Picture of Rena on the side by @phoenixfantasyfox

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Chapter 8 - Audience Requested 

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Rena woke to what felt like an axe imbedded in her skull.

She lifted a hand to the source and tried to sit up to a spinning world. A gentle hand on her shoulder laid her back and continued to stroke her head, soothing her in a soft voice as Rena's thoughts continued to be chiselled away by every beat of her blood. 

"Shh, little one," crooned the voice. "Be still. Take your time."

Rena blinked to dispel the double images her eyes were trying to convince her of.

She found a face staring down at her, taking in her every movement. One of the female angels, the one with the hair of woven sunlight if she wasn't just dreaming. The angel's lips tilted in a small smile as her fingers continued to brush against Rena's skin. 

"We're glad that you're awake. You were the last to do so."

Rena was about to reply when another wave of discomfort surged through her brain. She clenched her eyes, gritting her teeth against it. 

"I'm sorry I can't do more," said the angel, like it was entirely her fault that Rena was in pain. "But our powers appeared to be suppressed in this room. Healing escapes me at the moment." 

Try as she might, Rena couldn't remember the angel's name. Her throat felt raw as she spoke. "You're... Leoliri, right?"

The angel laughed. "Leoralai," she corrected. "But when the archangel is not around, you may call me Leora." 

"That I can remember," said Rena. She drew in a deep breath through her nose. "Could you help me sit up, Leora?"

Leora placed tender hands under Rena's back and neck, ensuring support the entire way up. Rena felt like a newborn in her care and became determined to regain her independence as soon as possible. She bent her legs beneath her, using them as support she could lean on to steady herself and gave Leora a confident nod to withdraw her hands. 

Rena leant forward, spreading her weight across her arms and haunches, happy that she could stay upright alone. The last thing she wanted was to appear weak before the rest of them, the unknown once more failing to reach their level. She quickly found that if she stiffened her neck, the world didn't seem to move so much. 

She seemed to be sitting in some kind of jail. The grey stones that covered the floor and the wall behind her spread out beyond the metal bars and into the hallway that touched every one of the other cages. It was then that Rena realised just how low the roof was. If she were to stand, there wouldn't be much space between her head and the--

Rena bit down on her lip, taking a deep breath and swallowing the edging panic down. This was not the place to fall into it again. She could move, she could stretch with her arms. It was enough, she tried to tell herself, though only part of her was listening. 

Aside from her own cell, the Mythics seemed to be isolated. They all sat on the floor of their respective cages, heads turned towards the only activity that Rena's awakening happened to be providing. 

The six angels, Leora included, had been seperated, a different Mythic occupying the cages between them. Rena couldn't tell at first glance what the other five huddling figures were, but she figured at least two of them were special enough to earn themselves a ley guard, as Nazine had in Cayden. 

Her heart twitched. Cayden. 

"Where is the archangel, for that matter?" asked Rena, before realising someone else was absent and that her priorities were possibly a little mixed up. "Where's Nazine?" 

Leora looked troubled. "We don't know what became of the phoenix, or the archangel. When we arrived, they seperated from us you see here, still possessed by the Unbound witch and banshee."

Rena's eyes went wide. The female who'd been told to control Nazine definitely hadn't been the banshee, which meant that--"They used a banshee to possess the archangel? How strong was it?" 

"When the wisps cast their dispel, it nulled all our protective spells," said Leora. "Any ley outside our keys was scattered, while the Unbounds remained unaffected. It was not hard for the banshee to take control of Ill'iryni's mind when he was vulnerable."

"The same happened to my illusions," said Rena. She rubbed her temples, trying to keep her grip on the situation. If she didn't focus on the bars, stared through them, it was easier to pretend she could move through them if she wished. "Do we know where we are? Why they took us?"

"In the middle of the woods in some kind of ancient structure of fae origins, I think," said another of the angels. "Restored, of course. But every stone is likely laced with raw ley energy."

That would mean they were on a ley hotspot, at least. It would explain why the Unbounds had made their base here, if it were the rogue Unbound group that had taken them captive at all. 

