Leslie Paul

(Sorry this took so long. The delay was a result of two things: writer's block and extreme business. Speaking of which, I'm going to be even more busy the next couple of months, so I probably won't get much done here.

Anyway, I hope you like it - I was trying to put a new spin on things with this one.)

Chapter Eleven

Alexei Brushkov awoke to the noise of beating wings and a padding of feet. It was his third night in captivity, and a blanket of darkness shrouded the cavern. He knew very little about his surroundings, for even though he had been here for the past three days, he did not receive much information from his captor as to where he had been taken. All he knew was that he could not use his abilities to escape – none of them. Even so, he still tried. He was bound to the ceiling, his hands bound together above his head, his feet also bound and dangling in midair. He tried moving forward, but the most motion he could manage was only the occasional swinging back and forth or side to side of his body in an effort to get free, a motion that required a lot of energy and ultimately got him nowhere. As he hung there panting from the recent but futile effort, he remembered how he had gotten here in the first place…

---

It was on a night like this three days ago… He had just admonished Kinamori for not resisting the skeletal dragon's mental attacks. They were walking back to camp, a solemn silence between them, when suddenly, he had been whisked away into another realm, or so it seemed. He could see everything going on outside, could see that Kinamori did not notice his absence – for he had been replaced. By whom, he did not know, but it had to have been someone who knew enough about him to pull off a ruse like that… Still, no names came to him.

He watched everything from his dimensional prison, watched as Kinamori talked to the fake as if he were the one there watched as sudden darkness descended upon the encampment and the events that led up to Kinamori's recapture take place. He saw the fear on the party's face, the confusion and anger expressed when they found out the imposter. He remembered the screams of fury and failure he let loose upon seeing this; all his hard work, and for nothing! There would be no hope, no prospect of freedom; all will live in the darkness of tyranny.

It was then that the scene of despair in front of him disappeared, and he found himself here, bound to the ceiling by tight coils of rope. There he saw the one who took him, and for the first time in his life, Alex felt real fear. The man's hair was black, turned slightly gray as if from ash. Pale blue eyes reflected menacingly from beneath heavy eyebrows. His clothes were surprisingly well kept, albeit a little dirty – probably soiled from travel. Alex could see a tan-brown tunic that came down just past his knees, possibly covering other clothes underneath, black pants, and brown leather boots. All of these things, too, appeared to be covered with a thin layer of ash, and as soon as Alex noticed this, he knew exactly who he was, and more…

---

Just then, the sounds of footsteps grew louder, rousing Alex out of his reverie. A torch appeared at the entrance to the cavern, and a figure stepped forward, all his features visible in the dim light. "You'll never break free of this prison, so stop trying," he said bluntly, not caring about the look of absolute loathing on Alex's face.

"How could you have changed so much in just ten years, Zalanth?" asked Alexei, hiding the hatred he felt for him as best he could.

"I could ask you the same question," replied the evil one. "How the two of us ended up on opposite sides of loyalty, I'll never know… but none of that really matters now, anyway." His last remark sounded cryptic to Alex, as if it implied something sinister. Whatever the man was planning could not be in his best interest. "On another note," Zalanth continued, "Kinamori's just fine. I know you've been wondering about her for the past three days, so it's only fair that I let you see her, no?" A slight smirk on his face appeared then, and Alex immediately knew his words were not true, but he still hoped for her safety.

At the mere flick of Zalanth's wrist, an image appeared on the far wall. There was a room probably only five feet by five feet with a height of six feet, just enough space for the person inside to sit, stand, or sleep. Inside the dimly lit room sat a figure who appeared rather pale. Alex assumed that the person was none other than Kinamori, and upon seeing the fear or sickness or pain – whatever made her skin so pallid – he could not help but gasp at the sight. She appeared lost, confused, alone, and there was nothing he could do. For now, he was just grateful they had not scarred her in anyway yet, or if they had, no marks were visible on her current form.

After several minutes, the image faded and the wall which had produced it changed back to its natural state. Zalanth only smirked as he said rather coldly, "You see? She's fine… for now. However, if you do not cooperate with us, her current condition may… change somewhat." He chuckled softly, then, as if the prospect of that uncertain fate cheered him somehow.

