The next day, I’m dragged from my cave-room. I don’t know where I’m going. I kick and scratch, but Jedidiah’s grip is unyielding.

He drags me to another cave room. The man he calls Raidyn is in it, just standing there, half covered by shadows. What is with him and shadows? I involuntarily shudder. I’m not sure why, Raidyn shouldn’t- no- doesn’t frighten me. Liar.

Jedidiah drops me onto the ground roughly, and my hands scrape against the cave floor. As quickly as I can muster, I scramble to my knees and crawl towards the cave wall. I press my back against it.

Jedidiah turns and walks out, leaving me with Raidyn.

“I hear you’ve been giving Jedidiah a hard time.” it wasn’t a question.

“I don’t owe you any answers.” I say, hoping my voice sounds braver than I feel.

Raidyn steps towards me and I shrink away. “That’s where you’re wrong.” he says, his eyes hold a menacing gleam. I shudder again.

He holds out a hand towards me, and when I don’t immediately take it he grabs my wrist and jerks me to my feet. I cry out in pain, my scraped hands and knees sting, my wrist aches from the force behind his movement.

“What do you want?” I yell, almost screaming. “Just let me go!”

“No.”

“Why not! What have I ever done to you, I don’t even know you!”

“I want to know why you were in the woods last night.”

“You should already know that.” I mutter.

“I know what Jedidiah told me, but I don’t think you told him everything.”

Of course not.

“So you think I’m lying?” I ask, seething.

“Maybe.” he shrugs, I want to throw something at him, anything to wipe the smug expression off his face.

“Well I wasn’t.” I say quietly. “My family truly did get injected, and I was running. I’m not a liar.”

He nods, as if accepting my words. “But why the woods?”

“Because I figured I’d be safer there than on the road.”

He growls, I’m assuming in frustration. “Fine.” he mutters, “Lets try this another way. Where are you going?”

My head fills with a thousand lies I could tell him, but some small voice tells me that lying now would be unwise. “I’m going to Cristiano. I’m going to request a meeting with Queen Anna and plead for her cure to the injections.”

Raidyn stares at me, completely shocked.

“You’re what?!” he shouts, “Are you stupid?”

Probably.

Before I can say anything in my defense, Raidyn whistles, loud and clear. Jedidiah appears in the doorway. “Take her back.” Raidyn says.

Jedidiah picks me up and carries me like a child, back to the tiny cell. He practically tosses me into it and slams the door, an angry expression on his face. What just happened?