The Sankari Legends Book One: The Scars We Hide
Chapter Nine: Alec

The knife was cold against my bare skin. I tried not to wince asOdyssa added more pressure to it and it broke through, fresh drops of hot bloodsqueezing through the cut. As she drug it slowly across my chest, I bit back acry of pain. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing they weregetting to me.

I’d woken up a few hours ago, having no clue where I was or whatwas going on. I was in a dimly lit room, strapped down to a cold metal table. Icouldn’t make out many other details about the room, other than there was adoor a little to my left and a large glass window in front of me. The windowappeared to be foggy, but I recognized it from training at the academy. It wastype of window occasionally used in interrogations as a shock tactic. The fogcould be cleared with a press of a button and then waiting on the other sideusually was something that could be used against the captive, a.k.a. me.

When I first woke up, nothing seemed clear, thanks to thesedatives they’d put me under to keep my powers at bay. It had only taken a fewminutes for me to regain enough brain function to remember what had happened:the mission, Alia and I going off into the woods, the fight… but I couldn’tfigure out where I was. At least, not until knife-happy Odyssa came into theroom and informed me.

Alia and I had been captured and taken here—to the same konnaencampment we’d been sent to spy on. (I tried and failed to appreciate theirony of our situation.) I asked Odyssa what they wanted with us, to which shehad just laughed.

“Well, really it was you we wanted. Getting Alia was an addedbonus,” she’d answered.

I had demanded to know where Alia was, and Odyssa responded byopening the door to the room I was in. I could faintly make out the sound ofAlia shouting profanities at someone, which made me feel a little better. Atleast she was alive.

That’s when the questions started. It didn’t take me long tofigure out what they wanted from me. They wanted to know how to get intoEinoth—a secret that only elementests from Einoth (and a few privileged leadersof Sankruus) knew. I’d spent five years of my life there… from the point I wassent to live with my dad’s family after my parents died to the day I leftEinoth for good to go train at Edil. I knew well enough the secrets of how toget in and out, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to tell these guys what I knew.

Odyssa pulled her knife away and held it in front of my face.

“You know, I really hate cutting up such a beautiful body,” shesaid to me. Her other hand trailed uncomfortably across my chest, faintlytracing the line she’d just carved across it. “And I’m sure you hate it aswell. So why don’t you just tell us what we need to know and let it be donewith?”

I didn’t answer. Not that I could’ve easily, even if I had wantedto. Before Odyssa had brought out her knife, she’d had her friend Cayne, who Ihad faintly recognized from the night before as the tall beefy guy withsuper-strength, use me as a punching bag. My right eye was swollen shut and mybottom lip was busted, along with a blue and purple bruise that has blossomedalong my lower jaw, making me almost unrecognizable.

“Fine,” she huffed. “I didn’t want it to come to this,” she saidin a sing-song voice, “but you’re being unreasonably difficult.”

She pressed one finger down on small silver button to the right ofthe frosted window and talked into it. “Send her in, Tyrone. Our dear friendneeds a little encouragement.” Shesmiled devilishly on the last word and my stomach bottomed out. She was talkingabout Alia. She clicked another button and the frosted glass cleared, revealinga room on the other side identical to the one I was in.

I kept my face blank. A stone mask that belied the anxiety andfear eating away at my insides. I sucked in a quick breath when they pushedAlia into the room. She was fine. Tyrone - the same jerk that had knocked meout when we’d been on the way to Inon and who had also led the attack againstus last night - pushed her shoulders, making her stumble. He turned quickly andexited the room, securing the door as he left. Alia quickly righted herself,squaring her shoulders and standing tall. Her stony gaze met mine instantly,taking in my appearance, eyes widening for a millisecond as concern flashedacross them. Then it was gone, the cool demeanor back as she walked to thewindow, stood at the left of it directly in front of Odyssa.

“Before we get started, I just thought it would be fair of me togive you a heads up.” Alia’s voice waslow and menacing. “I’m going to make you sorry beyond anything you can imaginefor what you did to him.” She pointed at me, her eyes burning into Odyssa’swith a hatred that would make a even the toughest Commanders at Edil flinch.

I couldn’t see Odyssa’s face but I could see the way that shetensed, shoulders tight, hands clenching. Then she let out a breath andpretended to relax.

