14. Chapter 14
Josiah
Igrumbled as I started coming to. I thought of Athia, that fucking bitch.
Athia was such a pain in my ass and I was pretty sure she was the reason my head was pounding.
I went to rub the back of my head and found my hands had been bound behind my back.
Fuck, I was definitely caught and I definitely fucked this up so royally.
“Ahhgghh, my fucking head,” I finally managed to say, but then I moved and realized the rest of my body also felt like it was on fire. They must have beat the shit out of me while I was unconscious.
“Josiah!”
My heart tightened as I immediately recognized the voice. I was extremely confused though.
How did Camille get here?
How was she back on Earth?
“Camille?” I whispered hoarsely, as I cracked open my eyes.
She was sitting next to me and she was so pale. She was bound up just like I was. Then, I looked up to see Kyril standing smugly, smiling with blood all over his lips and teeth. He had fed from her. I shivered in anger from the immediate shock of adrenaline.
“The traitor awakens,” Athia said from behind me. I instantly grew irritated at her obnoxious voice.
“Well, since you knocked him out without letting me finish my questioning, we don’t really know anything yet, do we?” Kyril said in his own irritation.
“Jesus, someone just hurry up and put me out of my misery now,” Camille quipped.
She clearly hadn’t learned to keep her mouth shut yet.
A twitch of a smile crept on my face and I stifled a laugh.
But that laugh quickly disappeared when Kyril slapped her with the back of his hand across her mouth.
He crouched back down and looked deeply into her eyes.
She looked mesmerized and then her face was just… blank.
“Well, that solves that problem for now,” Athia said. “Why don’t you do your questioning and then can we please get back. I have some final details to iron out before everyone starts showing up.”
What she said didn’t make sense. The meeting wasn’t supposed to be for several more days.
This just further complicated things. We were out of time.
I needed to get us out of here. If I could just get out of this binding, I could grab Camille and rift.
That alone posed its own issues now with Kyril being in tuned with others rifting, but at least we knew it now.
We could take everyone and travel somewhere else on a ship.
“Who are you?” Kyril asked as he looked quizzically over at me.
“No one important,” I responded.
“You’re not mated to her anymore, are you? Athia told me all about the bond you shared. It must have been excruciating when it broke. Akuma truly never had a chance,” Kyril said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I deflected.
“I would really consider the situation here. Josiah, was it? Consider her safety, maybe?” he reasoned.
“Is that a threat?” I asked in an aggravated tone.
“We both know it is,” Kyril smiled. “So again, I ask you. Who are you?”
I sighed. He did have the upper hand here.
He’s always had the upper hand and I was painfully aware of it in this moment.
I contemplated for a second, trying to consider all of the possible outcomes.
None of which were good for either Camille or myself.
After a little more silence and inner deliberation, I decided my choices were limited.
“My name is Josiah. This is all a complete accident. Akuma was in control until very recently.”
“So it was the bond then!” Athia exclaimed. “How did he die and you didn't? I need to know how he died!”
“I don’t know,” I admitted and lowered my head. “I was just as surprised to be alive. At the time, I was glad I was about to be dead.”
“How did she break the bond?” Kyril snapped.
“She bonded to someone else,” I said, pain clearly etched on my face.
“Oh, ouch,” Kyril said in a mocking tone. “So, she found someone else and left you for dead. What a savage of a female.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growled, instantly losing my temper.
I wasn’t really sure why I was upset though, because he wasn’t wrong. She did and it fucking sucked.
“Bet you really wish you were dead now, huh?” Athia laughed.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t even need to. I’m sure my face said it all. Not only had I lost her, but now I was failing her yet again by not being able to save her from this. This entire situation was my fault. My brother was right. He was always right.
“Look at him wallowing in his own self pity,” Kyril said, as he threw his head back and laughed unnecessarily loud at my expense.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that this group is the least of our worries.
I mean, how many times can these people fuck up their plans in such a short amount of time? It is exceptionally pathetic.”
Athia laughed at his comment and turned without another word. Kyril looked at me with absolute disdain. I could see the disgust on his face as he turned away from me and walked off too. The light that had been illuminating the area slowly went out as he got further away.
Camille and I sat in the darkness. I was so numb to everything. I wasn’t even sure why I was bothering to fight at this point. We were going to lose. I stayed silent and wondered when Camille would be able to say something again. I wasn’t sure how Kyril’s ability actually worked.
What seemed like a lifetime went by before Camille finally spoke, “Josiah, we need to get out of here.”
“I’ve… been thinking. And I agree, but I need to fix this first,” I said softly. “I’m sorry for failing you… again.”
“You didn’t fail me,” she said softly. Her voice sounded so defeated.
“I did. And… I should have been more careful. This entire thing is my fault,” I said as I looked down at my feet. I was thankful I couldn’t actually see her well in this dark cavern. “I should have noticed that fucking blob when he hitched a ride to Salioes.”
“Josiah, stop! We didn’t know there were more! We didn’t know Amelia, or uh… Athia was working with Kyril. I could blame myself just as easily. Maybe… I should have noticed sooner that you weren’t yourself.”
“To be fair, you didn’t really know what to look for,” I smirked. “But, right now, I need to make this situation right.”
“So, what are we going to do?” she asked softly. “I’ve tried to get out, but I'm not strong enough to break metal. I’m never going to get these to crack without seriously hurting myself. I wasn’t exactly prepared to be kidnapped, but I should have been.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I, kind of, knew this was going to happen. I knew he was going to take me. I just didn’t know it was him at the time and I didn't know when,” she admitted. “The visions are so vivid.”