Alex only grimaced at the remark, an expression far beneath what he truly felt. In truth, his heart was in turmoil. He could not give these people the information they desired, for it would ruin his plans… all his plans. But he could not afford to put Kinamori through anymore pain; the thought was just unbearable. He looked desperately for a way out, a loop in Zalanth's ultimatum but could find none.

"You have one hour before interrogation…" came the distant Zalanth as he started to walk away. Of course, one hour wasn't a lot of time, and time was something Alex desperately needed right about now…

I must escape this place! he thought, dismayed, once the footsteps had disappeared completely, becoming the beat of heavy wings instead. Concentrating on the world outside these walls, he tried to teleport, but just like the many attempts before, he felt a sudden constriction around his mind, a force so powerful it nearly made his head spin. Needless to say, the effort failed, again, and he found himself shaking his head as if to clear it. Sighing heavily, he returned to his original strategy – to try and save both his plans and Kinamori.

But an hour's thinking was still not enough to evade Zalanth's terms altogether, and before long, the man was standing before him, malevolent grin still in place. "Time's up! Now your friend's fate as well as yours lies in your hands. I'd be careful if I were you." Another malevolent laugh followed by the drawing of a thin blade clean of blood signaled the start of the interrogation.

He started not with a question, but with an action. But it was not the physical pain which Alex had braced himself for that greeted him only minutes after Zalanth produced the blade, instead, a great mental force pressed Alexei's mind – much like the force he felt when he tried to use his abilities – only this time, there was real pain, not just pressure. It was a pain that lit his head afire, a sharp, powerful, agonizing pain. A pain that made his head swim and vision blur. Yet during this time, Alex uttered not a sound, the only sign of his discomfort being the contorted expression on his face. For what seemed like hours, it continued, and when it stopped, his vision cleared, and he could see clearly again. Gasping, he muttered, "What… was that? I… didn't think… you could…" He trailed off, unable to speak anymore.

"That," Zalanth said with a smirk, "was a trick a learned from my master… But just to put you at ease… No, I can't enter minds. Besides, that is a forbidden art. Even I have some honor." That statement produced an audible scoff from Alexei, making Zalanth's smirk falter slightly only to be replaced again. But with that remark, came an observation: Alex could see the desire to cause severe pain in the man's eyes, a sign that he was in for something much worse than he had expected, which is saying something considering his status with these people. Still, with those words, Zalanth actually cut Alex's binds, catching the latter off guard, causing him to impact roughly as he hit the floor.

Alex's moment of freedom didn't last long, however, and soon he found himself sitting in the middle of the floor, unable to move from this position – although he could move his head, but that was all. A peculiar circumstance, for it meant strong magic was at work – magic much like the type that had held his abilities at bay – and he wondered just how strong this man really was.

Now the questioning began, the tone of self-satisfaction never leaving Zalanth's voice, "How long have you known Kinamori?"

"Since I rescued her," Alex lied, keeping his tone expressionless. He figured if he at least answered the question, regardless of the truth behind it, nothing would happen to Kinamori. This was his plan to save both her and himself.

The effort failed.

"Wrong!" came the interrogator's response, and Alex felt another stab of pain in his head, almost as if Zalanth were prodding his brain with the tip of the knife still held in his hand. When Alex could see normally again, he saw that the blade was indeed glowing, suggesting that the dagger was indeed the medium for this new kind of torture.

Discontented with the answer, Zalanth asked the question again, this time more slowly, "How long have you known Kinamori?"

"A few years," came the answer.

"How many years?" came the question, and a threat, "If you don't answer specifically, not only will you suffer, but she will, too!"

A sigh, "Alright, alright. Just don't hurt her… Since we were children – about fifteen years."

"That's better. Now, why did you rescue her?"

Alexei scoffed, "Come on, now. Even someone with half a brain like you should be able to figure that one out…"

Zalanth's eyes smoldered under his eyebrows; Alexei's remark obviously infuriated him. He snarled his next sentence, "You'll pay for your impudence; you insolent little whelp." And with that, two things happened. The first was that Kinamori's room became visible again, but this time there was plenty of light… and there were others in the room with her. It became obvious to Alex that those people would inflict great pain on Kinamori if he did not comply.

