Cadence woke up in complete darkness. She tried to move, but a low clink and the restraints against her limbs told her she was chained up.

Did the drug in the needle blind her? She panicked. No matter how hard she squinted, the darkness remained. She searched through her garments for something she could use as a weapon or pick her way out of her captivity, then remembered she left all her gear at the inn.

"It's useless," a voice opposite her said. "They made sure there was no light so we can't escape."

"Who are you?" Cadence pulled at her chains, futilely hoping they would break. "Where are we?"

"I'm like you," the girl said. "A Walker. We're somewhere in the Hunters' hideout. The basement, I presume, there's where the sun shies away from."

She couldn't believe her ears. "You're a Walker?"

"Unfortunately," the girl replied. "Years of hiding went to waste when my own uncle sold me for a hefty sum. Money always wins, eh?"

"What are they going to do to us?" Cadence rattled the chains until her wrists were sore, but there was no escape.

Never let them catch you without light. She had chucked her only flint at Zoroth. Now, she was weaponless, flint-less, and sightless.

"I don't know," the girl said. "They brought me here two nights ago. I've been observing, but there's nothing much to observe when you're trapped in darkness."

"We can escape when they feed us." Cadence tried to formulate a plan. "Surely they need light to maneuver."

The girl laughed. "You think I didn't try that? They blindfolded me, then they spoon-fed me. By the time they snatched off the blindfold, the light was gone."

Cadence pressed her hands against the wall, feeling the rough grooves and texture. She crawled as much as the chains allowed her to, and her fingers found rows of thick metal bars. They were most definitely in a cell—a cell with no windows. They were underground, as the other prisoner had mentioned. The cell smelled strongly of feces. Cadence shrunk back, feeling dread settle in.

"So," the other girl drawled out. "Since you're here, why not make acquaintance with one another?"

"I don't think is the time to make conversation. We should be trying to find a way out."

Cadence scraped the floor with her fingers, trying to find a loose nail, a broken chunk of wall, anything she could use to pick the locks. All she found was dust and more dust.

"Give up." There was a rattle as the other girl leaned against her part of the prison wall. "You thought I didn't comb through the walls and the floor?"

Frustrated, Cadence grabbed a fistful of hay and threw it into the air.

"This brings us back to my attempt of making acquaintance," the girl said. "My name is Nabiha Kastawinata."

"You're Lekhobarian?"

"Qah," Nabiha said. "I was about to join the Darahjan when my uncle suddenly announced we were moving to Moskava. I thought he was going on a business trip, as he was part of the Savi's political team, but little did I know he had sold me to Moskavan Walker Hunters for his weight in gold, and my uncle is a fat man, mind you."

"You speak good Moskavan for someone who have never lived here."

"I'm raised in many languages, Moskavan is a favorite. Now that you know my name, what's yours?"

"Cadence Novik."

"I hope your uncle didn't sell you to these kafirah either?"

"I was kidnapped," she said.

"I hope you put up a good fight," Nabiha said. "Broke some bones and white noses in the process."

"They drugged me with needles. I couldn't fight back."

Nabiha made a disgusted sound. "They copied our Darahjan. Our Darahjan use needles in combat. Shame on your countrymen, Cadence."

"Are Walkers welcomed in your nation?"

"All Varya are welcomed," Nabiha replied. "We believe the Varya are blessed directly by Atoun, and that's the greatest honor one can receive from Him who is Almighty, but Walkers are very rare. Your people have led the pursuit even till my nation and for the most ridiculous reason."

"Yeah, the nobility aren't the smartest," Cadence said.

"Indeed. Maybe the first of them were, but as their riches grew and the generations flourished, it became more of a show of wealth than intelligence."

"Are you ladies done chit-chatting?" Footsteps sounded, followed by the low jangle of keys, the sound of a lock turning. The bars swung open.

Cadence readied herself. The moment light flared, she would disarm all of them and shadow-run out of the cell.

Someone grasped her by the hair and yanked her head back. A blindfold was roughly tied around her eyes and a foul piece of rag was stuffed into her mouth. She fought, but the men handling her were stronger and weren't in chains. They dragged her out of the cell.

Much to Cadence's shock, Nabiha suddenly burst into tears. The Lekhobarian girl crawled toward Cadence, but her chains held her back.

"I lied. I've been here for a month. They've broken me in every way possible, and they're going to try to break you too, but you hang in here, do not let them take away your will. If you give up, every nation in Esvanira will burn."

"Shut up, bitch." There was a thud, followed by a whimper. The strong-voiced girl Cadence had heard in the cell was gone.

"What did you do to her?" Cadence wanted her sight back so badly she would kill for it. "Tell me!"

"You'll know soon enough."

Cadence tried to elbow one of the men. However, she missed completely and was rewarded with a slap to the face. Pain stung her cheek where the man had hit her.

