Chapter 27
The first face my eyes opened on was not one I expected to see. In fact, I thought him long dead and buried as worm food.
"Jadewyn," the Colonel of Indian blood greeted me. I opened my mouth and grimaced, my throat was as dried up as last year's apple doll.
"You're dead," I said stupidly.
He grinned, those creepy perfect white teeth at me. "As dead as you are, Mr. James."
"I thought the Dursvan cut off your head."
"No. He did manage to slice other parts of me. Luckily, local EMTs arrived and helped save me. I've been looking for you since, James."
"What are you going to do with me?" I was afraid, and he knew it. His grin was not pleasant.
"Col. Brightarm," a doctor said and he turned.
"Jadewyn James," he acknowledged. "I've been searching for him, since Boston." Before I could protect myself, he had my mouth jammed shut with a rubber gag device, my hands and elbows pinioned with flex ties and strapped to a gurney. He leaned close into my face and I saw an unearthly blue flame in the back of his dark eyes. Mine widened. Although human and mortal, he had the flavor and essence of the Druz and the Druz leader, in particular.
"There are more of us than you bargained for, String Bearer," he whispered. "I have plans for you. Plans that will make what the Druz general had in mind look like child's play. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be alive with no arms, legs, ears, eyes, nose, half your guts and without a dick to pee through? There are many parts I can rip off and still leave you living. If you want to call it living. I have a very talented vivisectionist that is dying to get his hands on you, James."
He nodded to the doctor and they pulled my sheet down, exposed my ass, stuck me with a big bore needle and it brought tears to my eyes. As the icy burn traveled up my back, it took away my breath, my hearing and my consciousness. Without my voice, I was helpless.
*****
A bright spear of light twisted deep in my eye. I wanted to cry out and couldn't. My throat constricted, and my muscles cramped, but I couldn't even voice a groan. My body felt paralyzed except for my eyes and that produced only the after image of a red spot. Voices murmured around me, the rustling of papers, the scent of alcohol and formaldehyde.
I swallowed. Something was in my throat, a tube of some kind that triggered my gag reflex, but I couldn't throw up or pull it out. Tears ran down my cheek and now, I felt cool air on my skin, and goose bumps raised. I was totally naked.
"He's awake, Colonel," the voice was southern with a drawl like West Texas. Faces loomed over me; their hands gripped my chin and lifted my face to an uncomfortable stretch.
"Well, hello, my beauty," the Boston Seneca Indian said nearly to my eyelids. I tried to struggle but the most I could manage was to slowly curl my fingers and toes. I was absurdly grateful I could feel them after the last conversation with him. "No, you can't speak. We know not to let you conjure your power talisman. At least, not until we learn how to take it away from you. Care to enlighten us? No? I didn't think so.
"So. You'll stay gagged and bound. We'll feed you with the tube through your nose.
Worse comes to worse, we'll put in a stomach tube and keep your weight up that way. You pee through a tube and when you need to eliminate, we have a bedpan for you unless you prefer diapers.
"The scientists want to explore your insides quite seriously. So I'm not exactly sure how long you'll be with us. Dead or alive, you're worth about the same." He stared into my eyes.
"You understand me, James?" I nodded. "Are you expecting the US cavalry to come riding to the rescue? We are the cavalry."
I wished I could spit. I wished I could curse. All I could do was ooze salty tears of frustration down my cheeks.
"Your eyes flashed like diamonds, no emeralds. Full of light and hate. Where did you send the Druz? Can you bring them back?"
I managed to butt my head forward and whacked him on the chin. He cursed and dropped my face to land on the table with a thunk. I saw stars.