Cruxia wordlessly shoved Celeste through the door, watching her collapse on the floor. She watched her pulling herself together and sitting up, leaning her hurting back against the iron bars.
"I could have spared you the pain if you would have opened your mouth and talked. All this is your fault, not mine. I didn't enjoy doing this, but you left me no other choice," Cruxia said to her.
"I told you before I will tell you nothing."
"Don't worry, I will make you speak."
"I don't have any fingernails left for you to tear out. How do you want to achieve that?"
Cruxia's eyes narrowed. "I will find a way or perhaps try other methods."
Celeste said nothing in return.
We are not done questioning you. I will return eventually; I can promise you that."
" I will not tell you anything; I can promise that."
Cruxia's eyes narrowed again. "You are playing the tough one, aren't you? Do you seriously believe that will save your skin?"
"I doubt there is anything I can do to save my skin. I don't expect to survive. I won't tell you anything."
"What about your friends? We can make them talk."
"They won't tell you anything," Celeste replied.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I know them pretty well."
"You sure? What about your cellmate? He was very chatty."
"Marjo doesn't know anything that can be useful for you."
Cruxia stepped to the bars and pressed her face against them. "He told me a lot of things." Her gaze fell on Marjo, sitting in his corner; his gaze rested on his feet. He was too ashamed to look at anyone. "He told me about the Rite of Ascension."
Celeste's look fell on her best friend, her eyes narrowed. But she didn't say anything.
"Judging by your reaction, the Rite of Ascension must be a thing. It seems like he wasn't just making things up," Cruxia concluded.
"I will tell you nothing nor confirm anything Marjo had said. He's lying."
Marjo looked up; panic was written all over his face as he looked at Cruxia. "I was not. Everything I said is true; you have to believe me."
"Shut up, you idiot," Celeste hissed at him.
"No, you shut up. You are the reason we landed in this mess. It's all your fault. If not for you, I would still be in Umbral, spending time with my parents. But instead, I'm held as a prisoner by the Yxals."
Celeste rolled her eyes. "Not this bullshit again."
Amused laughter escaped Cruxia's lips. "Seems the two of you have a lot of things to discuss. I will give you the time you need to settle things. Don't worry, I will return sooner or later. We are not in a rush; we have all the time in the world." She stepped away from the bars and left Celeste and Marjo alone.
"What exactly did you tell them?" Celeste spat as soon as Cruxia was out of her sight.
"Nothing that is not true."
"How could you betray our people?" she asked angrily.
"You are the one who betrayed me first, so stop blaming me," Marjo spat.
"What is wrong with you? How did you become such a delusional asshole?"
"Delusional? Me? You are the one who doesn't want to accept the truth."
"Which truth are you talking about?"
"The truth is that you are the one who got us into this mess."
Celeste's features reflected anger. "I cannot believe that you would say such bullshit. I thought we were friends, but it turns out that you are just one of those who were only befriended with me because of my status and not because of me. I would have never thought that you would be one of those who would stab me in the back at the first opportunity. How could you do this to me after all we have been through?"
Deep down, Celeste didn't mean what she had said; the anger had spoken for her. They had been friends for so long, so his words affected her much more than the words of other acquaintances would have.
Marjo chose to stay silent; the look on his partly disfigured face was grim. He stared at her for a few more moments before he averted his gaze and looked at his feet. Celeste shook her head and then averted her gaze, trying to look at her reflection in the iron bars, but she couldn't recognise much. She was sure her left eye would get swollen, and her bottom lip was burst. The Yxals didn't treat her very well, but she didn't tell them anything despite the amount of pain they had caused her. But now that she had found out that Marjo had told them a lot, the pain she had endured seemed to have been for nothing.
On the other hand, the Yxals wouldn't torture her if they had all the answers already. Or they just hoped that there were more answers they could get. It was also possible that they didn't torture her for information but just for fun instead. It was not unlikely. Yxals were cruel, sadistic creatures who were only good at inflicting pain on others. In the eyes of the inhabitants of Tenaria, they were a primitive species who lost the last great war for a reason.
Celeste was wondering where this path would end for her. She doubted that she would make it out alive. If she would get lucky, they would keep her as a slave. But lucky was the wrong word in this context. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to be their toy either. A quick and painless death might be the best outcome for her. She did not know what the Yxals were planning with her and didn't want to know. She could only hope for a miracle.