The second was the drawing of a second dagger. Holding one in each hand, he mumbled something under his breath. While doing so, a strange force swirled around each blade, and when he finished, the two blades seemed to absorb the swirling mass. One blade now appeared to have taken on the essence of fire, the other, the essence of lightning. Upon seeing this, Alexei immediately knew what this meant; Zalanth was stepping up his efforts. He was done playing games, it seemed, and now he was going to show his captives true pain.

At the same time, the window into Kinamori's world showed a similar scene, except instead of Zalanth, it was the Rik'Shok captain that held the twin knives.

Upon seeing not only his fate, but Kinamori's as well, Alexei cringed. He did not care what this monster did to him, but if he harmed her… he did not know what he'd do. He felt guilty enough as it was for failing Kinamori when she needed him most. He couldn't very well let her get the same treatment as he, especially not when she had been through a similar situation just a few weeks ago.

"I see that look of resignation and horror, Alexei. You will answer my questions, and do so correctly and without rudeness, else both you and she will suffer," Zalanth said, a sly grin on his face. "Now… Tell me everywhere you have gone since you left Hrothar's chamber…"

"Don't you know?" Alex sneered, but before Zalanth could lash him for insolence, he continued. "We went down the mountain and traveled to the town of Nievera. Then set up camp several miles south of the city where you found us," the scowl never leaving his face.

"You're missing one minor detail…" came Zalanth's response to Alex's answer. The flame dagger, now pointed directly at Alex's face, soon began to glow a shade of purple along with the orange. The two auras seemed to swirl and mix, and suddenly, he was soon treated to two kinds of pain: that of the immense pain in his mind accompanied with a burning sensation. Now it felt as if his head really were lit on fire, and he soon felt himself trying to grip his head in his hands but unable to due to his immobility. The experience nearly overwhelmed him. In the brief moment before he cried out, he saw the same happening to Kinamori, except that instead of attacking her mind, her overseer was attacking her body, a long, smoking gash stretched across her right arm. A sudden sickness filled Alexei then, as his pain seemed to almost double. Knowing that she was feeling it, too didn't help either, but he gained his composure before he heaved.

He distantly heard Zalanth's mocking tone, "I thought you were stronger than that, Alexei. After all, I would think one who spent his teenage life in the woods would have attained a stronger resistance to such pain… But enough of that… What about the Lupine race? What did they tell you?"

"How… how did you know about that?" Alexei choked, befuddlement clouding his face, dismay overshadowing pain.

Zalanth's ever-present smirk widened as he saw the expression on his captive's face. "Let's just say I can… make myself invisible among the trees. But enough of that. Tell me what I want to know, now!"

Alex cringed. He cannot find out the meaning of the riddle! "Can I ask you something first?" he dared, expecting another mind jab from his captor. But surprisingly, Zalanth nodded, despite the look of annoyance on his face. Alexei continued, "If you heard everything already, then why are you interrogating me so?"

The madman sneered, malevolence even more visible now than before, "Two reasons, my friend, " he said mockingly. "Firstly, I need to confirm the information for myself. Better to hear it from one who was actively involved than an innocent bystander like me." Another scoff from Alexei, resulting in a malicious glare from Zalanth. The latter continued, "Secondly, I just like having fun with you!" Wicked laughter issued from the man's lips then, seeming to embody evil itself.

Alexei shuddered inwardly at this, but he could not help feeling pity for the man before him. He shook his head forlornly, and spoke softly, sorrow in his voice, "Oh, brother. What has become of you?"

---

Meanwhile, Ianna was stringing her bow. After the recapture of Kinamori, both she and Gadrik had immediately packed camp and started a search. But they weren't looking for Kinamori; they were looking for Alex. They knew he was the key to finding her, as he was the only one who had known where she was last time. Now it was evening of the third day of endless searching, and Gadrik was yelling at her again, for what seemed like the tenth time in the past three days.

"Why didn't you help her?" he was saying, stomping the ground in frustration.

She merely looked at him and repeated the answer she had given him the past several times, "I told you. There was nothing I could have done. If I had shot the bastard, I could have hit her. Just relax. I wasn't doing nothing while in the tent." Setting her bow aside, she produced a scroll, which had strange writing on it, illegible to all but her.

"Yes, but what does it mean?" asked her impatient partner.

"It means we can find Alexei."

