Slim fingers with red, long polished nails moved over the exposed arm of another.
Frost formed over the place of contact.
A struggle.
A muffled groan, because that was all the one being put through this torture, could let out.
Nadia's mouth had been stuffed with a piece of clothing, gagged. Her hands and legs were chained to the table she was laid against.
Her eyes were wide open with the pain the cold brought her, it went deeper than the skin, she could feel it.
Kestra pulled away abruptly.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She turned in the direction where Collin was standing.
She had said she needed a fresh and new soul, had even specified who exactly she wanted and he had brought her to him as quickly as he could.
This man, what will he not do for his family?
A castle that was built on the clouds, was what his hope was. She prayed that he would keep staying in his delusion.
How else was she supposed to use him if he wasn't stupid and blindly hopeful?
"It is beautiful." He said, his face blank of emotions and his hands folded behind him.
Kestra shrugged. "I feel it isn't beautiful enough though. It is a new magic that I just acquired." She paused a little, taking off her heels, her foot pressed against the ground and she let an inaudible sigh of relief at the comforting contact.
Nadia's pants didn't let her enjoy the moment for too long though.
She frowned.
"I will get better at it. Move things with it, maybe soon? I really want the next one to have the ability to move things without freezing them. I have always wanted to be able to move things, real things, not forces. You understand me?"
"Yes, My Lady," Collin answered robotically and Lady Kestra huffed.
He most likely had some blank expression on as usual.
Maybe she missed Kenji. He was submissive to her, yes, but on things like this, he would have something to chip in asides from Yes and No.
She chuckled, silently.
He wouldn't, because she would never come out to tell him that this was what she was. Kenji was obsessed with fixing the wrong of things in crazy ways.
Had he not taken it upon himself to find out what was happening to the Brides?
He had discussed his findings with her a couple of times, not directly of course, and the only reason she had kept him alive after was because of how unpromising his research was.
If he were able to find out, it would have been too late.
She wondered why he had suddenly disappeared though, went ahead with his brother without telling her anything.
Maybe he would get her letter soon, maybe he would tell her the reason.
She wasn't curious about his well-being.
Why would she care?
She just wanted to know about his research, which she was sure if he had made any progress, he would let it slip in his response.
Her fingers slipped into Nadia's red curly hair, holding it in a tight grip while her finger traced the outlined silver roots of her hair that could barely be seen.
"You deserve to be punished, don't you think?"
Nadia's muffled screams soon turned into pain. Collin had used a small razor to cut her skin at intervals and now she was bleeding, to the point that she could smell her blood in the air to a dizzying point.
Nadia had a good sense of smell but this was too much.
By the time Collin was done doing the same to her legs, she no longer had the strength to fight, although the tears kept spilling down her cheeks.
She should have poisoned her instead, if she had done that, she wouldn't be suffering right now, and if she was, at least she would feel that any punishment was worth it.
Now, what was it that she wanted to do with her?
She didn't know her fate.
Nadia felt Kestra's fingers slip into her hair and she tensed up, looking above her to the silver eyes that couldn't see her, her own sight almost blurry with tears.
She already knew that Collin could offer her no help, he looked like he was strictly following Lady Kestra's orders.
Lady Kestra's fingers pinched against her scalp and the sound of her panting heart increased, almost deafening.
"It is time to find out if you are like your mother, don't you think?"
Silence.
Those words.
They made everything go silent.
Still, with the sound of her pounding heart.
She wanted to find out more but she couldn't, a force seized her and that was it.
____
____
Belladonna had expected them to land somewhere dangerous, filled with scary creatures or traps, not on treasures.
The landing on a heap of golden treasures had been painful, but the distance of the fall wasn't that high to cause any paralyzing pain.
Belladonna quickly found a way to move away from the hemp of gold but Alaris ensued with a bit of a struggle, moving his gown in the most aggressive way possible.
"Something simpler would have been better. Not used to these unnecessary garments."
"Don't be such a baby," she commented, helping him out of the pile while restraining herself from laughing.
She really had to be serious.
She clenched her fist, with a sudden jolt of remembrance.
The key!
She had not taken out the key from the door lock that was above them.
What if they needed the key to get out?
Belladonna was quick to communicate her worries with Alaris who brushed it aside and said they would figure things out when that time came.
She would have been adamant about getting the key, if the part of the cage above them hadn't been sealed to a point that she couldn't even tell where they had fallen through.
"So, Nightshade, what are you going to do about the Nahiri situation? Do you believe you are 'the saviour'?" He asked with a teasing emphasis.
Belladonna shrugged, keeping her cards close to her chest. "What direction should we go in?"
The cave had different dimly lit tunnels, that panned out to different directions.
Without a word, Alaris went towards an opening and her feet followed him, faster than she could even realize what was going on.
No, she didn't trust this creature and she wouldn't start now.
This?
Well, this was nothing.
Very insignificant.