03

MARIA

Maria came to in a cell.

An actual cell with a small cot on one side of it and a toilet—at least it wasnt a bucket. She stared at the thick iron bars, preventing her from her from getting the hell out of this place in disbelief.

She was actually being held in a cell. Preposterous!

Did that man know who she was? To toss her on the ground of this disgusting cell like some commoner? He hadnt even taken his time to place her on the dingy looking cot that looked like it would snap under the slightest weight.

On second thought, she was glad he hadnt dropped her on it. If he had, a landing on the floor was what would have woken her up.

She looked around the cell, rising from the ground. She wanted to dust the dirt from the ground off her body, but there was no water in sight and she couldnt risk leaving her palms dirty.

"Hello?" She called out into the darkness. There was no response. The only light she could see, came from the window of her cell. Other than that, it was completely dark. Which meant that when night came, the cell was going to be dark as hell.

Maria couldn't handle the dark. She fought down the panic before it could consume her. There was no reason for her to worry. She wasnt going to be in here for that long after all.

She fought down a maniacal laugh. Did that man actually think that he could hold her here against her will? If so, then he truly didnt know who she was.

Where was here anyway? She was obviously in a cell, but where was this cell? Where had he taken her? And what did he want with her?

Sure, she had done a lot of bad. Some intentionally and others, not. She was one of the few people she knew that actually hated killing, but still did it anyway. Nit because she wanted to, but because she had to. There was no other choice.

Was this man after her because she hd perhaps killed one of his loved ones?

Or had the teenage girl been his sister? Because he was too far older than her to be her lover.

That still wasnt it. If the teenage girl actually was his sister, then he would have taken her as well. But he hadnt.

Or had he?

She couldn't remember a single thing that had happened other than the tortured look on Ariti's face when his hand had been severed from his body. He had been in so much pain that he hadnt been able to hide it from his soldiers, who he always pretended to be strong in front of.

The soldiers would have tried to attack the man after what he did to Ariti. Did they? She didnt know, and the only way if finding out, was if she went back there.

Already, she knew that Ariti would be livid. He was an immortal and was definetly going to regrow the hand that he had lost, but that wouldn't be what would eat at him. No. It was the fact that his power had been taken away from him.

Her.

He would be livid and he was crazy. Maria hadnt done anything to warrant it. She had been taken against her will. But an angry Ariti was an unstable one. He might take his anger out on the one thing that she cared about.

The one thing anchoring her to him.

Shit. She needed to get back.

With renewed determination, she yelled. "Where the fuck are you, coward?" When there was still no reposes, she spoke again. "Too scared to face me?"

Anger and adrenaline running through her, caused power to flow through her, filling her body until she knew that channeling it, would cause great damage. She stared at the iron bars. They would be her target.

Her hands shot out towards the gate.

Nothing.

Frowning, she tried again, this time concentrating hard.

Still nothing.

What the hell?

Just then, she heard the sound of a door opening in the distance. She straightened, checking to make sure that her red cloak was still around her and that her stance wasnt one that showed weakness.

The door groaned open and a huge burst of light trickled in from outside into the huge corridor that led to the cells. Apparently, her cell was just one out of many. Too late, before she could bask in the light, the door clanged shut.

Shit. He was going to be in the dark talking to her, and she was going to be in the light.

Weak, powerless and helpless. An entertainment.

She heard his loud footsteps, which told her that he was coming closer. He stopped just outside her cell, but he didnt say anything. He just stood there in the dark. The only way she knew he was there was because she felt his presence. It was impossible not to.

"Why am I in this cell?" She asked him, since he wasnt ready to speak first. Asking him who he was would prove futile, seeing as Ariti had asked him the same thing and hadnt been able to get an answer.

Yet, then he answered her question with one of his own.

"What the hell is happening to you?"

His voice, just like before, woke things in her that she didn't even know still existed. It was deep and a bit scratchy around the edges. She hated what his voice did to her and yet, she didnt want him to stop talking.

"What do you mean?" She frowned, refraining from running her hand over her body to check if anything was wrong with her at the last minute. That wasnt something the Maria Hatzi feared across worlds would do.

But then again, that Maria wouldn't be seen in a cell.

She needed to get out of here fast.

"Your hair." The voice boomed, the darkness somehow making it sound ten times more ominous than it should have been. "It was red."

"It still is." Then this time, unable to stop herself, she picked a lock of her hair and stared at it, terror gliding up her spine when she saw the curly black streak in her hand.

Her hair was turning black!

What the hell was happening to her? Had she somehow dropped her glamour spell when she passed out? Or was it this place that she was in?

She looked down and saw that her feet weren't even as big as they used to be. Her glamour was wearing off for some reason. And she had to leave here right now to figure out what was happening to her.

Just a few minutes ago, she hadn't been able to blow the gate off its hinges.

"What do you want from me?" She snapped, her frustration and anger causing her voice to come out harsher than she had intended. It was not a smart idea to piss off her attacker, especially now that her powers weren't working the way they should.

"There's no hurry." The man said after a bit. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, just enjoy your new room."

She got the feeling that he was walking away, about to leave her. He couldn't! He simply couldn't leave her in here. How the hell was she supposed to get out?

"Hey!" She called at his retreating back. "You can't leave me in here. Come back."

She was commanding him. Again.

"I know it isn't what you're used to, but it'll have to do for now."

The way he said 'for now' didn't sit well with her. What did he mean by that?

"What the hell do you mean by 'for now'?" She panicked.

He waited until he reached the door and pulled it open before he turned to her with a smirk that promised everything evil, but still, it didn't detract from his handsomeness. "If only you knew all the plans I have for you."

With that, he walked out and slammed the door shut, cloaking her in darkness.

Maria was in a cell. Her powers—the one thing she had always depended on—were failing her. She had been abducted by perhaps the most good-looking man she had ever met and it wasn't to play hooky.

He wanted her dead. Or even worse, to torture her until he got what he wanted from her.

She was dirty as hell and her glamour was wearing off.

She was screwed in the worst way possible.

Absentmindedly, she touched her hair, unable to believe that the red strands she had gotten used to seeing, were now a stark black. It felt alien to have red hair anywhere outside of her bedroom back at the palace. All her life, she had always worn the glamour. She couldn't remember when last she had been seen without it.

And now, it was disappearing.

Her hand brushed a metal as she sifted it through her hair. Frowning, she felt the metal around her neck. She hadnt been wearing jewellery other than her bracelets when she left the palace.

Her blood ran cold when she realised what it was.

A collar. And she would bet her life that it wasnt an ordinary one.

The man had put it on her.

Now everything made sense! The reason she had not been able to fall the gate and why her glamour was fading.

The man had put a collar on her to nullify her powers.

It was then Maria realised that she was even in more trouble than she had initially thought.