A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 33

The steady drip of water echoed through the darkness. Arden opened her eyes, then immediately shut them. The lone beam of light that pierced the darkness shone right in her eyes. She smacked her fuzzy tongue against the roof of her mouth and wished for something to drink.

"Would you like ale or a nice red wine?" a deep voice asked.

"Loku! You're back."

"I never went away. I've been with you during this whole disaster. Serves you and Dev right for containing me."

"How can I hear you now when I couldn't before?"

"Check out your new jewelry. That's magic-imbued mithral you're wearing. Not only will it be all the rage next season, but it's also great at blocking any magical powers, including any old spells you've cast."

Arden looked up at the manacles around her wrists. The chain that ran between them wrapped around a hook above her. No matter how she tugged, she couldn't wrench it free. She tried to summon her fire, but nothing flared within her. Her heart pounded. "Loku, did they destroy my magic?"

"No, just blocked it. Sort of how you and Dev blocked me from warning you about Larenis and his goons." The bitter accusation in his voice made her cheeks burn.

"Would it help if I apologized?"

"I want more than an apology."

"I'm scared to ask what." She tugged on the chains again.

"Trouble?" a weak voice rasped a few feet away from the darkness.

"Dev? You're alive?" Tears sprung in her eyes. She searched the darkness while waiting for her vision to adjust to it.

"You didn't sound that happy when you found out I was back."

"Jealous?"

"Depends—is this the void?" Dev asked with his usual cynicism.

"Would we be chained in the void?"

"Good point." He groaned and rattled his own chains. A whispered curse followed a few seconds later. "I can't summon my magic."

"That makes two of us."

"Speak for yourself," Loku interjected.

"Can you channel your magic through me?"

A snort shook her body. "As if I would want to help you after what you did to me."

She stiffened. If he wouldn't help them, who would? The acidic tang of hopelessness closed her throat. She forced herself to breathe. When she exhaled, it came out as a shudder. "I'm sorry," she said to both Dev and Loku.

"Sorry for what?"

"For getting you into this mess."

"Trouble, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is. If I had just thought before I acted, if I had listened to you and Loku, I wouldn't have gotten all cocky and ran head-first into battle that night. Then, we wouldn't have gotten captured, and we wouldn't be rotting in this dungeon." A memory from the previous night stabbed her chest like a knife. "And Cinder would still be alive."

"Cinder? What happened to him?" His voice grew tense with worry.

"He ran in front of me and got stabbed. I tried to heal him, but there was so much blood."

"Did he catch on fire?"

"What?" When he repeated the question, she wondered if the blow to his head addled his brain. "No."