CHAPTER 3
“The Deskyiara bloodline shall not love, but follow the footsteps of the Deskyiara before them. They must listen to the ways the Deskyiaras have been trained for centuries in order to keep the connection with the Gods.” - Book of Azure
brANCHES CLAW AT THE OUTSIDE, almost begging to escape the scorching heat.
Tiny drops of water flow around the indentations and soak into the cracks off the broken walls, as if the chamber I am stuck in is sweating itself. The brick walls seem just as parched as I am, if not more, by the amount of water that evaporates into steam.
Hours must have passed. The light in the room has faded away as the window brings in less of the burning star.
My body aches from the inside out. The bones between my shoulder blades scream in pain.
I tilt my head side to side, trying to release the tension in my neck that radiates pain down my back.
My muscles tense with each small movement I make, a result from my arms not being able to stretch around.
I have tried repeatedly to untie my hands so I can break free, but it’s useless. Nothing can help slice this rope.
I’m screwed.
My whole damn body hurts.
I’d rather be back in the snowy winter of Alaska, in negative degree weather, than be here in this heat.
I never give up, but right now, I sense this situation does not end with me escaping. I keep reopening and closing my eyes, praying that I'll wake up from this nightmare. But, I must wait for this so-called prince to make his way to me. I internally laugh at the thought of this.
“A damn Prince…” I snicker. “Will he come with a Royal guard to escort me?”
I roll my eyes.
My body falls backwards, back hitting the stiff cot below and I close my eyes. My mind races about Alice in the cave and wonder if she had left to find a signal for a search party. She might never find me. We might never find Tilly.
I might not ever return home.
While I am lost in my mourning of being trapped, I catch a distant rumbling through the building.
Low, deep growls begin to shake rocks off the ledges of the arched window.
Almost as if a beast was awakening from his sleep.
I snap my body upright and my eyes widen to stare at the door.
My chest rises and falls at a rapid pace, my jaw tightening as I hold in my breath.
Heat flushes up my damp neck, up to my head as the blood flow is running rampant inside me.
I must stay quiet. Still as can be so nothing within this building hears my move. Praying that nothing breaks down the door that separates me from the unknown and eats me for dinner.
I sure as hell wouldn’t even taste good due to the filth and sweat, but I doubt whatever beast is out there would care.
My body trembles and my breathing has become unstable, the noise increasing as the building shakes.
High pitched screeching of a creature in pain, whimpering yet sinister.
Sounds as if nails are clawing into a chalkboard slowly but intensely resounds around me.
My eyes widen more, burning as I scan the room for an escape.
I believe this is it. This is where my life ends.
Back in Alaska was just a test, my body dangling off that ledge is nothing compared to this moment.
Clashing chains and falling rocks echo throughout the structure, shaking the cot below me and piercing my eardrums. I squeal from the pain of the rattling in my head and just when I think nothing more can, the wooden door flings open.
My chest rises and falls fast as my nails dig into my palms.
I stare directly at this man before me.
A beautiful, yet terrifying man.
His veins bulge from his hand as he grabs the door frame with a tick in his jaw. His eyes darken, narrowing as they drift up and down my body as if he has never laid eyes on a woman before.
Is he the monster I should fear?
Or those above me that scream and claw at the walls?
His head almost touches the door frame and he has to duck to get through to me.
The slender, high black boots hardly touch his knees.
His hands begin to twist behind his back as he walks over to me with long hair that falls to his chest. The waves of his golden hair remind me of the shoreline.
I recall the way the chilly wind would kiss my skin as I walked barefoot along the ocean, watching the birds sing overhead and soar through the sky without a care in the world.
I miss the wet sand between my toes.
But I may never have the chance to swim in the ocean again.
He rubs his lips together before brushing the dust off of his all-black attire, from his shoes to his oversized shirt with juliet sleeves that has three buttons undone.
I suck in a breath as our eyes lock.
The part of his outfit that stands out to me the most is the scales that are wrapped around his shoulder blades with a golden chain connecting them together.
