Chapter 31
Braxton
I have to blink a few times so my eyes can get used to the light. I know this place, but I am not in my usual position. Cells cover the hallway and the few lanterns on the grey stone wall shine dim, not allowing me to see the floor. They don’t have to, because I know this place out of my head.
The underground dungeons of the palace.
Except this time I am not locked away. I am standing on the side, I usually crawl to after hearing the redeeming words.
“Where are you?” I slip in her mind, testing out if our connection works the same here. She doesn’t react to me, but I feel her presence so she must be here somewhere.
A high scream fills the hallways.
My ears ring at the high pitched note the scream reaches. The light in the hallway starts to shine brighter.
Eliane.
I follow the lights as they lay out a path for me, leading me between the cells towards the dungeon I am looking for.
I know what is happening.
I denied and denied that this would happen.
I should have warned her. But this isn’t only my nightmare we are reliving.
I run and she comes into view. My body collapses against invisible walls, right in front of her dungeon. My body tingles as I feel time rushing through.
There she is, a man is standing in front of her. She looks so small crumbled away on the floor, crunching together as a result of being hit.
“Honey, I am here,” I scream. Her eyes look up, but her gaze doesn’t meet mine. She sees past through me. Her eyes scan the room.
“I don’t see you,” she whispers. She bows forwards, then straightens up and tilts her head.
“I am not scared of you.”
The words leave her mouth confident. She reaches for her dagger.
The man must almost be as tall as me and has dark blond hair.
One problem is that he is at least twice my size, and I am not talking about muscle.
Eliane is an excellent fighter, but will never be able to get him to the ground.
He is a torturer. I have seen him before.
“I don’t think so, little girl.” He smiles at her.
I am just standing here, not being able to do anything. It is killing me.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck!
Adrenaline rushes through my veins as I can do nothing more than just watch.
“I am right here, Honey, watching over you. You can do this.” The man grunts loudly as he grabs her by her arms. She slices forward with her dagger getting his attention there, but also kicking her knee in his groin.
He bows forward, making it possible for her to throw a punch towards his face.
I hear his nose crunch, and next to death, rats and dust, the smell of iron fills my nose.
She broke his nose. He stands up straight, looking like a giant with that body, holding his nose.
“You little bitch.”
He steps forwards grabbing her by her face, forcing her to look at him.
She takes her opportunity to hit and throws a dagger at him, straight into his shoulder.
She pushes her other dagger forward, straight into the man’s liver.
He does not give as much as a small huff as the dagger pierces through him.
Eliane’s eyes darken. The man looks down.
The wound starts to heal as fast as it came. Blood stops pouring and the wound closes.
He is a healer.
He smashes Eliane’s head hard against the wall, I can hear her bones crack. I hear the ringing of her ears through our bond. I can feel her dizziness. I can feel her on the edge of passing out.
“Stay awake, Eliane!” I feel her disappear out of my mind, seeing her hand loose grip on the dagger.
I try to reach for our bond, but I feel her slipping between my fingers.
The man turns her around, grabbing her hair tightly, Eliane’s face pushed against the cold brick wall.
Blood drips down and the red vibrant color is a complete contrast with the lifeless grey wall.
“No-Noo!” I scream so loud my throat burns. My veins pop out of my face. Sweat drips everywhere as my blood boils. My hands clap against the invisible wall. I reach for my sword, aiming in the wall, but it doesn’t break.
All I can do is watch, knowing what is going to happen next.
The man pulls her hair tight, her head lifting off the wall. He unties her braid, wrapping her hair that loses its sparkle, around his hand.
“Eliane!” I scream.
All I get from her is a small mumble. She is still there.
Presence, experiencing everything that happens to her, just not able to react—to fight.
He reaches for her belt on the front. He unties it with one hand, aiming for her pants.
The door opens and that makes the man look up.
His eyes go less dark as he watches the person walking in.
Zephron.
I scream again, ignoring the tears streaming down my face. As everything stops, Zephron stares at me like I am visible. He hasn’t seen Eliane yet, since the man stays utterly quiet, hidden away in the dark dungeon, still holding onto Eliane her moveless body.
“Help me, Zephron, help me, help her.”
He stares at me. I never thought I would be begging on my brother’s feet, but the words do leave my mouth as I fall to the ground, bowing on my knees.
“Please, Zef.”
Just like the wall isn’t there, Zephron marches towards me and pats his hand on my shoulders.
I look up at him and the smiles we give to each other assure me of the fact that we are getting through this.
