maybe I'd been wrong about the soldiers, but I sure as hell hadn't been wrong about anything else. I knew a cage when I saw one, and even if this one was made of magic, it was still there.
The fae made no qualms about poking and prodding me, using me as an experiment of sorts, or maybe a specimen would be a better word. My mind filled with images of the rest of my life being stuck like this, and I wondered if anyone specifically Thorn or Ronan would come for me. I knew Wyn would try, but she was only a human mage after all. There wasn't much she could do.
"Well, I suppose that's enough for the first day," Fenvalur said as he scooped up a pile of scrolls and notes and tucked them under his arm.
He flipped a lever next to the dais and the rattling of chains sounded. The clanking and grinding grew ever closer, making the dread in my stomach get all the sharper, until I was sure that if this light ever released me, I would just scream in frustration.
One of the big glass globes that I had seen hanging from the ceiling had descended and was surrounding me. It perfectly fit the circle that had been on the floor. And as the circle grew brighter, I could feel the structure closing around me untilI knew I was completely caged physically, not just magically. When Fenvalur flipped a second lever, the cage began to move upward, and this time I went with it.
Panic flowed through me like a river about to burst its banks. Once the cage had reached the ceiling once more and stopped moving, the light released me and I was able to move around. Only this time what I saw wasn't just pretty baubles hanging from the ceiling, it was glass domes, each one with a different specimen inside. And I had just become one that he had added to his collection.
When he came back in the morning my cage was lowered and the magic circle was activated so I couldn't move once more. The tests began all over again only this time it was like lightning was flowing over my skin. I didn't know what to do since I couldn't speak. Was it supposed to hurt?
The cynical side of me asked why I wouldn't expect it to bring me agony just like most other things in my life when it came to my mark. Each test that Fenvalur ran was worse than the last especially considering I was dehydrated and starving. Once the globe I was imprisoned in had been raised the night before there had been no food or water delivered, which meant I'd had nothing since I'd been on the road with the soldiers and even then I hadn't exactly had a lot.
Still, at least being imprisoned before we came to the fae lands had somewhat prepared me for the gnawing hunger that was twisting my stomach. Nothing had prepared me for the testing though. Eventually I passed out whether it was from pain or hunger I had no idea.
When I came to it was because of a needle being stabbed into my arm. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the tube extending from it and the red of my blood filling it and dripping into a beaker. Once he had his fill he detached the tube but left the needle in my arm, which freaked me out.
Fenvalur pushed something against the exposed end of the needle and a cool sensation washed up my arm and spread throughout my body. The sensation was unpleasant and when my mouth suddenly tasted like I'd sucked on a piece of copper I had to fight to keep my panic from rising to the point of losing control.
What had he given me? Why wasn't he telling me anything? Why was I being locked up?
All these questions and more floated through my mind as nausea rolled in my gut. Everything was going blurry and I knew I was on the edge of either panicking or passing out again. If I panicked then I wasn't sure what would happen since I could barely breathe as it was, but if I passed out then I'd have no idea what they were doing to me.
Turned out I didn't have a choice as a heaviness took over in my limbs and if the light of the magic circle hadn't been holding me in place then I knew I would have collapsed onto the floor, unable to support my own weight. The heavy feeling extended through my body to my eyelids, shutting them for me.
The blackness swallowed me and even though I was scared I couldn't resist its comforting embrace. For the first time I wondered what would happen if I didn't wake back up. How would they justify it to Wyn? Would they even care to try?
Chapter
Sixteen
Senara
"We're done with testing, my lord," Fenvalur's voice sounded from below me.
Someone else was here? Would they save me? I wasn't accustomed to needing to be saved, but it seemed like ever since I had found myself in fae lands that was all that I was capable of.
I hated it.
I also hated not knowing who was down there and if they could help me. Even as I stood at the edge and peered down to try and catch a glimpse of them I couldn't because of the angle the glass curved at and the copper-like material that covered the lower third of it.
"And?" A male voice drifted up to me, sounding both annoyed and curious.
An actual giggle escaped Fenvalur. "She's better than I'd hoped. Her magic potential is off the scale and I've given her something to try and help unlock it, but there hasn't been any sign of success so far."
The new man grumbled something I couldn't make out but then said, "We've waited long enough. If we delay any further then the court will start to grow suspicious."