“Oh sweetheart,” Odyssa said in a derogatory tone. “You’re in noposition to be making threats. Besides,” she sneered at Alia, “it’s not likeyou could take me in a fight anyways.”

“You wouldn’t last two seconds,” Alia growled

I saw her arm twitch, like she was sensing for something to throw.These people had done their homework though. Alia’s room may have beenidentical to mine, but it was completely empty; not one single thing in it thatshe could use as a weapon. I watched as her gaze turned to the glass windowthat separated us, her eyes calculating and measuring, as if she was going totry and break the window.

Odyssa saw this too and responded with a challenge: “Try it if youwant, but you won’t be able to break it.”

Alia glared and her but said nothing.

“You see,” Odyssa continued, “you two should actually feel reallyspecial! We had these rooms retrofitted specifically for the two of you.”

Just as she was about to say more Alia’s door swung open, lettingin Tyrone, Cayne, and the lanky runner guy who I had fought against last night.

“Ah finally!” Odyssa exclaimed. “I’m glad you guys could make it!”She clapped her hands once, a beaming smile on her face. “I believeintroductions are in order for our new friends! Alia, Alec, it is my sincere pleasure to introduce you toTyrone, Cayne, and Lettner. They’ve been brought in to help replace the truth!”

Alia glanced at the three guys with an unamused expression.

“Oh, we’ve met,” she said. “I got Cayne here good with a rock tothe head last night, and Tyrone only wisheshe was as badass as me.”

“Shut up, brat,” Cayne growled.

The three guys stood in a half circle around Alia, whose backmoved to the glass as she stood tall and faced them. She was preparing tofight; I could see it in her the strained muscles of her back.

“Well boys,” Odyssa said lightly, “don’t let me stop you, go onahead with whatever you were doing.”

Tyrone stalked back to the door and swung it wide, then pulled ina table much similar to mine, only without the metal restraints.

“Get on the table,” he roughly barked out at Alia.

“Make me,” Alia snapped back.

I groaned internally. Don’tbe so stupid, Alia.

“Since you asked,” he cracked his neck and glared at her, blackenergy crackling on the ends of his fingertips.

I reflexively pulled against my restraints, struggling with what Iwas seeing. Tyrone sent a blast of his dark energy stuff at Alia, then another.She dodged quickly, trying to avoid the other two as they moved towards her. Icould see it in Tyrone’s, eyes, he knew that this wasn’t going to work.

“You two, out.” He jerked his head towards the door.

Alia came to a stop across the cramped room, low in a fightingstance, ready to dodge another blast. It never came.

Her eyes widened in shock as Tyrone walked to the middle of theroom and stopped, tilted his head, planted his feet wide and turned his palmsup towards the ceiling. A black fog poured from him like a waterfall, from hishands, his mouth, his whole body emanating dark energy. It filled the room inthe space of a heartbeat and Alia and Tyrone vanished from sight. As quick asit came it was gone, the blackness drawn back into him. My heart slammedagainst the inside of my chest when I saw Alia. She was on her hands and knees,struggling to not collapse, she body heaving in violent spasms.

Tyrone, upon seeing that Alia was down, casually walked back tothe door and let the other two in.

“Restrain her,” he said.

They each went over and grabbed an arm, roughly pulling her up.But Alia, stupid stubborn Alia, tried to yank her arm away, kicking out atCayne as she struggled to free herself. Cayne stepped behind her and plantedhis feet then wrapped his arms around her and held tight, preventing her frombreaking free with his strength.

Cayne walked over to the table and roughly rolled Alia onto it.Her head lolled to the side as Tyrone pressed a combination of buttons thatstuck up on the edge of the table. The restraints burst out of the table, Isquinted and tried and make out what they were. They weren’t leather ormetal…they appeared to be holographic, a light shimmery yellow that came up ina small, tight arc over her hands and feet. Tyrone hit another button and morearcs appeared, two coming over her stomach and chest, another over her knees.

Tyrone turned from the table and stalked over to the window andlooked directly at me with his dark gaze.

“You are going to tell us what you know,” his voice wasthreatening, “or we are going to hurt her.”

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. My thoughts were moving inrapid fire as I tried to figure something out. I thought of three options.

Option A) Tell them how to get into Eonith and risk Alia and Ibeing killed anyways.

