Kalımıty

Chapter 2: The Threat in the Box

"Gahhh... Başım çok ağrıyor..." She says under her breath, her head aching as she attempts to sit up in darkness. A scratchy material is tied around her wrists, but it's discarded with a flick of her nails. She quickly realizes that looking around is useless, since her eyes won't be able to adjust to the blackness, instead she focuses on her other senses. But as far as she can tell, it is just dark and she is in something that is moving.

"I'm not sure this was the best idea, Altear," a soft voice says outside the crate that holds her. "Trapping her like this isn't going to put her in the best of moods. We should have tried talking to her first, reasoning with her rather than just going in and attacking... What even happened to that guy in the water? He disappeared into thin air!"

A bump has all three passengers flying up in the air, causing the two men to grunt as they land back down. "That wasn't an option, Tate." They hit another rock in the road. "We had to get her and go, we're supposed to be at the kingdom by morning, but at this rate we won't be back till noon. And it's best to not ask questions that you don't want the answer to."

Kali raises an eyebrow.

"I just can't imagine her being very open minded to helping the two people who attacked and kidnapped her." The man called Tate leans back against the crate, and Kali puts her hand against the wall, feeling his warmth from inside.

She hesitates a moment, sucking in a breath, then knocks confidently, "hello? Who are you?"

Tate moves away from the container quickly and a soft gasp escapes his throat, "uh, oh no, she's awake. She's awake!" His tone lowers to a hushed volume, "what do we do? What do we say? Can she get free? Altear?"

"She can hear you, son," the other man, Altear, pauses for a moment, his voice is the warm one she recognizes from before; smooth and warm. "She can't get out of there until we let her out. The box is laced with iron."

"Is it?" Kali asks, grinning a little. She can't feel the tingling burn like before, she is curious if she can call their bluff. Or if he is being honest.

"But are you sure she is... you know..." Tate asks, now lower than a whisper.

"Is that your back that was touching my containment? It felt so warm against my palm, and you smell so... delicious... What are you? Elf? Troll? Hmmm... human?" Tate holds his breath at Kali's words, causing her to grin wider. She can't really smell him, and the idea of eating a human is the last thing on her bucket list. But he doesn't need to know any of that, "I've never tried a human before..."

"Altear..."

"Ignore her, she is just messing with you. She is no more dangerous than a fly." The older man's tone is flat and sounds bored, he really knows better than to take the bait. She sits back, facing the direction where the voices are coming from. Looking down at Dakki's symbol, lighting up softly and weakly on her wrist. She hasn't fully healed, and with the wound being from iron it could take hours, or even days, until she's able to summon him again.

"Do you make a habit of shooting innocent women in the woods?" She bites her inner cheek, "what does a girl have to do to get some healing medicine? You left a nasty hole in my arm."

"You'll be fine, princess."

She freezes again.

"A bit patronizing, don't you think?" She tries to laugh it off, but the chill down her spine isn't warming up.

"Is it patronizing to call you by your title?" She doesn't need to see his face to know he is wearing a wide smile, pleased with himself.

"I haven't any idea what you're going on about." She kicks the side of the box, her boot throwing dried mud back onto her, getting some into her eyes. "Shit, ugh! I want out! What are you doing with me?" This is no longer a game, anxiety starts to seep into her veins, her hairs standing on end.