Chapter 61
Dusk had fallen by the time I’d awoke from my pain induced sleep. I passed out once my body hit the floor of the carriage. All I felt was this emptiness in the pit of my stomach, my urge to fight, to move, to breathe—was gone.
My brother had done this to me.
This act of torture.
He was no longer the brother or friend who I grew up with, someone I trusted with my life. Now the people that surrounded me were nothing. Nicholas would be furious when he found out what they did, possibly ending the world as we know it in retaliation.
Did he feel the same thing I felt? This hollow sensation, as if a part of my own soul was torn out. I hugged myself to not only keep some degree of warmth on my skin, but to try and feel something, sense something. I had no idea where we were even going, we’d be travelling a lot longer than I anticipated. Were we still at the border?
Willing strength to lift myself up, unbalanced, and wobbly as the carriage moved, I pulled myself up towards the small slit in the door to see outside.
It was dusk and tree lines surrounded a large waste land. I’d never been to this part of the valley before, but I remembered seeing it on the map. We were heading North. Back towards the Obsidian Kingdom. Back towards Nicholas.
Watching the sun lower itself in the sky, I hoped we would stop soon. My stomach ached with hunger and my throat was dry from thirst.
I would make them pay for this.
The twin mages rode beside each other, behind Norok and Dorian. Nora seemed to be at the back, keeping watch. Panya caught my eye as I stared at her, looking at them all and wishing only vengeance.
“Where are we going?” I asked her, hoping she’d hear me or listen at least.
Judging by her reaction she could still hear me. I needed to know what was happening. If we were heading back to the castle, I could possibly escape.
“Please, Panya. Are we heading back to the castle?”
“Yes,” she answered me, keeping her eyes ahead.
“Why?”
“I cannot say, the Shadow King has something your uncle needs, that is all I know.”
I lowered myself back down to sit back on the floor. I didn’t know what my uncle would want or even need from Nicholas. This entire war—this fight—I didn’t fully believe was to do with me leaving. This all seemed to be deeply rooted into something else. With Nora being here as well, it only raised more questions.
Stopping once darkness completely fell, I was only allowed out of the carriage with the wrist cuffs back on. I was told to sit between two guards. A bowl of stew was placed in my hands by Panya, who was silently pleading with me to eat it. As much as I didn’t want to, worried something had been slipped into it, I quickly finished the bowl with a chunk of bread.
Norok and Dorian seemed to be whispering to each other from across the roaring fire. The crackling flames made it difficult to hear anything at all. I thought of Talia and how she must have been feeling when we left, how she was held back shouting and screaming.
Whatever happened, I would make sure she’d be safe when this was all over.
“I will watch, her highness. You two go and walk the perimeter.”
Nora ordered my two guards and took the seat next to me, handing me over another bowl of stew. Ignoring her, she huffed a laugh and continued to eat. We sat in silence as I stared into the fire, words burning at the edge of my tongue, I needed answers.
“How long have you been sleeping with my uncle, then?” I blurted out, harshly turning to her.
“Long before you were born princess,” she replied, no hint of anything in her words. She slurped her food, some of the contents trickled down her lips.
“So, what does that make you? His mistress? Or perhaps his whore?”
A snarl escaped her lips as she set her bowl down on the ground, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve. She turned towards me and leaned in more closely.
“I would be careful of my words if I were you. When Dorian is finished with this, there will be no use for you, and you will be able to join your dead father and husband.”
I laughed, attempting to cover up my fear. Her brown eyes darted at me and then towards Dorian. He was now watching our exchange. If anyone was going to be out of the picture, it would be her. I was next in line to the throne now with Norok upon it, unless Lady Gelda’s baby was in fact my brother’s. Was even Gelda still around?
“Your threats mean nothing to me, Nora. Once Nicholas finds out what you did, he will destroy each and every last piece of you.”
She snapped then, her hand grabbing my throat, squeezing it tightly. I tried not to gasp, not to show fear or pain. This would be the last time anyone grabbed me by the neck unless it were Nicholas. No doubt bruises new and old coloured my neck by now. Pulling me in even closer, her callused grip tightened, cutting off my air completely.
“I cannot wait for him to arrive and see what we have done to his precious Annwyl.”
Letting go suddenly, she turned away as Norok approached. His face was hard, calculated. She stood quickly to bow then slipped away towards Dorian. I tried to breathe as her use of his name for me cut deep. She truly did know everything.
“Are you alright?” Norok asked and I had to bite back my tongue.
“Fine.”
As if he truly cared what happened to me now. He was hellbent on punishing Nicholas in whatever way possible. And as much as I loved my brother deeply, this wasn’t the man I grew up with. Father would have been ashamed if he saw him now.
Howls from a distance echoed through the barren plains and it seemed to make all the guards on edge, including Dorian. I however had heard those howls before, the day I met Nicholas again in the forest, where he’d saved me. If those same creatures were coming here to destroy them, I’d gladly stand and watch, even if it meant dying myself.
“I need to speak with you privately,” Norok whispered in my ear once he sat down.