Option B) Keep my mouth shut and leave Alia at the mercy of beingtortured, but keep us alive for a while. Hopefully.

Option C) Lie and try to stall until Megan and Sabin figured outthat we were missing, and then get both of us killed when they found out I waslying.

My throat burned with acid trying to make its way up. I knew whatI had to do. Alia would murder me anyways if I told them about Eonith. Everyoneat the academy was trained and put through torture resistance training, I justhoped Alia could hold on long enough for Megan and Sabin to get here. I couldhear her voice in my head, don’t be suchan idiot Alec, we signed up for this, you’re weak if you give up this easily.

I sucked in a breath and steeled my gaze. “I don’t know anything.”

Tyrone turned around and nodded his head at Cayne, who wasstanding in front of the panel of buttons on Alia’s table. He turned one of theknobs and the arcs around her body started to glow brighter. Alia screamed,jolted back to consciousness by the arcs. Her screams blared into my room as ifon loudspeakers, she tried to kick her legs and move her arms, but every timeher body made contact with the arc smoke rose up from them. They were burningher. Then Cayne turned the knob back and it stopped. Alia was awake now, thescreaming stopped, but her breath was coming out in ragged gasps.

Tyrone turned back to Alia, “If your brother doesn’t give us theinformation he knows, we will do much, much worse. Is there anything you wouldlike to say to him?”

Alia turned her head towards me, her face glistened with sweat andher breathing rough, but she locked my eyes in a steely gaze and said, “Give‘em hell, Alec.”

Tyrone pushed Cayne out of the way and cranked the knob on thepanel farther than before. The arcs glowed brightly. Alia didn’t scream thistime, but her body writhed against her control, burning and smoking under thearcs. Alia was biting down on her lip, I saw her break skin, blood pouring downher cheek and onto her neck. I wanted to scream, to do something. But I didnothing, said nothing. Tyrone switched the knob off, and walked to stand byAlia’s head. He leaned down close to her and spoke to her ear.

“What was that you said?” His tone was menacing and condescending.He thought he could intimidate her. I laughed in my head, he was in for a rudesurprise.

Alia turned her head up to him, smiled as blood dripped from hermouth down her cheeks, and then spat directly into his face. Tyrone stumbledbackwards; swiping at his face, then stood straight and wiped his face.

“You will regret that.” His tone set off another wave of anxiouschurning in my stomach. This wasn’t just about getting to me now. He was goingto hurt her because he wanted too.

“Bring in the rest,” Tyrone ordered.

Cayne and Lettner walked out the door and were gone for a minute.Then the door swung back in and this time they had a different table with them,one covered with at least a hundred different objects, all meant to torture mysister.

It went on for hours. Every time Alia would pass out they woulduse the arcs to shock her back awake. Two hours ago I vomited. No one hadbothered to clean it up, it was just me in the room now. Me watching as theytook my sister apart and broke her down. They tortured her with knives, fists,drugs, and whatever else pleased them. Three hours ago they’d broken her leftwrist, then shocked her back awake when she’d passed out. For the hundredthtime Tyrone turned to me and said, “How do you get into Eonith?”

And for the hundredth time I answered, “I don’t know.”

I let my head hang down till my chin touched my bare chest. Iclosed my eyes. They wouldn’t kill her. They wouldn’t. That became the mantrain my head as the next hour drug on.

Theywon’t kill Alia. They won’t kill Alia. They won’t kill Alia.

I wasn’t going to ever give in, meaning they weren’t ever going tostop. Alia was barely recognizable. She had cuts all over her body drippingblood onto the floor, her clothes were all but burned off, and the skin underthe arcs was charred, red and oozing, black around the edges. She had a blackeye and a horrible dark blue bruise blossoming on her right jaw. She’d keptsilent, hadn’t screamed or begged for them to stop. Just laid there, taken whatthey did to her, and persevered. I ached inside, a dark part of me wishing thatAlia wasn’t so strong, so resilient. Wishing for her to make them stop doingthis to her, to tell me that it was okay to tell them.

Was it really worth it? Was this information really worth lettingthis happen to Alia? I was breaking inside, I could feel it. It was killing meto see her like this.

No.

I lifted my head and steeled my thoughts. I would not let Alia’storture be for nothing. They would not get the information from me.

