<< Chapter 9
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Light pierced through the darkness, and I found myself, once again, back in my prison bunk. My joints ached, and I found it hard to get up. Lying there, drenched in sweat, I couldn't help but think that it was still a better situation than—
What was I doing prior? I-I ... I was ... This was still a better situation than ... Gah!
What was it? I can't seem to recall. I was ... traveling? Was I traveling? No, I ... I don't think so. I ... No, wait! My captors poisoned me! Damn those giants!
"Ledd, are you feeling better?" asked Mamie, as she walked in.
"No thanks to you! Don't think that for one second I would forget that you drugged me."
Mamie stabbed my left underarm with some ... thing. I-I'm not quite sure what it was. It felt cold to the touch, and it displayed numbers once she clicked open the device.
37.0 C. What could it mean? Was it a timer of some sort? A clock perhaps? Wait, a timer? Was it ... Was I strapped to a bomb?!
I fidgeted and wiggled my body to get myself free. Mamie held me down and attempted to stick back the bomb.
"Ledd!," she pleaded. "Stay still, please!"
"No! Are you kidding me?! D-Do you think I would just lay here and let you blow me up? What do you think of me you ... You giant!"
That was the fact that I seemed to always forget. Mamie was a giant. Even though sometimes it felt like the way she treated me was different, she was still one of them.
It seems that I have sweated out the poison, and now they've resorted to an explosive to get rid of me. For some reason, their treatment of their prisoners had become harsher ever since I left. Could it have been my fault? Was their failure in securing me the reason for the more violent measures?
I kicked her wildly, but it didn't prove to be effective. My lack of strength and the giants' improved armor had turned the tide to their favor. If I wouldn't be able to come up with a plan, this would surely be the end for me.
Then, all of a sudden, an epiphany!
With all the strength I had left, I held on to her wrist tightly and refused to let go. I stopped wiggling my body and focused all of my power on my grip. If she was relentlessly going to kill me with the bomb, then I might as well take her with me.
Mamie tried to pull herself away, but couldn't shake my grip. She placed her palm on my forehead, thinking it would loosen my hold of her, but I refused to let up. Thinking really wasn't a strong suit for these giants. It was a distinct advantage that I held over them, and one that I will not grow tired of using.
The giant looked upon worriedly. I couldn't imagine what was going through her head, bested by a prisoner. Being defeated by a Sachaphoyan was nothing to scoff at, but it would surely taint her legacy.
If word got out of a giant's defeat, this act could start several uprising from different prisons. My victory would usher in a sense that these giants were not as invulnerable as they're made out to be. That would be a glorious death. I would rest easy if that would be my legacy. Heraldo de la libertad!
The bomb beeped repeatedly. The time of reckoning was almost upon us! I've already submitted to my fate a long time ago. With all the water treatments and every manner of torture, I've already resigned to my fate. That was the difference between the two of us.
"Any last words?" I taunted Mamie, as I held on to her firmly. Mutually-assured destruction — I never thought this would be the way I exited the mortal plane. I closed my eyes and waited for the final boom.
Lo and behold, the explosion never came to pass. If I were being honest, it was a bit anti-climactic. I guess the giant feared death way more than I anticipated. Maybe she had thought about the implications of her defeat, specifically if it would spark several rebellions.
On one hand, I felt relieved to be alive, although on the other, I felt ... a bit empty. I had already submitted to leaving that legacy that I ... No, I shouldn't ... I shouldn't think that way. I was alive. I live to fight another day. That's all that matters. I'll leave a different, way better legacy some other time.
Mamie pulled out the bomb and disarmed it. She looked at me smiling and placed her lips on my forehead. The giant stood up and gave up on her latest attempt. In turn, I released my grip, and chalked it up to a victory. I smiled back knowing that I foiled their plan once again.
"His fever must have broken," I overheard Mamie telling Lowla.
Fever? I'm not quite sure what a fever is, but if they feel relieved about mine breaking, should I start worrying? I checked my body for anything dislocated or missing, but I couldn't seem to find one.
Was fever the source of my power, the one that allows me to conjure my viento into weapons? I certainly hope not, or else I'll make them pay dearly for that transgression.
I tried to get up, but the pain I felt in my joints prevented me from doing so. Was fever their term for joints? If it is, it's such a strange term to use. I had to find out what it was. I needed to be certain that they haven't stripped me of my powers permanently.
Lowla snuck in and held me down on the bed. She wrapped me around my blanket and wiped the sweat from my skin. What a sneaky move to steal my essence. These giants wasted no time in trying to drain me.
"Eat your soup, Ledd," the giant demanded, waving a metallic ladle in front of my face. She placed her other hand beneath my chin, then force fed me the scalding liquid.
I tried to resist, but I was no match for her. Lowla made sure that I slurped every bit of the yorsup she fed me. Probably some other kind of poison which, strangely enough, tasted kind of good. These giants haven't learned that poison doesn't affect me.
A few moments later, I felt my chest tighten until it felt like it was close to bursting. I panicked, so I sat up and tried to swat the bowl of yorsup from Lowla's hand. What was this ... It seemed like I underestimated the poison. Masked by that savory flavor, it seemed as if that it was the poison that would finally do me in.
BURP! I let out a loud belch, as an air pocket vacated my body. My chest loosened, and my breathing returned to normal. I panted, trying to catch my breath.
"There there," Lowla muttered, while she continually slapped my back. The giant must be furious at yet another defeat.
Sitting up, I stared at her and grinned. "I told you your poison won't have any effect on me."
She wiped my mouth and strapped me down the bed with a blanket. With her torture device in hand, she stood up and left the room. There were no parting words, no promise of another attempt.
I knew they were coming for me again, it was only a matter of time. I sincerely hoped that these giants know by now that I am forever vigilant. They may be strong, but I'm smarter and more agile. I've escaped them once before, and I shall do so again.
From the tiny opening provided by the door Lowla left ajar, I could see the giants conversing. My viento was weak, and I didn't have the capability to hear what they were talking about. But, judging from their frown and their scowl faces, I knew that it was a good sign.
They were speaking in a loud tone, and they were flailing their arms around. Dadier bowed his head and stared longingly at the distance. Mamie kept pacing around, scratching herself every so often. Lowla kept rubbing her nose, as she sat at the other end of the same cushion Dadier sat at.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Teten lying down, with her back against me. She wasn't asleep, but she laid there motionless. I knew she wasn't asleep, I could feel her energy. Even in my viento's diminished state, it still served some use.
Even if they won't admit it, I knew that this was the direct result of my escape. This was the small victory I could be proud of. Even in failure, my escape had caused dissension among their ranks. I knew that it was no trivial achievement. If I could pit the giants among themselves, they could be the architects of their own downfall. I couldn't believe I haven't thought about it sooner!
This brief period of exhaustion afforded time to think. I didn't plan for any of this, but this fortunate turn produced an amazing outcome. That's right, yeah ... I'm going with this.
There's a chink in their armor, a taint to their seemingly impregnable facade. The other prison compounds would now think little of them. In turn, my captors will try their best to salvage what remained of their prestige.
The uprising has begun, and they don't even know it yet. These giants think that they are harboring a prisoner. But, I've changed. I'm a prisoner, no longer. They need not fear another escape from me because I'll gladly stay and destroy them from the inside. They will never see me coming.
<< Chapter 9
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