Chapter Twenty-Three

Elena

In a dimly lit cell that smells of mold, minutes feel like hours. I have no idea how much time has passed. I have stopped crying a while ago, deciding to save my strength instead. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and all I can do is wait.

After what seems like an eternity, I hear voices and footsteps. I jump to my feet, not even sure what it is I'm expecting to see. Hope, maybe? But in what form?

Then, hope arrives in a beacon of light. Two large, bulky men are dragging Cal along, as the clatter of chains echoes through the confined space. His movements are sluggish. He is barely walking. They are actually dragging him here. I gasp at the sight, wondering what they must have done to him. Rage boils inside of me, but I can't do anything. If I could, I wouldn't be here in the first place, and neither would he. Helplessness and rage intertwine in me, creating a debilitating fusion of emotions that render me completely frozen, unable to speak or move.

Without a word, they open the door to the cell across from mine and they throw him inside. His battered form slumps against the cold, stone walls. His clothes cling to him, obviously given to him by someone here, so that he isn't naked. A decency I wasn't expecting. Nearby, there is a flickering torchlight casting unsettling shadows on his bruised face. I gasp silently, pressing my hand to my lips.

I jump to the bars of my cell, rattling them angrily.

"Cal?" I whisper. He doesn't say anything at first.

The two brutes just leave him there, as if he's nothing. They lock him in his cell, then leave us both alone.

"Cal?" I echo his name again. The oppressive silence enshrouds us both, but he manages to look in my direction. I want to run to him and embrace him, to make sure that he is alright. But I can tell even from here that he is not. He has taken quite a beating, probably in his bear form, defending the village. Now, in his human form, he is probably even weaker and feels the pain more deeply.

"El?" he calls out to me, and despite the weakness in his voice, I am glad to hear him. "How are you holding up?"

"I should be the one asking you that," I reply.

"I'm okay, don't worry about me," he tells me.

"I have eyes, you know," I remind him. "I can see the state you're in."

"God, were you always such a smartass?" he asks, and we both chuckle, but that bout of laughter obviously causes an onslaught of pain, because he suddenly starts coughing violently.

I grip the bars even tighter. "Cal? Cal!?"

He coughs for a while longer then inhales deeply. "I'm… okay, El. Really."

"We have to get out of here," I tell him, fully aware of how stupid and preposterous that sounds.

Of course we have to get out of here. But how?

"That will be a bit tricky," he says, lifting his hands, and the chains rattle again.

"You're tied?"

"Chained," he clarifies. "You?"

"No," I shake my head. "They probably don't see me as a threat."

"They should," he surprises me with his words. "I saw what you did for Willow."

"Willow?" I repeat, then I remember that is probably the name of the woman shifter I helped.

"You saved her," he says.

"No, no," I shake my head." I merely helped a little. She saved me."

"It didn't look like that from where I was standing," he smiles in the darkness. "You saved her, and then, she saved you. But your action caused it all. Your bravery."

I can't help but smile back. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," I hear him say. "I saw her on the ground, but she was still alive and kicking ass. Rock, too."

"He's alright?" I ask, my voice on the verge of breaking.

"Rock?" Cal grins. "That guy can't die."

"What do you mean?" I wonder.

"A joke, El," he explains, and we burst into a chuckle again. "But seriously, Rock is… Rock. I honestly don't know anyone who has a more fitting name. He won't leave us behind. He'll come for us, I'm sure of it. And then, together, we'll find a way out of here."

I can hear the determination and belief in his voice, and it mirrors my own. "You're right, Cal. Rock will find us. We just need to hold on and trust that he'll come."

His presence and our exchange become a lifeline in this oppressive darkness. I want to be closer to him, but these damn bars are keeping me away from him.

"Please, keep talking," I tell him, noticing that his head has slumped to the side. "Stay with me, Cal."

"Are you scared?" I hear him ask. His words reach out to me in this dark moment, trying to offer a comforting touch.

"Yes," I admit softly, my voice echoing around us although it was barely a whisper.

"It's okay to be scared, El," he murmurs, his voice a gentle reassurance when I need it the most. "We're in this together. And I told you, Rock will leave no stone unturned to find us. We just need to stay strong."