After that, Tyrone left the room, leaving Lettner and Caynebehind. I looked at Alia, willed her to meet my eyes, to look at me. She rolledher head over, slowly, and met my gaze. Her right eye was swollen shut, but inher left one I saw what it was I was looking for. Strength. They had not brokenher, she was still Alia, and she was still fighting. I allowed all the emotionsinside of me to rise in my eyes and pour from mine to hers. Making herunderstand that there would never be a time that I could make this up to her,and that I was going to keep fighting. The corner of her mouth twitched in anattempt to smile. She understood.

The door swung back open and Tyrone came back in. Only this time,he had someone with him. She was short and muscular, with short blonde hair andpiercing dark blue eyes that I registered with a hint of recognition inside ofme, but my mind was so scattered I couldn’t place from where I knew her from.

When she spoke her voice was soft and lilting, but commanded theattention of everyone in the room.

“Alia, Alec, I have been made aware by my subordinate Tyrone thatyou two are being less than cooperative.” She clasped her hands behind herback.

“You see, what we are trying to accomplish here is no small thing,invading Eonith is only the start of what we’re planning. However, in order toinvade it we must know how toinfiltrate it.” She stopped in front of the glass and looked at me. “This iswhy you are so useful to us, Alec. We need you. And it would appear, from whathas already transpired, we underestimated the two of you.” She walked back tostand at the foot of Alia’s table, “So all things taken into considerationwe’re going to try a different approach. For now,” she turned to Tyrone, “takeher to Daphne and get her out of those clothes. And make sure she’s fullyawake. She’s no use to me unconscious.”

She turned to Cayne next. “Do the same for him, new clothes,cleaned up, and then taken to the conference room.”

An hour later my cuts were stitched up and I was dressed in loosewhite cotton pants and no shirt. Cayne and Lettner had my hands wrenched behindmy back, shoving me down the hall towards what I assumed was a sort ofconference room. A door opened ten feet in front of us and the blonde womanstepped out, motioning with her hand for my guards to deposit me in the room.Cayne pushed me in, forcefully, and I fell to my knees. As I stood up I sawAlia at the end of the room, sitting in a straight backed metal chair, withmetal restraints holding her feet and wrists to the chair. Beside her was anidentical chair that I assumed was for myself. The blonde walked back into theroom and said,

“Alec, you may go ahead and sit beside Alia.”

I shuffled over, not seeing many other options than to listen tothe crazy blonde. As I sat down in the chair the restraints clicked into placeacross my ankles and wrists. I glanced over at Alia, she was wearing an outfitlike mine, white cotton pants and a sports bra. Only she looked a whole lotworse than I did. Still though, she was sitting straight and looking the blondein the eye, unflinching.

The blonde started pacing in front of us.

“Are you two aware of just how valuable you are?” She stopped betweenus and cocked her head to the side. “I mean not just as hostages or informants,but just as people in Sankruus?”

Alia cleared her throat, but when she talked her voice soundedlike it had gravel in it, “One of my instructors told me I was special once,”she let out a harsh bark of a laugh, “only I don’t think he meant what youmean.”

The blonde narrowed her eyes, “Very funny, Alia. However, onewould think that the position you have yourself in right now wouldn’t one formaking jokes.”

“Maybe if you’re you, in all your overlord dictator power,” Aliasaid nodding her head towards the blonde, and the wincing at the movement. “I however, replace that jokes make forgreat conversation icebreakers. For example, we are now conversing, meaning myjoke was a success.”

“Jokes are not the reason for which you are here, Miss Parker,”the blonde said icily.

“Then why are we? What are you going to do with us?” I askedbefore Alia could smart off again.

“I am...” She paused and assumed a contemplative look. “A last resortoption, you could say. I use my gifts when others have not accomplished theobjective with theirs.”

A small grin formed on the edges of her mouth. Her face… I swear Iknew it from somewhere. I just couldn’t place it.

“Well then,” she said briskly, icy demeanor reassumed. “Let’sstart with Alia, shall we?”

She walked over and knelt in front of Alia,

“This will only hurt for a moment, I promise.” Her voice saidotherwise.

She placed a hand on either side of Alia’s head. Alia jerked herhead around trying to remove it from between her hands, to no avail.

“What are you doing to her?” I yelled at the blonde.

Sheheld my sisters head in an iron grip, then squeezed her eyes shut. Aliascreamed with a bloodcurdling outcry.