Infinity Academy

Chapter Ten

“Well, well, look what we have here,” Rick chuckled as he approached us. I was just getting to my feet again, still feeling the after effects of my run in with the supernatural barrier that another effigy had obviously formed. “Just let us go, Rick. It’s over,” I shouted, although it hurt my lungs to do so. Both him and his group of five guards let out a bout of raucous laughter before Rick took a step forward and spoke again, “Oh my dear Emerald. This is just the beginning. Cease her!” he ordered. His guards advanced towards Allan and I, and I knew that if we didn’t do something now, I would never get another chance like this again. “Think, Emerald, think,” I chanted quietly to myself. Just then a thought popped into my head. I have wings. I’ve never bothered to use them before because I was too scared, but with see-through walls no doubt surrounding me, the only other way out was up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focussing in on my shoulder blades, setting the intention for my wings to come forward. 

Just as Rick’s guards were about to grab me, I took to the sky, feeling exhilarated and somewhat relieved. I had finally taken control of one of the powers that I had let control me all these years. Well, I guess it wasn’t really years, but more all these weeks. My sense of time was truly screwed up with all the stories I had been told about myself lately. The wind rushed past me and I could taste freedom on the tip of my tongue. Maybe I would fly somewhere quiet and secluded so that I could live my life away from the fighting. But then I wondered if I should go back to Infinity just to let Adryan, Cerberus, Ansel and Kaiser know that I was alright. I was sure they would be worrying about me by now, they may even be out searching for me. 

My wings were much larger than they were the first time I had seen them- or thought I’d seen them- and the colouration had changed from a stark white to a deep bluish-grey with hues of green on the tips. They felt strong, like this wasn’t the first time I was using them. I frowned as I looked back down at the ground, seeing the guards holding Allan’s hands behind his back. I should have brought him with me, but in the moment, I was too focussed on my own freedom. I only hoped that they wouldn’t hurt him for helping me escape. My eyes flickered to Rick’s face, surprised to see him smiling from ear to ear, excitement shining in his eyes. I kept climbing higher and higher, praying that the barrier didn’t reach this high. Just as I was about to turn and fly away from the hellhole I had been kept in, I collided with another invisible wall, this time being shot back down towards the earth. I tried my hardest to stop the fall but my ears were ringing with a shrill tone and little black spots blurred my vision. The spinning and rolling was disorientating and as I finally spread my wings to save myself, I collided with the ground. 

****

I awoke to a slow and steady beeping noise, groaning as I opened my eyes. I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. My neck was held firmly in place by a brace and I struggled to look down at myself, seeing my left leg in a white cast and my other covered in red soaked bandages. My left arm was also in a cast and my fingers a nasty purple-blue colour. I turned my head slowly from side to side and saw that my wings were both still out and strapped down to large tables placed on either side of the bed. I felt the throbbing pain of what I could only assume was the bones broken in both of them and let out a stifled sob at the realisation of what had happened. I didn’t escape, I didn’t find my way back to the academy, I was stuck back in the clutches of Rick and his insane plan to wipe the effigy from the earth, using me as his weapon. I could barely move without some part of me aching or stinging. Although I hated being the stared at freak of Infinity Academy, I wanted nothing more than to go back in time and change my mind about leaving when Adryan told me the truth about my past, to have chosen to stay and stick out the pain that I had been feeling because it would surely be less than what I was feeling right now. I felt absolutely and utterly hopeless right now, and I didn’t know how long I would last before I finally gave in to Rick’s demands. 

“I see you’re awake,” his voice grumbled from the door to the room, “You gave me quite the scare, Emerald.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his bullshit claim. “Yeah, because you need me and my blood so that you can play out your total world domination. Don’t try and pretend you give a s**t about me or my life,” I retorted, unable to stop the word vomit from leaving my mouth. “I’d watch your tone young lady, or I might be forced to do something you’ll regret.” I chuckled quietly, the movement making my ribs ache, “Like what? Look at me, I’m pretty sure this is as bad as it gets,” I gave a half assed smile. Rick’s eyes narrowed as he walked over to a silver table sitting in the corner by the door. “I don’t think you realise just how bad this is going to get for you, unless you submit and announce your loyalty to me and my cause,” he grinned devilishly. I turned my head away from him, refusing to say anything else. I was going to hold on as long as I could, bide some time for someone, anyone, to find me before making the decision to try and help myself. I had already tried once and it backfired horribly. My next attempt would have to be more calculated and properly timed. 

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

I looked back towards Rick, the snipping sound drawing my attention. “What are you doing?” I asked, noticing him holding a large pair of hedge trimmers in his hands. “Well, after your little stunt earlier, I thought to myself, ‘what do people do to untrained birds to stop them from escaping?’. Then it hit me, they clip their wings.” His grin grew wider as did my eyes as I realised what he was suggesting. “No, no, you can’t do that!” I screamed, thrashing around in the bed. I couldn’t get away from him, the straps holding my wings tightly in place making it impossible. Tears were starting to stream from my eyes, a mixture of fear and pain. Fear, because I was terrified of him taking the one thing that could help me escape, and pain because the more I moved, the more my body internally screamed in agony. “Hold still, sweetheart, this will only hurt for a second,” Rick stated, moving closer. “Please, please don’t. I’ll do anything!” I screeched, hoping he would listen. “Pledge your loyalty to me, then,” he said, a sickening grin appearing on his face as he noticed my hesitance. “No? More lies then,” he spoke sadly. He shook his head and lined the blades of the trimmers up to my right wing, ready to cut the feathers from the base. “Don’t,” I whispered, resorting to begging. He said nothing, only smiling at me as he pulled the handles together with a loud snip. I thought the pain of broken bones and multiple lacerations were bad, but the pain the shot through my wing and travelled down my spine was excruciating. I wailed out in agony as he brought the trimmers to the next row of feathers and repeated the motion of cutting them off. By the time he was done with my right wing, my head was spinning from the searing pain left behind. Each cut was pushing me closer and closer to the edge of my consciousness and I hoped that the darkness would swallow me whole so I wouldn’t have to feel anymore. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but just as I was about to succumb to the pitch-black abys, I heard roars of anger and the sound of metal hitting the ground. My eyes flew open- even though they felt like lead weights were tied to them- and I saw the one thing I had been praying for; or should I say four things. 

Adryan had Rick pinned to the far wall, crushing his throat while Kaiser held a knife to the man’s stomach. Ansel was in the doorway, his eyes frozen on my broken body strapped to the bed. Cerberus, on the other hand, was already by my side, working on unstrapping my mutilated right wing. “Snap out of it and help me before his backup arrives!” Cerberus ordered, turning to look at Ansel. Ansel moved quickly into action, running over to my other side and gently removing the strap. My left wing only had a few small feathers remaining, blood dripping from the open wounds that Rick had left after trimming the rest. Tears were still slowly seeping from my eyes as I took in the damage he had done. I doubted the feathers would ever grow back after what he had done, and I knew that I couldn’t possibly retract my wings with the bones so clearly broken. Cerberus removed the brace from my neck and took my hands in his as he pulled me up and into his chest. “Shh,” he whispered, slightly rocking back and forth, “We are going to take you home, you’re safe now.” That comment brought on a whole new wave of tears as the realisation hit me; I was finally safe.