Chapter 28 Pain
Verena
I know when I awaken because of two things. My head is throbbing as if I’m being beaten with a hammer against it and it smells like Dryston’s old grandmother— musty wet dirt.
A grating voice, like metal scraping against metal, assaults my eardrums. It is a feminine voice, one that I know but not in a way that makes me comfortable.
My blood turns to ice and my back becomes slick with sweat. Something warm and thick runs down my thigh, causing me to flinch in disgust.
What the hell is happening?
“Stop your whining,” the voice spits out. “It’s like you want me to stab you! Just tell me about your brother. The king. Is he really going to marry that shrew?” I hear no words in response, only the sound of a sharp slap and then an eerie silence. “Ruelle, don’t make me hurt you. You were always like a little sister to me, okay? I just need answers and this is the quickest way to get them.” Frustration oozes from her tone and I freeze, unable to move or speak.
How does Mya have ties to the royal family? How could she possibly know them so intimately? She was just my maid!
I search through my memories of her, which are few and far between. She was always vague when speaking about her past before coming to the castle, just before Hadeon arrived. I never thought much of it — just assumed she was from a small town near the border like Hadeon.
But now it all makes sense.
“She’s Khyrelian,” I whisper to myself, finally understanding why she has such a strong connection to the royal family.
“I loved him,” Mya’s voice quivers with emotion. “I only killed your father because he was trying to keep me from Eryx, okay? I never meant to harm your family. But he wasn’t even a good person!” Her tone grows louder and more desperate, bordering on deranged. And then her words strike a chord within me.
No.
It can’t be.
Is Mya the ex-betrothed of Eryx? I thought she died? Didn’t she have a different name? Gods, what was it?
I try to pull on my mating bond. It’s faint. Could be from the blood loss? I needed to stop this bleeding. What did she even do to me?
“Ruelle!” I whisper. Her eyes widen at seeing me awake. A tear escapes her eye for a brief moment in relief.
“Look who’s awake! Honestly, I thought you’d die from the little stab wound I gave you.” She laughs maniacally as I look into the deranged females brown eyes. With a malevolent grin, Mya leans over me. Her brown eyes were wild and frenzied, reflecting the madness within her. The pain from her stab wound radiates through my body as I struggle to focus on her presence.
“You are such a bitch,” I groan out of pain. “Who even are you?” I watch her carefully as she strolls around the place.
“Who am I?” Another laugh from her echoes as she revels in my helplessness. “Honey, I am the original. I am the love of Eryx’s life. Has he not mentioned me? Boo, that’s disappointing.” She rolls her eyes dramatically.
“Verena, don’t tell her anything.” Ruelle says finally, letting me know she’s conscious at the moment, despite the bruised face, cut lip and cut eyebrow. Mya slaps her once more with the back of her hand and suddenly my face is red from anger.
“Leave her alone, Mya!” I yell, trying to move closer to them.
“Mya?” Ruelle questions and both of the women look at me.
A laugh leaves the brunette, “Oh, right. Amaelya is my birth name. Of course, when Hadeon showed up in the Court of Dawn, I couldn’t let him blow my cover. So I changed my face shape a bit and my name.”
Amaelya stalks toward me, gripping my chin within her bony fingers and squeezing hard enough to bruise. She tilts my head over to the left, then the right. “What does he even see in you? You are nothing.” She spits with disgust. “You couldn’t even handle Dryston and he is pathetic!” She mockingly laughs. “But I will say he is handsome, even if his head is empty.”
With a sudden jerk, she throws my head back and it collides with the hard cave wall, sending waves of agonizing pain through me. “You do not deserve Eryx,” she whispers venomously in my ear. “He’s too good for you - too strong for you.”
“No,” I protest, refusing to believe her cruel words.
“You are delusional if you think he’ll stay with you in the long run,” Mya taunts, her face inches from mine. “He’s just using you, darling.”
“He doesn’t even know you’re alive. You betrayed his country, he will never forgive that.” Ruelle spits back at her.
“I saved this country!” She’s screams in anger. “Your father was a menace to everything and everyone. I Know that together Eryx and I would rule side by side, happily. I am his first love and I will be his last.” As she speaks, I try and feel for my surroundings. My hands are tied with rope and without seeing the knot, I could never undo it. But the cave wall digging into my skin might help.
“Eryx is-” I go to tell her he’s my mate but Ruelle shakes her head at me in my peripheral and I know she has a good reason why. “-in love with me. He wouldn’t leave me.” I finish.
She laughs, not even responding to me and turning away toward the entrance. “I’ll be back. Hang out, don’t go anywhere.” She leaves Ruelle and I alone.
“She’s the anger I felt in the garden.” The youngest Ashwood explains. “If you tell her Eryx is… you know what… she’ll kill you immediately. I had to buy us some time.” I nod in understanding, trying to help wrack my brain on how we’re getting out. Eryx has to know we’re missing by now.