---
"Father wants to see you," Karilla announced as she spotted Cruxia walking by. "He will probably punish you for failing to gain any useful information from that winged bitch."
Cruxia stopped and turned her head, looking at her half-sister. "What do you want, Karilla? Can you not get on my nerves just for one fucking time?"
A mischievous grin appeared on the other woman's lips as she stepped closer to her sister; her mouth was dangerously close to her ear. "No."
"You hate me so much, don't you?" Cruxia asked.
"I do."
Cruxia tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. "I never understood why you do. I thought you loved me."
"I once did."
"What changed?"
"You know exactly what happened."
"I forgave you for what you did to me. Now it's your turn. We don't have to hate each other, sister."
"You are right; we don't have to. But it's so much fun to hate you."
"You are just mad because I rejected you, right?"
"That's not the reason," Karilla responded.
Cruxia shook her head. "Yeah, whatever. Father is waiting for me, and I'm tired of talking to you."
Cruxia purposely lightly bumped into her as she walked past her and followed the corridor she was in. She entered the throne room, where her father was waiting for her. He was lazily sitting on his throne as he usually did. "There you are, my dear," he said, signalising her to come closer.
Cruxia did as she was told and bowed in front of his throne. "You asked for me, father."
Broxa lifted his hand, signalising her to get up, which she did without hesitation.
"I assume you ordered me to come for a reason," Cruxia stated.
Broxa nodded. "I did. First of all, I want to know if you managed to get anything useful out of that Anoxyal scum?"
Cruxia shook her head. "I ripped out her fingernails and hit her in the face multiple times, but she didn't speak. Not even when I threatened to rip off her clothes and whip her, her lips were sealed."
Broxa tilted his head a little; the look in his eyes told her he was not pleased. "Well, that's unfortunate."
"I will try to make her speak the next time. I promise, Father," Cruxia replied immediately. It was not easy for her not to show her father she was scared of him, but she managed to keep her poker face. She knew what would happen if she would fail him. She knew what he would do or make others do to her. She had to be successful next time. Otherwise...
"I'm certain you will succeed next time. Cruelty runs in our family's blood; all you need to do is accept your cruel and sadistic side. Karilla did, and so did all of your other siblings. You are the only one who didn't accept it yet. That has to change."
Cruxia nodded. "I understand, father. I won't disappoint you again."
"You better not. For your own sake."
Cruxia knew better than not to take this threat seriously. She had to make Celeste speak even when she found no joy in causing pain to her. She had to do it to save her own skin.
"Is there anything else you want to discuss?" she asked curiously.
"There is. As you might already know, these feathered bastards managed to take the artefact away from us. Without it, we are unprotected. It's only a matter of time until the other clans will turn against us," Broxa told her.
"You gave them every reason to. It was your choice to annihilate the Corpse-Speaker Clan. I advised you not to do it, but you would rather listen to Karilla than me."
"Don't you dare reproach me," Broxa screamed at her.
It took Cruxia a lot of effort to remain calm. The guards around her looked terrified, but she didn't. She was trembling inside, but she kept her poker face up and didn't show her father that she was just as afraid of him as everyone else was.
"I'm not reproaching you, father. I am only stating the facts. The other clans feared us since they heard what you did to the Corpse-Speaker Clan. They were afraid of what you could do with that artefact. But now that it's gone...They no longer need to be afraid. You know better than anyone that we have never been one of the strongest clans regarding the number of skilled fighters we have. We are one of the smaller clans, but we are more intelligent than other Yxals. Nevertheless, we cannot pose a threat to other clans without the artefact. It's only a matter of time until they come for us."
The look on Broxa's face told her that he was anything but pleased. "We lost a few good men, and half of our buildings are either burned to the ground or damaged thanks to these hideous creatures. We are vulnerable, Cruxia. We cannot do much to prevent the other clans from attacking us."
"What if we enter an alliance with another clan?" Cruxia suggested.
"That's the only way to prevent our obliteration. I sent messengers to the clans that are neutral towards us."
"It would be great if we could ally with at least one of them. When did you send out the messengers?" she asked.
"A few days ago. They should return in a few weeks at the latest."
"You know the other warlords better than I do, father. Who do you think is going to ally with us?"
