Chapter 8

Leahe felt vaguely aware of cold porcelain beneath her, a dim light somewhere above her shining intently on her face. She heard two voices speaking a little too loudly in the background, and suddenly wished they would stop talking so she could drift away.

"She's stirring slightly. Did I give her too much injection? She's been like this for hours."

"No, this is fine. Now we just need to check in on the camera."

Camera? Leahe thought sleepily. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

A black-haired girl was watching her from beneath her glasses, and it seemed Leahe was laying on some sort of a raised platform. She sat up to look around, and saw the dim lights of a bar, and the bar table she was sitting on.

The girl sat on the stool next to the table, stood up, and extended her hand. "I'll help you down, but you're going to have to tell me your name first."

Leahe saw that the bounds of rope coiled around her body had disappeared, and now two single long ropes wrapped around her feet and hands.

"Where's my friend?" she demanded.

"Tell me your name first, and we'll start from there."

"Priscilla." Leahe lied. "Now why don't you tell me yours?"

The girl grinned. "Fine. It's Raven, but don't forget that it's only a nickname," she helped her hop off the table and led her into a even more dimly lit room in the back.

"This is where you'll be staying, and as for your friend, he's in a stable condition for now. He'll join you shortly after the man speaks with him." Raven explained. "Bathroom is under the floor, just pull this handle." she pointed to an outlined slab on the floor, almost barely noticeable.

"Stable condition? But—" the door slammed shut, cutting her off, and she heard the click of the lock as footsteps faded away outside the door. Realizing there was nothing else she could do, she surveyed the room. There was a single bed in the corner of the room, a small one that seemed way too small for Leahe and her large wings.

There were no windows, and nothing else beside the bed and the slab.

Curious, she twisted around so that she could pull on the handle of the slab on the floor. It opened up to a small staircase down, leading to a dusty bathroom complete with a sink and tap raised about knee length for showers. The lighting was also very dim in both rooms, and gagging, she left up the stairs.

There was nothing in both rooms that she could use to escape. The tap, bed, sink, and toilet were all bolted either to a wall or floor, and there was nothing else for entertainment.

She lay down uncomfortably on the bed, her hands and legs tied. Her wings were pressed beneath her body, and she wished she could have a change of clothes, as her armor was uncomfortable and hot. Soon she grew impatient, and decided to at least do something about her clothing.

"Excuse me? Can I at least have a change of clothes?" she banged on the door.

The girl's footsteps appeared a couple moments later, and she rattled the door handle to unlock it.

"Don't try anything. I'm coming to take your binds off, and don't forget I have a Dark weapon."

Leahe gave a small grunt as consent, and Raven entered the room with her daggers, and quickly cut the bonds. She roughly shoved Leahe into the bathroom with a hand over her mouth, and then closed the slab, clicking a lock. "Don't try anything. I'm telling you this beforehand, but just don't."

Leahe could hear a quiet tremor in her voice, and turned towards the sink to examine the clothes she had brought. A light blue hoodie with large sleeves that came to her elbows, and jeans. She ripped the back of the cloth two times, so that her wings could fit in them. Before she left the room, she flexed her muscles and spread her wings to stretch them. Who knew when she was going to be free again?

She lugged her armor and dress up the stairs when she was done, and soon she was back in her bonds, but a bit more comfortable.

Hours had passed since she had changed when Roy had been sent into the room, slightly dazed, bandages wrapped around his head and forearms.

Leahe stood up to let him in, and watched as he stumbled in, his hands and feet bound.

He slumped onto the bed after the door closed, pressing his face into the pillow before shifting to a sitting position against the wall. "We're in trouble," he finally mumbled.

"Oh no. What did you do?" Leahe demanded.

When he didn't answer immediately, Leahe demanded again. "What?"

"That boy Emilie took after I was knocked unconscious had a camera on him, but luckily Emilie found him. Also, I was forced to tell that man and the girls about the Valkyries. He—"

"Oh my gosh. They—"

"Yeah. Shhh, keep your voice down." he whispered, glancing around the room. He stared glumly at Leahe's small pile of armor and clothes in the corner, thinking.

For the next few hours, Roy and Leahe spoke in hushed, worried whispers in case a camera or a speaking device had been hidden in their room. Any words spoken had to be chosen carefully.

"Why did you tell them?" Leahe whispered. "Tell me the truth."

Roy quietly exhaled, which Leahe took as a sigh. "I told you, I was forced. He sat me in a chair and made me tell him. As in, you know." he held up the bandages on his arms. "Dark weapons. Felt weird, like they were peeling away a part of me."

"Did you lose your mutation?" she looked up, worried.

"No. It did get slightly weaker, though."

Leahe put a hand on her temple, thinking. "That's not good. They definitely have more Dark weapons than we think, but we can't do anything until we get word from Emilie." she mouthed the word "help" to him, and he nodded.

"Why did you take the boy? Why not take your chances against them?" he whispered, crossing his arms.

"The man knew we were going to tackle him. Somehow. He twisted around before I could get to him, and my breath couldn't get to him before I was bound in rope. My throat felt really melty and weird, and I couldn't try anything. Plus he threatened to hurt you."

Roy nodded, then stood up to pace the room. "That's strange. I've never heard of rope such as that,"

"Exactly." Leahe whispered again, and silence fell. The only noise that could be heard was outside the room, a couple hushed whispers.

Leahe slowly crept to the door, and tried her best to eavesdrop, pressing her ear against the hard wooden door.

"...doesn't make sense..." a man's voice explained.

"...what if they have reinforcements?..." a girl's voice replied. "They—"

The girl's voice was abruptly cut off as a small pop sound came from somewhere outside. Another pop followed, and another. The sound got louder as the pops increased, and Leahe heard the man and the girl grow silent, listening. Suddenly a loud explosion came from outside, followed by a girl's small gasp and a familiar voice.

"Let them go, or suffer the consequences."