Chapter 24 #3
I looked at Worth, seeing the choice play out in his head like I had a direct connection to his brain.
The soul-rending pain reflected in his eyes had me wanting to tell him it was okay, that he didn’t need to save me.
But the pain shooting from my limbs had me holding my tongue.
Coming to a decision, Worth nodded in the direction where the others were starting to come.
“They don’t need to see this. Remove them, please…” he begged, one last plea for them to allow him to keep a semblance of dignity. “Please.”
Nodding, the guy who wore a mask full of red-tinged teeth scooped up Lilah and carried her away from where she was lying unconscious across the ice, oblivious to the end of a life-long dream steadily approaching as Worth was lined up with another puck and shot.
Each goal represented that he was one step closer toward the culmination of this trial and its forced brutality.
The torture forced his hand to choose between his dream and me.
Coming back, he repeated it with the other two as the red timer continued to count down. Flashing ominously. Reminding me that I didn’t have much longer.
“Two minutes…” A siren blasted from the announcer’s box.
Startling me, I cursed as my arms jerked back into the netting behind me.
Worth dropped the stick, bringing his bound wrists up to his mouth and biting the connecting chain with his teeth.
Pausing for a brief second to connect his gaze with mine, he hollowed his cheeks and closed his eyes, severing that connection and trying to hide the pain he would experience from me.
Worth bit hard into the chain, rotating his left wrist around, rubbing his skin raw as blood dripped onto the ice, the crimson red a stark contrast to the sheet of white.
No. No. Refusing to back down and close my eyes, I stared dead on at him as he violently yanked down with his right hand, bringing up his knee.
Jerking his left arm back, his knee broke the chain with such force that the cracking of bones was heard.
A grimace lined his face as his movement caused him to fall and land onto his left wrist, the one that he broke trying to free himself from the cuffs binding him.
“Well done. I would applaud you, but you still need to get her free…I doubt my brother here will be amenable much longer, and truly his rage…is not something you want to see.”
The red lights flashed once again, ticking down faster, signalling that there was just under a minute remaining. Worth gritted his teeth and forced himself to his knees, coming to a standing position before he slowly made his way over to me, pain evident in his expression.
Reaching the goal post, he whispered, “I’m sorry…” near silently, right before he tore at the ropes around me. He methodically freed my right arm and then squatted to free that leg as well. He slid over to the left to do the same when that damn siren went off again.
“Five seconds…”
Worth scrambled to free my remaining arm as the arena lights flashed on suddenly, getting my arm free as a faint sound of applause filled the air.
Together, we looked up into the stands, where a lone figure stood.
The leader from before was now dressed in a solid black, tailored suit, mask still firmly in place.
“Congratulations. You have completed Trial Three…” His voice was gleeful under the robotic manipulation, like he enjoyed the sick game of torture he got to puppeteer that night.
“It’s a shame you won’t get to play hockey for a while. But in this life, we all do what must be done. A key to unlock the cuffs can be found on the arena seats.”
“The first game will occur in two weeks’ time, at a location of my choosing. And be warned, if you thought tonight was bad…” He trailed off, a vicious chuckle tapering off his words as he motioned for his minions to follow him.
“Oh, and Shadow…” The man who barely contained his fury at the end swivelled his head around, body rigid and threatening. “Don’t think I didn’t see you desperate to protect the Little Vipera tonight. You’ve already been warned what happens when one decides to betray our own.”
The man in question vibrated with restrained violence as he stood and stared from would-be eye sockets to the man up above.
He stepped forward as the other two walked up behind him, each grabbing an arm, like both would be needed if he chose to attack the one who is no doubt in charge.
The action caused the robes to flutter, revealing more of his tattoo, which now saw was a crest. Daggers and blood.
Dark ink trailed around his collarbones, giving away the family I now know he belonged to. It can’t be.
My mind blanked as his response was swallowed in anger.
“You know better than to challenge me, Canis Infernum. It’s always the arrogant heads who never see me coming, much like you even with The Sun bowing to your needs.”
His statement was met with silence, as the others practically dragged him out. Reluctance and resignation filled the air as Worth wrapped his arm around me.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, leaning my body into his as he guided me off the ice and into seats. “I’m sorry, Worth, I-I…I’m just…sorry.”
“This one isn’t on you, Audrey.” His voice rumbled into my hair as he grabbed the key and unlocked the cuffs. “This trial was always going to fall on me…”
Worth’s voice trailed off as a sinister darkness flitted over his eyes, making the pale green seem almost dark grey, like a tumultuous sky of reckoning.
“The Guilda was always going to find out what secret I hid from them, and to them, this punishment was fitting for the girl I helped shuttle away far from here. From them.”
Taking more of my weight, he began his way to the others, who were slowly starting to stir awake. His whisper was the last thing I heard before I fell into a deep sleep, my body finally giving out on me.
“When the Ravens come calling, there will only be unkindness to see.”