#02.09.2021

He forced himself not to run as he crossed the room, reaching up and unchaining his collar from the wall. His body sagged downward, his weight shifting to his wrists. Damien pressed his fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse. It was there, though it was faint.

Damien's heart stilled, though bile rose in his throat when he saw the damage he'd done.

"Just leave it there," Julian muttered coldly. "We'll check on it again in the morning."

Anger flared up inside Damien, although he quickly buried it behind a wall of indifference. "Good idea."

They left Tobias behind, though Damien could hardly bear it.

***

When Tobias finally regained consciousness, he was still chained to that wall. His joints ached. His skin stung. But his neck felt the worst. It was the type of deep-tissue soreness that made it difficult to breathe and almost impossible to swallow.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the chamber was still pitch black. The only thing he could hear was his own ragged breathing.

Tobias knew it must have only been hours, but the time dragged on until it felt like weeks. It would have been enough to drive a sane person mad, but he was sure he had gone mad ages ago.

When the door finally did open and let in some light, it nearly blinded him. He squeezed his eyes shut, whining softly in the back of his throat.

"Oh, there you are, Bird!" A familiar voice cried. 

Tobias' stomach dropped into his feet. He forced his eyes open a crack, his hunch proven correct when he laid eyes on her profile. She sauntered across the room, wrenching his face up with her sharp talons so that she could look at him. The movement in his neck sent agony through his shoulders. His whimper came out as more of a rusty scraping noise, ruined voice useless.

Queen Alyssa was King Alexander's younger sister. She'd been married off to the king of a neighboring country before she was twenty, although the years before that had been absolute horror for Tobias. And every time she had visited since, King Alexander had given her free reign over the winged slave. She had two guards with her and a black case in her free hand.

"Did you miss me?" She whispered close to his ear. Her voice dripped with honey, despite the underlying barbs. Tobias squeezed his eyes shut as she stuck her tongue out and drew it up the side of his face.

When she pulled away, it was only to open the black case. Tobias struggled against his bindings in vain when he saw the syringe and needle inside.

"Oh, don't worry dear," Queen Alyssa drawled, filling the syringe from a vial. "It will only sting for a moment. Then it will make you feel good."

Tobias keened softly as the needle was pressed into his arm. There was fire, then a sharp ache spread through him. It left him weak and shaking, panting for breath.

"Take him," Queen Alyssa ordered the guards. They dragged him from the wall, the weakness in his body too much to allow him to fight.

He closed his eyes as he was dragged from the room, a wave of sickness rolling over his body as he began to feel the effects of the drug.

It was going to be a long night.