Einah & Magnus

Decision

The next morning I woke up to find that I couldn't move. A little panicked, I struggled and tried to wiggle my arms to the other side of my body. That's when I remembered. The only reason that I couldn't move was because I was so sore from sleeping on the floor and my wrists were still bound behind my back. I tried to get up, but it hurt so much that I just had to groan and lay back, snuggling back into the blanket. Wait, I didn't fall asleep with a blanket, I thought, popping open my eyes.
"Wake up sleepyhead." came a voice from somewhere above my head. "You have been laying there all morning."
"That's because I can't move, " when he just laughed, I said irritably, "I'm serious. I am so sore that I can't get up." I craned my neck to try and find Magnus, who had just materialized next to me. He lifted the blanket off of me, then bent down to help me up. He basically did it all himself because all I could do was groan and close my eyes. When I opened them again my body was pressed against his because he had me in an iron grip. From this close I could see little flecks of silver in the slate blue of his eyes. And his skin was not as smooth as it looked from farther away.
I guess I was feeling generous, or else my brain was too sore to really think straight, because the first thing I said to him was, "Thank you for giving me the blanket." Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, I also added, "And for saving me from Brutus."
He gave me a small smile. "You're welcome. Besides, I still have uses for you, and to be able to perform these things, you have to be in perfect health."
I frowned at that. What he could he possibly mean? It couldn't be the obvious and first thing that came to my mind, considering how he was holding me so close, because I already knew him well enough to know that he was more honorable than that. He saw my face and it must have given my thought processes away because he just laughed and released me, walking away.
I soon found out what he meant though. When he finished shaving he took me straight to the general's quarters again. The general kept giving me strange looks, and I could do nothing except stare right back at him. Soon, this became boring and the general remembered that Magnus was there to report.
"So, Magnus, what have you found out?" He asked, leaning back in his chair, his arms behind his head.
"Einah isn't working for Malkanen. She's only running these errands for him because she's a thief and she wants this little knife." He said matter-of-factly.
I just looked at him incredulously. How did he know that? I was sure that I didn't tell him anything, and there was no way that he could have figured it out from what little I did say to him. But the general wasn't interested in how he got that information.
"So now what do you plan to do with her?"
Well sir, I had thought of using her to our advantage. Make his spy become our spy."
"Magnus, you do realize that once we set her free, she'll just go right back to the way she was? That doesn't seem like a very strategically intelligent thing to do." The general looked at Magnus smugly. I guess he felt the same way I did, that Magnus was just too arrogant and cocky for his own good, and it felt good too one-up him every once in awhile.
"I propose sending someone else out as a guard to watch her, and keep her in line." Magnus said without missing a beat.
I was not too excited about this idea, but I figured I'd better keep my mouth shut right about now. Besides, the general didn't look too happy about it either, as his beady little eyes started at Magnus trying to figure his latest move out.
"And just who do you propose does this?" He asked, his eyes swinging from me to him.
"Anyone you suggest sir would do fine."
He took a moment to digest this. I didn't think he was going to say anything, but suddenly his voice rang out in the morning air. "I think I've had just enough of spies. Lock her up in the dungeon, until I say otherwise. That's right, tiger, it's time to lock you back up."
What?! There was no way I was going to just let them take me down there. "If you think you're getting me down there...” I started struggling against the guards that held my arms behind my back. I kicked back and got one in the shin, making him let go of me. The other one couldn't hang on well enough, and I was almost free. But two more came up behind them, and tied my hands even tighter. I had to strain against it to be able to keep the blood in my hands, but it was no use. I felt the cool grip of iron chains clamp around my ankles, and knew that for the moment to struggle was useless. That didn't mean I couldn't try. I hurled a few insults at the men binding me, but the only I got in return was a dirty rag stuffed in my mouth, gagging me.
As I was being physically removed from the tent, my eyes met with Magnus. He stared straight back at me, stiff backed and uncaring. For some reason I felt this was a betrayal that he had personally set this up. To put my trust, however misplaced, in him, only to have it backfire on me. Though realistically, there was no reason I should have trusted him at all. He was one of the enemies after all. One of the ones that were sending me in the dungeon.