He helps me up, embraces me and holds me for a few seconds.
After all these years hugging feels kind of strange, but I am glad we did.
I step forward, to the now non-existent wall.
I am not sure how he did that. He nods his head to the wall, where the same quote he told me before the start of this trial appears on the wall.
The answer to get out of this nightmare, he tilts his head to one side before speaking to me again.
“Go save your girl.”
I repeat the words he says.
Your girl.
My girl.
They wake something inside me. Now someone else has said those words, I explode.
He gives me a nod and walks away. It hits me because he is only a perception of reality.
Does this change things in the real world?
One thing I know for sure. This did not happen in my nightmare.
There was no possible good ending. I hurry towards the door of Eliane’s cell.
The iron bar door of the dungeon is locked.
The man looks at me with disgust in his eyes, but he has the courage to smirk.
He pushes Eliane’s pants down a bit, revealing the line of her underwear, holding her hair with one fist, untying his own zipper.
I look around, scanning for something to use.
My eyes land on a heavy metal chair on the corner of the hallway.
My body tingles harder, and I lift the chair.
I throw it against the door using my signet.
Everything moves slow, but I am still not fast enough.
The chair doesn’t do a lot of damage. I throw it again and again, but the door doesn’t budge.
I knew it wouldn’t.
I bolt forward, drawing my shoulder, followed by my body against the door.
Again.
Come on. I swing again, ignoring the stinging pain it causes in my shoulder. A scream lifts out of my throat. I pound again. Something moves in the door. I throw my whole weight against it.
Something in my shoulders cracks. I bite my lip to ignore the sound. Adrenaline pulses through me.
Again.
Blood drips over my arms.
But then the door swings open and I stumble inside.
Before the man has his pants over his hips, he catches me.
My sword flies in my hand and I swing forwards, slicing in his shoulder.
I know he is a healer, so I will have to kill him if I want to do some damage.
A growl rolls over his lips and he spins around, swinging Eliane her body with him.
He still has her by her hair as he faces me.
He throws out a punch, but I dunk. I slice my sword forwards, cutting his other arm.
I won’t win this game by hurting him. I do the one and only thing I can think of. Something he won’t expect.
My sword slices down towards Eliane.
Her hair crackles as my sword slices through it.
I kneel down fast to catch her as she falls in my arms. The man stands there holding her hair, his mouth wide open. I swing my sword on my back and lift her in my arms. My hands brush her damaged skin, and I hurry as fast as I can out of the dungeons.
A soft breeze brushes my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps.
I still am holding her in my arms. My shoulders start to thunder louder and harder with every flying step I make.
I am in the garden and the man doesn’t seem to follow me.
My eyes scan the wound on her temple. Blood has stopped flowing and it is drying up bit by bit.
But she doesn’t wake up.
“Help!” I howl. “I need a healer!”
I shout around, but nobody reacts. Curses leave my mouth, trying to get somebody to notice us. In the real world, the garden and palace buzzes with people, but nobody is in my sight. Fuck. I repeat the words Zephron has quoted to me before in a whisper. The same quote that was chalked on the wall.
“Find the one thing you love with everything you have and let that feeling in.”
Is that why the wall fell? Because of Zephron? I knew I had a soft spot inside somewhere. I missed my brother. But that isn’t my main concern right now. Who loves Eliane the most?
Maybe Hazel?
Her real parents not, that’s for sure.
A big strong, tattooed dark man comes into my mind.
Fintan, her dad.
Faster than I can run, my feet drag me towards the castle. Her house is too far away and I am not sure where it lies. With my good shoulder I push towards the entrance of the palace.
“Fintan!” I scream. No reaction. She needs to get healed first. I bolt toward the healer’s section with her in my arms. Sadly enough, it isn’t the first time she has been here. As the door opens I find nobody in there. Where is everyone? Where could Fintan be?
The sparring and training room.
Everything moves in a blur as I move there. My heart is thundering in my ears, body shaking and my breathing is high. Every step seems like one too much. Her light is completely dim and her now short hair doesn’t shine anymore. I press my fingers against her neck, checking her pulse as I run.
Thud…thud…thud
She has a pulse. If that is what you can call one.
I reach the opening of the sparring room and two eyes meet mine.
A raw sob escapes my throat. Fintan stands there.
His eyes go over to Eliane, scanning her moveless body.
He sprints towards me. One hand covers my shoulders while the other respectfully brushes her face.
He takes one of my hands in his and presses it towards her heart.
Pain washes over me but also something else.
Love.
And then everything goes dark.