Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 48

[ Garrett ]

We popped up at the entrance to Lady Esther’s suite. My expectation had been that Zach would take us to the exact spot but before I could ask him or even give him a quizzical look Benton was stepping up to me and handing me a pair of wire cutters.

“I don’t know.” He seemed out of sorts, answering a question I hadn’t asked. “There was just such a strong feeling when I saw them before I came for the shift change I had to bring them. I just know you need them, Captain.”

“Thanks, Benton.” I pocketed the tool. So that's why we were outside the room, Benton must have called Zach.

“And maybe these.” He handed me a pair of syphoning cuffs, a strong set. “Also, I need to leave my post.” Benton’s voice was strained, he kept shutting his eyes, scrunching them up tightly like he was in pain.

“Permission granted.” The words were barely formed and Benton was off, jogging down the hall, getting as far away, as quickly as he could.

Two steps into the entrance and I could hear moaning; the painfilled version of the sound. Zach led me to Lady Esther’s bedchamber, the sounds growing louder the closer we got.

“Captain, at last.” His Majesty huffed, clearly exasperated as he met me at the bedroom door.

“My King.” I bowed.

“Put this on Lady Esther’s arm, and be quick about it.” He spoke the order sharply, leaving no room for argument, and handed me a black jewel encrusted spiral before stepping to one side. Walking into the room I weighed up the object that had been placed in my hands. It was arm jewellery. A long bracelet of sorts that came in a few varieties but this one looked like a giant spring.

A loud whimper sounded in front of me. Looking up I almost dropped the item. I had only seen Lady Esther twice, once when I carried her out of my dungeon and once last night when I was trying to bring her back to life. Under the light of the moon I hadn’t been able to see her too well but also my focus had been on trying to get her heart going again and keep breath in her lungs. Back at the room my focus had been Zach, I hadn’t gotten a good look at her.

She was more than thin, almost emaciated. Cheek bones jutted and the nightgown she was shivering in swamped her. The translucent white skin from the dungeon had been replaced with paper thin grey. She made a pained noise, breathing in a shallow and rapid fashion that wheezed and squeaked. Her bony hands clutched at her chest and throat, weakly but desperately.

“Captain, put the bracelet on her.” The King barked from behind me. This had to be a nightmare. I must be suffering from a delusion.

“This is syphoning imbued?” I asked the room. Lady Esther’s eyes snapped to me. Accept they weren’t the eyes I’d seen before, nor were they any of the ones I had briefly seen her shifting through. These were pure lapis blue, deep, vibrant vision of the shifter shade, the most vivid I had ever seen. Could these be Taiya’s real eyes? They were mesmerising.

“The highest grade.” Amerise answered from somewhere behind me.

“And you want me to put this on her?” My voice sounded like it came from someone else, I felt so disconnected. “Too cowardly to do it yourselves, you have to fetch me to torture her instead.” I sounded angry. Her eyes were locked with mine, they strained, unfocused, to hold my gaze.

“Captain! I gave …”

“We are all unable to touch her, or we would have done, you Plouc. The cuffs you suggested kept her alive but the volume of magic built up inside her isn’t being expunged at an expedient enough rate. In fact the magic is accumulating at an exponential rate. We are trying to keep her alive. Not torture her.” Asperonin interrupted the King. I turned on them all. Amerise, Poflorin, Grace, Han, Asperonin, Dr. Heathson, His Majesty - they were all there.

“You don’t know what you’re asking. Who among you has ever felt the draw of Amerise’s shade? Not one of you. Not a single f*****g ONE!” I screamed the words. My hurt and frustration escaping. Shaking, tears rolled down my face and my voice bubbled and cracked with emotion. “Ye Gods, your ignorance! Here.” I snarled, dumping the cuffs Benton had handed me into King Leoré’s angry hands. “Try them, I f*****g dare you!” I was enraged and broken. This would cost me everything but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Already I felt like I had nothing left.

The King looked at the cuffs, chunky metal bands built to imprison, engraved with an ‘S6’ to denote its Magic (syphoning) and its strength (1 low to 0 the highest). Nullifying cuffs were marked ‘N00’. It wasn’t the whole cuff that was imbued but the chain and a thin ring on the inside of the manacle. Surface area was just as important as strength. Guards carried ‘S2’ as standard. In the dungeon I’d used ‘S1’ on Taiya believing she had almost no magic. She had gasped and writhed when I put them on. At the time I had thought it to be just that extra bit of incentive to make her confess, but now I wasn’t sure if she had been acting or if she had been using so much magic to sustain her shift that it had genuinely affected her.

The room was a collective of stunned silence bar Taiya crying and pained behind me. Calm, well put together Captain I was not. The world was piling on top of me and I couldn’t do it.

Taiya might be bursting with magic but her damaged body and fractured mind was not going to cope with this elaborate and supercharged syphoning cuff ripping at her soul. A short, sharp, almost scream cut through the room and I couldn’t, I just couldn’t hold back any longer. How could they? They were all just watching her die. This idiotc cuff might be the answer but where was the need to be so cruel and not comfort her.

Tears still rolling and dripping, I closed the space between us. She whimpered and weakly tried to move away. I put the fancy cuff down on the bedside table and showed her my empty palms.

“Hey, hey. It’s ok, it’s ok.” I soothed slowly climbing into the bed, under the covers with her. “Shhh, shhh, I’m here, I’m here, I got you my little Tealeaf.” I was giving myself away, they would all know that I knew her, the King would know I had lied but it was the right price to pay to hold this dying woman who had saved me. Sitting next to her I pulled her tiny, heart wrenchingly miniscule frame against my own. She was icy cold.

There wasn’t a single prisoner under my jurisdiction that was anywhere near Taiya’s condition. I kissed the top of her head.

