Ghost Rider

CHAPTER XXXII: Eavesdropping

The familiar taste of metallic copper flooded my mouth, as Krom's fist collided, yet again, with my face. Although I could not spot the sky in the confining  quarters I was located in, I observed stars dancing about the room; clouding my vision.

They were grilling me with different questions now, than before. Such as: "Where do you live?" "Who are you?" "Who are you working for?"

I wasn't certain of the exact time frame I was being tortured for, however I did ascertain that it was much longer than last time.

I figured it was because Viggo was holding them back. How he could convince his own father, and his older brother to do what he said, I have no idea.

"Who do you work for?!" Krom reiterated again.

"I already told you," I began hoarsely, trying to talk clearly despite the crimson liquid constantly filling my mouth. "I. Don't. Know."

"There is no point in lying to us, child. Tell us the truth, and all of this can end."

"I'm not lying." I protested, in vain.

"So you expect me to believe that a fifteen year old delinquent, who flies a dragon destroying fortified islands, and transportation ships works alone?! I don't think so. DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!"

"You tell me." I sassed, answering the latter question. "You're the one who continues to ask the same questions after repeatedly  receiving the same answers, and still expects to get a different answer every time."

A cry of frustration left Krom's lips, as fist met flesh for the hundredth time today. Colorful bruises now littered my freckled skin, evidence of the pain I so vividly felt not only physically, but mentally as well.

The pain I felt was not self pity, or anything of that kind, however. It was helplessness. A feeling I was rarely acquainted with, but hated just as passionately as any other despairing feeling I knew more.

No one was going to rescue me, that I knew for sure. No one even knew where I was. Everyone I knew was dead.

This was it; the end of the line. Either I was going to escape on my own, by some miracle; or I would escape to Valhalla.

Despite my undesirable circumstances, however, it was comforting to know that, weather I was dead or alive, I was leaving this wretched, damned place.

One way or another. I comforted myself.

"What did you say?" Krom inquired, his sentence dripping with venomous hate. His breath reeked of fish that had sat out in the sun, or soaked in barrels too long. I know that that smells like, because that's what my mother's food tasted like. How I missed her in this moment.

After I had recovered from the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, his question resonated in my foggy brain. I said what I thought, out loud.

"What I meant was, one way or another I'm getting out of here. Wether I leave on my journey to Valhalla, or through some miraculous escape; I am leaving this place, and you can stop me." I returned every drop of venom, and hatred that he showed to me, in those couple sentences.

As if in slow motion, his fist became larger and larger, as it seemingly slowly travelled to my face. Then there was black.

I awoke to a pounding headache, and the yelling in the captains quarters, which I could hear very clearly from where I was, didn't make it any better.

The smell of dried blood wafted through my nostrils, the scent made me nauseous, as did the constant rocking of the ship.

The hard boards of my cell floor didn't make my stay any more comfortable, and were unforgiving to my bruised and battered frame.

I wasn't sure how long I was unconscious for, but I could hear Viggo's familiar British accent echoing through the halls, so I figured it was for a while.

I finally gathered enough strength to open my swollen eyelids so I could allow the warmth of the sunlight to greet them. However, when I did open my purple colored eyelids, all I saw was pitch, lonely, and hopeless black.

The only ray of light came from a horizontal slit in the middle of what I assumed was the door of my new cell.

I stumbled around in the dark, as I attempted to shakily bring myself to a vertical position, so I could explore my new confinement.

I finally completed the task, which was more arduous than it sounds, and not to mention painful.

I must have looked like a purple or blue Thunderdrum, due to all of the colorful bruises that littered my body. I could feel everyone of them.

I fumbled, tripped, and stumbled until I reached the slit in the door.

I leaned as close as I could to it, so much in fact, that my face was pressed against the cool metal of which the door was made from.

My green eyes adjusted to the brightness of the light, as it focused on my surroundings outside of my cell.

A burly guard was positioned outside my cell, holding a sharp spear in his right hand.

Footsteps could be heard about the ship, but I could discern the direction from which they were coming from, or going to.

The yelling in the captain's quarters had not yet subsided since I had first regained consciousness, so I assumed it was quite the family squabble between the Grimborns.

I had little to concern myself with in my quant, and dark cell, so I decided to do my best to eavesdrop on their heated conversation.

"If you torture her again, the way you did today, you are going to kill her! Is that what you want?! You'll never get your precious answers if she's dead!"

"Just remember who runs this business, son. My father may have loved you more than he loved me, but that gives you no right to give me, or your older brother orders. Remember your place in this hierarchy, boy!"

"You may be my father, even my boss, and you, dear brother, may be older than me, but that does not change the fact that at this moment, I know what's best for our business. You are letting your rage, and your obsession of losing to a little girl at that island, get in the way of your judgement. You want information from her? I suggest you start with not nearly killing her."

Quick, and steady footsteps stormed away, far beyond what my ears could reach.

Did Viggo just stand up for me? I wondered.

Granted, we both had a certain amount of respect for one another, but this was on a whole other level.

I realized in that moment, that just because someone was in the dragon hunting business, didn't necessarily mean they were a bad person.

I realized that Viggo was a good person. Behind  all of his monologues, towering ego, and that damned accent, that he was also a kind and caring person.

I had a feeling he stood up for me more than just wanting information from me. Because that is what Krom wants, besides revenge for decimating his island. Krom has been the one interrogating me and asking the questions. Viggo was never there.

So what does Viggo want? I pondered. He has everything anyone could possibly desire; power, riches, a thriving business, an amazing intellect,(yes, I said it. Unfortunately, it's true) servants to serve him, and he could have anything he wanted, or didn't already have. So what does the man who has everything want?

The wheels in my head were turning at a dizzying pace, but abruptly halted mid thought,  as the sound of the same footsteps that stormed away, reached my ears once again.

They got louder, and louder, as the person briskly strode towards my cell.

I peaked through the slot in the doorway, which also had a medal tray beneath it(I assumed it was so I could receive food once and a while). I spotted Viggo's familiar tunic, and with one swift movement on his part, blinding light assaulted my eyes, and flooded the dark room.
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