I nod, my momentary fear tempered by the shared understanding.

"I know it would be better if you were back at the village with Rock," I say, a little ashamed of what I'm about to say, "but I'm glad you're here, with me."

He smiles. "I am where I need to be. And you won't like to hear this, but I think you are, too. We are supposed to be here for a reason. We just don't know it yet."

"Do you have any idea why they would bring us here?" I wonder.

"No," he shakes his head. "But it is obvious they need us for something. Otherwise, they would have either left us back at the village, like they did everyone else, or they would have killed us by now."

I silently gasp at the thought of being killed, without even knowing why. Fear claws its way into my mind once again, only this time, I'm not sure that I can be comforted by any words.

"Try to sit down and rest, if you can," he adds.

"I don't think I can," I admit, although I can already feel exhaustion overwhelming me.

"Sit down," he suggests. "Lean against the wall, and I'll tell you a story."

"Like a bedtime story?" He actually manages to make me smile.

"Yeah," his voice reaches me. "Something like that. Come on."

"Okay," I agree, finally letting go of the bars and doing as he told me to.

I take a seat on the wet dirty floor, trying not to pay attention to how uncomfortable it is. I lean against the wall, and strangely enough, my body adjusts itself to the unpleasant position.

"Comfy?" he asks.

"Hardly," I reply honestly. "But you can start."

"Once upon a time," he starts, and somehow, my whole body unwinds just upon those words, "there was a brave girl who found herself lost in the enchanted woods. The shadows lurked like monsters, the branches of trees like hands of demons, aiming to grab her. Just when the girl felt the hardest weight of fear pressing upon her, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadowy woods. It was a wolf, sleek and silver-furred, its eyes gleaming with an untamed wildness. It approached the girl."

He pauses, and I find myself fully immersed in the story. "Then what happened?" I ask, and he indulges me.

"Just when it seemed that the girl was in danger, a guardian appeared, a mighty bear, its form massive and powerful. With a roar that echoed through the trees, the bear confronted the wolf, warding it off with a fierce determination to protect the girl."

As this sweet little tale unfolds, I realize that he intertwined elements of danger and salvation, creating a story that mirrored our own struggles. Despite the ominous beginning, he chooses to make the underlying message one of courage, unexpected allies and the transformative power of protection.

"The girl didn't need to be told that the bear was a friend. She looked deeply into its eyes, and she knew," he continues. "He became the girl's protector, guiding her safely through the woods and ensuring that she reached her destination safely. Then, when she got home…"

This is where his voice trails off, and I drift to sleep. I know that in his story, I am the girl, and the two of them are the bear, protecting me. I smile in my dreams, feeling safe. But at one point, I am woken up by the sharp sound of squealing bars against the ground. I realize that the guards are here again. They've opened Cal's cell, and they are picking him up.

"Hey!" I shout, jumping to my feet and rushing to the bars that keep me in place. "What are you doing? Where are you taking him?" I demand, but I don't get any response to my question.

Cal doesn't say anything to them. He gets up, his chains dragging along the floor. They take him out of his cell, and he stops for a moment, lingering by my side.

"We'll be fine, El," he whispers tenderly. "Trust me."

I do want to trust him, but it's difficult when I see him being taken away. Fear takes hold of me completely. I don't know when he will be back, or even if he will be back at all. The thought sends shivers down my spine, along with a surge of helplessness.

I watch the two brutes escort Cal away, through the dimly lit hallway. I grip at the cold bars, a silent witness to our sudden separation. I watch until Cal's form disappears from my line of sight, leaving behind an echoing void of emptiness and terror. Although there are flickering torchlights, I feel like I have fallen into a dark hole, and I see no way out.

I let go of the bars, wondering what the next hour will bring. WillI also be taken, just like Cal? And more frighteningly, taken where?

I shiver in the darkness, but not from the cold. I tremble with fear, with an idea that this might be all my fault. Perhaps if I wasn't at the village, Rock and Cal would have focused more and prepared better for the possible attack of the enemy bear shifter clan.

I sit down on the cold ground, burying my face into my hands. My body is awash in sorrow, in regret, in wondering whether my coming here was what ruined everything.