The first thing Yu became aware of was smell. The tang of iron was mixed with the familiar calm of earth and stone and a bitterness of moister and mold.

Hearing followed after and what had been muffled sounds became voices.

“Hurry up! Are the formations active yet? That mad fool has to know she’s been taken by now.”

Yu could make out the words, but couldn’t assemble them in her mind in a way that made sense. What was going on? What is so cold?

“Yes. But it doesn’t matter. She’s hidden. I almost can’t believe we made it in time.”

Yu struggled to recall what had happened, when suddenly she could feel. Her skin tingled in cold air but her neck, wrists and ankles were specially cold. Something was wrapped around them.

Pain. It hurt. Everything hurt.

A moan escaped her and her mouth exploded in taste. The bitterness of vomit and bile blended terribly with coppery blood on her tongue.

And finally the blackness slowly faded as vision returned. Yu blinked her eyes and she was able to make out only blurred grays and browns. She blinked again and again until focus returned and she saw brown dirt mixed with a gray stone beneath her.

Yu tried to move her head to look around, but found she could not move more than a little. She gasped and jerked, but the cold thing around her neck tightened and she couldn’t breathe. She jerked again and it tightened more. She tried to cough, to reach for the thing around her neck but found she couldn’t move her arms. Breath would not come and she yanked harder, feeling her legs failing to move and the cold things biting into her wrists.

“Stop fighting,” a somewhat familiar voice said. And the red-masked man walked into her line of vision.

Yu froze at the noise and the pressure reduced. She tried to tilt her head towards the person out of habit and the metal around her neck tightened once again. Yu froze still, not wanting to be choked.

“I thought you might be smarter than those two,” and he gestured somewhere behind her. “They both both had to be choked into unconsciousness.” He continued walking, circling her.

Yu took the opportunity to try to get an understanding of where she was and what the situation was. What she saw was an irregular stone cave lit by a few ether lamps hanging from hooks hammered into the walls. The ground beneath her was mostly hard-packed dirt with a few gray stones the same shade as the walls. And Yu also saw her bare thighs and knees. Well, mostly bare. She was relieved to see, and feel now that she put her mind to it, a sackcloth shirt was covering her, even though it was barely long enough to cover her modestly. But it was strange because she felt a breeze against her back. Apparently it was open to the air of the cave there. She was sitting with her legs tucked under her. She could feel shackles around her ankles and an attempt to wiggler her legs told her they were stuck to the stone floor.

Then Yu figured out why her shoulders and arms hurt so much. They were being held straight out behind her and held in place around the wrists. Again, no movement was possible. Yu reached for Qi to heal herself, but nothing came. She tried again, but failed. Was she being seized again? No… That did not make sense. She could move her body, in a limited way sure, but she could move it. That meant she hadn’t been seized. And unlike when she had been, she could feel the Qi within herself. It just felt like there was a barrier of some sort in the way.

“You are disabled, as I’m sure you have figured out now,” the red masked man said from behind and to the left. “Your Qi is blocked and your body is… well… you can see. Now we are just waiting for our employers, so sit still and be good. This should be over soon.”

“Why am I here?” Yu rasped out through a dry throat.

She heard a sigh from behind her, but it was not from the red masked man because he was in her vision again. “I don’t suppose you know where you are or what this room is for?” an unknown voice said from behind her.

Yu started to shake her head but stopped the moment the collar on her neck tightened again. “No.”

A huff followed this and an older-looking man with robes wearing the Enchanters’ Hall insignia walked into Yu’s vision. “Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of prodigy?” he said derisively. Shaking his head he added, “How can you not know a rune binding chamber?”

Rune binding? No! Yu panicked. She yanked on her arms and tried to pull herself free but all that she accomplished was being choked again. No no no! She yanked at her Qi and her bindings until the pain in her neck made her stop and fall limp.

“You can’t do this,” she wheezed.

“Of course we can,” said the red mask. “You are in our power now. Once our employers arrive, we can finish the show.” A few breaths later, Yu heard the echo of footsteps. “Ah, here we go. Let’s start, shall we?”

From behind and to the right of Yu, the steps got closer. There were clearly more than one set. Yu listened carefully while she tried to recover. Anything to distract herself from what she knew was coming.

