The Scroll of Knowledge

Chapter 11

We didn't talk much after Derek left. I kept playing songs in my head to pass the time and calm myself down. I was on the verge of curling up into a ball and crying until I died from dehydration. I couldn't let that happen. I needed to stay calm.

Hours passed before someone came downstairs. He had a body slung over his shoulder. He tossed the person into the cage next to mine and locked the door.

I couldn't see the person's face but I recognized that long hair. It was Shay. They got to her. She groaned.

"Shay? Shay, are you okay?" I asked. She was shaking and the floor around her was turning to ice. "Shay."

"Amber?" she asked. She moved her head in my direction. Her face was bruised. There was blood flowing from her ears and nose and from other injuries that I couldn't see clearly in the dark. She was soaking wet. "Brennan. What happened to him? Is he okay?" Her voice was weak.

"They beat him up but he's alive. What about Thomas? Was he with you when they got to you?" I asked.

She curled herself into a ball. "I don't know." She held her hands over her ears. "I don't know. I can't see. I broke my promise. I couldn't stop them from hurting him."

"Joseph got to her," Terry said, sadly. "Forget physical torture. He's another keyholder. He can get in your mind and do some serious damage if you're not strong enough to resist."

"I've seen him send people crazy," Fiona said.

The bars around Shay began to freeze. Terry took a step back.

"What the hell is she doing?" he asked. "Fiona, your alien theory might be right."

I moved further away from Shay. It was getting cold. "She's not an alien. She has an ice ability but she isn't strong enough to control it right now," I said. "Her clothes are wet. They wanted her to freeze." Shay was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt and was barefoot. They must have taken her right out of bed.

"Sorry," Shay said. She looked at Terry. "I'm not crazy in case you're wondering." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and swallowed. "Joseph tried his mind tricks at first then realized it wasn't working. That's when they tried other methods." She forced out a laugh. "There's only one thing they can use against me and they made the mistake of killing him."

"So Thomas is dead?" I asked.

She sighed and curled back into the ball. "That is a very strong possibility."

"Who's Thomas?" Fiona asked.

"My other half," Shay said softly.

Realization dawned on Fiona's and Terry's faces. Even Rokas seemed to understand.

"Shay, the ice is spreading again," I said. I pressed my back against the bars.

"Sorry," she said. The ice stopped spreading. "I'm just so cold."

"Do you want my sweater?" I asked.

"Keep it. It won't make a difference. I won't be able to control it much longer. I'm to weak and tired. This room will be frozen in a few hours and you'll need it more than I do. I'll just go into hibernation. You would freeze to dead."

"No we won't. Brennan promised he would come," I said. If I didn't believe in that, I might give up on hope.

"Hm. That's nice," Shay said, softly.

"Shay!" I called.

She grabbed hold of the bar of the cage and pulled herself up so she was sitting and leaning against it. Her clothes were bloody and torn and blood was smeared on the ground where she'd dragged herself.