A Darkness Unleashed (Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

her heart sinking into a pit in her stomach. What did I ever see in this man? Was he all an act?
    “I am no fool, Tymin.” She edged one hand closer to the sleeve. “I know you have them. I know you’ve been planning something since Midwinter. All I want is to disappear with them, because I don’t care what you were scheming with the chancellor. I didn’t really hear anything.” She filled her voice with sadness, trying to force a tear that she almost felt. “Please, for whatever friendship we once had, just let us go in peace. I promise to do the same.”
    The doctor rose from his chair, and from his sanguine expression Maddi thought he might do as she asked. Instead, Martin snapped his fingers. A bookcase moved forward and to the side, revealing a torch lit stone passage. Three men with an assortment of clubs and knives entered the room, placing themselves around Maddi.
    “You bastard,” she snarled, at last pulling a knife with each hand.
    Before she could move, Maddi felt Marten embrace his Talent, much as she had a hundred times before. This time it was different, though. It twisted, turning in on itself and warping in vibration. When he reached it toward her, she felt repulsed, as if it carried a black poison with it. A sucking feeling ripped at her heart as his psahn touched hers.
    With a shout, Maddi thrust herself away from him. She embraced her own Talent, forming a shield of psahn as if by instinct. The doctor’s attack pushed against her, and she wanted to vomit at its touch.
    “I knew you were a natural.” Marten’s voice remained calm, though it sounded distant in Maddi’s ear. “I had hoped to make you a friend, but I can see you will not have it.” He smiled a syrupy sweet grin. “The thing is, I know far much more than you can possibly imagine.”
    His psahn slammed against hers, throwing her physically across the room. The doctor’s henchmen moved without hesitation, wrapping thick arms around her and tearing away her knives. The blow from Marten’s life force left her staggered, dazed by the sudden strange collision of their Talents. Maddi could not resist as they dragged her into the secret passage. She barely registered the doctor following close and shutting the door behind him before she blacked out.
     

     
    P ain throbbed in Maddi’s temples. A slight groan escaped her lips as she rolled onto her side. Her arm did not follow, and the clank of metal rang in her ears. Am I chained?
    Her vision opened on dimness, revealing little more than they had when closed. A small fire burned in the distance, eventually resolving itself into a torch set in a rock wall. She heard rustling sounds and smelled oil smoke. Pushing herself upward, she leaned against a stone shelf. The chain clanged again, and Maddi realized her wrist was shackled to the wall.
    “There you are, my dear.” Marten’s voice, though still the same soft baritone, held a sinister edge she had never even imagined before. It sounded empty and hollow, and it echoed harshly in the dark chamber. “I was so hoping you would awaken in time for me to show you what our Talent is truly capable of. Oh, we can waste it on healing others – and at times that has rewards of its own, I’ll grant – but why not use it to better ourselves?” Her eyes had adjusted enough for her to see his pale face and the urgency that jumped around on it. “Pure self-interest is the only moral virtue one should care about, Maddi. I admired that in you when we first met. You seemed so driven to improve yourself and your lot in life.”
    Marten crossed his arms, his expression shifting to a smirk. “Oh, I know about your past…about a rooftop in Dern. I have more connections and influence than you know.” He leaned forward, his hand forming a fist. “That is the real reason why I brought you up so fast here at the College. I thought you would be an asset to our cause.” Sudden fire came into his voice. “And it is a just cause!”
    Maddi stared