There was no sunlight in the room, but she could see in the dark. She could see the small empty cell. She was the only thing in it. The barest line of light came from under the door. How many times had she thought of what the measures of this room must be. How many times had she counted the stones in the floor, in the walls. She knew every scratch, grain, and groove of the heavy wooden door. She had never touched them but knew exactly the surface of each iron stud in it. How many times had she studied them? She had no way of marking time, not meals, and she could not always rely on sleep to mark the days. She had nothing to scratch those memorized walls with and she could not reach them anyway. He had been very carful with her. Her ankles were shackled and tethered to the floor. Her wrists were manacled together behind her back, though not tethered to the ceiling or floor this time. Her life as it was had some small mercies. The mask over her mouth,enchanted as it was, kept her from using her voice for magic.

She heard foot steps far off down the corridor outside her cell. They seemed to come from miles off until they finally stopped in front of her door. It opened and an elven man with airily coifed hair stood in the pool of light from the hall way.

“Good morning dear. Are you going to be a good girl today and give me what I want?” he asked

“That depends entirely on if you want to be told all the many and varied ways in which you can go fuck yourself Andres.” She retorted staring him in the eye.

“tht tht tht,” he tisked “ that won't do” he sang striking a back handed blow across her face and knocking her to the ground.

Pain rung like a bell in her head.

Andres gestured and four more figures entered the room with a light and cart filled with various now familiar instruments.

“Lets try that again,” he said with performative gentleness “are we choosing the easy way or the hard way today, dearest?”

“Get fucked you elven piece of shit.” she answered.

A kick to her gut sent her staggering back and to the floor. Again she picked herself up and met his eye.

He watched her disdainfully and said calmly. “Right, I don't think I've taken your eyes before, lets start there.”

He pulled a wicked sharp knife from a hilt behind his back with one hand, knelt down to her level, and with the other hand grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back to face him.

“No stop please!” she said, panicked and desperate.

He stopped and smiled. She had never begged before. “Come again pet?” he said bringing her face up closer to his.

“Please stop. I don't want..I can't... I... I... I can't do this anymore” her words sounded exhausted and desperate as she spoke them in his mind.

She flinched as he tapped her cheek with the flat of the knife tip. “If I had know taking your eye would bring you to heal I would have blinded you years ago.” he said releasing his grip on her and standing up. “so whats brought about this change dear?” he said.

She looked up at him and pleaded “It's been so long and I -I can't-Can't, I can't do this anymore. How long has it been?” she stuttered and asked.

“Since you became my favorite guest here, it must be about a year now.” He answered cooly. She had no way of knowing if this answer was truth or lie.

“ I just want to know if it was worth it. Did it work? Just let me see my family, my forest thats all I want and I'll come back and I'll do whatever you say I promise.” tears filled her eyes as she spoke into his mind.

He remained silent and stroked his chin as he studied her. She knew what he wanted.

“Story Thief please.” She begged then sunk to her knees “Master please.”

Andres smirked he walked over to her and squatting down to be on her level cupped her face in his hand “I knew I taught my apprentice better than to defy me.” he reached behind her head to unlock her gag and gestured to the group standing against the wall. “Now, nice and loud so they can hear, tell them what you told me.”

The gag fell from around her mouth as he took a step back. She breathed her first free breath in she did not know how long.

“I will find my way back to your door!” she sang out fast and loud.

“You stupid deceitful bitch!” Andres pinned her by her neck to the ground cutting off her air and voice.

She smiled defiantly at him .

“You trick me into giving you one chance to escape and you waste it on that boy?!” He slammed her head into the floor.

Her smile faltered as her vision blurred with lights and she tasted blood in her mouth.

“You gained nothing from that. And I am going to make you pay for it, Johanna.”