“Come along.” The man yanked the rope, pushing the glass farther into her skin. She helped and skidded forward.
“Are you all right?” Loch asked in a low voice.
Holly didn’t say anything. She listened for the voice again, but she heard nothing.
Hello? She tried calling out to it in her mind, but nothing happened. How had she done it the first time? The voice said it was the maiden, but Holly was the maiden. Did she just think at herself and get spooked by her own thoughts?
We will speak later, the voice floated into her mind and quickly floated out.
The merry band of captives and captors passed old mine carts, wooden tables strewn with rusted mining equipment, and even a few old canary cages.
“Why did the mines close?” Holly asked.
“Quiet,” Fang grumbled.
“They dried up,” Loch said. “And all the activity made them unstable.”
“Oh, great.” She sighed. “If we aren’t murdered by insane shifters, we’ll be crushed to death.”
“I said, quiet!” Fang shouted. Dust sifted down from above along with a few pebbles.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be shouting in here, Fang,” Loch cautioned.
Fang responded by yanking on his rope. They arrived at a row of free-standing cells that must’ve been brought down here recently. No way were they part of the original mine. Why would miners need cells?
“In.” The man who held Holly’s rope opened one of the cells.
She took a tentative step inside before he shoved her the rest of the way. He kept his grip on her rope, tugging her backward as she fell forward. The skin around her wrists was completely shredded.
The man tied the rope around one of the cell bars. Holly had enough slack to pace the cell, but that wasn’t saying much.
“Be good,” he taunted.
Holly didn’t react. She found the most comfortable place to sit, which was pretty uncomfortable, but at least the ground beneath her was smooth. Loch was shoved into his own cell. He immediately tried to force open the door. As strong as he was, he couldn’t bend metal in this form.
“Damn it!” he grumbled.
“This hasn’t worked out well at all for you, has it?” Holly said, tilting her head to one side. “They don’t trust you. I don’t trust you. You’re in a tight spot, hmm?”
“You’re going to pick now to taunt me?” Loch scoffed. “How about we work together. There’s at least one good brain cell left between the two of us.”
“In a minute. I need to try something.” Holly closed her eyes and angled away from Loch. After a few minutes of silence, she heard him laugh.
“Maybe there aren’t any brain cells to be found after all.” He chuckled.
“Shut up. I’m concentrating,” she snapped.
“You won’t be able to unlock the door with your mind,” he said.
“Shh.”
Hello? She called into her mind again. Can we speak now? I have so many questions.
Stay silent. Keep your face impassive, the voice instructed. Some here know to look for she who communes with the maiden.
I thought I was the maiden, Holly replied.
You are my vessel. My energy acts through you.
But it’s my body doing the work. It’s my mind that’s been handling everything so far. Where have you been? Why aren’t you doing this yourself?
I have never been, nor will I ever be a physical entity. It will never be possible for me to do this myself, as you say, the maiden replied.
Then who was the first maiden? Holly asked.
A young woman by the name of Phaedra Glint, the maiden replied. She was the first of her kind. You are the second.
What kind? What do you mean? Holly’s heart began to pound in her chest.
You are a special kind of human. Very rare. That isn’t important now, the maiden said dismissively.
Why do they call you the maiden? Holly asked. If she had little control over her ability to ask questions verbally, then there was no stopping her ability to generate questions in her mind.
That is the name given to me by the shifters. It is not my name.
What is your name?
That is my one truth that I may keep as my own. I will not share it. The voice took on a cold, stern quality that made Holly feel like a scolded child.
Why are you only speaking to me now? Holly asked.
Because you have need of me.
I’ve had need of you since the moment I learned about you.
Silence! Listen well. You must be clever now. Observe everything. Learn their weaknesses. Find a way to destroy them from the inside.
I thought the maiden was a peacekeeper, Holly said.
The maiden once was, but it’s too late for that now. We are already on the path to war. You will not be able to stop it, but you will be able to ensure victory for those who need to be victorious.
Please, be vaguer and more cryptic. I find that especially helpful in confusing and stressful situations, Holly thought to herself. Only then did she realize she cannot think to herself anymore. Someone is listening in.
Such insolence. I’d admire you for it if it weren’t born out of ignorance, the maiden sniffed.
Excuse me? If I’m ignorant, it’s only because so many have kept me in the dark for so long and—great! Now I’m arguing with the voices in my head. This isn’t going well. Holly put her face into her hands and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?”
It took her a moment to realize the voice speaking to her wasn’t in her head. Loch watched her with a curious expression.
“I have a lot on my mind,” she said. Oh, if he only knew