"Oi," the other man said. "Don't mess her up, Taras won't be pleased to see you damaging the goods."

"She'll be carved up sooner or later, what's the difference?"

"Taras specifically asked for her. Do you want him to kill you?"

"Fine. Let's just get this bitch to him and we're done."

A deep, guttural roar rattled the corridor. Cadence recognized that roar—the roar of an Ancient. It was the same roar she had heard Zoroth emit when he was gravely injured—a roar of extreme anguish and helplessness.

"Why do you have an Ancient down here? What are you doing to him?"

"What we do to those abominations of nature is none of your business, bitch," the second man spat. "Now shut up before I slap the other pretty cheek."

"I dare you," Cadence taunted him. "I'd like to see you touch the person your master wants so badly."

"Taras?" the man scorned. "Master? You've got to be kidding me. Taras is nothing more than a dog with a bite. He serves the one Master only, we all do."

"I'm appalled to find you think so little of me." A new voice said solemnly.

Cadence's insides seized.

"T-Taras!" the man blustered. "I didn't know you'll be here! I thought you wanted me to deliver the girl to your chambers?"

"What do you think I am, a whoremonger? Please, even if I wanted a whore, I would go to a proper whorehouse. This girl here barely knows anything about pleasure."

There was a change of hands. The moment the two men took their hands off her, and she struck hard. Clasping her hands together, she grabbed the chain and brought it down with as much power as she could muster at the spot where she had estimated Taras to be.

To her horror, the chain bounced off the ground. The force of her blow ricocheted back into her arms, and she dropped the chains in pain.

"Your attempts are very futile, little Walker." Taras' voice was flat and unimpressed. He tightened his grasp on Cadence's chains and dragged her forward, jerking her to her knees.

Warmth exploded over her skin, but she couldn't see it through the thick, black blindfold. Ales had taught her that darkness is a Walker's ultimate foe, but had never told her how blindness affected a Walker. She relied on her sight to see the physical form of shadows. And now, without light or sight, she was as useless as a block of wood.

Taras pushed her into a lying position and strapped her into chains, straining her limbs onto a diagonal cross. He whipped off her blindfold. The burst of light was too much to be taken in at once. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the glare.

When her eyes finally acclimatized to the light, she grabbed the shadows nearest to her and aimed them straight at Taras' heart.

"Naughty," Taras said in a sing-song voice and struck her in the temple.

The shadows fell limp and receded back into their respective corners. She tried to draw Energy from her Core, but the door within her had slammed shut.

"You must be wondering why we scoured all over the world to find you, Cadence." Taras' disfigured face was inches from Cadence's. "Let me make it blisteringly clear for you, little Walker. You're only here because of your Affinity, and you're going to be a part of something otherworldly, a project so overwhelming you will never be able to interpret it from your limited perspective. You should have been here a whole month earlier, but that stupid mentor of yours hid you from us."

"You killed Ales." Cadence growled.

"It's simply a matter of time. That man must go." Taras turned and picked up a small knife. She turned her head to her right to find a wooden table full of wicked tools and devices.

Cadence shivered. Was he going to torture her?

"Ales should have known better than to believe Master would raise his precious wife and daughter from the dead. Master only rewards those who earned it. Your mentor jumped on the bandwagon at the very last minute, eager at the chance to revive his family, no matter what cost. Do you know how good it felt, Cadence? Do you know how triumphant it feels to wipe the smile off Ales' face as he was forced to collaborate with the person who had killed his own wife and daughter? Let me tell you how it feels—it feels awesome."

Cadence spat. "You're a monster."

"You haven't seen nothing of me yet." Taras leaned in and caressed Cadence's hair. "I wish he was here to see me cut the life out of you."

"Why are you doing this? What would you gain from torturing me?"

"To prepare you as a vessel, of course!" Taras said as a-matter-of-factly. "Master needs a Walker vessel devoid of human will so he could assert himself completely, but not all vessels can contain his Soul. When Master was defeated by the people he trusted, Katya did not have the heart to kill him, for she was in love with Master. Instead, she cut up Master's Shell, Soul, and Spirit and disposed them in different vessels and locations. So Master waited, he waited for years and years until someone released his first Aspect."

"The Polong," Cadence felt faint. No, the Polong could not be Kazimir. Kazimir was dead for more than a thousand years.

Yes, silly girl. Kazimir said. The Founders are very real, and you released a part of me. For that, I am eternally grateful.

"Your little episode at Mansion Orelik hadn't gone unnoticed. You released his Spirit, which was the second vessel, and part of it was tethered to you. Kazimir had possessed another body, but the body fought back. He was barely able to recruit us to round up the remaining Walkers."

"You're a bloody Walker Hunter," Cadence hissed. "Why are you working with the master Walker himself?"

