Chapter 26 - Don’t Stop Believin’

Stupid! So Goddamned stupid!

Ariadne had fled the interrogation room as soon as Taia found her snack. It was illogical, she knew, since no one could perceive her. But she panicked and ran on the off chance there was someone who could find her.

In her rush she wasn’t paying attention to where she had run and she found herself in a cell. Her breathing was ragged from her flight and she bent forward and put her hands on her thighs to catch her breath.

She had lost track of how long she had been using her ability but she could tell she needed a break.

The last thing I need is to become visible just as I try to get out of here…

She collapsed onto the ground and sat with her back against the cell’s brick wall, pulling her knees up as she tried to slow her breathing.

Figuring no one would rush to check the closed prisoners cells first, she dropped her ability and became visible once more so she could rest.

“It’s you!”

Ariadne couldn’t believe her ears and she quickly turned to the sound of the voice.

There in the corner of the cell sat a haggard looking blonde woman. Like Ariadne, she was curled up in a ball on the floor. But she looked like she had been here far, far longer.

“It’s me?” Ariadne asked, confused.

“I had a vision of you.” The woman stared intently at her and spoke haltingly. “You weren’t an elf…and your hair wasn’t blue…it was auburn…but I know that face. I see it every night when I dream of my failure…dear ghost, have you come to taunt me in person?!”

The woman put her hands over her face and wept.

“Ooooo….K. I have…no idea what you’re talking about.”

Something occurred to her. “Wait, how did you know my hair used to be auburn.”

“You can hear me? Are you actually here?!”

The woman stopped crying long enough to look across the cell, really look this time, and locked eyes again with Ariadne.

“Yeah, I’m here. Just who do you think I am?”

“You’re…the hero I helped try to summon!”

Ariadne jumped to her feet and approached the woman. She squatted down right in front of her. “What do you mean you tried to summon me? Are you why I’m here?!” Her voice was rough. Insistent.

The woman let out an odd laugh. Like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I thought we failed! But you’re here! It’s been two years but you finally arrived!”

More tears began to fall down her cheeks, but it looked to Ariadne like they were tears of joy this time.

“Just who are you lady? And why do you think you summoned me?”

Ariadne struggled to think about who this might be. But she and her dad had never met the people responsible for bringing them to this world.

Could this woman be one of the summoners who called us here?!

“Silea. My name.”

“Silly-ah?”

“Si-lay-ah.” She sounded it out for her.

“OK, Silea.” She pronounced it better this time. “I’m…Ariadne.” She remembered her dad’s warnings and kept to her assumed name.

“Oh!” The joy on Silea’s face faded. “The woman I was hoping to meet was called Callie. You must not be her.” She hung her head.

“Wait! How do you know my real name?!”

The woman’s head shot back up. “It is you!” More tears formed in her eyes.

“Ok, enough with the waterworks. Just who are you Silea? And why are you here?”

Silea looked around, like she was making sure she wasn’t being watched.

“I’m a mage. A summoner. Sort of. The demons have been hunting mages, so I’ve been hiding my abilities for a long time.”

“OK, but why are you here.” Ariadne pointed around the jail cell with a finger twirl.

“I’m…not sure actually. They don’t seem to realize I’m a mage. And none of the guards or demons that I have met seem to know why I am here either. They’ve only whispered that it’s something their Viscount ordered.”

Ariadne considered her words. “For how long?” she inquired.

“Almost a year. I think. It’s hard to keep track. I had been hiding in the capital when I decided to make a run for another City after I heard rumours the demons were looking for mages. And none of the mages ever seemed to come back.”

“And you were captured here? How did they find out?”

“At first I thought they assumed I was a rebel. I mean, I am, sort of. I did help to try to bring a hero to defeat the Demon King after all! But I’ve seen other rebels come and go. Most are just executed. But I’ve just been…here.”

Ariadne took another look at the woman. Her face was too filthy to get a good look at her features.  She was clearly half starved and her clothes were so worn that to call them rags would be a compliment. She didn’t appear to have been otherwise mistreated, since there were no signs of abuse, but that was the only mercy.

“But tell me, where have you been my hero for these last two years? Did you just arrive?”

“About that. No, I didn’t just arrive. And I’m no hero. I don’t think anyway. I’ve been here for like two years. But when I got here I didn’t have any great power to crush demon armies. I just appeared in a forest somewhere.” She purposely left out the part about her dad joining her.

“In a forest? You were here the whole time and I didn’t know! I’m so sorry, I would have looked! Well…would have tried.” She tapped on a nearby bar to emphasize that her options were limited lately. “But that must mean the ritual failed. We called you but you didn’t gain any kind of special abilities to help us…”

“Well, it took a while to figure out how to make it work.” She faded from view then reappeared. “But I do have this ability at least. It’s how I snuck in here.”

“So you came to get me out? How did you know I was here?”

“Uh…I didn’t know you were here. I was just running from a couple of scary greater demons. They’re probably still looking for me so I’ll have to go soon.”

“Could you…take me with you?”

Ariadne grimaced. “I’m sorry. I can only use my ability on myself…for the most part.” She left out that she could turn her dad invisible too when holding onto him for some reason. “But now that I know you’re here maybe I can see about putting together a rescue!”

“A rescue?”

“Yeah! I know someone who’s this information broker. He’s got his fingers into everything one way or another. I’m sure he’ll have some ideas.”

“Then I might finally have some hope when I sleep tonight. Thank you.”

“But listen,” Ariadne held Silea’s hands, “I still need to rest a bit before I can hold my ability long enough to run out of here. While I stay…can you…tell me how you called me here? I’ve been here so long but I don’t really understand how it happened…and I…need to know if it’s my fault he…” Her voice was small and childlike and it trailed off before she could reveal what she was really thinking.

Silea nodded. “Yes. I owe you that much. I can’t imagine what it’s been like to be ripped from your world only to come here and not be able to fulfill your purpose.”

There was something in Silea’s sad smile that reminded Ariadne of her mother and she stared at the woman quietly, waiting for her to tell her story