Forever Caged [Complete]

Chapter 17: Anger


The maid silently led Reyvn down the halls. They passed Rendell's room, and stopped before a large set of heavily bolted doors. The maid struggled silently with some of the latches, then opened the doors. "The master is waiting."

Reyvn watched her, a little sad. He wasn't sure what would happen to Arna, but he knew what awaited him beyond these thick doors. He remembered Koumori having something similar. It was a room where he practiced powerful magick. He guessed Rendell used this room for the same purpose, though it probably wasn't practice for the demon. He nodded to the maid silently, and fought not to shiver as he walked into the darkened room.

The room was a bit strange, though not unfamiliar to a person experienced in tortures. Chains hung from the walls by heavy bolts, some holding up cross beams, others just ended in shackles. Along the back wall, various blades, whips, large spikes and other assorted things hung. Rendell kept them in good care; not a spot of rust stained his precious equipment. Rendell stood next to a stretching table and pointed at it. "Lay down on your stomach," he commanded.

Reyvn nearly stumbled, and had to fight not to turn and bolt out the door. His body went cold as his eyes wandered the room, horrified. He was still for a moment, eyeing the stretching table. Despite his years with Koumori, he still didn't recognize half of the equipment in this room, though their purposes were obvious. He swallowed, and cautiously moved past Rendell and climbed onto the table. He carefully laid down, and sucked in a breath when the icy metal touched his stomach.

Rendell pulled out the razor he had used earlier. "I know I said I would only cut you twice for each cut you gave me, but it's time I finished what I started." Without hesitation, the blade began to dance over Reyvn's back, and Rendell grinned as blood started to well and trickle. "This is an effective curse, you know," he said to Reyvn. "Had your last master ever used it?"

The painkillers in the salve had soaked into Reyvn's skin, making the razor slicing him up again easier to bear. He still flinched and cried under Rendell's hand, but not nearly as much as that morning. His wings twitched and ruffled, angry, but stayed folded. He took a deep breath, glancing at the demon. "No," he said, voice strained.

Rendell finished his business rather quickly. He set the razor down, and began chanting again. Occasionally, he would glance at the book he had brought with him, and the dark tendrils began dancing around him.

Reyvn breathed heavily, relieved that for now the pain had stopped. He saw the room grow darker, and the edges of his wings started to glow in their response.

Rendell raised a hand, his eyes starting to glow. The tendrils shot forward and dove into the fresh cuts on Reyvn's back like a pack of hungry animals before a fresh slab of meat.

Reyvn's body arched back as he let out a long, ragged scream that echoed off the walls. Tears stung at his eyes, and his wings expanded again and wrapped themselves around his waist. They glowed with their own black aura, which seemed to come off them like smoke. They ate at the shadows, sucking them out of Reyvn's body, and swallowed down the ones Rendell kept trying to shove into the boy.

Rendell arched a brow. "Hm. That's not supposed to happen." He walked to Reyvn and smacked him hard enough to make his head bounce against the table. "What do you think you're doing?"

Fresh pain shot through Reyvn's head like lightning, and he let out a second cry. He gasped, chest heaving, eyes looking at nothing. His wings remained tightly wrapped around him, acting as a solid shield.

Rendell knocked Reyvn again, then kicked him off the table. "If that damned naga didn't pay as well, I would kill you here and now. I might as well go after that redhead while I'm at it!" He yanked Reyvn to his feet by his hair.

Reyvn's wings protected his body from most of the damage from the fall, but that didn't stop his head from spinning. Sparks played at the edges of his vision, and he knew something was wrong. He stared up at Rendell from where he stood, but couldn't say anything. He made his wings uncurl, and they shrunk. They'd done their job for now; he'd stolen some of Rendell's power. The demon didn't even seem to notice. He swallowed, breathed in, and said, "I'm...sorry. They have a...mind of their own." His body trembled from all the damage.

Rendell threw Reyvn into the wall as hard as he could, making a great many of his tools clatter to the floor with the boy. "Lies! I know you can control them!" He went back to Reyvn and picked him up again by the throat. "I know a man who had a hand in the brutal murder of one of your people. He said she fought hard, using her wings to eat at him so she could defend herself. But she was too weak as well. Are all you requiems that weak?"