---

Zalanth snapped back to reality, all traces of his twisted mirth gone, the smirk replaced with a frown. His eyes, which had shown malevolence, now shone dully, suggestive of a weird sadness that the man had not felt in years. But these features soon vanished, rapidly replaced by a blank look. "He changed all that…" came his only words, spoken softly as if in reflection. Then his attention and mood changed back to the matter at hand. "But that's beside the point!" he uttered vehemently. "What is the meaning of the riddle?" he snapped, forgetting about all other preliminary questions.

Alexei sighed, relieved by the reaction to his remarks. A new plan was forming in his mind, one that hopefully would lead him out of here, without having to endure any more pain or answer any more questions. He just hoped Zalanth still had some soul left…

Instead of answering, he asked, voice still mellow, "Why did you let him corrupt you? We were happy once, brother, why did you join his side instead of mine?"

"Don't dodge the question!" shouted an ever increasing irate Zalanth.

"No, brother! You need to wake up, wake up I say!" commanded Alex, with an authority unusual even to him. A strange force entered his body then – not the force that had suppressed his movements, but another. It seemed pure, almost holy, and it gave him the strength to be heard.

The distraught features returned to Zalanth's face, accompanied by another emotion: distress. "You… What? What did you do?" asked the tormented man in front of Alex. Dropping the daggers, he gripped the sides of his head. His features were contorted, as if there were some internal battle being fought. "You weren't there when I came home that night. How could you blame me? I didn't even know where you were!" sputtered the rapidly deteriorating Zanth.

During this time, Alex briefly glanced at the mirror into Kinamori's world. What he saw there surprised him. Kinamori's captor had also dropped the daggers, but something else was wrong, too. The picture was becoming distorted, seeming to fade in and out of reality, people and surroundings changing form. Puzzled, he glanced back at Zalanth, who was now pacing. "I thought…" he was saying, then he seemed to regain his composure. "No, it doesn't matter now. That was too long ago… None of it matters anymore." He went to retrieve the daggers, taking no notice of Alex's expression.

During Zalanth's momentary loss of mind however, Alex felt the restraints on him loosen, and he was able to move around a little. He then got another idea. "Even so, you knew good from evil. Being four years older than I, I thought you would know deceit when it stared you straight in the face…" Alex said, trying to infuriate Zalanth while appealing to his conscience at the same time.

The tactic worked. Spinning around, Alex could see the anger in his brother's face, but at the same time, he knew the man wouldn't hurt him anymore. He seemed to be fighting something inside himself, perhaps his other self, his old self. Yet, when he spoke, he was surprisingly calm, "When I came home that night, I saw the devastation caused by those filth the King calls his children. I saw the blood spilled in the streets, the eviscerated houses torched by flame. I heard the screams of the scared, the lost, the dying. I heard and saw every moment of it… But when I entered our home… There was no one to accompany me. No one but the corpses of our murdered parents!"

Alexei cringed visibly, knowing the man before him must think him a coward, or worse. Still, he maintained his composure, speaking as calmly as ever, "And what happened then? Obviously something must have happened for you to have been corrupted."

Zalanth snorted. "Don't think me such a ready traitor, Alex. You wouldn't know what happened to me afterwards – you were too worried about that wench to even care for your own brother!" He was now slowly advancing on Alex's near-immobile form, eyes glaring angrily.

"I did not know what had happened to either of you!" he was saying desperately, trying to calm Zalanth. "I was only ten! I did not even understand the basics of my abilities then. How could I have looked for either of you? But for the record… I did try to find you, but I could not. I scarcely managed to rescue Kinamori."

It appeared Alex could not get through, however, and soon, the madman was upon him. With a force more violent than Alex had expected from him, Zalanth gripped his brother by the front of his collar and shoved him into the back wall, just feet away. The force sent jolting pain shooting up his back, causing him to lose his breath. With a sharp exhalation as the all the air burst from his lungs, he realized perhaps for the first time just how demented Zalanth had become.

Through blurring vision Alex could see the look of immense loathing on Zalanth's face, and soon, the latter spoke, "You… will not be leaving here alive!" he spat, just inches from Alex's face. "I've had enough of your mind games. You've been trying to corrupt me for the past several minutes, and now I'm going to end it. You will either tell me what I want to know or you will strain to endure an insufferably slow death."