"Me? A Walker Hunter?" Taras laughed. It was the kind of laugh that caused the hair at the back of her neck to stand up. "There are things you are ignorant about. I'm a servant of Kazimir, now and forever. The Walker Hunters think we're rounding up Walkers to be killed, but they have no idea we're a part of something so much bigger. When all Aspects of Kazimir are reunited, not even the Great Wall can stop him from destroying what was his in the first place. You are the perfect vessel, Cadence. Part of Kazimir is already inside you. When we break you completely, Kazimir will live again. So, I strongly suggest that you cooperate."

"Eat me." Cadence spat in his face.

Taras snarled. "Very well, churl. Have it your way."

The Hunter snapped his fingers, and a boy no older than Cadence and dressed in rags stumbled into the room.

"You called, m-my lord?"

"Your service is needed." Taras patted the chair next to his. "Come here."

The boy looked weedy, as though he had only eaten once every few days and had stopped growing from malnutrition. His face was covered with scratches, the gash across his forehead was still bleeding.

"See this girl here?" Taras pointed at Cadence. "I want you to break her right leg."

Cadence struggled and writhed, jerking her bonds until the table quaked along with her.

"I-I really don't think I should do this, m'lord," the boy stammered. "It isn't right."

Taras backhanded the boy across the face. "When I say do it," he thundered. "DO IT."

"Y-yes, m'lord!" The boy threw out a hand.

"I'm sorry," he told Cadence, tears running down his cheeks. "I do not want to do this, but I have no choice."

He closed his hand into a fist. Just like that, he snapped Cadence's femur.

The pain was sharp and instant. She hissed, tears blossoming.

I will not scream. I will not give Taras the pleasure of hearing me scream.

"The other leg," Taras said.

The boy complied. He must be a Healer, like Eli, but instead of putting his abilities to good use, Taras had forced his gift of human-body manipulation into something deadlier.

Cadence writhed like a snake caught in a trap.

"The left arm."

Snap. The scream she had been holding down burst free from her throat.

"The right arm."

Snap.

She screamed as the boy broke her fingers, one by one, then proceeded to her ribs.

She lost count of how many bones the boy snapped, she lost track of time, all that registered was the excruciating pain.

Through her blurry vision, she saw Taras twist the ring on his finger. Ales did that a lot too, it was a queer habit of his. For a moment, she saw Ales torture her, not Taras.

Dark golden hair which fell across his eyes, the impeccable cleanliness of his kubah and cloak, his scarred forearms reaching out for her...

"I'm sorry," the boy cried as he shattered her toes. "I'm sorry."

Eventually, her body decided it was enough and stopped sending signals to her brain. The pain simmered like a low fire, but it was no longer pure agony. Taras placed a hand on the boy's shoulders.

"Heal her."

"Please, m'lord," the boy begged. "Please."

Taras backhanded the boy again. He flew back and smashed his head against the table. Metal clinked as knives and scalpels fell.

"I said, Heal her!"

The boy struggled to his feet and placed his hands on Cadence's broken body.

"No," Cadence pleaded. "Please just let me die."

"You're not the only one who craves death," the boy whispered. "We all want nothing to do with Kazimir."

The boy fused every broken bone in Cadence's body, then worked on the bruises. Taras watched the boy patch up Cadence, eyes shining with anticipation.

"Every time he Heals you, I shall make him break you. The only way you can get out of your misery is to stop fighting back. I want you to acknowledge me and Kazimir as your master and owner."

"Only when the ice in the Underlands melts." Cadence strained at her chains. She felt her Energy coming back to life, flowing from her Core and through her body again. She only needed to let it build up, and she would kill Taras.

So close. Cadence grabbed the Energy-

"I don't think so." Taras struck her heart with two fingers, once again blocking her Core. "Not under my watch."

"You son of a bitch," Cadence said between gritted teeth. "You're going to pay for Ales' life with yours."

"Big words for a girl who can't even move," Taras said. He picked up something from a tray, she couldn't tell what it was, pressed it against her temple and drew it down from her forehead, down her right eye and to her cheek, opening up a bleeding door in her skin.

My eye, My eye! She howled, feeling the blood ooze from the wound and trickle down her cheek.

Taras had cut deep enough to draw a permanent scar, but not deep enough to affect her vision. He needed her in one piece for Kazimir. He produced a blindfold from his pocket and tied it around Cadence's eyes, once again drowning her in complete darkness.

"A parting gift. I will see you later."

Cadence heard the swish of a cloak and the creak of a door.

"Come, Ivan," he said. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"Don't let them break you," Ivan whispered into Cadence's ear. "Kazimir must not rise again."

He scampered after Taras and the door of the dungeon slammed shut, leaving Cadence alone in the darkness and the blistering pain of a scarred face.