Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 4

[ Garrett ]

I hadn’t enjoyed forcing her to vomit or stripping her down in front of my men’s prying eyes but she was not behaving. If only she would answer my question we could be done with this. I couldn’t deny that I wasn’t a little impressed with her escape attempt. Two weeks of me spending every waking moment beating the s**t out of her, spicy little thing that she was, she had bided her time waiting for an opportunity - saving her magic for that moment. It was amazing that she had been able to scrape enough magic together to do anything; the cuffs should have taken it all. Now I had her strapped to the table. There was nowhere to go but forward. Everyone was watching and the King had given his orders – I had no excuse not to comply.

“Last chance before I begin.” I told her, hoping she would give in. “Where is the Remnant?”

She was silent, eyes looking at the ceiling, lips pressed into a hard line as she breathed deeply through her nose. I liked her; she was cocky and bright, fast on her feet and tantalisingly dangerous. In another life, perhaps, I could have loved her, but in this life I was loyal only to my King. I put my complex feelings aside, like I did everyday.

“Fine, have it your way.” I said roughly, my frustration evident.

I took the syringe and inserted the needle into her arm. I knew she had an allergy to the drug I was giving her so I'd only prepared the smallest dose I could get away with without it looking suspicious. Sure, she was infamous for her ruthlessness, exceptional weapon mastery, quick hands and fearlessness but as far as I knew I was the only one who knew about this and I couldn’t afford to give myself away. Shameful if people knew the Captain of the Kings Guard had been f*****g this gutter rat.

Withdrawing the needle I placed the syringe back with the other tools and looked at the selection; deliberating what I would start with. I picked up the pliers, fingernails first. I heard her gasp and thought nothing of it until she started rapping her knuckles and heels against the table. Pliers in hand I turned to her. f**k. Her arm was blotchy and swollen, blisters had formed around the puncture hole and she was clearly struggling to breathe.

“Healer!” I yelled. The King was going to have my head. He already thought I was stalling, I'd tried to persuade him that she was seasoned to this kind of torture and it wouldn’t yield results but my method had been taking too long and with war imminent he had insisted. This was going to look like I was incompetent. He was a fair King but he was not kind and forgiving of incompetence.

I had the Healers lined up in the corridor ready to keep my prisoner alive and awake for as long as it took to get the answer but seeing how violent the allergic reaction was I was pleased at my forethought in this at least.

“All of you.” I shouted as she convulsed violently in her restraints, dark golden liquid ran off the table as she lost control of her bladder. The Healers all rushed in surrounding the gurney. I waited, trying to keep down my agitation as they called on their healing magic. They knew what the King wanted from her, they wouldn’t intentionally fail or they would be the ones strapped down as I yanked out their nails and peeled off their skin.

It was a while before the Healers stepped away which wasn’t a good sign.

“Healer Asperonin.” I said respectfully, he was the Head Healer, a teacher and personal attendant of the King.

“Captain Preston.” He nodded slightly. Like all the others his hair was long and blond. Proficient Healers shared similar physical characteristics, the more defined the characteristics, the closer they were to their Fae ancestors the stronger and more skilled they were in their healing magic. Unlike other forms of magic Healers always had a full head of almost gold hair, regardless of the depth of their well of magic. Asperonin was the most like a Fae of all the healers I'd ever met, heck I didn’t think I’d seen another magic user of any kind that bore such a resemblance. His skin was pale and fair, hair golden blond, ears slightly pointed and eyes golden pools even when his magic wasn’t active. His slender frame towered above my muscular one.

“Do I want to know?” I asked through a clenched jaw.

“I’m afraid Captain that it doesn’t look good, the prisoner suffered a severe reaction to the drug. Not only was her air supply affected potentially causing damage to her mind but there was swelling to the brain caused by the reaction. She is currently unconscious. It appears the prisoner has some magic of her own and, clearly, to have endured for so long at your hand she is strong, there is a good chance she will wake up but the likelihood of her faculties being intact is low.”

“Thank you Healer Asperonin, I will speak to the King immediately.” I nodded my thanks, noting the amused glint in his eyes, he seemed pleased at the mess I'd made. I should have had a Dr down here, not just the Healers; such an oversight.

“Speak to the King about what, Captain Preston?” A smooth male voice spoke behind me. Ah that explained the twinkle in Asperonin’s eye. d**k.

“Your Majesty.” I turned to face the King, bowing respectfully.

“I came to see your progress with the prisoner but it appears my instructions did not convey the correct level of urgency considering the lack of activity.” He gestured around the room with a sweeping motion, his stormy eyes not leaving mine. A line of violence underscored his words ushering an air of dread into the room.

“My apologies, your Highness.” I said carefully, bowing again. “There was an unforeseen issue during standard procedure.”

“What kind of issue?” The King demanded, his eyes burning into me.

“If I may your Majesty.” Asperonin stepped in, no doubt the smarmy git thought he was doing me a favour and begrudgingly I supposed he was. “As I am sure you are aware it is standard practice to dose a prisoner with a pain reducing substance to prolong the session and increase lucidity, in this way, by ensuring the prisoner stays conscious, the damage that can be inflicted is much greater than without the substance. The greater the mutilation that is achieve the increased likelihood of compliance, often from the horror of seeing their body in such away or from fear of the pain to come.”

“Your point?” The King questioned with barely restrained impatience.

“The prisoner suffered a severe adverse reaction when the substance entered her system; it was not something that could have been anticipated as such a reaction is extremely rare. It is unfortunate your Highness but there was no fault on Captain Preston’s part.” I wondered which way he meant it. Unfortunate Taiya had an allergic reaction or unfortunate that it wasn’t my fault?

“I see.” The King raised his eyebrows at me before striding over to her prone naked body. He was shockingly calm considering the circumstances and it was making me nervous.

“There are a lot of scars, quite unfitting for a young woman.” He said gently, tracing a finger over a particularly nasty one on her abdomen. “I trust this wasn’t your work Captain.”

“No Your Royal Highness.” I replied respectfully, hiding my confusion.

“What a brutal life she must have led.” The King said to himself brushing a strand of dirty auburn hair from her face. I did a double take. Auburn hair?

“Are we sure this is the same woman?” The King asked with a sideways look at me. “Was her hair not wild black curls when you brought her in Captain?”

I was speechless, the scars were in the right places but other than that she looked nothing like the woman I'd strapped down. Her skin was lighter, no longer a beautiful warm olive shade but a ghastly pale white that made her look sickly and helpless. Every vein was visible; a network of ghostly blue rivers beneath her skin.

“Again, Your Majesty, if I may interject, it appears the prisoner has some blue magic. It would be prudent to conclude that in an attempt to protect herself her magic was activated and hence the altered appearance.” Healer Asperonin stepped in answering for me again.

“I see.” His Majesty said simply, accepting Asperonin’s explanation.

The King looked at her intently, running his fingers across her shockingly pale cheek. She stirred and the King took a step back.