They threw me back in the cart and in less than ten minutes I am again dumped onto the floor. My arms collide with the cold cement and I scream. Once the pain subsides, I realize water – I hope it's water – drips in the corner and a faint light from above shines on the small cell made up of slabs of dark grey. Teren stands beside the bars of the prison and looks down at me, his expression terrifying eagerness.

The cell door swings open, and a dark-skinned woman with grey-streaked black hair tied into a bun enters. Her light blue blouse swishes around her knees as she strides toward me.

"What is this?" snaps Teren. "I am to interrogate her. There is no need for her to be muffled or healed – you are unneeded."

The woman ignores him and stops before me. She withdraws a small, rectangular piece of metal and presses down on the top. A small flame blooms. I stare at it, fascinated, and lean forward slightly, something inside tugging me toward the spark.

The woman draws the metal to the ice on my arm and I snap out of my reverie and scramble back. I won't let anyone else hurt me.

She shakes her head, annoyed. "I am going to melt off the ice, not harm you any further."

"Did you not hear me?" demands Teren. "I asked you a question. Answer me."

The woman's eyes flash and she turns around to face him. "Now is that anyway to speak to your instructor?" she says.

I watch them curiously. Instructor?

Teren glares at her. "That was years ago. I am no child. As a favored house of the king, I possess more authority and standing in His Majesty's eyes." He straightens his shirt. "House Meris is among the top families in the court as opposed to yours."

"You know well I am of House Arol," she says coolly. "In case you forgot your teachings, we are of the High Houses, yet unlike some, we are not the king's lapdogs. Doing such does not give you permission to command me as he does. In fact, the king himself sent me. His Majesty does not wish for her to die before he is through with her." She spins back around and crouches beside me.

Despite my wariness, I find myself again nearing the flame that flickers to life a second time. The woman places the contraption to the ice nearest my shoulder. I study it, skeptical that such something no more than an ember can possible be effective. Then, once it touches the cuff, the flame fire it entirely.

Instead of fear at the flames that could burn me, I'm captivated, entranced. I stare as the fire licks at the rapidly melting ice. The woman observes, a curious glint in her eyes. She lights the rest of the bands and they all responds in the same way. The warmth seeps through to my skin, slightly soothing my injuries.

Once the fire threatens to directly touch my skin at the bloodied flesh, I panic, completely at odds with the content I felt just moments ago. My heart races and the ice that remains embedded aches with newfound agony? Will the fire blaze past my skin? If it thaws the ice within, will it burn right through to my bones?

The fire seems to pause. They stay in place, simply flickering without melting the cuffs. The woman tilts her head, studying the fire. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Teren stiffen. I don't dare to breathe, keeping my eyes on the frozen flames.

"No powers, you say?" She breaks the silence. I meet her eyes, her amber gaze reflecting the flames.

Her hands reach for my shoulders. Immediately, I scramble away, refusing to allow any of them to touch me again. But right as her hands touch my skin, any remaining strength leeches out of me. I sag against the damp wall as I'm overcome with the feeling of all the life in me rushing out in a tidal wave.

The flames diminish alongside any spark of a fight in me. The woman's hands are cold, colder than anything I've ever felt. Colder than the ice that sears my body. There's a nagging feeling in my mind, telling me I've felt something similar to the woman's freeze, but the drain makes it hard to focus.

She watches me, leaving her hands for a few more moments, then she pulls away and everything pours back into me at once. A shuddering gasp comes from me as the world suddenly comes into sharp focus.

My eyes snap to the woman. "What did you do to me?" I hiss, panting from the severe shift.

She doesn't answer me, instead pulling out a small blade and bringing it to my arm. I move to back away, only to find that I've already pushed myself to the corner of the small cell.

"I am not going to cut you," she says, frustration evident in her voice. "Do you not want that damn ice out of you? It is a miracle you have not passed out or died due to it."

As though summoned by her words, the pain returns full force. The burning cold is worse than before, and the frozen agony is in my bones – not surprising since the ice seems to have sunk in deep enough to touch them.

