9. Eveera
Eveera
“PLEASE. PLEASE STOP. PLEASE!”
I’m sweating, we’ve been at this for hours. “P-please.” She sobs. “Ple..ase.”
She wants me to feel pity, when all I feel is disgust. “Have to admit dear, you’re not the type I prefer to have saying that word. Doesn’t do the same thing for me.” The tendrils I’m Wielding wriggle in and out of her body. It’s a brutal assault to witness, can’t imagine what it feels like. “Do you see her, Viv? Do you see her limp little body?” Her mouth quivers but no sounds come out. “See, yours is about to match.”
Scarlet red blood pools at the corner of her lips as she sputters out another plea. Oh boo fucking hoo . My fist connects with her face, blood spewing to the side as the bones in her cheek crunch beneath my knuckles. “Did you listen when she begged you to stop, Viv? Did you answer her whimpers or pleas?” Her face is still turned from me, but even in the dimmed lighting I can see a bruise already blooming on her cheek. “Did you stop when her chest rattled with its last breath? What about the others, did you stop them when her heart finally quit beating, or did you just collect the cash? She was nine. She deserved better than you . ”
Oof. My fist lands this time in between her breasts forcefully. “Do you know what my power is doing? It’s making you live out your worst fears. Funny enough your worst fear is death.” My laugh is sardonic. “Probably don’t even need to use my Wield on you if that’s what you’re afraid of.” Sobs rack through her chest and I can hear the amount of effort each breath is costing her now, cracked ribs and all.
“P-pull it out.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?” My hand cups around my ear. “I didn’t quite hear you underneath all of that pathetic sniveling. I said I probably don’t need to use my Wield, Viv. But you see, this is fun for me. Besides, your fate will stay the same.”
“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to.” Like I said, pathetic. She begins muttering “no” over and over again. I grip her chin hard, forcing her to look at me.
“Yes. You did, Viv.” My free hand strokes her bruised face, “shh…you did, dear. And that little girl paid the price of your selfishness. So now you get to pay the price for her life.” Her screams ring out as my tendrils make their final assault, stopping her heart in the process.
Sweat drips off my brow, my peripheral catches sight of a looming figure in the shadows of the room, “bring the next one in, Ezra.”
“E…” His voice is soft.
“Marjorie said I needed to do this before we left! I can’t leave if I don’t!” I snarl.
He looks at me desperately, his hands reaching for me. “Then don’t go! We don’t have to go.” The thumb of his right hand comes up swiping at a droplet of blood. I turn my cheek, shrugging away from him .
Yes, I do . I think to myself. “Bring the next one in.” He flinches at my tone, skulking out of the room to drag in the next prisoner.
It’s going to be a long night.
Ezra brought in ten separate wastes of space after I dealt with Viv, all over the course of the past several hours.
With the most recent attack, I knew I would have to go see Marjorie before leaving. I just didn’t expect the prince to follow me all the way to her study doors. Her well worn advice for me was to expel as much of my Wield as I could into the outer lands around Oriya and on my exit from the kingdom.
Best way to do that was to boost up my Wield - hence the prisoner’s. Their fears feed into my magic. I’m strong as it is, but this is a lot of land to cover in not a lot of time. I left Ezra and other’s to clean up when I was done. My familiar was watching from the mouth of her cave as always but there isn’t an outside exit from the Room.
“Vada, I’ll meet you at the edge.” I say through the seal.
“Why not just meet me outside the gates?” She doesn’t bother hiding her irritation. The “you’re not coming with me to Vellar” conversation - after my meeting with Marjorie and before the prisoner’s punishments - didn’t go over too well with the words “insolent, insufferable, ignorant human” repeated several times.
I sigh, “ because I want to walk for a little while. ” Her deep laugh rumbles back down the bond.
“HA. You’ll be walking for days little demon. I will fly you to do this .” She argues.
“It’s really not necessar—”
I’m cut off by her roar echoing through the castle. “I will fly you.” I guess that settles that, I head back into the passageways to grab a few extra handheld weapons from my bedroom.
I walk out into the hall to find Armond at attention per usual but poor Axel is slumped down on the floor, asleep. I crouch down winking at Armond as I whisper into Axel’s ear. “You know, you really suck at the whole ‘guarding’ thing.”
His bloodshot brown eyes snap open. “Well, I wasn’t really planning on making it a lifelong career or anything.” He quips.
I grab his hand to help pull him up. “Of course not. At this rate, if anyone succeeded in assassinating me on your watch you would be out of a job anyways with the only person willing to write you a recommendation - dead. So.” He huffs out a groggy laugh. “Don’t wait up. I’ll be gone until we need to leave. We have a long six days ahead of us with the two spoiled meatheads.”
Armond’s mouth slips into a frown, “make that a long ‘until Baelor’s dead’ time with the Vellaran trash.” The words clipped as he says them.
I smile. “Attaboy Monty. Keep up the positive attitude.” He gives me a weak smile back. “Go. Sleep. Both of you. I will be back to meet you all at the barracks for departure.”
“When are you going to sleep, E?” I pat Axel's cheek twice, ignoring the question.
I stalk down the hallway, leaving them to hopefully get rest while I handle the creatures. SMACK!