"They didn't blindfold you? Try to hide their location?" Rena said, hoping she wasn't about to hear the answer she suspected was coming. "Anything?"

The angel shook his head. "Didn't bother. They split us into these cages once we arrived and the siren put us all to sleep."

"You were only allowed to remain in my care because you were injured," added Leora. "They wished to ensure your wellbeing."

Rena couldn't wrap her head around it. There was only two reasons she could think of that you let someone see a hidden base. Either you were sure they wouldn't be able to lead anyone back to it, or the people you took there were never going to leave. 

But if they cared that I was injured... Rena looked around the room, into the faces of the other Mythics, seeing her own worry mirrored on their faces. Do they have a use for us first? 

"Not like there was much point blindfolding us anyway," said another of the non-angel Mythics. "I'm a nymph, and even I wouldn't be able to bend the trees the way they did to get us here. It's the best protection they could have." 

"So what are we going to do?" asked Rena, wondering if they'd tried to plan anything while she was out, how plausible it was. 

Leora tilted her head. The smile turned slightly confused. "What do you mean?" 

Rena blinked. "To get out of here?" Met with silence, she glanced around the room, finding each and everyone one of the Mythics avoiding her gaze. "You don't want to stay, do you?" 

"No," said Leora. "But I'm sure if we wait, the Order will find us." 

Nods around the room told Rena that they'd more or less expected the same thing. It left Rena flabbergasted. "Are you all serious? Your plan is to just wait around until the Order comes in and fixes everything?"

"They usually do," said the nymph with a shrug. 

"You're Mythics!" said Rena, practically shouting. Leora flinched away. "Are you just going to let them babysit you your whole lives? Don't you want to see what else is out there, or are you just happy to go through life doing what they tell you to do?" 

"What else can we do?" asked a girl that was younger than Rena, another of the Mythics Rena didn't know. "I tried to move through the bars before. It didn't work, they're enchanted or something."

"And you surely know the legends of the old fae temples and shrines," said the other female angel. "Whoever they recognised as their master controlled the very stones it was made of. It was said they could control the space between the walls, hear every whispered word, know every footstep and keep people lost within the maze of hallways forever where they are doomed to wander until released."

Rena narrowed her eyes, about to call out the excuse when a new voice from the girl at the very end of Rena's row spoke. 

"While legends hold remnants of truth, this is not such a place of which you speak," she said. "It is a place of worship in previous lives, a place where decisions were made and lives were forged into those of heroes. I sense that its power has not yet waned in this regard."

"I didn't know we had an oracle in our group," said the male angel, raising an eyebrow. He glanced at the others. "The Order should have told us that." 

The oracle lifted her head, silver hair falling over her shoulders. "It was not necessary for you to know at the time."

They didn't get a chance to question her further as noise came from the end of the hall where a large double-door was embedded into the stone. Each Mythic swivelled their gaze towards it, any words dying in their throats as the wood swung open, revealing the figures on the other side. 

The siren, flanked once more by the two wisps from the clearing stepped inside the hall of cages. 

Like before, he spread his arms. "My fellow Mythics, our leader has requested your presence in the great hall for our gathering. I am to escort you all there in a calm and orderly fashion, where everything about your rescue shall be explained to you."

Rescued? Rena struggled to keep her face neutral. What rescue? All I saw was a kidnapping.

Apparently she wasn't the only one of that opinion. One of the male angels stood and squared his chin. "You have taken our archangel. We demand his immediate release, or may our wrath be swift and vengeful." 

The siren inclined his head. "Your archangel will also be in attendance. We have no wish to invoke anyone's wrath. This is a peaceful gathering as we welcome our new brothers and sisters into their true home, though to prevent any misunderstandings, you will find that your ley has been temporarily blocked from your abilities." 

The cell doors were unlocked with a click, sliding back on themselves.

"Please," said the siren, gesturing to the door. "If you would all follow me, we may sooner reach the hall and dine together."

*+*+*+*

Cayden couldn't tell where he was.

