STRANGER, jesper fahey

CHAPTER TEN

"Untie her."

There was nothing but darkness and pain when she felt herself being pulled into consciousness, feeling the vile wickedness of her heart coming to and forcing her awake as she grunted quietly, the noise seemingly amplified in a silent room. Gwen kept her eyes closed for a few moments, trying to grab her bearings, trying to feel where she was without giving her status away...and then everything came rushing back, slamming hard against her like a tsunami as she remembered everything that had happened that had led her to that moment in which her hands were tied and her body propped up on a uncomfortable chair.

She'd been watching Jesper, watching as those guards had surrounded him, their weapons of destruction threatening to damper the light that had made a mock of the sun, her hands, always stained with sin and death moving before she'd even given herself a chance to think things through, only needing to know one thing, only thinking about one thing as she begged the saints for something she never thought she would, a chance to save a life instead of condemning it to hell. Let me save him, she'd begged, let me save him or die with him, just don't let me stay in this abyss of life without him.

But she'd saved him, of course she had, and now it appeared that she had to pay the price as her eyes fluttered open, the sharp blue of the stormy skies zeroing in on the boy standing in front of her, tracing up the crow-head cane, up his dark assemble of black and then finally staring at a face that looked almost familiar as he stared down at her indifferently, lips set in a grim line but his gaze as cold as ice. He had a great poker face, that she could compliment, but the pounding of his raging heart didn't lie as she tilted her head towards him and quirked a brow. "Dirtyhands, I presume? I must say, I was expecting a bit more."

"I could say the same, Stranger. With all the myths surrounding you, imagine my disappointment when I just found a grisha with a death wish."

His voice was vile, stinging like saltwater to a wound and rough like stone upon stone, unfamiliar and almost monstrous as she hummed quietly, moving her fingers and hands around through her bonds to test the sturdiness, not even bothering to hide what she was doing as she grunted, pulling a face in some kind of mocking impression...after all, she had to give credit where credit was due, no one was going to be able to get out of the thick leather straps that had been pulled taunt around her wrist until it was biting into her skin and making it bleed...but luckily for Gwen as an idea began to form, she wasn't exactly a no one now, was she?

"Well, it wouldn't of been disappointing for long, would it? Considering the last I checked, you were about to choke on your own greed." She grinned darkly, tongue licking out at the front of her teeth as he glared at her for half a moment, unable to hide his rage at how close she'd come to crumbling his scheming empire by the seams, a muscle in his sharp jaw twitching as he took one, ominous step towards her, his cane knocking against the wood beneath him like a haunting promise of things to come as he leaned in close with a certain wickedness shining through his dark gaze that matched her own almost perfectly.

"Who give you my name, Stranger."

"I think the more accurate question would be who hasn't. You're rather hated here, you know? I can't imagine why." Gwen said boredly, leaning back against the chair with her neck rolling across it, not even wanting his breath to brush over her skin and stain her with his dirt. She had no loyalty to Nobles, she had no loyalty to anyone but herself, and even that sometimes was a hurdle to cross...however, she did like watching that twitch to his brow that spoke up about just how close she got to him was affecting him viciously.