Chapter 3
GRAESON
Graeson was burning from the inside. He jerked, but chains held him down, bolting him to the ground.
The metal pinched his skin, the manacles too tight around his wrists and ankles.
He yanked his arm back, but it only made him scream out in pain as his shoulder popped out of its socket.
He collapsed onto the ground as the fire within overwhelmed him.
"Make it stop!" he shouted into the void. But no matter how loudly he yelled or how much he screamed, the pain didn’t relent.
He tried to calm his mind; he tried to think of anything else. But he couldn’t. All he could focus on was the heat that was overtaking him. All he could feel was the flames licking at his bones and crawling its way up his body, the heat increasing with every passing moment.
Graeson could find no reprieve, no salvation from the ravenous heat that tore through his chest and up his limbs and neck. Sweat coated his forehead and dripped from his raven-black hair. He exhaled, and the released air burned his lungs as if he had inhaled smoke.
A breeze brushed his skin, but it did little to soothe the pain from the scorching heat. Instead, the temperature of the flames only grew hotter.
"Give in," a low voice whispered.
Graeson lifted his head, searching for the source of the voice. All around him, shadows danced, but he couldn’t make out the form. He tried to call out, but his throat burned, the pain too great.
"What are you waiting for?" the voice asked. "Why do you insist on walking among mortals when you should be above them?"
A shadow slithered across the ground, spreading and melting over the stone.
"It’s almost time," the shadow hissed.
Graeson tried to focus on the shifting shadow, but his vision blurred. He coughed, and smoke filled his lungs. The fire was no longer contained inside his body. But he was now on fire. As the flames crawled over him, drowning him, Graeson saw the shadow blink at him.
Graeson jolted forward, his fingers digging into the thin blanket. His skin was slick with sweat, drenching the sheets and pillow. He tried to take a deep breath but nearly choked when he smelled the faint aroma of charcoal and smoke.
The nightmare had returned.