Three or four, I think.

It was clear when the steps were inside the room because the echoes changed. One person stopped walking, and then another. “Why is she clothed?” was asked by a familiar voice. A voice that made her shiver.

“Because you paid for her, not her naked. And we’re not sick little shits like you,” Red mask responded.

“Watch how you speak to my grandson!" snapped an old man. “Don’t think you’re protected by our agreement.”

“Why should I? He’s a little freak whether he’s your grandson or not.”

“Mouth off again and I’ll end you and take back my payment,” the old man growled.

Then the person who owned that first voice came into view followed by and older gray-haired beardless man. “You!” she spat at the hated young man.

“Hello little girl,” Xing sneered at her. “You’re looking nice and trussed up for me, aren’t you?” Then he looked her over closely. “What a pretty tattoo. I like it. I think I’ll cut it off you and wear it around my neck.”

“Enough of that!” a different old man’s voice said harshly. “Until she’s bound, nobody is touching her for any reason. Remember our agreement.”

“She’s my possession first!” Xing said, glaring at people behind her.

Yu snarled. “I’ll die first.”

“Oh, no you won’t,” grinned Xing. “Once you’re bound, you’ll be an obedient little thing, just like your two friends have been.

“What?” Yu gasped.

Laughing followed and an old man with blue hair and a short beard walked into her view. “Fenghuang Yu, we finally meet,” he said, turning to her. “Like my old friend, you have wronged my grandson.”

Then he gestured for someone behind her another blue-haired boy walked into view. “Bao Qing?” she said, shocked. She hadn’t seen nor heard anything about him since their match nine months ago.

He looked at his grandfather, then at her. “My grandson cannot speak because of you!” glared the old man. “You ruined him. He’ll never be the same. Qing’er has not advanced once since you nearly killed him. He has a demon in his heart and its name is Fenghuang Yu.” Then he yelled, “Look at him! Look what you’ve done!”

And Yu did look at Bao Qing. The once proud and arrogant young noble seemed… weak. He had dark bags under his eyes, his skin was unhealthily pale, and his shoulders had a slump. He would not look Yu in the eye for more than a few moments, then he would look down. “He will slay his demon by dominating you, and earn back his heart. And you will do whatever it takes to help him. You won’t have a choice.”

“Yes, let’s get to that,” Xing said excitedly. “I wish to see her squirm and hear her scream. First in pain, and then…” he chuckled to himself while staring Yu right in the eyes.

“Enough!” yelled a new voice. Out of the shadows against the cavern wall in front of Yu stepped another man in black. This one wore a yellow asura mask that was laughing. You could have sworn it was laughing at her and the torment to come. “First, we will take our payment from her flesh. Then the enchanter will bind her. After, and only after, will you take possession of her.”

“Do it,” ordered Xing’s grandfather. “And make it fast. My grandson deserves his vengeance for her ruining his future.”

Yu had no idea what he was talking about, but, despite it all, she was pleased. “Oh?” she called to him mockingly. “Does the sicko who likes to attack children feel all sad?” Then dryly she added, “Poor you.”

“You little bitch!” Xing shouted as he began marching towards her.

“Stop!” bellowed yellow mask. “If any of you damage the formations hiding her, the deal is off and you will not see a single silver returned to you.”

Xing’s grandfather held his hand out in front of his grandson. “Save it for later,” he told the young man.

“Time to collect. Green?” yellow mask called to someone behind Yu.

A green masked man walked into the side of Yu’s vision. He took out a small vial and a long needle. Yu could see him kneel next to her, but nothing else. She felt a pinch of pain on the inside of her non-tattooed arm and heard a gentle tinkle of what she assumed was her blood entering the vial.

However, at the same time, she felt something strange from the cut. A prickling feeling seemed to come from the site of the bleed. It was not painful, just… obvious. Then it grew in intensity and began moving up her arm. It moved to her heart and from there spread to her entire body. Everything tingled. She turned her gaze back to the yellow mask who, she could have sworn, was staring directly into her eyes. It was impossible to tell because the mask showed only black, but she just… knew. He was watching her.

Abruptly, Yu heard green mask say, “Done,” as he stood and walked away. But the tingles remained.