Taking my hand as gently as he could, he pulled me up and towards the other side of the fire, closer towards the tree line but far enough away no one could hear him speak.
“Dorian wishes to know about something deep within the Shadow King”s castle.”
He stepped away from me once we stopped walking, his voice filled with concern. I didn’t believe it was a concern for me.
“If it’s to help him, I would rather die,” I muttered, my throat hurting.
“Ornella, please all this will stop if you start complying.”
“Why should I? You are not my brother. I don’t know who you are. Dorian is nothing but a murderer and a—” I stopped, the truth sitting at the edge of my tongue. It was daring me to dive off and tell Norok everything. But would he believe me? He was now under Dorian’s influence, just like Father was.
“I’m sorry you were hurt today. I wasn’t told how brutal the spell could be.”
“You heard me scream and beg, but you still stood there and watched. I will not help you, whatever you want, you can get it yourselves. I want no part in any of this.”
His face told me enough that he didn’t like my answer. He made no move towards me, instead turned away and stared up at the moon. Those howls disappeared in the distance as a cold wind chilled the air, wrapping around me.
“This can all go away, Ella. I promise you now, nothing will happen to you but only if you help us. I am asking as your brother, not as your king.”
“You are not my king,” I snarled back, again he didn’t flinch. As if he expected this reaction.
“Then I am asking for Talia, for our mother. This king of yours holds great power deep within the belly of his castle, and we need to get it. It’s the only way we are to protect ourselves from him.”
Great power? I thought for a moment, not allowing him to see how my mind raced with different possible answers of what he could be talking about. In the belly of the castle? I tried not to allow my face to show my shock as I realised what he was talking about, turning away slightly from the moonlight.
The portal. Was that the great power they spoke of? I’d seen it myself and the ripples of magic that surrounded it. How Nicholas was quick to act when I scratched myself, allowing blood upon the stonework. He told me the Goddess herself had closed the portal, how dark and dangerous monsters lived on the other side.
Was Norok afraid Nicholas would open it one day to unleash hell on our world? No, he wouldn’t do anything of the sort. But why did they need me?
“Why do you need my help to open…”
I stopped before I could finish, without thinking my mouth had betrayed me and Norok’s face almost lit up, realising what I said.
“To open? Open what? What is it the king hides?”
I dared not say another word, shutting my mouth tightly and crossing my arms around my chest. No, I would not tell them anything, if it meant harming Nicholas in any way, I would take this secret to my grave.
“If you do not tell me Ornella, Dorian will torture it from you.”
“And you will allow him to do that to your own sister?”
“If it means keeping our people safe, then I must.”
If anyone was under a spell, it was my brother. The Norok I knew would never have allowed anyone to harm his family—his sisters. He would have died to protect us. I knew what torture Dorian suggested and my body shuddered at the idea of his skin laying forcefully upon mine.
Bile tried to break free, but I swallowed hard to keep it down.
“Dorian will not lay another hand on me. Norok I cannot tell you what you seek. Please just trust me that Nicholas would never unleash the horrors within it.”
He sighed, shaking his head before lowering it. Within seconds, the guards from before gripped me on my arms and pulled me backwards, dragging me into the darkness of the trees.
Norok’s body shape disappeared as I screamed, kicked, and begged for them to stop. My shoes fell off in the dirt as a guard threw me over his shoulders and marched me deeper into the woods.
There I was left, my cuffs looped and tied to a rope around a tree, unable to fight or do anything when Dorian appeared from the darkness.
I could only scream and keep my eyes closed as the torment began, bringing back all those memories of helplessness before. No, I would not allow this to happen again. No, he wasn’t going to lay one single finger on me.
As I continued to scream, to buck, and fight, the two guards tried to hold my legs down as Dorian pulled out a dagger.
“This will be over as soon as you tell me what I want to know.” His voice filled with sinister intent as he sat atop me with the dagger pressed against my throat, his belt already unbuckled.
“I will never tell you.”
“I’m pleased to know that’s your answer. I have looked forward to doing this since you returned.”
He pinched my cheeks together with his other hand as his lips landed against mine. More thrusting and kicking. I tried desperately to get him off me, get the guards off me. They were not my brother”s guards. These were Dorian’s. Once he let go of me, he sat up right and began to lower his trousers and lift up my dress with his other hand.
I wasn’t sure what happened or how it happened, but the sound of steel flew through the air and one of the guards began to gargle as blood spilled from his mouth, falling backwards seconds later. Another noise and the other guard was taken down.
Nicholas, had he arrived?
Dorian got off me quickly, his dagger ready and waiting to strike but seconds went by, and nothing happened. Taking a few steps forward away from me, he looked around the dark woods. Not suspecting me of going anywhere he stepped away, hunting for the attackers.
“We got you, princess.”
I tried not to scream as a hand was placed firmly over my mouth and my hands were untied. Lifting me up off the ground and into their arms, Karim and a masked man ran as fast as they could through the tree line, saving me.
All I could hear next was the shouting and running of feet behind us as Dorian and his men searched for me. Grateful for my saviours, I let out a sob from adrenaline and fear as we continued to run through the forest, away from danger.