Lady in the Iron Mask

II: Chapter 19

Through the passageway, Eve could see more cages at the end, except these ones were generally taller and thinner. People stood inside, shivering fearfully just at the sound of outsider's footsteps. 

When she revealed herself in the light, their reaction didn't change, and she realized that she was dressed like their torturers. 

"...Kiera?...Evie?" She called out meekly. "Are you here?"

"It's Eve!" She heard Kiera cry out from the corner of the room, and then she began sobbing in relief. "She's come to get me!"

Eve followed the sound of Kiera's voice as quickly as she humanly could, a huge grin spreading across her features. By the time she reached Kiera, she was bouncing along the ground, feeling incredibly lighthearted. All of a sudden, her purpose became meaningful. When she arrived in front of the cage, however, Kiera gave a little shriek and backed as far as she could into the opposite side of her cage.

"Get away from me!" She bared her hands, the fingers splayed like little claws, and swiped at Eve.

"Kiera, it's me!" Eve dodged the swinging arm before it could connect with her face, and removed her mask carefully, allowing it to fall to the floor so that her friend and sister could see her clearly.

Immediately, Kiera's arms dropped down to her sides and she gazed in wonder upon Eve's face.

"I knew you would come and rescue me, but Eve... you look so different now," Kiera murmured, a little awestruck.

"We both look different now," Eve agreed.

It was true. Kiera was a lot thinner and smaller than she had ever been, and her dress hung off her body, dirt and mud caked all over her. Her hair was messy and wild, and the golden locks were dull with grease and abuse. Even her small, feminine feet were now rough and dark, with the nails carrying dirt underneath them. She was still beautiful, but she was wildly beautiful, like an untamed creature of the night rather than an angel, with her long, sharp fingernails. Despite this, her eyes shone with all the glory of a victor, as she took in her knight in shining armor, happy beyond belief.

"Are you...okay?" Eve continued, after looking over her friend. "Your body...I can see a few bruises."

Kiera hugged her arms around herself, suddenly becoming incredibly defensive and the look in her eyes was of a cornered feral alley cat.

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered, her voice catching on the last syllable.

Eve reached her arms through the bars and offered a hug to her friend, pushing her body as far against them as she could. Kiera's lip trembled as she hesitated, and then slowly extracted her arms from her body, and reciprocated Eve's hug as tightly as she could in her weakened state. After they had stood there for a while, without Eve asking, Kiera suddenly began to speak, her words flowing together like an unstoppable river, and without an end.

"I was brought here a long time ago," she murmured, her face in Eve's neck, "I don't remember how long. I haven't seen the sunrise the entire time I've been here. And the children...Oh, their faces, Eve...They still haunt me every night, their dying faces. They ask me why I'm still alive and they're not. And I can never say anything, even when they ask why I didn't protect them, or why you left us alone."

Eve swallowed. This was hard for her to hear, and she changed the subject.

"Did they keep you in this cage?"

Kiera sighed, then squeezed Eve tighter before continuing, needing her support.

"At first. And then..." She hiccuped, and Eve realized her friend was crying again, so she waited while she held her until she was okay to continue.

"And then...?" Eve gently prompted.

"Until he took an interest in me."

"Who?"

"The leader in this place. They call him Beast, or something. Apparently, he holds unimaginable powers. Powers no human should have."

"Do you know why he took an interest in you?" Eve gritted her teeth.

"...My body." Kiera whispered. "But it was so strange; there was something so incredibly dangerous-looking about him, yet when he began speaking to me, and asking me totally normal things, I began to like him. I liked how he treated me kindly, and gave me food when I asked for it. But, when he had finally slept with me, he told me that he didn't want to see me again, and that he'd wait for something better to come along."

"That evil, conniving monster!" Eve spat. 

Kiera didn't respond once more for a while.

"I agree." She finally said. "I do. But at the same time, when I was there at his side, there was something so alluring about him. That was the most dangerous part, I think. If he had asked me to sacrifice myself to his clan right there, I would have done it. Even now, I feel his presence strongly, as if he is right by my side. I hate to admit it, but now that I have been with him, I feel like I'm dying of thirst, and that he is the only one to quench it." She sighed, in disgust. "I know you must feel bewildered and horrified with me, Eve. Believe me, I am too."

"No, no; of course not," Eve assured her, rubbing her friend's back. "I wonder if we can avoid this man at any cost."

"The part of me that still feels pure agrees with you," Kiera murmured. "Yet this new side of me lurking beneath the surface wishes to never leave his side."

She raised her head and rose once more to stand fully in front of Eve, her eyes ashamed. But, no matter what, her cheeks would not flare up like an innocent youth, how they used to back when they lived together. Kiera's long hair fell around her still, covering her face slightly, and she frowned, using both hands to pull it away from her face. As she did so, Eve noticed something at the nape of her neck. 

It was a black mark, in the shape of a tiny swirly 'S,' or a snake. Although it could have been mistaken for mud earlier, Eve was now sure it wasn't.

"Where did you get that tattoo?" Eve asked her, alarmed.

"What tattoo?" Kiera's hands searched her body for a mark she didn't know she had.

"It's at the bottom of your neck, and it looks like a snake."

Kiera grabbed her hands around her neck, finally finding it.

"Ow!" She hissed, as she rubbed her fingers over it. "I don't know!"

**************************************************

A/N: Hello beautiful readers!

It's your favorite but slightly annoying author here, back at it again with the notes! 

If you are enjoying this story, please leave a vote/comment! It really really helps me out as  a new and largely undiscovered author! (Although this isn't in the hidden gems section, ggr ;) fight me wattpad. )

The updates have been written each day since a little before Christmas for you guys as a small gift from me, but as I begin school tomorrow, the postings may become a little more infrequent, and back to 4-5 days again as it used to be. I'm sorry about that, I really want to be a full-time author, but that is actually not a pathway I can go down as long as I'm unrecognized and earning no revenue of my own <3 sorry angels! :) Otherwise you'd have about 6 new books to read a year (and a LOAD of annoying updates from me!) Anyway, I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas, and have a wonderful 2017! If anyone has any constructive criticism or any advice for me in the writing of this story, feel free to either leave a comment or please don't hesitate to contact me directly through private messaging!

Thank you ever so much for choosing to read this story, and for your patience. I'd love it if you'd continue to support this little author while she spreads her wings! 

See you in the next chapter (II:20)! 

P.s. (II:20) looks super biblical. When I go back at the end and edit this story, I'll have to remember to change the titles to look like passages from Bible scripture or something fancy. ^^ Ciao!