Broxa thought about it for a few moments. "Warlord Cestra and the Bonebreaker Clan. They are likely going to ally with us. I hope so, at least."
"And what if not?"
Her father hesitated for a few moments. "Then we have a huge problem."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Except for making the poultries speak, there is not much you can do."
Cruxia nodded. "I will make them speak."
---
"Got something for you, both of you. It's more than you maggots deserve, you should feel lucky," Cruxia said as she stepped through the cell door. She held a tray in her hands, on which two bowls and two cups stood. She put a bowl and a glass in front of each of them and then stepped aside to regard them. Marjo didn't hesitate to look at the contents of the bowl and glass, while Celeste remained in her corner and didn't move.
"What? Don't tell me you are not hungry. You haven't eaten for days."
Celeste slowly turned her head and looked at the horned woman. "You only want to keep us alive so that we give you more information. That won't happen."
"It seems your will to live is not as strong as your friend's. You don't want to live, do you?"
Celeste huffed. "Live? As a slave? No, thank you."
"I promise I will treat you well if you tell us everything you know."
"You mean as well as you treated me last time?" Celeste asked in a sarcastic tone as she showed Cruxia her fingertips. Her nails had already started to regrow due to her enhanced self-healing powers. It was more like a disadvantage than an advantage in her current situation. Her nails would have fully regrown in about a week, and then Cruxia could pull them out again with force. Being an Anxoyal was more like a curse than a blessing in her situation.
Cruxia leaned against the bars and folded her arms before her chest. "I will treat you well; you have my word. All you need to do is tell us everything."
"Your word means nothing, Yxal," Celeste spat at her. "I will not be your lapdog or slave. Never."
Celeste sighed. "You have one day to consider my offer. If you refuse, I have to inflict more pain on you. Choose wisely."
---
A few weeks had passed since the ambassadors had been sent out. A few weeks in which they had heard nothing about them. A few weeks in which they had wondered if the ambassadors had arrived at their destinations in one piece. Not only that, but also whether they would return in one piece. After all this time, they finally had their answer.
"That's a declaration of war, master," Kvex said to Broxa.
The Yxal warlord didn't look at his right hand as he answered to him. "A declaration of all the three clans we asked to ally with us."
"Killing an ambassador is a crime," Cruxia stated. She couldn't help but stare at the separated heads that lay at her father's feet. It was a horrible sight. The eyes of the ambassadors had been poked out, and their tongues and ears had been removed. It was an obvious sign. A warning.
"If these three clans want war, they can have it," Broxa hissed as he rose effortfully from his throne. It was the first time in weeks that Cruxia had seen him stand up. She had the impression that he had gotten even fatter since the artefact had been stolen. The past weeks hadn't done him any good.
"We cannot win a war against the Bonebreaker, Skullcrusher and the Man-Eater Clan. Maybe against one of them, but not against all three at the same time," Karilla explained.
"I know that," Broxa screamed. "But there is nothing I can do to prevent them from attacking us. Everything was fine until these poultries came and stole the artefact from us."
Karilla made a step forward, her gaze resting on her father. "And yet you keep them alive, gave them water and bread and treated them much better than they deserve. They deserve to rot and starve until they tell us the information we need. Useful information is all that can save us from the other clans."
Broxa looked at her. "What do you want me to do? Your interrogation methods weren't successful at all. You only made one speak, and he knew nothing useful."
"He told us about the Rite of Ascension and the Blessed Island," Karilla argued.
"Yeah, but we don't know where it is nor how the rite is performed. These pieces of information are worth nothing to us without more pieces."
"We should kill one of them and then see how the others react. Maybe they will speak if they know their lives are at stake."
"I'm sure they already know they won't make it out alive," Cruxia argued. "Killing them one by one will lead us nowhere."
Karilla shrugged. "Maybe. We will never find out if we don't try."
"And who do you want to kill?" Kvex asked.
"The green-haired boy. He no longer has a use for us."
"What do you think, father?" Karilla asked him.
"Killing them will lead us nowhere," Cruxia threw in.
"Shut up, bitch. Nobody asked for your fucking opinion, half-breed," Karilla shouted to Cruxia.
Cruxia slowly turned her head and looked at her sister; her eyes narrowed to slits. "Say that again, and I will crush your stupid skull with my mace."
"Come at me, whore," Karilla challenged.
