41 Locked Away (1/2)
”What did you do to us?” the man, hair as red as her own hiding his eyes yelled at her. Around him, the other three stood, clearly with the same question. Mireia squatted on the ground, playing with a small stone. They were all as pale and thin as the girl.
Isilla put her hands together, collecting her thoughts. Still tired and weak from illness and the calamity of the Veil, she chose her words carefully. ”I had to call on your power to save my life. I'm sorry I didn't ask. My name is Isilla.”
”Why are you holding us here?” the man sneered.
”I'm not, really, you can leave when you want. At least, I think you can now, that I've said that.”
”Don't yell at her, Asier. She's nice, I think,” Mireia said, standing. ”Can you make the sky that color again?”
Isilla nodded and the sky changed to blue. ”You two know each other?”
”Look everyone! She says that's the right color of the sky! Isn't it pretty?”
”Don't trust so easily Mireia! It's just a pretty trick. We can all do tricks like that here. This woman is probably with them, the ones who hold us,” the man said. His voice low and dangerous but Isilla realized, looking at him closer that he was much younger than she thought at first. The others varied in age, the youngest being a boy, barely out of training pants, his eyes wide, blue orbs like oceans, his hair long like a girl's. The remaining two were both women, one, middle age with long hair that pooled at her feet. The other old, ancient, her white hair twisting and turning upward, the same blue eyes as the boy in her face.
She raised her hands, stilling them. ”I know that it seems like I want to take advantage of you but I don't. I'm sorry I pulled you all to me, my body acted on its own but now that it's happened, I can help you, I think. Where are you being held? Perhaps I can have you released.”
”You're from the Light Realm,” the old woman said slowly. ”A dreamweaver.”
”Yes,” Isilla replied.
”How can you help us? You're captured just like us!” Asier laughed.
She shook her head, ”I'm not a captive at all. I can help you.”
”If you're not here as a slave from the war, then why are you here?” the middle aged woman asked curiously.
Slave, Isilla thought. She had never heard of such a thing between the two realms. ”I came here to marry the prince,” she said simply.
”Prince Ero?” the old woman asked.
Isilla shook her head, ”No, his son. My husband is Prince Arren.”
The group looked at her curiously, the name meaning nothing to them so she pressed on. ”I'm sure if I knew where you were being kept, I could have you released or rescued even if that's what you need.”
The old woman shook her head, coming forward, ”You don't understand.”
Isilla smiled, confused, ”I don't understand what?”
”The young ones don't know but Sorne and I are old enough to remember. Me more than her. My name is Udane. I was the consort to Ero's father. He was the one who had me locked up. Who had us all brought here. Mireia, Asier, and little Inaki were all born in the darkness and will die there, as will we all. So you see, your prince will not help us.”
Isilla pushed back her hair. ”The king, Ero, he told me about you. He said his father killed you, that he watched.”
The old woman shook her head, ”He's king now? He was just a little boy when I was put under and his brothers should have, well nevermind. His father did not kill me. He rounded us all up and locked us away.”
”He said you were driving his father mad,” Isilla offered.
The old woman shook her head. ”He wanted more power. I gave him the nightmares he asked for, to give him strength. He drowned in it and turned against me. He was not very strong but I loved him and tried to give him what he asked for. But the darkness, too much, it will drive people who are not like us mad.”
Isilla looked away, remembering the words of the shade. Their blood is weak, but Arren isn't and neither is the king.
”Ero will follow his father's rules, that's what kind of boy he was. He will not help you, even if he knows where we are.”
”I'm not going to ask him,” she said. ”I'll find you without their help.”
”And then what? Can you walk through walls Princess?” Asier said bitterly.
Isilla smiled, ”Not quite but I have trick for that too.”
They looked at her confused and she thought better of telling them anymore about Ilun. Instead she continued on. ”It may take me a bit to figure out where you are. I'm very ill right now and can't really leave my rooms. As soon as I'm better, I promise that I will come and find you all.”
”And then what?” Sorne asked, her voice small.
Isilla shrugged, ”I don't know yet but we'll think of something. But between now and then, I'll need your help. I'm sorry I have to rely on you for a little while. I need you to consume this energy until I can get it under control.”
”Why should we help you?” Asier asked.
”This likely doesn't endear me to any of you but you don't have a choice. I will do my best to pay you back for your help.”
”I'm not helping you,” he said and changed, sending darkness out of him in great waves, overwhelming and twisting the landscape.