Totentanz

Book 1 Chapter XVI: Das Versprechen

Warning: contains minor character death and references to human sacrifice and child murder.

DAS VERSPRECHEN
German, "the promise"

Over the course of my life I've been to lots of places. Shadowed places where things have gone wrong. Sinister places where things still are. I always hate the sunlit towns, full of newly built developments with double-car garages in shades of pale eggshell, surrounded by green lawns and dotted with laughing children. Those towns aren't any less haunted than the others. They're just better liars. -- Kendare Blake, Anna Dressed in Blood

Diarnlan spent at least fifteen minutes screaming herself hoarse. At last she stopped -- but only because she ran out of insults. She leant against the door with all her might and tried to force it open. She might as well have been trying to move the whole house. Whatever that little bastard had shoved against the door it was much too heavy for her to move.

She tried to think calmly. It was very difficult when from outside she heard occasional cries and screams that were hastily cut off.

Her kidnapper had taken her to Miavain. That should be utterly impossible, but clearly it wasn't. However he'd done it, she couldn't teleport herself back. She tried. She couldn't even teleport out of this horrible cramped cupboard. Her magic was behaving very strangely. It was still there, still within her reach, but she couldn't make it do anything.

That bastard's cast some sort of curse on me, she thought, fuming.

There was nothing else for it. She'd have to find a weapon somewhere -- preferably her own sword, but the gods alone knew how she could get it back from that lunatic -- and kill him with that. Then she'd find a map and make her way back to Avallot.

The noises outside had stopped. Eerie silence reigned over the house. Then Diarnlan heard footsteps approaching. They came closer and closer to her prison. Finally they stopped right outside. She looked around for something to defend herself. There was nothing but a collection of coats draped over a rail. They didn't even have any hangers that could serve as makeshift weapons.

Screeeeeech went the statue as someone pushed it away from the door. Light flooded the little room as the door was yanked open. Diarnlan winced. Her eyes stung so badly she had to cover them, even though she knew that left her vulnerable to a surprise attack.

When the light stopped hurting her eyes she looked up warily. Her blood ran cold. The madman stood in the doorway. His clothes and face were dotted with blood. The sword in his hand -- her sword, damn him -- was completely covered with blood. It dripped down to splash on the floor. 

"Come on," the madman said, impatiently tapping his foot on the tile. "We haven't got all day." 

He sounded exactly like a customer in a shop exasperated with how long the person in front of them was taking to pay for their purchases. It was such a surreal tone coming from such a deranged person, especially under such horrible circumstances. Diarnlan stared at him in disbelief. She found herself wondering if she was unconscious in a hospital somewhere and this whole thing was a medication-induced nightmare. Had she been knocked out when the monster first appeared? Had there ever been a monster at all or was it part of her dream?

The madman's patience ran out. He grabbed her wrist and tried to physically pull her out. Diarnlan yanked her hand away, then slapped him across the face. He had the audacity to yelp and clutch his cheek as if she'd seriously injured him.

While he was distracted she shoved past him and tried to run for the door. Of all the times her ankle could have picked to give out, it chose the least convenient one. Sharp stabbing pain raced through her leg. A dizzy, painful moment later the world cleared and Diarnlan found herself lying on the floor.