“OW! What in the…gods?” Pressing a hand to my forehead I look up to see a startled princeling. Talk about bad timing . “Do you always roam around in the middle of the night giving headaches to queens?” My free hand gestures at that skin covered stone wall he calls a chest .
A smirk settles on his face, “not often no. Do you always walk around in the middle of the night in…” His eyes drag up and down my body…slowly. But when his eyes find mine again they’re filled with confusion, “fighting leathers?” A warm feeling slinks up my spine at the eye contact. I shake it off as I take in my outfit. He’s right, it’s not exactly middle of the night attire.
Irritation replaces that warm feeling quickly enough when I remember what I am supposed to be doing and who exactly I am talking to. “Well at least I’m dressed.” I snap. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” My shoulder checks his arm, my hand moving back up to rub my temple. I think I’m going to get a goose egg from this exchange .
“Wait! Queen Eveera, wait up.” He yells from behind and then steps into time with me.
My stomach sinks. “Gods, why are you so awake right now?” I ask looking up at him briefly, that stupid smirk still present. “An insufferably annoying prince was not on my agenda.” I grumble.
“You have an agenda?”
Shit you weren’t supposed to hear that, I say to myself.
“Where are you going in fighting leathers?” He repeats.
I sigh, “None. Of. Your. Fucking. Business. Now go away. You’ll have plenty of time to annoy me starting in four hours.” My fingers wave him off but he doesn’t relent.
His next words stopping me short. “Can I come with you?” I spin so fast on my heel it almost propels me back into his chest.
“No, you cannot come with me.” Is he dense? I wonder. “Why would I let you come with me?”
He shrugs, rocking back on his heels, “because we have four hours to kill. You’re helping my cause…maybe I could help yours.”
HA. “You can’t help.” I say turning back around .
“I could.” He argues.
“You can’t.” Unless you too have magical energy absorbing tendrils that live underneath your skin and can feed or kill the waking horrors that surround this kingdom. I snap inside my head.
“I could.”
I drop my head back groaning, the headache I figured I would get is already forming. "You can’t!” If he suggests one more time that he can help? I’ll kill him.
If I couldn’t still hear his feet I would assume he turned back and dropped the issue until his damn mouth utters again. “I could.” He repeats a third time.
“AGH! Alright princeling, you want to help? Fine. But I don’t want to hear another sound out of that godsforsaken mouth of yours.” He grins ear to ear, certainly thinking he’s won the upper hand here. I turn away from him heading towards the exit where I know Vada will be waiting. His steps grew quieter and when I looked over my shoulder he was no longer with me. Hmph, good. He changed his mind, I think. Vada dips her forearm down as she always does to make it easier for me. I’m preparing myself for take off when my ass begins to vibrate, I look up to see what’s set off Vada when her words slam into my mind. “ You brought a snack with you?”
I guess he chose to come after all, and oh look - he’s found a shirt, I mock to myself while ignoring her question. “He says he can help.”
As if the growl of disapproval wasn’t enough she’s clacked her teeth every time he attempts to climb up her forearm. “You coming? We don’t have all day!” I bark.
He gives me a wary look. “Well, I would love to. I don’t think your pet agrees with it though.” Vada snaps again, this time I’m sure it’s for his use of the word pet. My hand strokes down her scales. “ Easy Vada, can’t eat him yet.”
“Debatable.” She grumbles.
I roll my head to the side, eyeing down at him. “Hurry up, princeling! Burning night time here.” The look of concern in his eyes stays as Vada finally concedes, allowing him to sit behind me.
He shifts uncomfortably, his hands awkwardly out to the side. “Uhm, not to state the obvious, but there isn’t much to hold onto back here.” I stare up at the sky, begging the gods, why me?
“Well, she’s a dragon, not a fucking saddled horse. So if you don’t want to fall the moment we take off, you’re going to have to grip around my waist.” I grab each of his hands from their distended positions and lock them around me. The contact sends electric shocks into my skin.
“A-hem and what exactly are you going to hold on to?” He asks, as I try to create as much distance as possible between us.
“Nothing.”
Nervous laughter rumbles against my spine, “I’m sorry - nothing?!”
Vada takes off in the next moment, answering his question for me. “This is going to be one hell of a long night with him.” I grumble into her mind.
The flight will probably take about an hour.
Unfortunately, it’s only been maybe twenty minutes and my back is already cramping. I’ve never had to sit ramrod straight on Vada before, but with Rorin and I awkwardly hooked together, there is no shot in hell I am going to relax back .
“Just so I have an idea…what exactly are we going to do?” My mouth stays clamped shut, my body shifting forward again. He sighs, annoyed. “Fine, don’t answer me but at least stop sitting like you have a sword up your ass.”
Excuse me?
“You’re the one who wrapped my arms around your waist. So before you end up pulling us both off to our deaths from your squirming, I suggest you lean back.”
He’s right, my conscience sings. I concede and lean into him. “Don’t enjoy it too much, princeling .” My back relaxes and what was originally a stone wall suddenly seemed a lot more soft. Dammit. I try very hard to ignore how he doesn’t feel like I hoped he would. Quite the opposite in fact, he feels better .