“How did she even get past the guards?” I question and it’s as if a light pops up over her head, her eyes wide as she looks over at me.
“Her brother… Draven. He’s one of our royal guards. Damnit! I knew something was off with him the past couple of days.” She speaks, mostly to herself.
“Who’s Draven?” I ask her, trying to think of all the guards I have names to.
“The guard who waited with you after Dryston attacked you in the forest.” She sounds breathless and I suddenly realize she wasn’t just beat up, she was losing blood continuously.
“Ruelle, I am going to get us out of here.” I tell her with conviction lacing my voice.
“I should’ve taken those training lessons Esmeray pushed me for.” She laughs lightly, her body slumping against the cave wall.
“Hey! No. You will not die here. Ruelle, stay awake for me, okay?” I start rubbing my hands against the cave, ignoring the shooting pains in my wrists and arms from the rocky substance scraping me and the rope.
I try to assess our situation. The cave is cold and damp, with only a few weak rays of light entering through the far entrance. My heart races with the fear of the unknown as I think of the woman who betrayed my family.
I begin to form a plan in my mind, focusing on our surroundings and the tools at our disposal. The rope that binds us can become an advantage, but it will require me to remain calm and focused. I start to silently chant a calming mantra to maintain control of the situation.
Inside the cave, my mind races with ideas on how to free Ruelle and myself. My hands ache from being tied up, but I know I had to stay focused.
My eyes dart around the cave, searching for any weaknesses I can exploit.
I assume Eryx has scouts out looking for us, but if Mya is clearly smarter than I gave her credit for, she likely spelled the cave to be hidden and soundproof.
* * *
Eryx
“Where the fuck are they!” I exclaim, throwing things off the desk in the war room. My shadows shoot from me, just as irritable and angry. I growl in frustration before facing both my number twos.
Esmeray and Hadeon are quiet, letting me get my temper tantrum out of the way.
“We’ve looked everywhere. Wherever he has them, it’s spelled. We can’t find them, Eryx.” Esmeray gives it to me straight. She always has.
“Yet.” Hadeon gives her a look, to which she shrugs. “We are still looking profusely. We will find them.” He’s adamant. “There was nothing you could have done to prevent this, Eryx.” He reasons but I can’t convince myself to listen. Of course this was my fault. This is my castle, my country, my family .
Dryston got in under my watch and tried to kidnap my mate twice! Succeeding once now. He will not get away with this. With any of it. I’ll make sure of that.
“They could have left Khyrel already, Hadeon. Do not give him false hope.” She points out in a hushed scold.
“I know that but he doesn’t need extra stress either.” They argue back and forth, getting in each others faces until they get heated.
“Will you two shut it?” I yell, breaking their attention away from one another.
“We need something different. We need-” I cut myself off remembering the one being in the forest who knows everything. “We need the witch.”
“No. Deals with her never go correctly, you know this.” Hadeon tries to stress to me.
“I’m with Hadeon on this one, big brother. We don’t need added complications to an already stressful complicated situation. ”
Esmeray agrees with Hadeon, “We just…we need to focus on finding them without causing any more drama than necessary.”
“Enough,” I say, my voice echoing through the space, my eyes blazing with determination. “We will find them, with or without her help. We will bring them back home, safe and sound.”
I turn back to my shadows, they shimmer and shift to their ethereal state, disappearing into the night air as I will them to look for Verena.
I look at my trusted generals, pacing the room. The war room has always been my sanctuary and power, but now, it feels more like a prison. My heart aches for my mate, and I can’t shake the feeling of helplessness. I know that I must remain strong, I must continue to fight, but the fear gnawing at me won’t let me.
“Ruelle is our baby sister, Esme. Our mother will not survive her death. Verena is my fated mate and without her, the entirety of Khyrel can be destroyed yet none of it will matter if she is gone.” My body collapses into my chair behind me and I slump in it, desperate to find them.
“Ruelle and Verena are strong. They’re together, that makes them better off than most people. Verena carried this lug of a male for over two hours,” She slaps the back of Hadeon. “They will make it out of their imprisonment or they will die trying. But, hopefully we will get to them before they have to.”
“If Verena dies, Esmeray,” I pause, making sure she understands my sincerity, “You will have to take over as Queen. You will have to rule this country. I got over the last time someone I loved died…” My shadows settle around me, almost sad, “I won’t get over this one.”
Esmeray takes a deep breath, trying to not let her emotions get the best of her. Hadeon steps forward and places his hand on her shoulder in support.
“Ruelle and Verena are strong, Eryx. They’ll make it through this, we’ll find them.” Hadeon’s voice is steady and reassuring. It does little to assure me.
“Yes, we’ll find them,” Esmeray echoes him, sounding as if she’s trying to convince herself more than anyone else. I know we need to stay focused, so we exit the war room and continue our search for any sign of them. I try searching the Dark Woods, trying to feel the bond between us but it is faint and muddled. I know she is alive but is she injured? Is she being tortured or worse?