“That’s all the water we have,” Lyden said nearby.
Hearing that, he worried about Brock and Brooke. Those two needed water to survive more than the rest of them. Especially Brock, who had to be at least partially submerged. Looking around, he didn’t see his half-sibling, nor did he see Mei, Brooke or Oberon. They were all in the car when they were attacked, weren’t they?
His throbbing head made him doubt his own memories.
“They’re fine for now,” Lyden answered his unasked question. “We talked in my Menz Mundi earlier. They’re being treated harshly, but by the Knight’s standards, they’re rolling out the red carpet.”
Something in the look his dad gave him told him not to ask any more questions.
“You were the last to wake up,” Shlee informed him, still fussing over his injuries. Her voice grew even rougher with her emotions. He wished he could heal as fast as he once could, but those days were behind him. “Your father couldn’t bring you into his shared dream. I was so worried that… That…. He pulled me in before I even woke up here. But when he said he couldn’t reach you, I didn’t know what to think.”
“I love you, too,” Eldon said, grabbing her wrists and pulling her in for a quick kiss.
“Idiot!” she accused, but then wrapped him in a hug that told him his body was in worse condition than he’d thought. “Don’t make me worry like that again. Your body isn’t permanent anymore… and—and I was terrified of losing you.”
“Not today,” Eldon told her, seriously.
“Heh,” Shlee chuckled into his neck. “That’s what we say to death.”
“What?” Eldon asked, confused.
“It’s…” She trailed off and shook her head. “Never mind. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Eldon got to his feet with a little help from Shlee and looked around their cell. They appeared to be underground, two walls, the floor, and ceiling were all solid stone. Megan sat in the back, knees tucked to her chest and head resting on her arms. The area was triangle-shaped with an acute angle towards the back. Bright bars of metal blocked the front of the cell, keeping them locked in.
“Those are silver,” Shlee said with a shudder. Her voice was still rough but seemed to be smoothing out the more she spoke. “I can’t do anything to get us past them.”
Eldon nodded and stepped up to the bars. As far as he could tell, no one was out there, but the whole area was dim and hard to see through.
“Stand back,” he ordered, preparing to change forms. Silver or not, the ogre would make quick work of them, and they could begin their escape.
Shlee went to Lyden, and the two moved further towards the rear of their cage by Megan. Eldon concentrated on remembering that the others weren’t food as he focused his will on changing forms.
Nothing happened. Blinking and looking around, Eldon knew he was still in his actual body. He’d never failed to change before. Even after Areth sacrificed herself for him, he could shift forms. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried again. And again, he failed.
“I… Something’s wrong,” he said, turning around to face the others.
“That’s because I’m blocking your ability,” Becky’s mocking voice sounded from outside. “You won’t be using your evil magics so long as my spell holds.”
Eldon turned to face the woman. Despite knowing what he’d see, part of him still hoped he was wrong. Perhaps this was a sister they didn’t know about. Or someone who just so happened to talk and sound like her… And walk like her… And even tuck a strand of graying-brown hair over her right ear in an exact manner that Becky did when she was faced with something distasteful.
His inner voice cried that it could all be an elaborate illusion, but he knew better. The Orange Bubble wouldn’t be fooled by an illusion, no matter how accurate. For some reason beyond anything he could imagine, Becky switched sides and now worked for the enemy.
Why is she blocking me from changing forms, but not Dad’s mental ability? Or is that why he couldn’t pull me in? He wondered but knew better than to ask. A million other questions rushed through his mind, but the words that came out weren’t planned.
“I’ve missed you, Becky. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him in the dim light. “Missed me?” She scoffed. “Okay? You think I’m okay after all the sexual abuse that man put me through? The filth he subjected me to, and made me suffer? He brainwashed me, and… and…” she stumbled to a halt, rubbing her temples, before giving her head a violent shake. “I will never be able to forget the things he tricked me into doing, but I can say with all sincerity that I haven’t missed any of you. It makes me sick that I even have to carry his unholy child.” Her left hand dropped to rub her slightly rounded stomach.
Eldon stared at her in shock. Becky was always kind-hearted and open-minded. To hear her accuse his father of any of that went against everything he knew about his father and his wives. Sheila was the closest that ever came to being forced to do anything, but Eldon knew his mother got off on that behavior. While he couldn’t claim to know everything about his father’s sex life, he knew more than he cared to and knew that the accusations weren’t adding up.
“Son,” Lyden said, getting his son’s attention before shaking his head. He noted for the first time that the illusion making his father look old was gone. He backed away from the barrier separating him from one of his step-mothers. He was missing something and feared that they were in a much worse position than he initially thought.
“What do we owe to this visit?” Lyden asked next, an edge to his tone as he faced his pregnant wife. Eldon couldn’t imagine what must be going through his father’s head. His dead and pregnant wife was alive, but working for their enemy.
Becky regarded them all for a moment before speaking. “Curiosity,” she said when Eldon began to think she was going to ignore the question. “I know you better than I care to, Lyden Snow. You should be demanding to know why I’m working with the Holy Paladonic Knights. You should be raging at what you perceive to be my betrayal. Instead, you’re calm. This tells me that you have a plan or a hope for escape. There is no hope, by the way. You will die down here very soon. The world will be rid of your filth, and getting rid of your so-called Lydonese will get easier with you out of the way.”
The barest smile curled Lyden’s lips before he said, “My wife died in that bomb, set by the Kights. You are nothing more than a shadow of her memory. But you still haven’t said why you’re here.”
If his words affected her, she didn’t show it. “The woman you thought was your wife died, yes. Or to be more accurate, I woke up.” She paused to examine the back of her hand before placing it back on her belly. “I was deep undercover when we met. A Daughter of Respite. Somehow you seduced me and made me forget my purpose. I’ll forever hate you for that. That bomb allowed the Knights to recover me and strip away your foul magic.”
“That’s so interesting,” Shlee broke in, ignoring Lyden’s glare. She approached the silver bars but kept her distance from the metal that was anathema to her kind. Her voice held the slightest mocking edge to it. “The Daughters of Respite are all but immune to magic. And they are also the kidnapped girls of magical beings. How did he manage to not only cast a spell on you but change you into a full human?”