Chapter 17
Alchera
When the air starts to crackle around me, a sure sign that something bad is coming, I snap out of the trance I’ve managed to fall into after the last beating Ares gave me.
My head whips up as I hear Adeth’s voice purr, “Hello, my dear Alchera. Why do you have to be so difficult?”
She makes her appearance, and the sarcastic comment I wanted to sling her way flies out of my mind when my eyes focus on her.
Adeth is beautiful, but still, every nerve ending in my body prickles, and my muscles tense more than I thought was possible.
She slowly glides across the floor, and lifting her hand to my face, she gently takes hold of my chin.
She’s face-to-face with me, even though I’m hanging from a rope.
I’ve never felt so small in my life.
Her jet-black hair hangs in light curls down to the middle of her back. Her skin is pale white, giving it almost a translucent glow. It’s as if she’s never been out in the sun.
All she needs is blood-red lips, and she could pass for Snow White ’s evil twin.
“Alchera…tsk, tsk, tsk. How dare you send Raighne away? I made it clear that I want him to suffer. I don’t look kindly upon people who go ag ainst my wishes.”
“I don’t care what you think,” I spit at her.
Her forefinger slides up and down my cheek.
I yank my face away, but she only laughs at me.
She grabs hold of my chin again, and there’s a sharp prick before a burning pain spreads beneath my skin.
My breaths speed up as she slices my cheek open with her sharp nail. The first drop of blood forms, and I feel it follow an uncertain trail to my chin. My body trembles uncontrollably as fear for this woman engulfs me.
I swallow hard and force myself to keep looking at her. No matter how scared I am, I won’t give in.
“Ahh, Alchera, I have you at last. It’s been too long.” She gives me the impression that she’s talking to herself. “Mmm, it’s really unfortunate you should find yourself in this little predicament.”
Inspecting my face, she admires her handiwork. Her black eyes are shining with the delight of having me in her grasp, and I swear I can see shadows moving in her irises.
I scowl, totally disgusted by her.
“How rude of me. I haven’t introduced myself.” There’s a deceivingly friendly smile on her face that gives me the creeps. “I’m Adeth.”
I press my lips together and continue to scowl at her.
She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. “You should know I don’t tolerate lies.”
Anger bubbles in my chest, and I hiss, “I don’t give a shit.”
She ignores what I say and continues, “My name carries the meaning of death, so how can I not live by it? Even though Awo insists I’m damning myself by doing so.” She stares blindly at me, her eyes glazing over.
Oh boy, she’s definitely missing a few vital ingredients to make up a healthy brain cell.
“Those who lie to me will meet an untimely and unfortunate end.” She moves closer to me and takes a deep breath as if she’s trying to inhale me. “Tell me, Alchera, do you know why I’ve brought you here?” She dips her head slightly and glares at me from beneath long, full lashes.
“No.” I lie.
“It’s actually quite simple. I ask you a question, and you give me the answer I want. I feel it’s quite unnecessary to make things...” she looks at my tied wrists, and a small smile plays around her lips, “…overly dramatic.”
Turning, she glides around the room, trailing her fingers along the wall. My eyes widen when healthy green vines sprout from the rotten wood. Out of the vines blossom the most beautiful velvet-kissed Hibiscus flowers, only they’re black. The vines themselves change from healthy green to red, like veins pulsing with blood.
Jesus.
Ares appears out of thin air, and when he comes to stand beside me, I cringe.
“Don’t you think they’re beautiful?” Adeth asks, pleased with what she’s created.
“Sure,” I mutter. “In a creepy as fuck way.”
I’m still trying to process everything because it’s not an everyday occurrence to see flowers and people intent on killing me appear out of thin air.
“I have a few questions to ask,” she continues. “Should your answers be satisfactory, you’ll be free to go. However, there will be consequences to face for every unacceptable answer you give.” The corner of her mouth lifts in a smile. “I think I’ve made myself very clear, and we can start.”
Adeth has to be anyone’s worst nightmare, and here I’m lucky enough to get her full and undivided attention.
God help me.
A chill ripples down my spine as I remember the question she kept asking in my vision.
She glides back to me, and instantly, the air tenses. I suck in a desperate breath of air, my stomach coiling and my nerves frail.
My eyes dart from Ares to Adeth, and fear makes me tremble as I wait for the questions to start.
“I heard you talking to Raighne,” Adeth says. “Have your premonitions begun?”
“What premonitions?” I ask, pretending not to understand .
I feel a wave of dizziness wash over me and try to remember the last time I ate or drank something.
God, how long I’ve been here?
A day? Longer?
“Prophecies! Have they started, child?” She raises an annoyed eyebrow.
“I don’t understand what you’re asking me,” I snap.
“Stupidity does not become you, child. Have you had dreams of the future?” She bites the words out, clearly losing her patience with me. “Who are the chosen ten?”
