Hall of Games [ REWRITE ] | The Varya Chronicles #1

Chapter Thirty-Six

Cadence woke up in complete darkness. She tried to move, but a low clink and the restraints against her limbs told her she was chained up.

Did the drug in the needle blind her? She panicked. No matter how hard she squinted, the darkness remained. She searched through her garments for something she could use as a weapon or pick her way out of her captivity, then remembered she left all her gear at the inn.

"It's useless," a voice opposite her said. "They made sure there was no light so we can't escape."

"Who are you?" Cadence pulled at her chains, futilely hoping they would break. "Where are we?"

"I'm like you," the girl said. "A Walker. We're somewhere in the Hunters' hideout. The basement, I presume, there's where the sun shies away from."

She couldn't believe her ears. "You're a Walker?"

"Unfortunately," the girl replied. "Years of hiding went to waste when my own uncle sold me for a hefty sum. Money always wins, eh?"

"What are they going to do to us?" Cadence rattled the chains until her wrists were sore, but there was no escape.

Never let them catch you without light. She had chucked her only flint at Zoroth. Now, she was weaponless, flint-less, and sightless.

"I don't know," the girl said. "They brought me here two nights ago. I've been observing, but there's nothing much to observe when you're trapped in darkness."

"We can escape when they feed us." Cadence tried to formulate a plan. "Surely they need light to maneuver."

The girl laughed. "You think I didn't try that? They blindfolded me, then they spoon-fed me. By the time they snatched off the blindfold, the light was gone."

Cadence pressed her hands against the wall, feeling the rough grooves and texture. She crawled as much as the chains allowed her to, and her fingers found rows of thick metal bars. They were most definitely in a cell—a cell with no windows. They were underground, as the other prisoner had mentioned. The cell smelled strongly of feces. Cadence shrunk back, feeling dread settle in.

"So," the other girl drawled out. "Since you're here, why not make acquaintance with one another?"

"I don't think is the time to make conversation. We should be trying to find a way out."

Cadence scraped the floor with her fingers, trying to find a loose nail, a broken chunk of wall, anything she could use to pick the locks. All she found was dust and more dust.

"Give up." There was a rattle as the other girl leaned against her part of the prison wall. "You thought I didn't comb through the walls and the floor?"

Frustrated, Cadence grabbed a fistful of hay and threw it into the air.

"This brings us back to my attempt of making acquaintance," the girl said. "My name is Nabiha Kastawinata."