Damon clutched his head as his breath came out ragged. When he tried to move, agony shot through him.
"Ugh!"
The pain spread up his side, sharp enough to steal his breath. He pressed a hand to his ribs, certain he had fractured some. His gaze snapped toward Nyssa.
She froze.
Their eyes met. Hers wide, startled, utterly shocked by what had just occurred. Damon's pulse stuttered. That look… she wasn't faking it. She had no idea what she had done.
So she hadn't orchestrated it?
But the surge that threw him across the room had only one explanation. Magic.
A faint clatter pulled his attention down. Something slid from his wrist. He turned and saw his wristband, split into several broken pieces on the floor. His jaw clenched. That band had been a rare gift from his mother, a rare possession.
"You bitch!" He spat.
Nyssa blinked, stunned at the venom in his voice. Then suddenly, the doors banged open and three guards stormed in, faces tight with alarm. The sound of Damon crashing into the wall had clearly echoed through the hall.
"My Lord!" They rushed to him.
But he shoved their hands away, fury flaring hot even through the pain. Forcing himself upright, he steadied his stance, breath hissing through clenched teeth. He didn't look at them.
His fiery glare was locked on Nyssa and she felt her stomach plunge.
"Take her out of here!" He roared.
The guards bowed immediately and moved at once.
They seized Nyssa and her chains clattered as she twisted, pulling against their iron grips, but their hold was unyielding. She stumbled as they dragged her toward the door.
"Let go of me!" She yelled at them but they ignored her.
Nyssa watched as they took her into deep parts of the dungeon hallways, passing two inner gates. Nyssa's lips twitched. Of course, they had to make sure it was impossible for her to escape.
Reaching her cell, they threw her in, like a sack of potatoes.
She grunted. She didn't understand. Didn't they know she was royalty!
"Fools," she muttered, her breath labored with frustration as she crawled toward the nearest wall. She pressed her back against the cold stone, letting it steady her trembling spine. She took a deep breath, then another and another. Her breaths came in slow and steady, each one trying to replay what had just happened.
She had defended herself.
Her gaze snapped to her palms. They looked ordinary now, but moments ago they had glowed with a quiet, terrifying power. Magic, real magic. And she had wielded it without understanding a single thing.
Her teeth caught her lower lip. The memory of Damon crashing across the room flickered through her mind. That kind of force wasn't small. It meant the magic inside her was stronger than anyone had ever imagined. Did that mean she had the potential for even stronger magic?
A spark of excitement brightened her eyes.
Then died out.
Hope was a dangerous thing. She knew that too well.
She curled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, sinking into the familiar hollow of disappointment.
"Expectations lead to disappointment. If you don't expect or hope for too much, you really won't get disappointed."
Eugene's voice drifted back, gentle and firm. He had spoken those words after she had failed, yet again, to coax a simple drop of water to obey her. She remembered the sting of that failure. She remembered his quiet smile, the way he had wiped her tears with his glove, the way he offered her flowers to appease her and bring a smile to her face.
He had been right. She sighed. Everything was just hopeless.
Her heart ached. "Eugene.." She whispered softly. He was gone too. Gone…. forever.
Her mind went down memory lane again to when she had cried to her brother about her forced marriage.
"I can't Gav," she wept beside where he sat. "I cannot marry him. I just can't!" She sobbed, hoping for her brother to say something. Anything. But, he was mute.
She raised her head, to see him staring at her. "Gav, aren't you going to say anything?"
"What do you want me to say?" He asked calmly. "I can't change father's decision."
Nyssa's heart sank. Yes, she knew he couldn't but she just wanted comfort right now!
"Unless…." His voice trailed, as he looked away from her. Nyssa shifted closer to him.
"Unless what?"
"Unless you run away," he shrugged.
Nyssa sighed. "I'm serious, Gavriel."
"I'm serious too," he gave her a knowing look. "If you escape from here, you wouldn't have to go through all these."
Nyssa sniffed, thinking about the prospects. Would it…..?
No. She shook her head.
"No, even if I did escape, where would I go? I would be easily caught!"
Gavriel smiled at her. "I think it's a risk worth taking though. There are worlds outside we haven't explored yet." He shrugged.
Although he sounded nonchalant, Nyssa knew he deeply cared and was worried. But she knew it was impossible too. She couldn't just run away.
Back in present, Nyssa straightened her legs on the floor as tears began dripping from her eyes.
One minute she had a family, and the next, they were all gone. She closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly. She was trying so hard to fight the tears, but they won. She clutched her gown tightly as she shook, silently crying.
"Why? Why, Damon? Why? Why? Why!!" She slid slowly sideways and laid down on the floor.
"Why did you have to take them away from me? Why…why didn't you just allow me to go with them?" She sniffed, wiping her tears off.
"You will suffer tenfold, Damon." Her pain was transformed to rage. "You will surely suffer!"
Feeling her chest and head ache, she stopped yelling. She felt her body weaken and her eyelids turned heavy. She slowly drifted to sleep, drawing herself into the darkness.
Then,
"Princess."
Nyssa jolted awake at the sound of a voice. She sat up immediately, her heart pounding frantically. Her eyes widened in panic.
"W-who is there?" Was it a ghost? The voice sounded close to her, but she was afraid to turn. She couldn't see well in the dark cell and she tried moving forward.
"Hello?" She asked, this time gently, wondering if the voice would speak again. But minutes later, all Nyssa could hear was the sound of her roaring pulse. She sighed. She must be losing her mind if she now started hearing voices.
She shuffled back to her spot, brushing dust from her gown, preparing to lie down again when she suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder.
"Ahh–!"
Nyssa, in terror, let out a chilling scream, but the sound was immediately muffled by a hand placed over her mouth. Her heart panicked.
"It would be preferable, if you didn't make so much noise."
The voice coolly said and Nyssa froze.