She had been certain her friends would have found her within the first day, but no one visited her, not a soul, and she wasn't able to hide from her thoughts when she was alone. They circled around Uzo, pecking at her like angry birds until her soul bled and though it hurt, she made no effort to stop their attack. She deserved that and much more for her failures.
The second and third day was much like the first and she found her thoughts going to Daemon when her self-hatred ran out of things to blame her for. Why he was on her mind was made apparent by the tickle in her throat. It was mildly irritating, but was growing into an obnoxious burning that was a steady need by day four and she found herself straining against her bindings.
When Megara finally deemed it worth her time to visit, Etani was irritable and impatient so that when Megara asked for the magic, Etani told her simply, to fuck off. The princess had looked affronted but Drizdan had laughed from behind the wall.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Drow?" Megara snapped, beads and gems clicking as her head turned to him.
"Not at all. I'm here to ensure you don't kill my wife out of spite," he was still chuckling when Megara turned back to her.
"You've been around scum like him too long. How dare you speak to me like that?"
"I'm your Queen, Megara. I'll speak to you however I see fit, especially so when you have had me kidnapped and attempted to have me assassinated so many times."
Megara flushed and Etani smiled, watching her with interest.
"You had better hope I don't ever escape, because I'm going to kill you just as soon as I can."
It was not an empty threat and Megara's face went pale, her eyes going to the guard who nodded and opened the door.
Drizdan appeared at the door to watch, his eyes excited while her mind went blank in fear at the sight of what the guard was holding.
He carried a large metallic rod, and she watched him as he approached her, the padding around the end he was holding telling her it was likely iron.
She found out very quickly that it was indeed iron when the rod was pressed against her shoulder and she screamed, the metal burning into her flesh with a loud sizzling sound and a mass of grey smoke.
"Surrender the magic," Megara said, but Etani could only shake her head and bit her lip to keep from gasping as the iron was pulled away.
The iron touched her neck and again she screamed, her skin bubbling under the contact with the rod. It felt like she was being boiled by it and there was no stopping the sounds she made.
Drizdan was staring intently, but she worked to block him out, refusing to give into him.
"I can make her give it up," he whispered into the silence after the iron was removed and her eyes snapped open, fear ripping through her.
Megara had seen, and she looked at him curiously. "You are not to sexually abuse her. Otherwise, go ahead," she said.
The guard stepped back, offering him the rod.
She shook her head, scrambling back into the wall behind her, but there was nowhere to go. Drizdan smiled as he stepped into the room and the door was locked behind him.
He reached for her and she whimpered as his fingers curled in her hair, the rod lifted to her face.
There was no question from him; instead, his brows lifted. She shook her head, though if it was to her submitting to him or Megara she didn't know.
Her voice broke at the screams that erupted from her throat as he pressed the tip of the rod against her eye, pressing down with brutal force until the rod had sunk into the socket and Megara left, her face green. This was no situation for a lady.
The rod clattered to the floor as her world wavered, relief filling her as darkness hovered around the edges of her vision.
"No, my darling, you're not getting away from me that easily," he growled, grinning massively as he slapped her face and she looked up at him, hating him as the darkness faded.
"Let me go…" she whimpered, but he only shook his head.
"Not until you agree."
She closed her remaining eye and slumped against him, her body trembling, but she refused to give in.
The guard had left after ten minutes and she was left alone with him though she had forgotten why he was hurting her, whether for Megara or himself, it was impossible to tell.
He was enjoying it too, her head hanging and giving her a full view of just how much he enjoyed abusing her.
Finally, he gripped her jaw and lifted her head to look at him. Her face was streaked with blood and tears, along with a large number of cuts.
"Your choice, Etani; it's me or Megara," he growled, his grip on her being the only thing that kept her up.
"What does choosing you entail?" she whispered,
His attention left her for a moment before he looked back at her, tense. "I want an obedient wife."
"For how long?"
"All the time," he growled.
She smiled vaguely, only half able to focus on him. "One day a year," she said.
He hissed in anger. "Three hours a day."
"One day every six months."
"One hour every day."
"One day a month."
"One day a week."
"One day in two weeks, excluding the time already agreed upon with others," she said finally.
He looked nervously away from her again. "Fine," he snapped.
"Deal," she breathed.
He stepped back from her suddenly, his grin gleeful as his hands lifted in the air in a sign of surrender.
The door burst inwards, and someone screamed, boots thudding on stone. Warm hands found her face in a tender brush she didn't understand. She blinked down at the boots, recognising but having no idea why.
The hands were gentle as they lifted her head and she looked up to see Daemon, his face pale and hands trembling.
Frowning, she looked from him to Drizdan and back again, not understanding. The realisation was slowly forming in her mind. He had been stressing because he had heard Daemon heading their way. He had known, and so he had pushed the issue fast. He laughed as anger bloomed over her face. He had gotten what he wanted at the very last second.
Daemon's arms were tight around Etani. He used a cloth to release her and she whimpered as she fell against him. "This is treason," he growled.
"I was only following orders," Drizdan said, his arms bound behind him by Jagum.
The one who had screamed was the tiny form of Letari, clutched in the arms of Jaia, who looked ready to vomit.
"By whose orders?" Daemon demanded as he tried to figure out where it was safe to hold Etani without hurting her more. The smell of him was setting off her hunger, and she was growling softly, his attention elsewhere.
"Megara."
Etani was no longer focusing on the conversation, instead her attention was on Daemon's throat, and as his head turned, she struck.
He made to pull her off him but then went still, simply holding her to him as she drank. His free hand slid under her knees, and he scooped her up.
"Then you will bear witness to her treason." Daemon was furious. The heat of his anger only enhanced the taste of him, and Etani's one eye found Drizdan's.
His mouth moved, though she didn't think he had spoken, mouthing 'two weeks.'
She could only nod, knowing better than to argue, and Daemon pulled her through to her room in Ayathian.
Kai's cry was almost as loud as Letari's scream had been, Daemon wobbling on his feet and her wounds refusing to heal. Finally, she pulled away from him only when his grip weakened on her.
She looked up at him, his face pale and drawn but he smiled at her and his lips met hers in a hard kiss.
Etani froze for an instant before she met his kiss with her own. Her fingers curled in his shirt and the low growl was ignored by them both.
He collapsed a second later, and she swayed in place, looking down at him.
Looking up slowly, she met the eyes of first Jaia and then Epharis and she couldn't help but laugh gently at both of their furious, borderline homicidal glares. If Drizdan had been there, she might have won a prize by infuriating three men at once.
The sudden intake in air was all it took. Her body hit the floor a second later, and her world went black.