Chapter 21
“Adeline,” Avira whispers in my ear. “Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?”
I whirl around, my eyes moving as I try to find where she is in this black pit. But everywhere I turn I just see black.
Where am I?
What happened to me?
“Prince Archie told you not to get close to me,” I yell, fear coursing through my body. “When he hears about this he won’t be happy.”
Laughter fills the air, sending shivers running up and down my body. I need to find Henry or Prince Archie. But as I walk further, the black doesn’t go anywhere.
“Do you think a mere prince can keep me away from you? He is no match for me.” Avira pops out right in front of me.
I scream and trip, taking several steps back as I try to widen the distance between us.
“Get away from me!” I yell. “You aren’t supposed to be close to me!”
But she’s right. What can Prince Archie do against her when she’s the witch? No one is as strong as she is.
She chuckles and I continue to take several steps back. Avira snaps her fingers and I’m held in place.
“Avira, you don’t have to do this. I have done nothing to you!” I beg and plead. “Just let me go and let’s pretend like nothing ever happened!”
I continue to try and move, but it’s like there is an invisible force around me, holding me in place.
“Done nothing?” Her head tilts to the side as she gets closer to me. “Oh, Adeline, you have done so much. Stealing my book of spells, falling in love with a Fae, and always being suspicious of me.”
She takes several steps toward me and I beg my body to allow me to move but it’s rooted in its spot. All I can do is watch in horror as Avira lifts her finger and gently runs it down my cheek.
The hairs on my body stand up straight as unease fills my body.
Kieran! I call through our bond, trying to get his attention.
Silence.
Kieran! Please find me! Kieran! Answer me! I continue, but it’s no use.
Where has Avira taken us? Why can’t I see anything but her?
“You should have just kept your head down and married the prince. You shouldn’t have gotten involved with the Fae and let them brainwash you,” Avira says sadly. “You should have just ignored them. But it’s too late now.”
“Please, Avira,” I manage to get out. “Just let me go and I won’t tell anyone a thing.”
Tsking, Avira shakes her head and looks at my thigh.
“You know I can’t allow that. You have seen and heard too much and now you’re a liability.
Who knows what you will do once I let you go.
Will you go tell the other townspeople to try and get them to revolt against the royals?
Will you get the Fae to bear arms and fight for their freedom? ”
“I haven’t breathed a word of anything, you have to believe me. I can continue to keep my mouth shut,” I beg her. “I’ll keep my mouth shut, head down, and I’ll marry the prince next year. Just please let me go. I have done nothing wrong!”
Lie.
By that point the Fae will hopefully be free and the royal family, along with Avira, will be dead or locked away somewhere they won’t ever be able to get out of.
But will Avira ever be put somewhere where she can’t get out of or use her magic to harm people?
The thought terrifies me.
She hums and walks around me. “Too late. You had your chance and you decided to meddle in things, so now I have to get rid of you. The prince will find someone who will be happy to marry him and will follow every little word he says without complaint or hesitation.”
“Avira, please don’t,” I whisper, tears filling my eyes. “I don’t want to die right now. From now on I will follow every little word he says without any complaint or hesitation.”
Another lie.
She chuckles. “Lies. I know you are lying about this and everything else. You won’t be dying right now. I’m going to make sure your death is slow and painful. You are going to wish that you never took the book from me or fell in love with a Fae.”
“I’ll do anything. Please just don’t kill me. I’m not ready to die!” I scream.
Kieran! Please answer me! Please tell me that you can get to me and save me! Kieran! I scream through the bond.
“Anything?” Avira asks as she tilts her head to the side.
I manage to nod my head. Maybe if I can keep her stalling for some time then Kieran can come and save me.
Please, Kieran. Please if you can hear me then follow my voice and save me! I beg through the bond.
“Yes,” I whisper.
But I know that’s a lie.
I’m not ready to leave Kieran behind. We haven’t even been able to have a proper life together. It’s all had to be in secret, and I also don’t want to leave my mother behind. She shouldn’t lose two people she loves in less than a year.
