1. Helayna

1

HELAYNA

T he voice that I dreaded to hear again drifted toward me in the darkness. "I'm so very disappointed in you."

I shivered, even though the slightest movement hurt every muscle in my body. Any break in the endless monotony was a relief. Even if he only brought some new torture.

He came closer, bringing a soft, glowing light with him. I stared up at the ceiling above me. Was it closer now? It must be my imagination. Rock ceilings didn't slowly descend.

Water dripped, a constant barrage on my naked skin. Chilled and damp, I tried not to move. It hurt so badly, as if all the skin on my back and legs was ripping off my body. Maybe he'd chained me to a bed of nails. Though surely that would make me bleed.

Which would be a very bad thing indeed. Though I wasn't sure why.

The light came closer, vaguely green and soft. It made me yearn for colors. Trees. Blue sky. Flowers. Anything that wasn't darkness.

It was so dark here. Complete and utter black.

A small cry escaped my lips. I think I'm going mad.

He squatted down beside me with a look of benevolent patience on his face like a father would look at a toddler who'd thoroughly exasperated him. Which pissed me off. He'd dragged me from my home and left me in this cave to suffer. How long had I been here? Days? Weeks? I had no sense of time.

"Why haven't you freed yourself yet, Helanya?"

He knew my name, but I had no idea who he was. I clenched my teeth, holding back my retort. As much as I hated him with every fiber of my being, I didn't want him to turn around and leave me in the darkness so quickly.

I studied him, trying to memorize every detail. Looking for any clue to his true motivation. He'd imprisoned me…so I could free myself? That didn't ring true. He wanted something else. Something so much worse.

He wore an old-fashioned black velvet suit coat and a white, lacy shirt. A signet ring dominated his pinky finger with a large green stone. A paisley silk scarf in the same emerald-green shade was tied around his throat in a complicated knot.

Slender, graceful, and genteel, he looked like some kind of ancient lord. Not a kidnapper, and completely out of place from anything that made sense to me. But when I tried to remember where I'd come from and how men had dressed and looked, my mind blanked. Black holes were slowly spreading through my memories like a cancer. I couldn't remember the details of my home or family, other than a soul-deep yearning to return to them.

I couldn't even remember how old I'd been when he'd taken me. A child? A woman grown?

Why can't I remember?

"You're fully capable of freeing yourself, my dear." He touched my cheek lightly with the back of his fingers. Tears filled my eyes at the small touch. A comfort in this endless dark hole of pain. "The longer you stay here, the worse your pain will be. I don't like seeing you suffer, though he certainly enjoys the feast."

He? Hope bubbled up inside me. I wasn't alone here? Why hadn't I sensed anyone else here with me? Other than this strangely-dressed man, I hadn't seen anyone during my captivity.

"You're the key," he continued, softly stroking my cheek. "The sooner you unlock your power, the better."

I opened my mouth and rasped, "What power?"

"You're a queen, Helayna. Don't you remember?"

A queen? Me? But why would I be chained in a dark cave? It made no sense.

"The power is within you. You must tap it and release yourself."

Something inside me insisted that was a very bad thing. I couldn't risk… I couldn't free…

I closed my eyes. Trying to remember.

I was so fucking tired. Everything hurt. Even my hair. Why did my hair hurt?

"He's feeding on you," he whispered. "He's leeching your power. If you wait much longer, you won't be needed. He will have drained your power for himself. I would hate to see that, child, though in the end, my goal is accomplished either way."

Child. He said it fondly, as if I were his child. But how could he do this to someone he was supposed to love and protect?

"Let me remind you of what's at stake."

My heart pounded, my eyes flying open. That didn't sound good. At all.

The green glow around him expanded, spilling up and down the cave walls. I blinked. The ceiling was definitely closer, barely above his head now. The rock looked strange. Smooth and wet, glistening in the green light.

The ceiling… moved. Up and down, reminding me of deep, steady breathing.

He set a glowing ball beside my head and then walked away, his footsteps echoing down the tunnel. "Remember how a pearl is made, and what happens to the single grit of sand."

I bit my lip, refusing to call after him and beg him to stay. Or better yet, to take me with him. I didn't want to stay here, alone and forgotten in the darkness. With walls that moved and breathed.

The ceiling dropped closer to my face so suddenly that I flinched.

I screamed in agony. Flesh tore along my back. I could feel the hot spill of blood from the wound. Instinctively, I tried to lift my arm. My leg. I had to get away.

Pain. Tearing. Flesh.

Sobbing, I tried to stay still.

I wasn't chained here in the cave.

I was somehow attached. Stuck. In whatever held me captive.

I stared up at the ceiling only a foot above my face. Green light spilled over the surface, illuminating a beautiful pattern in the rock. I could make out individual pebbles, some darker, all tinted green, though that could be the glowing ball he'd left behind.

Panting, I tried to calm myself. Something wasn't right. The markings weren't pebbles. They were too uniform in shape. Some were larger than others, but they were all the same diamond.

The walls moved again. Closing in. Coiling on me. I could feel the rasp against my shins and my knees. My hair tugged tighter.

Coils.

Panic made me scream again, overwhelming my pride. "Please! Come back! I'll do anything!"

I couldn't lie still. Even though my skin tore and the scent of my blood was thick in the air. That was bad. I knew it was bad.

"Help me," I sobbed. "Someone. Anyone."

The ceiling moved closer, scales clearly illuminated.

A snake. A gigantic snake. I couldn't even see the beginning or end of its coils. But now that I was aware of it, I could feel it beneath me. All around me.

Devouring me.

The green light blinked out, leaving me in darkness once more.

My mind trembled, flitting frantically from thought to thought. Flee. Tear the snake apart. He said I had the power. But how? And what would happen if this monstrous snake came after me? It was so large that I had no idea where its head was. If I escaped the coils, it'd just swing around and swallow me down in a single gulp.

The female voice I'd dreamed before whispered in my head. Call them. Your Blood wait in the darkness.

The coils tightened. Touching my stomach. Engulfing more of my body. If it covered my face completely… I'd lose it. My mind already felt fragile, stretched to the point of despair. Everybody had their breaking point.

Evidently, I'd reached mine.

I didn't know what else could be here in the darkness with me and a giant snake. Whether they could help me escape it or not. But I had to try.

I concentrated on my breathing. In. Out. I had to center and calm myself. I could feel the darkness all around me, even beyond the coils slowly tightening around me. Endless darkness. Outside of time. Lost to everyone I had once loved.

But something was here. She'd told me so. Though maybe that had been a hazy pain dream too.

I willed the darkness to rise up to my aid. I need you.