~ Power ~

Chapter 7 - Into The Ring

Freya opened her eyes six hours later and found herself lying on a dusty wooden floor in a poorly lit room. She was surprised to find her arms and legs unbound, surprised but not ungrateful. She hastily searched the room for her scaly companion, leaving a trail of dust behind her as she went. The room was very scantily furnished, there was but a dresser and a square table in the middle of the room, but no accompanying chair to go with it. Savages.

 When Freya had finished searching the room she frowned to herself and holding back a sob, said, ‘Smokey…They can’t have you…I haven’t even taught you how to fly yet. They can’t have you.’ With that she slouched against the wall and slid to the floor, landing a little more violently than she had planned. She was nursing a bruised bum when someone opened the door to the room and stepped inside quietly. The lighting in the room being as it was Freya could only make out a figure of a person.

There was a moment or two of silence. The figure just stood there, in the shadows, waiting for something.

‘Who is that?’ Freya asked impatiently.

‘I used to go by the name, Mrs. Lombard,’ she paused, ‘but now, the locals have been referring to me as, “The Phoenix”.’

Freya knew that voice anywhere. As soon as she had the thought Lena stepped into the light. The hairs on the back of Freya’s neck stood up and a shiver shot down her spine.

‘You survived the fire,’ Freya said with an awkward but genuine smile.

‘Yes. No thanks to you. Ungrateful little sh–’

‘How?’ asked Freya, genuinely amazed as Lena didn’t have a scratch or bruise on her.

Lena regarded Freya for a moment and then laughed loudly. ‘What, you think you’re the only one with a piece of Amethyst?’ As she spoke the blue jewel around her neck twinkled. Freya was dying to know what it did, but dared not ask.

‘Where am I? Where have they taken my dragon?’

‘Your dragon? I highly doubt that, little thief girl that you are probably stole it–’

‘I did not!’ Freya said, outraged. ‘I found it in the woods.’

‘Oh, did you now? How far away from my cottage was that then?’

‘I don’t know…a couple of miles I guess.’

‘Well. Seeing that I own that whole valley, that makes it my dragon. Silly poppet.’

Freya’s blood was boiling and she was gritting her teeth. She dared not release her anger, she dared not expose herself. ‘But,’ continued Lena, ‘as I am such a generous person, I will give you a chance to be reunited with your little lizard friend. Do you wish to know more?’

Freya didn’t like where this was going. But she didn’t see any other option so she replied in the affirmative. ‘Good choice,’ Lena said with a smile. ‘Come with me.’

Lena opened the door and lead Freya outside. As soon as she stepped out she realised she was still in the slums, which surprisingly she found as a relief. Lena lead her back behind the house and down an alleyway. They followed this winding alleyway for about five minutes and then finally they came to a door guarded by two females in hoodies. Lena whispered something to the both of them and they let them past.

It seemed to be a warehouse that they had entered, a large one at that. The warehouse was subdivided into many different sections, the section Freya was in currently consisted of a few hundred crates, a couple of barrels, and a few large metal cages. To Freya’s horror, one of the cages contained old, ragged man cuffed to one of the posts. Freya clenched her teeth once more.