How will she move on with her life after everything has come to light?
“You’ll tell me where the book is?” Avira asks.
My mouth stays shut and she chuckles.
“That’s what I thought. You aren’t willing to do anything after all,” she says. “Lucky for you I still remember a couple of the spells, and one just happens to be a spell I need to make you suffer.”
Remember a couple of the spells? Does she not have them memorized? That wouldn’t make sense. She is older than Kieran is, she has to have everything memorized.
“First you are going to lose your leg and then it’s going to spread throughout your whole body. But it won’t be quick.” Avira laughs. “Oh, how I’m going to have so much fun watching you slowly die. And when other people realize what is happening to you, they won’t be able to do anything.”
Before I can ask her questions, searing, blinding pain erupts on my thigh.
Shooting out of bed, I scream as my thigh is on fire. Mother bursts into the room, searching with her gaze before landing on my frame.
“What’s wrong?” Mother asks. “Tell me what’s wrong!”
I grip my thigh as tears and another wave of pain crashes through me.
Sweets! What’s wrong? Kieran’s voice cuts through all of the pain and rings through my head. Where are you? Talk to me, Sweets.
“My thigh,” I cry out.
Mother pulls up my dress and gasps. “Oh my.”
I bring myself to look down and see a bloody mess all over my thigh and dripping onto my bed. Black dots form in my vision as I continue to stare at it.
So much blood.
Everywhere.
Why is there so much blood?
Mother runs out of my room for several minutes before coming back in with needles, thread, cloths, and bandages in her hands.
“Bite down on this.” She hands me a cloth. “Bite down on it and lie back down. Don’t look while I sew your thigh up. Everything is going to be okay.”
Adeline, what’s going on? Why are you in so much pain? Kieran asks again.
Blood. Everywhere. Thigh, I manage to get out.
Tears roll down my face as I lie back down on the bed, biting the cloth so hard I’m afraid I’m going to break a tooth.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Mother repeats. “I’m going to get started.”
Adeline, what are you talking about? What happened to your thigh? His voice gets louder in my head. Tell me what’s going on. Is there anything I can do to help you?
Avira did it, I manage to get out before Mother slowly starts sewing up my thigh, sending blinding pain throughout my body.
Screaming, I bite into the cloth even harder, my hands gripping my bedsheet as I will myself not to beg her to stop.
“You’re doing alright.” Mother’s voice shakes. “We’re almost done.”
Lie.
She just started, and with how big the cut is, there is no way she’s almost done. Black dots scatter across my vision as she continues to work on my thigh.
“We’re almost done,” she says again. “Everything is going to be okay.”
I go in and out of consciousness as she continues to work. Kieran is still talking to me, but I don’t have the strength to reply to him.
I don’t have the strength to do anything.
“We’re all done,” Mother says gently as she pulls the cloth out of my mouth. “I’ve managed to stitch you up and stop the bleeding.”
Her voice is shaky as she sits next to my head, running her bloody hands through my hair.
“What happened?” she whispers, but I stay silent.
Mother sighs and continues to run her hands through my hair as we sit in silence, processing everything that just happened.
“How about we go get you cleaned up,” Mother suggests. “It will make you feel a lot better, and then you can rest in the kitchen while I clean everything up.”
“How are you going to get that out of the sheets without people whispering?” I manage to ask as she helps me sit up.
“We are going to do it in the house where no one can see. No doubt people heard you scream, but they will just think it’s from your nightmares like before,” Mother explains. “And if they ask questions then we will come up with a lie. Everything is going to work out.”
Mother helps me out of the bed and stands on the side of my hurt leg, helping me hop all the way to the bathroom.
“You just sit here and relax while I take care of everything,” she says. “Don’t think about anything but happy thoughts.”
Easier said than done. My mind is whirling with so many questions and thoughts from everything that has happened so far. But the most important one keeps lingering in my mind.
How was Avira able to get to me through a dream and cut my thigh?