Pain exploded everywhere, and Reyvn could swear something broke from the collision. His vision was growing black at the edges, and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He felt Rendell's hand grip him like a vice as he was lifted again by his neck, and he had trouble breathing around it. His eyes widened at Rendell's words, the blue rimming with orange. "Mother?" He choked around Rendell's grip. "You know who killed her?" His pupils lined with orange as well, the colors mingling as they started to glow faintly.

Rendell laughed. "It might have been. I don't know. She put up a fight though, he came back all bloodied up." He had found a foothold with the boy. This could be fun. "He told me she screamed beautifully. He was right, you know. Your kind makes a beautiful sound."

Reyvn was thankful Lesara had taken the time to translate the documents Koumori had sent. He knew a lot about his race now, and why they were so rare. His slit pupils narrowed, and his wings started to expand again. "We went into...hiding because of people like you." He coughed, wrapping his hands around Rendell's wrist that held him in place. "After wiping out half of the world's kingdoms."

Rendell tightened his grip, and doubled his other hand into a fist, which he sent sailing into Reyvn's face. He started laughing maniacally, and said, "Of course you had to hide, people like me enjoy possessions like you. You know, the man who killed this woman used a very similar curse on her. This one only reads you, binds you to me. That one ate her from the inside out."

Reyvn's vision blanked and everything was black to him once more. His body went limp in Rendell's hand. A pair of orange eyes met Reyvn in the darkness, and a humming voice told him all he needed to do. Reyvn's wings expanded and glowed, and his pale skin emitted a dim white light. His eyes snapped open, glaring at Rendell. They'd gone pure black, and ate at the dim surrounding light. Power surged through him, and the energy balled up in front of him. A crackle sounded, and shot the demon clear across the room. "Did you know the Black Requiems came into existence only during those final wars?" The white light found his wounds, and started to heal. "We were made as a last resort. To absorb everything harmful towards us, and return it to the sender."

Rendell felt the wind get knocked out of him when he collided with the wall. It took a moment for him to get his lungs working properly before he started to laugh. "You'll return everything I give you, hm? I'll keep that in mind." He went to the door and stuck his head out. "Clarice, go get the red-head. I believe he's still in Reyvn's room." He turned back to face Reyvn. "You are close to that Arna, aren't you?"

Reyvn grinned, and it was not a happy grin. Shadows and flame shot from his wings, sharp and angry as they sliced at Rendell. One wrapped around the demon's neck, but not tight enough to strangle. Reyvn started humming a little tune, and the blades that had fallen to the floor rose up. "How close do you think you are to death?"

Rendell struggled, but decided it was futile. "No closer than your little friend will be once he gets here. I'll just have to punish him for your misgivings." His own tentacles lashed at Reyvn, attempting to break his control, or at the very least, his concentration.

Reyvn's wings encircled him again, eating Rendell's shadows. "You don't seem to understand the situation, so let me lay it out for you, demon scum." He hummed another tune, and a dozen of the smaller blades shot at Rendell, burying deep into the joints. "I'm not feeling too merciful tonight, so I don't think I'll let you live."

Rendell screamed, half in pain, half in delight. He made his aura surround him before fading into it, his laughter echoing. "Your concerns are misplaced, my dear boy!" Somewhere far off, Arna started screaming. Rendell had never had so much fun before. It had been too long since he had to use his powers like this. All the while, whatever shreds of sanity he had left were screaming at him to stop, but he couldn't, not now. He had a tentacle from the shadows under Reyvn's bed attack Arna, pinning him down and stabbing him. With each puncturing, Arna let out a louder, higher-pitched scream.

Reyvn sighed, and followed Rendell through the shadows. He came into his bedroom, and something tugged at his insides when he saw Arna. His white aura lashed out, destroying the shadows attacking his friend. Shadow-feathers fell from his wings, encircling Arna to act as a shield. He couldn't heal, but he could at least protect until this was over. He turned to find Rendell, his black eyes searching the room.

"Reyvn!" Arna screamed. "Reyvn where are you!" He flailed and then curled in a defensive ball when he was encircled. He couldn't control himself, and broke down sobbing.

Meanwhile, Rendell was flowing through the shadows in his home, laughing. "There you go, boy!"