"If you want to live, you will stop being so difficult," She brings the knife closer, and the pain leaves me unable to fight her even if I wanted. I can't do more than pant and bite my lip to keep from screaming in icy agony.

The woman lightly runs the blade across the now-thin ice, splitting it. She does the same on the other end of the cuff. She pulls out one half of the band, and is the spikes are extracted, I lose my control and scream. Though it isn't as painful as when Valentina drove them in, it is still agonizing. I screw my eyes shut and feel the blood dripping down my arm as the other band is pulled out. I kick at the floor, digging my head into the wall.

Cool hands then cover the wound. A wave of relief washes over me, and I stop screaming. Gradually, the agony seeps away until it disappears entirely.

I rest my head against the wall, heavy breaths dragging out of me. After a few moments, I open my eyes and look down to where the top cuff on my arm was. In its place is unmarred flesh. Fresh blood drips down from where the ice cut in, painting a new coat of scarlet over my arms. My eyes flick to the ground where shattered ice lays, to the woman with my blood on her hands.

"You could have warned me," I growl.

"You would have struggled more if you knew how it would feel." She waves anger with a hand. "Besides, there is no point. It would have hurt the same amount either way."

"Hurry this up," says Teren. "I do not have all day to be in the presence of this filth."

The woman doesn't acknowledge his words. "I am going to do the same for the rest of the ice. Is that enough warning?" she mocks.

I glare at her, then close my eyes, clenching my hands into fists. The sound of the blade on the ice sends my heartbeat into a frenzy and I tense in anticipation. Then, she does it all over again, each removal of each band another round of torture.

After what feels like hours of excruciating pain, my arms are free of the bands and healed. The only evidence of the injuries is the intermittent spaces of clean, bare skin between the lines of blood that now seem to be from invisible wounds. It throbs, the freshly healed skin tender to the touch.

"Now leave," commands Teren. "Let me continue and complete my task."

The woman doesn't say anything to him. She simply pulls out a needle. I press back against the wall at the sight. I'm used to needles – I've been stitched up a number of times after the fights. But an Aurelian holding a syringe to my skin makes memories of Jax arise.

"I need to take your blood," she says, oddly soothing. "It will take no more than a moment."

For some reason, I go still. I don't move as she pricks me with the needle, filling the tube with crimson.

She removes the syringe and a drop of blood trickles down my arm. Somehow, it manages to stand out against the rest of the blood on my arm. Standing, she tucks the syringe into her pocket and walks out of the cell without another word.

Teren turns to me, and a grin crawls onto his face. "Let us begin."

I scramble to my feet, pressing my body against the damp wall. But Teren doesn't move. Instead, he tilts his head, and his eyes bore into mine. His icy brown gaze cuts into mine, and I close my eyes, looking away.

The intrusion starts slow. A tingling sensation begins in my head. Then, it's as though fingers are sifting through my mind, the events in my life shuffled through as he searches for the answers he wants. It doesn't hurt, but his being in my head is so violating that I slam my head against the wall, as though it'll get him out. I hear him chuckle at my disturbed reaction.

"Where is it, little scum?" he says. "Where is what you know? Where is the memory of your powers?"

Then, there's a sort of tugging sensation within my mind. "What's this?" Teren's voice rises in intrigue. The tugging strengthens, and, a blurry memory of black smoke and screaming and flames and pain surfaces. I gasp in shock and my eyes fly open. Just as quick as it appeared, the memory vanishes. But the memory of smoke clogging my throat and screams of pain ring in my ears.

I stare at Teren with wide eyes. "What did you put in my head?" I whisper.

Teren studies me with a curious expression. "I put nothing in your head. It seems you yourself do not know of this. Pity – I am also unable to see it."

Is that a memory from before I came to the orphanage? Is that why I came to the orphanage? A terrifying thought dawns on me. Was I the reason I came to the orphanage? Miss Elodie's rambling resurface. They all burned, and so will you.

Before I can linger any longer on the memory, Teren's mental fingers turn into blades and dig into my mind. I cry out and bend over, clutching my head.