“Now, you’ve been paid in full as agreed,” Bao Qing’s grandfather called. “Enchanter, bind her with runes. And do it right! We don’t need her crippled or braindead. She must be whole and obedient.”

“Fine, fine,” the man in enchanter robes said impatiently from Yu’s other side. Then he walked behind her and she lost sight of him. All of a sudden, Yu heard a hissing sound. It got louder as he returned to be in her vision. He was holding a long back rod with a strange circle on the end. A formation, Yu realized. It was glowing yellow hot and steam was rising from it.

“I see you recognize what this is, at least a little. It is called a binding formation and is a very particular set of rune structures. Once branded into your skin with both heat and Qi, you will be bound to the one holding this,” and he waggled the iron rod in front of her. “It is a control rod and will act as the collar for your bindings. Your friends have it too.”

No! Yu thought as she tried to twist around and see Li and Lu. She gagged at the tightening of her collar.

“I like her despair. Show her,” Xing called in a laugh.

His grandfather gestured and Lu walked into view. “I now have this one’s rod,” he told Yu. “A demonstration would not go amiss, I suppose.” Then to Lu he ordered, “Turn your back to face her.” And she did obediently. “Lift your top and show her.” Once again, Lu obeyed instantly. She pulled the bottom of her nightshirt up and showed Yu her back. A circle made of runes and other designs about a handspan across showed on raised red flesh just above her short pants.

Oh no! And Yu’s eyes stung. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.

“She and her sister have been obedient little puppets, acting normally for the last months while we waited. Letting us know what you’ve been doing and awaiting word from you that he was gone. We knew all that was needed was a distraction to pull your master away.” He grinned and said slowly, “Something like a spirit realm for example?” He chuckled.

“You see?” Xing yelled. “Oh, how I love that look! I want more. Go ahead girly. Tell your friend how you really feel.”

Lu ‘s eyes regained some life, but Yu had never seen what was in them before. It was rage. “I hate you!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “I hate you for what you did to me in the forest that day! You killed my soul when you made me kill that wolf. I hate you for what being one of your people has led to. I’m a slave and I’ll never be free! I hate you because they threatened my grandfather and our home if we didn’t comply. We’re just a little city on a lake. They could have made us disappear and nobody would know. I hate you for all of that. But most of all, I hate you for what they did to my sister because of you. She has to be with me some nights so I can hold her while she cries herself to sleep. I hate you so much I can’t stand looking at you! But they made me, because I’m a slave in my own body.”

Yu was crying, tears pouring down her face matching the ones from Lu. Yu wanted to close her eyes, not see that rage in someone she loved like a sister. A poor girl that should have lived in a place where she could have had a normal peaceful life. But Yu did not allow herself to look away and hide from what she had done. She knew she deserved to feel that guilt. And Lu deserved to make her feel it.

“I’m so sorry, Lu,” Yu cried. “I’m so sorry.”

Xing’s cackling laughter drew Yu’s eyes to him. She glared at him with such hatred she wished it could kill by its own. “You’re sick and twisted, you bastard. Getting joy from this. I’ll kill you. Somehow I’ll kill you,” Yu growled. “One day I’ll look into your eyes as the life leaves them and the last thing you’ll know is that it was me who killed you as you see my smile.”

Xing’s face faltered for a moment, then it turned to rage as he yelled, “You bitch! That day will never come! You’re going to be mine. Mine!”

“Enough!” the Bao elder said. “Fenghuang Yu, you are ours. That was a lovely speech, but it was also pointless. Rage all you like. You are hidden from everyone’s eyes by the formations above and beneath you. No Qi can get inside of it from outside, which means attempts to locate you will fail. Even your master cannot find you, in case you were holding out hope for rescue. Now enough talk. Bind her.”

“Fine,” the enchanter said to the room. The metal brand that had cooled to just barely red reheated, quickly returning to a bright yellow.

Yu lost sight of him and all she heard was the hissing of steam. She struggled, trying to pull free of the bonds or access her Qi. Her collar tightened and her Qi was still hidden behind that barrier. She heard cackling laughter from Xing, but it was in the back of her mind, behind the terror.

