Chapter 10
Elora
Elora lay in bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling of her dorm room. The familiar smell of damp stone and old books clung to the air, but something felt… wrong. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed darker, deeper than they should be.
Then came the sound.
Click.
Elora sat up, expecting Arria to walk into the room with a towel wrapped around her coiled locks.
But the door didn’t open. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood slowly.
Her steps were hesitant, the flickering light of the lantern on her bedside table casting distorted shadows that stretched like fingers along the walls.
The door remained closed, the handle still.
“Hello?”
A warm huff of air tickled the hairs on her neck.
She spun around, a scream tearing from her throat as Symond loomed over her, his face twisted with anger. Before she could move, his hand shot out, shoving her hard against the wall.
“You don’t get to scream,” he hissed, particles of spit landing on her face. The shadows curled around her arms, pinning her in place. "You think the darkness touched you? You didn’t even step into the light of the fire that consumed me."
He shoved her again, her head cracking on the edges of the sharp stones. “The flames twisted my name, my mind, my very being. It peeled the skin from my bones. And you… you lit the match.”
Before she could respond, he shoved her to the ground. The impact sent her sprawling, her knees slamming into the hardwood floor.
“Symond, please…” she started, but when she looked up, it wasn’t Symond standing there anymore.
Gerard’s sinister crooked grin spread across his face, too wide, too sharp, warping as the corners of his mouth twisting unnaturally. His hands moved to his belt, undoing it with deliberate slowness, the metallic clink of the buckle echoing as the shadows crept along the ground toward her.
She scrambled backward, frantically kicking her feet towards him, towards the darkness reaching for her. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, no, no!”
She lunged for the door, yanking on the handle with frantic desperation. It didn’t budge.
“Please,” she whimpered, pulling harder.
Behind her, the sound of footsteps grew louder. She didn’t dare look back, but she could feel his presence, feel the heat of his breath. The shadows crept across her vision.
The door suddenly gave way, and the light pushed back the demons threatening to consume her. She bolted but immediately slammed into a solid figure, and the impact sent her reeling. Strong hands clamped around her wrists.
“Did you really think you could escape me?” The voice held the sharp authority of a blade unsheathed, every syllable a reminder that escape had never truly been an option.
Thorn’s eyes were black voids, devoid of even the cold piercing gaze he used to control people. There was just nothing. His hands spilled with a dark liquid that climbed up her arms, seeping into her veins.
“No!” she screamed, thrashing against his grip, but it was useless. His hold was unyielding as he dragged her back into the room.
The bed was gone. In its place was a metal gurney, its surface cold and sterile.
He shoved her onto it, his hands firm on her shoulders as straps appeared from nowhere, binding her wrists and ankles.
She screamed, begged, pleaded, but Thorn didn’t flinch.
He loomed over her, his face impossibly large now.
“You’ll always belong to me.” his voice echoed in the empty space, but his mouth didn’t open to say the words, instead it twisted into a wicked smile.
She thrashed, her screams reaching a fever pitch as his shadow stretched and grew, becoming a monstrous beast, engulfing the room. The edges of her vision blurred, the world folding in on itself, suffocating her with its weight.
“Elora!” a voice snapped, deep and insistent. “Open your eyes!”
Firm hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and her arms flailed instinctively, trying to push the hands away.
Finally, her eyes snapped open, and for a moment, she didn’t recognize the face hovering above her. Rell’s dark eyes stared down at her, his expression etched with concern. The dim light of the room softened his features, but the intensity in his gaze pulled her back to the present.
Her breathing slowed, her surroundings coming into focus. She was in the room at the Ravenpoint lodging, not the Institute.
She sat up, her back sagging against the wall, the cool stone chilling her sweat-dampened skin.
Rell released her shoulders, his hands dropping to his sides as he stepped back slightly, though his worried gaze never left her. “I heard you screaming. I thought... I thought Symond might’ve done something. Are you okay?”
She stared at him, her chest heaving as the last vestiges of panic ebbed away.
Only then did she notice that Rell wasn’t wearing a shirt.
His lean, muscular frame was bathed in the soft light of the room, and her cheeks flushed despite herself.
She quickly looked away, focusing on her trembling hands instead.
“What is with all the screaming?”
Elora’s head snapped toward the door to see Violette standing there, her orange robe loose around her shoulders, her white hair falling in messy waves.
Symond stood just behind her, his broad chest bare and loose pants slung low on his hips.
His expression was smug and she couldn’t bear to look at him after the nightmare she just had.
He knew. He had to know. The way his lips curled into a faint smirk made it clear… he was enjoying the idea that he had probably caused her nightmare.
Rell stepped between her and the others. “She had a nightmare. Go back to bed.”
Violette rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath as she turned and left. Symond, however, lingered, his smirk deepening as he leaned casually against the doorframe.
“Awe… poor, Elora” he drawled. “Tell me, was it—”
The door slammed shut with a sharp thud, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Rell stood there for a moment, one hand still on the door. Then he turned back to Elora, his expression softening slightly as he crouched down to her eye level.
“You’re still shaking,” he said, his eyes assessing the tremor in her shoulders and the way her knees pressed close to her chest making her appear small.
“I’m okay,” she lied. “Thank you.”
Rell nodded slowly, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he stood. “Try to get some more sleep.” He turned toward the door.
Sleeping alone was impossible, there was always someone else nearby, Arria, Amara, Tehvan. Somebody to keep the nightmares at bay.
“Wait,” she squeaked.
His hand stilled on the handle and he glanced back at her.
“Can you... stay?” she asked, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She felt like a child again, her vulnerability laid bare, but the alternative—being alone—was worse. Her gaze dropped to her hands as she added, “I just... I don’t want to be alone.”
Rell’s brow furrowing slightly. It was stupid to ask, really. She barely knew this man. But being alone with him, in this small room with the door closed, didn’t send alarm bells ringing. Didn’t make fear crawl up her spine.
Finally, he nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
He stepped out of the room, and for a moment, she swore the shadows were inching closer to her.
But he returned quickly, a pillow and blanket tucked under one arm.
Without a word, he set them down on the floor near the bed, arranging them into a makeshift sleeping spot.
He stretched out, lying on his back with one arm behind his head and the other across his chest, completely unfazed by the lack of a mattress.
“After all this time being a sell-sword, I’ve never had to protect anyone from their own dreams.” He looked up at her without a hint of judgment. “It’ll cost you extra.” He winked.
When she didn’t acknowledge his witty comment, he added. “You’re safe. Go back to sleep.”
Elora hands tightening around the blanket. She still didn’t trust him, she didn’t trust anyone, but as her gaze drifted to the closed door, the thought of Symond lurking in the shadows sent a shiver down her spine.
She lay back down, pulling the blanket tightly around her. Her heart was still racing, but the steady sound of Rell’s breathing began to soothe her, a faint reminder that, for now, she wasn’t alone.