All he knew was that it was dark.

Foul smelling material, still damp with something he didn't want to recognise covered his eyes. The bindings around his wrists were pulled uncomfortably tight behind his back and the rough surface chafed his skin. Judging by the stickyness gathering around his fingers, he guessed they'd been rubbed raw. 

He focused on his breathing. In. Out. Steady, long breaths that would keep his mind centered no matter what came next. What that was, he had no idea. All he knew was that he and the other three ley guards had been thrown unceremoniously into whatever place they were currently in and told with a sneer to keep quiet. 

"Think they'll be back soon?" came Andre's voice from somewhere to the left.

"No idea," replied Cayden. Honestly, his thoughts were elsewhere. "Do you think the Mythics are in the same situation as us?" 

Andre snorted. "Ill'iryni would have ascended by now if they had and blown this place to pieces. I'm pretty sure I saw some kind of rapid turkey Unbound running around with his harp before they got me."

"What's our game plan?" asked Brianna, the oracle's guard. She sniffed and the sound of her shuffling let Cayden know she was just as bound as he was. "When they come, are we making a break for it or cooperating?"

It was Freya, the valkyrie's guard that answered. "Our first priority needs to be our Mythics. Not just our own, but all of them. We need to know if they're safe. More about their situation. What if, just to be safe, two of us were to resist? See if that gets us anywhere, while the other two play it safer? Anyone with me?"

"I'll do it," said Andre. "Cayden's still the best of us, and he'll need to be--"

Cayden heard the audible snap of Andre's mouth closing as footsteps approached. The sound of a metal door creaking open turned Cayden's head as a pitiful amount of light filtered through the blindfold. 

"Come, ley defilers," said the keening voice of what Cayden suspected of being a spectre or some other spirit of death, something that didn't bode well for them. "It is time to atone for the grave sins you have committed against this world."

"Like hell!" 

Freya's shout was accompanied by a primal cry, a declaration of war, and Cayden heard her boots pound against the ground as Andre joined her. He heard their blind charge, the smack of flesh against flesh as they inflicted whatever damage they could with whatever they had--heads, knees, shoulder, it didn't matter. 

All that mattered was a second later, when someone cried out and hit the floor with a heavy thud, followed by ragged breathing. 

Then, the keening voice. 

Not Freya's. 

Not Andre's. 

"A pitiful attempt," it hissed. "Do you care to--"

Cayden made his own charge. Head down, his legs sprang out beneath him as he catapaulted himself towards the light, towards the voice in the hopes that he'd catch it by surprise.

Instinct told him to duck. Air cleaved the back of his neck as he narrowly avoided something and lashed out with a foot. It made contact with something, becoming tangled in what felt like the end of a robe. Cayden followed up with his knee, intending to thrust his entire weight into the being and hopefully pin it against a wall when an icy finger trailed down his spine. 

The feeling quickly spread through his bones, the frost setting in. His body grew heavier, lethargic, like death itself was coming to claim him and consume his breath. 

Cayden sank to his knees. When he was sure life would abandon his body, the chill faded, leaving him struggling to find the strength to lift his head. 

Bony fingers grabbed his chin and dug their tips into his jaw. 

"I cannot complete my work yet," hissed the voice, like mist hitting the edge of a boiling pot. "You and your fellow defilers have one last, miserable hour left in this world, and I promise it is the worst you have yet to experience." The fingers dropped his chin, letting it hit his chest as the sudden movement strained the muscles in the back of his neck. "I require force to move the defilers!" 

At the summons of the spectre, additional footsteps joined them in the room. Rough hands dragged Cayden to his feet, apparently not caring if he walked or not as long as he was moving. 

And just as they'd been thrown in, the four ley guards were escorted into the unknown.

*+*+*+*

A/N - Is everything still making sense? Still interesting? Can I borrow some self-confidence in this pile of words i'm attempting to call writing so I can stop sitting there banging my head on the table? T-T 

Don't forget those motivation sticks ^_^ 

Word count: 26,025 (past halfway!)