“So they knew you were going to be captured and no one was able to stop him? Not even my brother?” I said through clenched teeth. I guess it may have been petty, but I was glad I wasn’t the only one fucking up when it came to her.
“Trust me, it wasn’t for lack of trying,” she explained. “He just appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed me in front of everyone. I don't think any of them even had time to register what was happening right in front of them. I was already gone.”
“Camille, I don’t think we can win,” I confessed after hearing that.
“You have to stop saying that! We will fail if you don’t get your head in the game. This isn’t you and I know that much. You aren't a fucking quitter.”
I could hear her fighting against the cuffs again. She must have assumed that I was going to be useless getting us out of here. That realization just made me feel even worse about the entire situation.
“Stop fighting against it, please,” I begged. “You’re going to damage your wrists and I will just hate myself even more than I already do. Please… sit back and let me do what I do best.”
She grew silent as I put all of my strength into trying to get out of the ties.
I’m not sure what the material was, but I definitely wasn’t strong enough to break it.
I sighed in frustration as I realized that the only option was probably forcing my hand to break instead.
This fucking situation couldn’t possibly get worse.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Just… give me a minute. I’m going to have to be in the right headspace for this,” I said back. “Whatever you hear, just… try to ignore it, okay?”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” she hissed.
With one swift motion, I put every bit of my strength into the motion and yanked both hands away from each other.
The biting pain on my wrist and opposite hand was searing against the ties as it cut into my flesh.
I sucked in a sharp breath as I tried to stifle the sound I knew I was about to make.
I didn’t want to scare her any more than I had to and she would never agree to this if she knew what I was trying to do.
I pulled again, harder than the first time and kept my left hand folded so my thumb fell in between my fingers.
My right hand stayed in a fist to give me more leverage.
I pulled again but nothing happened except for more biting pain.
I begged on the third pull that my left hand would break in the right places, so I could slide it out of the ties without any issue.
I yanked one last time and I heard a loud snapping noise.
I tried my best to hold in the groan, but the pain was unbearable.
The adrenaline quickly coursed through my veins and I felt more alert than ever.
My mind began racing as I listened to my surroundings.
Every sound and movement was momentarily amplified.
“What the hell was that noise?” she asked in horror.
“Nothing… just… stay put. We are… going to… get out of here,” I said in little gasps.
I quickly pulled my hand out of the tie with one more quick pull, got my hands free and quickly put my hand on to hers, gripping it tightly.
I thought of Jovalia and when I opened my eyes, we were still both seated, sitting right next to the ship they had come on.
They had clearly been getting ready to try to save her.
Right in front of us, in a heightened state of panic, was Jerrod, Jade, Veshkru, Kresh, and The King with his protector.
They all gaped at us with wide, shocked eyes.
Camille was out cold next to me and I realized that rifting was not easy on her body like it was on mine.
I vaguely remembered the first couple of times Akuma had rifted us somewhere, we would black out for an extended period too.
Athia used to get so mad at our long disappearances, but Akuma said that my body would grow accustomed to it.
And like he guessed, my body did just that.
Everyone was running to us. Jerrod ran straight to Camille, ignoring my presence completely.
“Get those things off of her wrists,” Jerrod said in an indescribable furious calm.
I had never experienced much emotion from him throughout our lives, but I could see the absolute wrath displayed on his face. I totally understood. I felt the same just moments before.
“We can’t stay here,” I said in a hushed tone. No one heard me. “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!”
Every face turned toward me.
“What happened?” Jade asked.
“Kyril happened. We don’t have time for this though. We need to go… now,” I said in a frantic declaration.
“You’re both safe now though,” Kresh noted. He raised a brow at me in uncertainty, “It doesn’t look like Camille is able to do anything at the moment.”
“You don’t understand! Kyril knows when I rift! He knows where I rift! He is connected to it somehow. We need to depart immediately. She can wake wherever we end up,” I explained.
“He’s connected? So you’re the dumbass that led him right to her, huh?” Veshkru said in realization. “And you just led him back here again. No brains, all brawn.”
“Enough,” Jerrod snarled in a low, even tone. “Prepare for departure. Your Majesty, if I may, I’d suggest getting your best men together to join us.”
“Absolutely! Ansel, please, make haste and ready the warriors,” King Kian ordered.
“Uh, Sir, may I… uh… may I speak for just a moment?” Ansel stuttered. It was clear that he rarely argued. “May I suggest that you stay with our people and continue training with my second in command if I must accompany the group?”
He chuckled in almost a mocking tone, “Nonsense, Ansel! What kind of King would I be if I stayed behind? Like the goddess has mentioned, this affects us all, even the great people of Jovalia.”
He looked over at Camille in her unconscious slumber with a warm smile.
Clearly Camille had gotten to him. But, didn’t she always get to everyone she was close to though?
She drew people in like a warm embrace. It was almost too easy for her.
I had no doubt, that everyone in this group, would throw themselves into flames if it meant keeping her safe.
“I’m going to go prepare for our travels,” Kresh finally said after a short moment of silence.
“Ansel, you do the same. Grab the men, we must go, now,” The King stated, walking toward the ship with Kresh.
I went to walk over to Camille, forgetting my role for just a split second when Jerrod picked her up and cradled her in his arms. His eyes met mine. I flinched at the fire raging within. He walked toward me, never letting go of my gaze.
“Fix this fucking mess, or you will have far worse issues than Kyril ripping you apart limb from limb, or that broken fucking hand for that matter,” Jerrod said as he passed me.
I didn’t bother to respond. He was right. I fucked up. I had been so busy feeling sorry for myself, that I inadvertently put her in danger. I was the reason everything was falling apart. If we lost, I knew in my broken and scorched soul, that it would be only my own faults that led us to disaster.