The Wand and the Wolf

26 - interrogations

Kyda's POV

Mit and I made idle conversation throughout the day, the cells lulled into silence. Some hours must have passed since breakfast and the doors slammed open again. I looked up, expecting to see Amotan patrolling through, but two large, hooded figures entered instead. They walked down the hall and stopped in front of my cage.

"Oh, sugar," Mit called as I sat up in my bed, "Someone really has it out for you." I watched as one of the figures pulled out a wand and inserted it into the lock, just as Amotan had done, and the door to my cell swung open and they stepped inside.

"Stand up, and place your hands out in front of you, you are wanted for questioning," one of them said.

"And if I don't want to go?" I asked, and I heard Mit suck in a sharp breath. The one that had spoken stepped forward, a syringe in hand. It was filled with a dark purple liquid, and the smell of it made me gag.

"If you refuse to cooperate, we are licensed to use this wolfsbane to incapacitate you, as is the safety protocol for dealing with violent wolves," they said in an even, measured tone, but I could feel the malice dripping off of their words. I had heard of wolfsbane before, but it didn't grow in the Heavenly Thicket or the Field of the Fae, so I had never experienced its effects before. But the stories were enough to give me shivers. Gritting my teeth, I held out my hands and the warlock swapped the syringe for his wand.

He made a figure eight around my wrists with his wands and I hissed as a black shadow swirled around my wrists in the same motion, before cinching tightly. I tried to move my hands, but the shadows didn't give even the slightest. The guards turned and left, but not before flicking his wand once more and holding it horizontal to his body. I was pulled forward by the shadows around my wrist, following in the direction of the wand.

"Don't fight it, or we'll just let it drag you along," the second guard said, "and I really do suggest you save your strength."

I tried to pull my wrists back a few times as I followed along but the shadows were solid. I turned my attention to the cells instead, as I passed by cellmates I hadn't yet seen. A few of them nodded to me in greeting as I passed by, and I returned the nod.

"Kyda," one man called my name as I approached, and I recognised the voice as Mattise.

"Nice to put a face to the name," I said as I spotted the older man, sitting up against the side of his cell. He was missing half of his left arm and, from what I could see, the rest of his body was littered with scars.

"You hold on to that charm, wolf pup," he said as he eyed the stoic guards in front of me. I gave him a nod of understanding, but in reality my stomach was turning with every solemn look and word of warning. We reached the end of the long hallway of cells, and I could barely keep up as we twisted and turned through dimly lit corridors. Finally, we stopped in a dark hallway that had multiple rooms branching off of it.

"In you go, wolf," the guard said as he opened the door with his wand. The other guard pushed me into the room, and they promptly shut and locked the door behind me. I bit back a growl and assessed the room they had left me in.

A dim lightbulb hung from the ceiling, its rays barely reaching the corners of  the room. There were hooks and chains on the far wall, a tall cabinet with a lock on it, and a long table along the other side. I stepped forward, getting a better look at the cabinet. It was wooden, with a large padlock holding its doors tightly shut. There were no windows in the room, the only way in and out was through the door I had just come through.

I sighed and leant against the far wall. I was tired, always feeling just a little bit dizzy. I didn't know if it was from the mate bond, the lack of fresh air, the recent fights, or the homesickness. Maybe it was a combination of everything. I closed my eyes and leant my head back against the wall, letting my body sag.