Alex could scarcely breathe, for his brother was still gripping him tightly, now almost throttling him. He barely managed to choke out, "Alright… but can you at least let go of me?" The man complied, watching as Alex slid ungracefully to the floor. "Thanks," he said weakly before passing out.

---

Early the morning after, Ianna was helping pack up camp. There was barely any light, the sun just peaking above the distant mountains. They had not traveled far, as they had had to search in a radial area; they had only searched a radius of about five miles. But that was before Ianna had revealed the scroll.

"Why didn't you show me this earlier?" Gadrik was saying, blatantly annoyed by the unreasonable delay.

"Because, it wasn't ready yet," Ianna replied flatly, looking over the contents again. "I have listened to the animals. They have given me directions to the general whereabouts of Alexei."

Gadrik nodded, thinking. "So now you have a map," he stated simply.

"Exactly."

"Then what was the writing?"

Ianna smiled slyly, "That was the language of the animals, my friend. Look." She showed him the scroll which now only showed something resembling a map, all mysterious writing from the night before gone.

Gadrik beamed, then said excitedly, "Well, then let's go!"

"Wait," said the healer. "As excited as you are, you're still not ready to fight." Gadrik glared at her darkly, apparently not believing her diagnosis. "And besides, whatever creature had produced those awful screeches last night scared off the griffins. We no longer have transport. Even I can't call them back now."

"Oh, who cares? We could run to him if we tried hard enough!" exclaimed the warrior, obviously ready as ever. "And what do you mean I'm not ready to fight? I feel fine!"

Ianna scoffed. "You're just as eager as ever, aren't you? Let me see your shoulder." Gadrik rolled his eyes, but obeyed nonetheless, peeling off his shirt and upper armor. "The remedy I used was pain only, not rapid healing. I know you bluffed when you were trying to reassure Kinamori before she was captured. I need to see if the salve I applied afterward has worked or not," she was saying as she inspected the wound. It had healed remarkably since then, but the tissue was still tender and a little inflamed. "Alright. You can fight," she conceded, applying more salve and new bandages. "Just be careful; you don't want to reopen the wound or spread the infection." And with that, she hoisted her pack over her shoulders, unfurled the map, and began a brisk walk toward their destination.

---

Alexei groaned and sat up, surprised he could move at all. He inhaled sharply and lay back down as the movement sent sporadic pain through his back and chest. He knew he had broken something, probably a few ribs, but he would live. Whoever had treated him had done a good job; tight bandages were bound around his torso. Smiling to himself, he realized that it was probably Zalanth who had done it, though as to why he could not figure. He knew he had not changed the man's mind, at least not yet, but perhaps he had affected him somehow.

Vaguely, he noticed he was lying on a cot of some sort, not very comfortable, but better than the floor. There was a strong light shining through the cave entrance, suggestive that it was at or around noon. It made the injured man restless; he wanted desperately to get out of here, especially before Zalanth came back, but in his current state, that was impossible. Sighing with resignation, ignoring the twinge of pain it caused, he closed his eyes tightly, willing the light to go away so he could sleep some more, perhaps abate the desire for freedom.

Just then, a shadow eclipsed the light, giving away the presence of another. Alexei opened his eyes to stare at none other than Zalanth himself. "What do you want?" muttered Alex, in no mood for more mind games or question sessions.

The man before him sighed heavily and spoke with a somber tone, back turned to Alex. "I'm letting you go," he said simply.

Shocked, Alex could not help the question that burst forth, "Why?" His puzzlement was plain.

"Because, it's obvious you won't answer me. I can't trick you anymore – you already figured out my secret. There's no use keeping you around if I can't get a decent answer from you."

Alex, still surprised by this turn of events, merely stared, giving no immediate reply. But just when Zalanth was about to leave again, the psychic asked, "Where's Kinamori?"

"That I cannot tell you. You may have figured out most of my secrets, but you cannot have that one. However, I assure you that she is not harmed." He started walking toward the exit.

"Very well. Thanks," Alex muttered, uncertain about how he should feel towards his brother's sudden act of compassion. Well, at least the "mirror" was just that – a mirror, thought Alex. But where could she be?

And then, it came to him.

8