Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 24: Restrained

Taylor left the training session and wept bitter, angry tears. She threw a tantrum as if she were still six-years-old out in the hallway. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and clawed at the bracelet Maruka had clapped around her wrist. When it still would not come off, she found her way back to her quarters (after taking a few wrong turns) and threw herself on her bed where she screamed into her pillow and threw a furious punch into it.

She heard the man laughing in her head. Gods, look at you weep. He takes away our magic and suddenly you're useless; just a scared, crying little girl.

Taylor sat up and slammed her fists into the bed. "Shut up! How are we going to survive this without magic! We know nothing of the world! We don't know how to fight!"

You should have stayed. You could have learned how to use a bow. Eory replied.

Taylor's stomach churned with worry as her heart thudded with anxiety. It felt like the only way out was to—

Her vision swam as she seriously considered chopping off her arm to get the bracelet off.

Instead, she bit into her arm until it bled, and her heart beats seemed to even out.

She took heavy breaths and lowered herself onto her stomach. I can do this. Maruka not only knows a way out of the contract, but he also knows how to get this horrible thing off my wrist.

Taylor wiped her eyes as tears kept coming relentlessly.

"I won't go back there now. I'll embarrass myself." Taylor said aloud.

Taylor sat there by herself for many minutes—just trying to calm down. She clenched and unclenched her fists, and suddenly, she thought of rain as she looked up at the ceiling.

This room is disgusting! Kori's voice seemed to echo in her mind. And without her permission, a tiny smile dawned on the fairy girl's face.

Don't you miss her, too? Eory asked her with a choked voice.

"No!" Taylor clapped her hands to her ears. "No, I don't! I am an Arrozan! I need no one else, and I will take my throne back and make this world bow to me!"

Why can't you just admit how alone and lonely we are? We have nothing left... The man said solemnly.

"It doesn't matter! So long as we get out of here, nothing matters! I still have Pollyanna! I'll just force her to kill everyone in this stupid fortress and then we can leave!" Taylor said with a panicked grin.

That's not a good idea. Pollyanna might be able to survive that, but we wouldn't. There are hundreds of recruits in this fortress; there's no way Pollyanna could fend all of them off. Eory responded.

Taylor rolled on her belly. "I hate you, Eory! You shouldn't exist! All you do is confuse me..."

Taylor continued to take deep breaths as she rolled onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling, and her mind seemed to clear as she thought about how her whole family and Pollyanna had abandoned her in favor of Eory.

Eory may not have remembered everything, but she did.

Taylor blinked slowly, and eventually, her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

__

She awoke to a frantic knock on her door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Go away!"

"Taylor, it's me, Them. I'm worried about you; please let me in. I have important news to share with you."

Taylor rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms and stared at the door with a sullen face.

"I'm sorry I didn't meet up with you the other night—I really am—but I truly had your best interests at heart. I promise. I have them at heart now, too."