"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU! YOUR WHORE MOTHERS DIDN'T GIVE BIRTH TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN KILL EACH OTHER!" Broxa roared so loud that the walls trembled. No one dared to say a word in return, fearing the consequences. It took Broxa a few minutes to calm down and lower his voice again. "I'm tired of listening to your stupid dispute that has been going on for decades. Either make peace or resolve your problem outside with a good old fistfight. But don't you dare kill each other! I will feast on your corpses if you do. And if one of you survives and the other dies, I will turn your life into a nightmare; mark my words."
Neither Curxia nor Karialla averted their gazes from their father, but they didn't dare say anything in return.
"Does anyone have any good idea what we shall do?"
"Surrender is not an option for you, is it?" Kvex asked. Before anyone could say anything, Kvex's head was no longer on his shoulders. It rolled across the floor, his body tipped to the left and fell rumbling to the floor.
"Anyone else who has such a great idea?" Broxa shouted into the room. "Anyone who knows me should know I will never surrender, no matter what happens. I don't need incompetent advisors like this one." He handed his sword to one of the nearest guards. "Get this cleaned quickly. I don't want this scum's blood stuck on my wonderful weapon any longer."
The guard took the weapon out of the warlord's hands and hurried away, not wanting to give him a reason to behead him as well.
"Was this really necessary?" Cruxia asked once the guard had left the throne room.
"It was. I cannot believe I allowed this fool to advise me for so long. No wonder everything went wrong. He's the reason we are in this situation."
"Along with the Anxoyals and Keristians," Karilla threw in.
"You are right. I need to think up a just punishment for them."
---
"Here's your daily ration," Cruxia announced in Tenerian as she put a bowl and a glass in front of Celeste, who didn't hesitate to take a closer look at the contents. It was the same grey, disgusting-looking mash she had eaten the previous day and all the days before. It didn't taste very well, and it didn't fill her, but it was better than nothing. It prevented her from starving to death.
In the first days, Celeste had refused to eat anything. She had planned to starve to death so that the Yxal would never get any information from her. But the Yxals had started to force-feed her, which had turned out to be an agonising process. After the third time, she had decided to spare herself the pain and eat whatever her jailers gave her. They kept her alive, but she hadn't given them any information so far.
She had sworn not to say anything, especially since Marjo's death. Cruxia had told her that he had stumbled, fallen down the stairs and broken his neck. But she heavily doubted that it happened this way. She had the suspicion that whoever had interrogated Marjo went too far and caused his death. By accident or not, it didn't matter. They were guilty, and Celeste would make them pay if she would ever get the chance to.
She had no idea how many days had passed since she had been captured, but she was sure it had been a long time already. She did not doubt that she and her group had been reported missing and that people would look for her. She could only hope that Tenaria would send a group large enough to be able to overrun this place and free them. Her mother would do everything she could to find her. So would her father.
Hope was the only thing she had left. Without it, she would have given up already or worse. Gone insane. She was wondering how much longer she had to endure. How many more times will the Yxals interrogate her? Cause pain to her. Torture her. She wondered if they would ever realise that she would never tell them anything, no matter what they did to her. No matter how much pain they would cause. Her will was unbreakable. Once she had set something in her mind, she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. She never stopped training to become an Anxoyal, and she would never betray her kingdom or her people. Never.
"You know you could have a better life if you just tell us useful information, right? You don't have to rot in a cell, unable to do anything except wait for your next meal or your next session of pain."
"I'm not interested," Celeste snarled.
"You haven't heard my offer yet," Cruxia replied.
"I don't want to hear anything that comes out of your mouth, fiend."
Cruxia sighed. "Very well, so you have chosen pain." She approached the Anxoyal and squatted before her, staring into her eyes. "We won't stop hurting you until you tell us more about the Rite of Ascension, the Blessed Island and more. Mark my words."
Celeste gave the other woman a stubborn look. "Do your worst."
"If that's what you wish," Cruxia replied and walked to the cell door. She left the cell and locked the door, glancing one last time at Celeste. She had to admit she somehow admired her courage and her will. No one had ever resisted her for so long before. Every creature she had interrogated had given in after a few days at the latest. But this woman was different. Her will was so much stronger than the will of any creature Cruxia had ever interrogated. That impressed her. However, she was sure she would make this woman talk one way or another.