Daphne whirled around, her face paling as she saw a familiar face.
It was Bram, and he looked just as hideous in the light of day as he did in that god-forsaken shed.
"You! What are you doing here?" Daphne demanded, instinctively shielding Maisie from his gaze. Maisie screamed in terror and tucked herself behind Daphne’s back. Daphne could feel her shivering through her clothes.
Bram let out an ugly laugh, raising her hackles. "Stupid princess still asks stupid questions!"
"My princess is not stupid!" Maisie protested, gripping Daphne’s back tightly. "Don’t insult her!"
Bram scoffed and he slowly stalked towards the two women, loving the way their eyes darted around as they looked for an exit, an impossible feat. "You’re the real stupid one then, for leading me to her. Good thing I didn’t kill you, eh?"
Daphne’s heart chilled as she glanced at Maisie from the corner of her eyes. Maisie was shaking like a leaf, her face paler than the snow falling around them. If she was working with them, Daphne highly doubted she did it willingly.
"Let us go, or you’ll face the king’s justice! Atticus is powerful― you won’t get away with it!" Daphne threatened.
Her heart thudded to the ground when she realized the guard assigned to her wasn’t nearby. But surely her guard would find them soon; she just had to stall for time.
Bram sneered. "So what? Not like this fucking king can raise the dead. And you sluts will definitely be after I have my fun with you."
He cracked his knuckles and pulled out a curved blade, its sharp edge glinting menacingly in the sunlight. Daphne’s knees trembled as she recalled her previous kidnapping. Behind her, Maisie screamed in fear.
"Come quietly, or I’ll hurt you." Bram smiled unkindly. "Or maybe I’ll hurt you anyway."
Daphne began to reach into her pockets. She needed to activate the clear quartz, but Bram had moved quicker than expected, landing a swift blow to her stomach that sent her choking before kicking her in the chest. Daphne rolled to the side, her head crashing against the solid wall. She wheezed in pain as her vision grew blurry.
Every breath was hard. She needed to get help immediately!
"Take out what’s in your pocket and roll it to me. None of that funny business, or this little bird gets her head lopped off. Am I clear?"
Maisie’s screams had tapered off into incoherent sobs. Daphne’s eyes focused on the horrifying sight. Bram had held the knife to her neck, a vicious smirk on his face as he brushed the sharp edge against her neck. A faint line of red appeared and drops of fresh blood began to fall on the snow, dyeing it red.
"Am I clear?" Bram repeated, pressing against Maisie’s neck even more urgently. More blood flowed out and Maisie was on the verge of hyperventilating.
Daphne wanted to call for Atticus, but she knew that Maisie would definitely die at his hands if she did so. There was no choice but to do as he asked. She pulled out the clear quartz and rolled it to him.
Bram’s eyes lit up in vindictive glee as he stomped on it, causing it to shatter into pieces.
"Good. Guess you’re not so stupid after all!"
He flung Maisie back at Daphne, causing the both of them to stumble and fall, with Maisie’s body blocking her from his view. Daphne hurriedly picked up the biggest shard of the broken clear quartz, tucking it back into her pocket.
Just in time, Bram then kicked Maisie the same way he kicked Daphne earlier. Maisie collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Maisie!" Daphne screamed and crawled towards her. Maisie didn’t respond and she lay there, still and unconscious. Blood continued to flow from her neck. Daphne tried to stem the flow of her blood with her scarf. "You monster! How could you! Maisie! Wake up! I’ll kill you for this!"
She wanted to use her magic, but she felt no power rise within her. There was no heat, no overwhelming strength. Only her fear and the cold that grew stronger with each passing second as Bram landed another blow, this time on her back, causing her to fall to the ground.
"You’ll join her soon enough." Bram shrugged, and Daphne’s vision went black.
***
"Yer brought them here? Are yer insane? This wasn’t what yer promised!" A voice exclaimed in horror.
"Shut it, old man. You don’t have a choice here. Should have thought about it before you offended our lord!" There was a sound of something breaking and someone falling on the floor. Then there was a disturbing silence.
"Next time you talk back to me I wouldn’t be so kind. You and your precious granddaughter are both dead!"
Daphne blinked slowly as she slowly but surely regained consciousness. Her head still felt like it was pounding, but her vision cleared enough to let her know that she had once again been taken hostage. She discreetly peered around their new home, only for her mouth to fall open in surprise.
This time, instead of a dingy shed, she was apparently in... the tavern?!
She blinked again, not believing her eyes, but there was no mistaking the familiar smell of alcohol and vomit. Various alcoholic drinks lined the shelves behind the counter, and Daphne recognized the same broken chairs when she visited earlier.
Her heart beat faster in relief. This was a blessing in disguise; she could have been stuck in the sewers. The tavern was still in town and surely people would be curious when it didn’t open at sundown. She just had to survive till then.
Unfortunately, her hands were tied behind her back, so she couldn’t reach into her pockets. She couldn’t ask for Maisie’s help either. She was tied up next to her, still unconscious. Thankfully, someone had applied a bandage to the side of her neck to stop it from bleeding further.
The tavern owner was in front of her. He quietly picked himself up to his feet, wincing as the glass shards on the floor cut his hands.
"But yer can’t leave them here," he protested weakly. "The folks here will be suspicious if I don’t open tonight."
Bram laughed coldly.
"Not to worry. I won’t let them live that long."