A crescent with the same symbol along the houses of the village I went through, lies perfectly against his broad chest. His leather boots pad against the floorboards as he walks, while my eyes stay stitched on him.
I haven’t blinked.
I think I have forgotten how to breathe.
He stands upright, his body hovering over me with his chin cocked to the side as I sit on the cot. Stiff and silent.
“Now, who are you?” His voice is deep and calm. “This is quite the surprise. I don’t remember you being here this morning.”
I lift my head up, straining my neck to gaze upon his tall features. “Serene… and who are you?”
“Prince Florian.”
He squats down to where our eyes are now level.
His shimmer, like nothing I have ever seen before.
Tones of ember orange with a kiss of a golden-brown tint and on his left eye, a scar-like marking into the cornea.
I am taken aback by the uniqueness as I pull my body back, trying to be as far away as I can
He smirks and lets out a soft chuckle.
“Have you seen something you don’t like?” His eyebrow arches up as his face remains with an amused, slight grin.
“Your eyes?” I hesitate to speak.
“Where are you from, Serene?” He ignores my words, instead confidently placing his palms on either side of me and leaning in close. Too close.
“Where are you from?” he demands, his voice a deep growl.
I swallow, feeling the knot that has been growing inside my throat sink down to the pit of my stomach. Heat flushes up my neck and to my cheeks. This feeling isn’t from the tormenting heat from the air here, but nerves that have now taken full control over my body.
“Seattle?” My tone peaks as I am concerned he might not know where Seattle is.
His eyebrows pull together as his head slowly tilts. With the slight, subtle movement, his golden hair sways just a tad to reveal the markings down the back of his neck. “Now…” He pauses. “What is a Seattle?”
I laugh a little. “Seattle? It’s in Washington?” He’s silent, but his eyes roam as if looking for the answer in this room.
“What is… a Washington?” he questions again.
“Where the hell am I?” I counter back.
“You are in the realm of Azure.” He leans closer to my face, where I now can see all the details in his eyes. It’s as if small ember sparks dance within them, like a galaxy through his eyes, reminding me of the stones. “How did you get here, Serene?”
“What the hell is Azure?” I yell back at him. Now I am panicking.
“Hmmm…” he mumbles out as he pushes off of the cot. He casually walks over to the wall with the claw marks and glides his hands over the indentations. He focuses on the path of his hands only, never glancing my way.
The silence is torturing.
Where the hell is Azure?
I have never heard of this place before. Not in history books or present time, and I fear I am lost for good. That, or I have genuinely gone mad.
I need to wake up. Wake up, Serene!
He pauses, placing his hands behind his back and perfectly propping his shoulder blades. His jaw is sharp and his lips move as he thinks, but then he looks over my way, eyes trailing slowly up and down my body.
“What?” I hiss at him, my eyes narrowed into slits.
“Just contemplating if I should leave you here with the others or take you with me.” He doesn’t blink, eyes darkening. “They might want a tasty snack if you smell good to them. You don’t smell like the others here, which means, I know you are not one of them.”
I don’t smell like the others? My throat is tightening. It’s getting harder to swallow. My lips rub against my teeth as I force myself to stay calm. I don’t want to stay here alone with the noises that I heard before.
“What lies in the other rooms?” I force the words out, but my voice trembles. Do I really want the answer?
His corner lip arches up as he silently laughs.
“Would you like to stay and find out or…” he sluggishly walks back over and stares down at me with one arched eyebrow, “come with me to the Kingdom of Eekatia and speak your truth of who you are and why you are here, miss Serene? The battle games are starting soon anyway, I need to return.”
What the hell is a battle game?
I contemplate staying in this room to wonder if I will eventually wake up from this nightmare, but my curiosity about what if, has me wanting to follow him. What if this is real? What if Tilly made it here?
“Have you met another stranger before me?” Maybe Tilly spoke with Prince Florian too.
“Are you coming with me or staying here?” He ignores my question.
“I’d choose the former if I were you.” He turns sharply to start walking to the door.
He makes his way to the frame and puts his back against it, waiting.
He tosses his shaggy hair out of his face, letting the waves sway across his shoulders.