“I’m gonna make you feel better but you gotta be brave ok? So brave.” I pulled the fancy cuff onto my lap and she squirmed, panting and crying. “Shhh, shh little Tea, I got you.” How did I ever think that she was playing pretend? Taiya faced life with fearless gusto. She would be fighting, screaming at the world to bring it on, not put her down. I pulled the wire cutters out of my pocket and the whole room gasped.

“Three pieces.” Several people said at once.

“Benton.” Zach added.

I didn’t look at any of them, all my focus on the destroyed woman next to me. Some how I needed to find some calm. This annoying foul mouthed gutter rat needed me, like I had once needed her. Speaking to her softly I began cutting up the long arm bracelet into three pieces, small, medium and large before bending the end of each piece around so there would be no sharpness against her skin.

"You've been causing a lot of trouble little Tea. Whatcha like eh? Sticky fingers, always nabbing something." Picking up the smallest band, just two spirals, with one hand and holding her skin and bone arm with the other I was poised to slide it on. "Deep breath, Tealeaf, on the count of three, one, two…" She took a deep breath.

"It was only bread." Taiya's voice, tiny and small, registered in my brain just a second too late.

"Three." I pushed the bracelet on, horrified. Of all the memories that could have come back to her it had to be that one. Ye Gods. With tenderness I held her as she choked and convulsed. The black magic was clawing out the purple and blue magic inside. "Shhh, just breathe, breathe Taiya. I've got you. It's ok, breathe."

"Take it off, take it off, I'll be good, please, please I didn't mean to be bad." She sobbed against my chest finally able to catch her breath.

"Next one is coming. Deep breath Tea." I pushed it on to her other arm and she screamed, loudly, making me wince. Convulsions hit her again. It took longer to settle this time. I stroked her hair and the room watched on.

"Mummy, mummy." She pleaded in a tear stained voice. "Save me, don't let them hurt me." She drew closer her legs coming against mine under the duvet. Crap. She still had the other cuffs on. Poor Taiya shivered hard when I moved the covers back, exposing her stick thin legs. She was clinging weakly to my shirt, loathing to rob her of any comfort that might be bringing, I pulled her up into my lap so I could reach the cuffs; three pairs on each leg. Luckily the keys were universal so I used the ones Benton had just handed me.

Taiya sighed softly with each one that I removed. I felt like a cunt. I was taking these off only to put the largest one on.

"Tea?" I stroked her face.

"Mummy." She cried. Ye Gods, Sky and Earth help me.

"Take a deep breath." I tried to get her to breathe with me but she was just trembling and calling her mother. I knew what was coming and I wasn't sure I could take it. "Last one, just breathe."

"I wasn't trying to be bad, Mummy, I promise. I was just so hungry." Taiya sobbed, hanging on to me for dear life. "From Earth and Sky, life entwined…" She took a deep hitching breath as she began reciting the final blessing, not for me but because her sobbing body demanded it. Taking advantage I pushed the final piece on.

Her mouth gaped and her muscles clenched. She looked at me in horror and despair, eyes trying to flair with magic but failing. Taiya tried to breathe but it was catching in the back of her throat. I rubbed her back, tears stinging in my eyes, my heart torn to ribbons in my chest.

"You're not there, it's ok, you can breathe. You're safe." Finally she filled her lungs, her body spasmed, lapis blue eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. Exhaustion or pain I wasn't sure but the second her body went limp I jumped up and legged it out the room, my bare feet slapped floor.

Making it to the bathroom just in time, I fell to my knees before violently puking so hard I thought my stomach was trying to follow the thick hot bile into the toilet.

"Captain? Are you alright?" I turned to see Izla's head poking over the side of the ridiculous pool of a bath. I nodded unconvincingly.

"What are…?" I started and Isha's head popped up.

"We are sharing a burn out." Isha said.

"Makes it mild." Izla added.

"Izla touched Lady Esther." Isha told me, dilated eyes portraying shock.

"She wasn't even using her magic, simply wrapping a blanket around her." His Majesty stated flatly from the door. "No need for any formalities." He waved a hand in a lazy regal way. "A word Captain, in private?" The words should have been terror inducing but I just felt sick.

Zach was bouncing on the spot next to His Majesty and I wonder if I looked as green as I felt. My attempt to stand ended with me on my knees again, clutching the porcelain and retching, my body intent on emptying what was already empty.

Someone rubbed calming circles on my back while my stomach clenched repeatedly to the point I couldn't breathe. My brain just wouldn't stop. Taiya broken and crying, begging her Mother was haunting. She told me that story. That heartbreaking reality of her life. Then there was the image of Jo, dressing after they had cheated on me. The pain ripped me in one direction and the desire to be comforted by them ripped me in the other.

Someone nudged me when I'd finally stopped heaving. It was the King, handing me a glass of water and rubbing my back. I almost started retching again, the shock, the knowledge that I was in deep, deep s**t.

A few sips of the cool water and I managed to stand on unsteady legs.

"Zach, could you take the Captain and I somewhere we won't be interrupted?" His Majesty spoke and the twins watched.

Zach took my hand and the King's.

"Zach?" King Leoré queried when we didn't move. Zach pointed at me. I stood there listless. "Breath out, Captain."

I did and Zach pulled me but the King telling me to breathe set me off again. I'd been saying the same thing to Taiya. Without thinking I tried to twist my hand out of the lad's so I could vomit. Luckily or unluckily (I wasn't sure yet) Zach managed to hold on until we were out of the floor.

"That was stupid." Zach sounded mad as the small amount of water I'd drank splattered on the floor.

"Is that my lamp?" A light chuckle came from the King as I tried to find some composure.

"Needed it." Zach answered unfazed.

Stumbling I spotted Jo's dagger. With trembling fingers I picked it up and wiped it on my sleeve.