"I'm getting tired, little scum," he sing-songs. "Say what you must, and perhaps the king will be merciful and kill you quickly." A feral grin spreads on his lips. "But I do hope he will allow me to have you first – you are quite fun."

My fingers curl into the wall as I watch with horror as Teren fixes me with the same, piercing gaze. His eyes then take on a strange light. "Well what do we have here?"

I'm hit full force with a fresh memory: Kaya's death. "No!" I cry, pressing my hands into my eyes. But it's no use; the memory plays on in my mind and I'm unable to escape my head. When the fire comes up, the memory sinks back into my mind. I open my eyes, glaring at Teren as tears threaten to spill.

"How did you do it?" he says. When I stay silent, unable to answer the question that no one believes me for, he smiles. "Very well. This will be much more enjoyable for me."

Suddenly, a memory from years ago plays in my head. Except, it doesn't play as I remember it. Instead of me trying to save Jax, trying to keep him with me, I push him before me. I subject him to the pain and save myself instead of him. It tears through my heart, even though I know I tried to save him – I know I didn't do that, the memory looks so real. I sink to the floor as my mind battles against Teren's attempts to twist my memories.

My nails dig into the freshly healed skin, but the pain does little to combat the manipulation. I try to hold onto the truth of the events, try to push away his efforts, but he just pushes harder.

"How wretched," he says delightedly. "You put yourself before those you loved, you relished in their pain. How do you live with yourself?"

My breaths come fast and heavy as I try to fight, but with every second, Teren's fingers weave the memories into my faults. Beating against the floor, I bang my head against the wall as the horror sinks in with the newly formed memories.

A strangled cry wrenches from my throat as I remember how I purposefully pushed Jax to protect myself. "I'm sorry," I shriek to his memory. "I'm so sorry, take me!" My words are in vain, words that should have been spoken years ago. Words that could have saved him.

"It's too late," Teren laughs. "Oh, if only you could have said so then. If only you hadn't been so selfish."

I scream and dig my nails into my scalp, bloody fingers tearing at my hair as the past hours play through my head. I remember how My finger pulled the trigger and sent the bullet burrowing into her stomach. I remember how my lips turned up at the sight of her blood, the cost for Valentina sparing me, the cost I paid readily. I remember her scarlet fingers reaching out as my flames gleefully devour her body.

A guttural shriek tears from my lips as flames burst around me in the cell, reminiscent of the fire that destroyed everything I loved.

I lay there, choked sobs fighting against my sealed lips as I try to keep myself from crying in front of Teren. The flames roar around me, but my heart roars louder.

"You really don't know, do you?"

I look up at Teren. "No," I whisper, looking back down at my hands. Flames engulf them and I watch with horror as my skin goes unsinged. I have fire. Like Jax. I have powers.

Like Them.

"I wonder if you have another ability, as the king asked me to discover." I don't look at Teren, but I hear a terrifying eagerness creep into his voice. "Only one way to find out."

Once again, he's in my brain. My hands grip my head, nails digging into my scalp. My eyes only see the cement floor but at the same time my mind shows me horrors that are and aren't real. I'm thrown off a cliff and the rocks below spear through my body. Then, my own flames race across my skin, but this time they sear my flesh. Scene after scene of excruciating pain racks my body in agony. I try to tell myself it isn't real, that Teren is twisting my mind to make me think it's real. But the pain is so real, it has to be real. "Stop!" I shriek

Now I'm tied to the ocean floor, drowning. When I can no longer hold my breath, water rushes into my mouth and down my throat.

Water douses the blazing flames in the cell. I gulp down the air, the drowning scene all too real. I raise my eyes to a stunned Teren. I don't realize why until I see the water seeping from my hands to the dying embers. My eyes snap to his.

"Fire and water," he says. "Quite the combination. It seems we have done as much as we could." A smile spreads across his face. "Now for the fun."

I don't want to scream, as he puts me through the agony over and over again, but when he sets blazing knives slicing my skin he says, "Scream, scum."

And I do.