Reyvn's body tensed, listening. Shit, what did the bastard have planned? He looked at Arna, frowning. He'd warned him, didn't he? He raised a hand, humming, more feathers falling from his wings to protect Arna. They'd absorb whatever else Rendell would attempt, so Reyvn could rest assured that Arna would survive the night. He drifted out of the bedroom, and his right iris glowed orange while the sclera remained black. He scanned the manor, trying to pinpoint Rendell's location.

Arna cried out once more. "Reyvn! Where are you!" The shadows around him parted for a brief moment, allowing him to locate Reyvn. He lunged forward and grabbed him, then turned to kick out a window. Not loosening his grip on the boy's wrist, he dove out. "Out, out! We have to run!" He cleared the low hedges and didn't bother trying to look back to see the statues from the garden chasing them.

Reyvn's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting Arna to be up so soon. He let himself be pulled out the window and through the garden. The rain from the aforementioned storm was pouring down hard, making it difficult to see. But he could still see the statues behind them as he looked back. He sped up, and hooked his arms securely around Arna's waist in one smooth leap. His great wings flapped, carrying them upward and away from the manor.

Arna shrieked when they went airborne, and clung to Reyvn for dear life. "H-head south!" He said between sobs. "South! Someone can help!"

Reyvn held Arna tighter, and circled around to ascend. He headed for what he was pretty sure was south, unable to really tell in the dark of night. He flew for a while, clearing the thick patch of trees around Rendell's manor and reaching the edges of a small town. He recognized it as the one he and Lesara must have passed through the other day, and started to descend. "Here?" he shouted to Arna over the sound of the wind and rain.

Arna nodded, and said "Yeah! See that building with the blue roof? There!"

Reyvn frowned, looking at the rooftops. How the hell could Arna differentiate the colors? He searched for a bit, then found what Arna must have been referring to. He started circling the building, descending quickly. His feet touched the ground at the front of the structure, and he almost dropped Arna as he stumbled. He breathed heavily, and the black in his eyes started to fade.

Arna scrambled to his feet and put an arm around Reyvn. "Are you alright?" He was startled when he saw Reyvn's eyes change, and tried to hide it when he knocked on the door. "Hey! Open up, it's me, Arna!" he shouted.

The door flew open and Doctor Ravis stood in the doorway. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he asked. He noticed that both the boys in front of him were bleeding, and asked, "Moreover, what happened? Come in, get out of the rain." He stood to the side to allow them in.

Reyvn slumped against Arna as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He kept his head down, letting his hair curtain his face. That voice...That calm, faintly condescending voice. He glanced up through the mess of his hair, and stilled. Dammit, not Ravis. He said nothing though, knowing this man could take care of them. He trudged inside with Arna, trying not to lean all his weight on the other boy.

Ravis shut the door behind them. It was warm inside his house, what with a bright fire going in the fireplace. The plush, white furniture made the living room look sterile, and odd metal things were scattered about the glass tabletop. "Just stay here. Let me get some towels and see if I can't contact Khala." Ravis strode down the hall, tightening his robe.

Arna looked to Reyvn, and shook him gently. "Are you gonna be ok?" he asked.

Reyvn righted himself, but kept his arm around Arna. He was thankful for the warmth of the fire, but he didn't like the look of the gleaming utensils laying on the nearby table. He glanced at Arna, the black gone from his eyes now, leaving them blue. There was a ring of orange around the outside of his irises, and little orange flecks still on the insides, but otherwise they were normal. Calm. And a little distant. "I think so," he answered softly. "This...has never happened before."

The doctor came back with a stack of towels and a large roll of gauze. After handing them the towels, he pointed to a set of stools over by the wall. "Both of you go sit there." Arna helped Reyvn over, and sat down, drying off.

"Now, care to explain yourselves? I don't think either of your masters know you're here, and frankly, I don't want the blame laid on me."

Reyvn sat down carefully, the material of his pants slick with rain water. He rubbed the towel over his skin, careful of the cuts that hadn't fully healed. At least they'd stopped bleeding. He wrapped another towel around his hair, letting it get soaked. He stood for a moment and wrapped the first towel around his waist, then sat back down. He looked to Arna, waiting for a sign of who should explain.