And then she screamed, a burning agony from her back became her whole world. Every muscle in her body tightened, every nerve fired. There was no life, no hope, no death. Only pain.

And then it was gone. The pain ended and she slumped, her body exhausted, her mind unable to process anything. Every breath taken were like jagged stones in her throat as she gasped and panted.

“What in the hells happened?” asked Bao Qing’s grandfather.

“There’s nothing there. It’s barely even pink,” Xing’s grandfather said in bafflement.

“Damn you, enchanter. And you Asura promised me he was capable!” the other old man yelled.

“This makes no sense,” the enchanter said.

“Do it again!” spat Xing.

“Yes. Do it again,” his grandfather agreed.

And the hissing sound of heat against her skin was drowned out by her screams once again. It lasted longer this time, but did eventually fade. Yu was barely conscious when it ended. But she could still hear the words being spoken.

“I don’t understand.”

“Try a different brand. Something must be wrong with that one.”

“That won’t help. If the binding brand was flawed, the Qi wouldn’t flow. But it is still glowing hot metal on skin. She should have received the brand no matter what.”

“Just do it! Get another.”

“Fine.”

A few moments later, Yu felt the pain return, and it lasted even longer.

“What in the nine hells is going on?”

“Do it again, damn you!”

***

Time passed. Yu fell into unconsciousness repeatedly, only to be awoken each time by the agony of glowing hot iron against her skin.

Yu did not know how long she had been there, nor how many attempts at branding had been made. Until finally she went more than a few moments without pain. The blackness was receding from her vision and she could hear more than her own screams and the pounding pulse in her head.

“You failed, Asura! Failed!” cried Xing’s grandfather.

"We did not,” argued Yellow. “We provided everything. I think it is time to accept someone is protecting her and I think we all know who.”

“Damnit! It must be her master. You searched her right?” asked the Bao elder.

“Of course. We are not fools. I have her ring, although it is keyed and cannot be accessed. Otherwise she has nothing but the shirt we provided and her skin.”

“That crazy bastard must have put something inside of her,” the Bao spat angrily. “I bet she doesn’t even know, so it’s not like she can tell us.”

“We’ll just have to cut her open and remove it,” Xing’s grandfather offered. “Between my alchemy and your healing, I think we can do it without killing her.”

“Unless it’s in her brain,” the Bao said. “If so, we’re done.”

“Release her, Asura. We need her prone.”

“Once I do, we are leaving,” Yellow called. “Our obligation has been met.”

“Fine, whatever. But your idiot enchanter is staying. He’ll need to brand her once we remove her protection. Consider yourself fortunate I don’t have the time to deal with your failure.”

“We have an accord,” was all Yellow Mask said.

Then Yu felt all the pressure on her body release. The bindings holding her fell and the clanking of metal echoed throughout the chamber. She collapsed with them onto the unforgiving ground, her body powerless to hold herself up.

A few dribbles of Qi trickled into Yu before cutting off almost immediately. Her eyes opened. She rolled on her back and looked around the room. She realized it was just the bare bit that was available within the formation, before running dry. Looking around, she could finally see the full chamber, including the glowing formation in the ceiling. She quickly scanned the five others that were close and then searched again. One sight seemed oddly distracting to her. It was a lonely chair against one wall. It was plain and made of brown wood, but it was all alone, the only piece of furniture in the entire room. Shaking free from that strange observation, she looked again, spotting the three masked Asura’s walking down the sole hallway she figured the group must have been using to arrive and leave. And then sandaled feet blocked her view and a face appeared above her. A hated face. Xing stared down at her, glaring his fury.

“We should start with the extremities,” offered the Bao elder from behind him.

“I’m not so sure. Would you put it somewhere it could be so easily chopped off?” Xing’s grandfather argued.

“He’s not sane. Don’t use logic when—”

Yu ignored their argument for how they planned to dissect her and focused on the young man standing over her. “Too bad,” Yu rasped up at him. “You won’t get your revenge,” Then she smiled. “But I will.”

“Oh, I’ll get it,” he said derisively as he raised his foot above her face. “And it will be all the sweeter for the wait.”

Then his foot dropped and Yu rolled over to her left once, falling into the void she had just created with the tiniest amount of Qi she have ever used before.