I swallow hard, then answer, “I’ve only seen disasters, and I can hardly remember them.”
I close my eyes, hoping the consequences won’t be bad. I’m determined not to give her too much information in case something I say might lead her to a chosen one.
“You can hardly remember them?” she asks, her tone deceptively soft.
“Yes.”
“There have been no visions concerning the chosen ones?” she asks.
I suck in a fortifying breath, and opening my eyes, I answer, “No.”
Adeth looks furious, and I know it means nothing good for me.
This is it! I’m a goner. Oh God!
“Then why have a guardian?” She shrugs as humorless laughter spills over her lips. “You’re useless and of no worth to me. Your parents managed to hide you for the last five years, and it was all for nothing?” She glances at Ares and my eyes dart to him.
Before I can register any movement from him, a dreadful pain spreads across my face. His fist slams hard into my jaw, knocking my head back.
A copper taste fills my mouth, and I force myself to swallow the blood.
The next punch is more brutal, splitting my lip. I don’t bother swallowing the blood this time. Instead, I spit it at Adeth’s feet.
“You and your son can go fuck yourselves,” I slur.
Ares walks behind me, and I try to keep an eye on him, but I can’t .
When I lose sight of him, my fear intensifies. I hear something fall to the floor, and my stomach coils into a hard knot. My whole body is wound so tightly that I’m shivering uncontrollably.
I hear something drag across the floor, then it hisses through the air.
A whip cracks, and I cringe, trying to make myself smaller. When the leather lashes at my back, white-hot pain licks at my skin, ripping a scream from me as I try to arch my body away from the whip.
But it cracks through the air again, hissing toward me a second time. As it strikes, the pain sears itself into my flesh.
Ares doesn’t stop, and with each strike, I grow weaker until my head hangs limply. I stare at the blood dripping from my feet to the dusty floor, forming a pool beneath me.
When the torture finally stops, I can only hear a ringing in my ears, and my body’s on fire with pain.
God. I’m not going to last much longer.
“If you are Alchera, you should be having visions,” Adeth snarls. “You should be seeing your precious chosen ones.”
“If you don’t believe me,” I let out a miserable-sounding chuckle, “…that’s your damn problem.”
“You’re a brave one to speak to me in this manner,” she says, her eyes narrowing on me. “Hmm…either you’re brave or very foolish.”
For a long moment, Adeth’s angry gaze holds mine captive, then she says, “You’re strong to keep me out of your mind, dear Alchera.” She shakes her head. “Poor Raighne. He must be out of his mind with fear for your safety.” She slithers closer like the damn snake she is. “Let me into your mind, and I’ll set you free so you can run home to comfort your guardian. How can you let the man you love suffer so much?”
Shit. How does she know about my feelings for Raighne?
I keep quiet, just staring at her.
“Tell me what you remember of your visions, or I’ll let Ares take you apart, piece by little piece, before sending your lifeless body back to Raighne.”
No. What will something like that do to him?
“Why do you want to know about the chosen ones?” I ask, trying to buy some time.
“You want to save these humans of yours. As if they deserve it,” she spits the words out with disgust. “They don’t deserve anything! It is time for the human race to come to their end and I intend to see to it personally.”
I shake my head. “You’re not answering my question.”
“You lived among them. Surely you’ve seen how depraved and selfish they are? Why do you still want to save them?” She sucks in a breath, her eyes burning on me. “Tell me about your visions!”
“I can’t remember the details,” I snap. “They start out as nightmares. Only after returning to Vaalbara was I told they were actual visions, and by then, I’d forgotten them.”
I give her as little information as possible, hoping it’s enough to convince her I’m being sincere.
“Do not patronize me, Alchera!”
Okay, so much for convincing her of anything.
“I didn’t mean to patronize you. I’m sorry,” I say quickly, hoping to calm her down.
Of course, it doesn’t work, and the air starts to crackle with some sort of electric current.
Adeth’s face begins to change. It’s subtle at first, then thorn-like bumps form on her forehead.
Shit.
I can only stare in horror as small spikes form on her ears and black veins appear along her lips, spreading out over the rest of her face.
Bile rises in my throat as I realize I have a front-row seat to the unveiling of the monster that wants to end all of humanity, and the odds are good I’m going to die now.
Oh God. This is the part I’ve seen in a vision, and I know what’s coming next.
I won’t be getting out of this hell alive, and just like in the vision, I slip up and think of Raighne.
Warmth immediately floods my chest, and I’m shocked that he’s able to restore our bond. Either that, or I didn’t manage to sever it like I thought .
But it’s so comforting to feel him, I let out a sob.
I lower my head so they can’t see my eyes because I don’t want them to know Raighne’s able to sense what’s happening.
“Ares,” the woman hisses, “make her understand!”
His hand closes around my throat, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
ShitShitShit.
An awful burning sensation starts at my feet, slowly making its way up my legs.
When it feels as if my flesh is being burned from my body, I can’t keep the screams from tearing loose.
I writhe in agony as the burn increases, clawing its way up my body.
By the time it reaches my thighs, I’m on fire, burning from the inside out.
“Stop!” I scream, my voice hoarse. “Please.”
I’m weeping from the unbearable pain, but there are no tears left to cool my face.
Ares just stares at me, his eyes dead and merciless, as always.
Raighne’s warmth stirs in me, and it feels as if he’s trying to pass some of his strength into my body.
I want to push him away because I don’t want him feeling any of this pain.
Unable to stop Raighne, he flows through my mind, and as he floods my entire being, his soothing warmth battles the fire, easing some of the blistering pain.
“Raighne,” I groan internally. “I don’t want you here. Leave.”
“Never.” His voice is crystal clear in my mind and filled with so much confidence it makes hope trickle into my chest. “I’ll find you. Don’t give up.”
My whole body slumps, and totally exhausted, I just soak in Raighne’s comforting presence.
Then Ares’ voice enters my mind, sounding threatening as hell, “Tell her, or I will be forced to kill you slowly and hand your soul to her.”
I shake my head as more sobs spill over my lips.
Adeth steps closer to me, finding delight in my pain and despair. “Ares, you may stop for now. Let’s see whether our little bird is ready to sing.”
The excruciating pain eases the instant he removes his hand.
“Tell me who the chosen ones are,” she demands once again.
I keep quiet because there’s no use trying to talk to her.
Adeth reaches out to me and when her hand settles over my stomach, there’s a weird tugging sensation.
Before I can take another breath, it turns into gut-wrenching agony, tearing a scream from me. It feels as if she’s twisting my insides, trying to rip them through my skin.
I start to gag, making it so much worse as my body convulses.
The pain becomes all-consuming until it’s all I can think of, while sweat beads on my skin as every muscle in my body strains.
Suddenly, she stops and grabs hold of my face. Her nails dig into my cheek until they tear through my skin, and I’m too weak to try to yank away.
“I’ll return, and you will tell me everything. This, I promise you, Alchera.”
She disappears, and I feel relief wash over me, but it’s only for a split second.
I can still feel her nails cutting into my cheek as Ares begins to advance on me. He draws his arm back, and I close my eyes.
I can’t deal with this anymore.
All the pain is getting the better of me, and I’m sure I’m dying.
Raighne was wrong. There are more ways to kill an immortalis.
Ares’ fist slams hard into my gut until it hurts too much to breathe. My body swings from the impact, but it doesn’t stop him. He grabs my hair, and I have no time to recover before the next blow comes.
Excruciating pain becomes the sum of my being, and it feels as if every agonizing breath might be my last.
But, the relief of death doesn’t come, only a new level of pain when the whip cracks over my already raw and bloody flesh.
When Raighne whispers inside me, I sob out loud. I want to thank Awo that it will be Raighne’s voice I hear one last time before I die.
“Alchera, hold on for me. Please don’t give up. We’re coming for you. I will find you!”
I know I should keep him away, but hearing his voice feels like heaven calling to me in the middle of hell.
“I can’t.” The words slip through because I’m too weak.
Adeth immediately reappears and grabs me by the neck. “You tell that guardian of yours that if he comes near you, Ares will rip your soul from your body. Tell him!” She spits the words at me as her eyes change to a bitter, angry orange color. “Now!”
“I heard her. Just hold on for me.”
“He heard you,” I gasp, my voice hoarse from all the screaming.
I don’t understand how it’s possible I’m still conscious, let alone alive.
Adeth steps back and takes a good, long look at me, then a glass of water appears in her hand.
I’m thirsty and will do almost anything for water, but when she holds the glass to my mouth, I let my head roll to the side.
Exhausted, I mutter, “I’d rather die of thirst.”
“You need to drink,” Adeth murmurs, almost sounding motherly. “You’ll be of no use to me dead.”
When she presses the glass to my mouth, a few drops spill onto my feverish lips. Sadly, it’s all the encouragement I need. I get two greedy gulps down before she snatches it away.
“Ah-ah-ah, not too fast. You can have more in a minute.” The glass disappears, and I feel a sudden pang of loss. “You don’t look too good. Maybe you’ll speak now. We don’t want any more misunderstandings, do we?”
Shit.
“Who are the chosen ones?”
Consumed by pain, I whisper, “I don’t know.”
She lets out a bark of laughter. “Foolish girl. You will tell me.”
Little black and red spots begin to spark in front of my eyes.
“Go to hell!” I spit at her.
I try to smile just before the darkness I’ve been praying for comes.