Page 33 of Of Gods and Pain

I spasm internally as a scream breaks the silence, filling every crevice of darkness in the underground room. There should be no one in here but me…another scream, from behind me this time. I cringe and attempt to move away, but I can’t.

Fuck. Who is in here? Nobody! I’ve been awake since Andras left me and the door hasn’t opened once.

I’m going crazy. That must be it…either that or I hit my head so hard yesterday I’m hallucinating. My heart beats fast, and my breathing is shallow as I feel a presence come up to my side. It’s so dark in here that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Something touches my shoulder and I squeal; unable to scoot away, I clamp my eyes closed tightly and focus on the trembling parts of my body.

“Shh, Anellah. I’ll see you soon,” a distorted voice whispers. Its freezing fingers wrap around my throat, and I’ve never felt so helpless.

It shakes me, yelling something I don’t understand. The sound is muffled and distant. I’m doing everything I can think of to break Andras’s hold on me; whatever the fuck this is, I’d rather deal with him right now.

“Wake up!” It screams in my face, its cold breath coating my tears. I jolt and my eyes open to my prison. A small amount of light peers through the slit of the door; I frantically look around, but I’m truly the only one in the room this time.

The only sound is my rapid breathing, and I feel the pool of sweat that has formed under my back. Gross. My fuzzy mind runs at a speed I couldn’t even pretend to keep up with. Everything feels tilted, as if I’ve awoken to an entirely new reality. It all looks the same…but something is skewed.

A bead of sweat slides down my thigh, tickling my skin, and I itch it deeply, needing to get some of these sensations away from me. I pause, afraid to confirm what I thought I just did. But I have to know; I curl my fingers again, scratching at the same spot.

I moved.

My fingers moved.

What time is it? Andras siphons my magic at the same time each day…and if I’m able to move a little, he must be quite late.

Whatever. I don’t need to worry about that. I try my toes next and find that I can also swing my ankles side to side.

“Okay, fuck. This is crazy.” Moving my hands and feet at the same time, I use all the strength I can to force the movement further up my limbs.

It works.

Slowly, I feel tingles run along my flexed skin, indicating Andras’s control is slipping away. I do this until I’m able to move just about everything I need to, all the while listening for footsteps outside the door. There are none, so I keep going. If he comes in here right now, I’ll have an advantage. He won’t expect my control has come back and I could use one of his daggers, shoving it in his eye this time instead of his dick.

I struggle to push myself up; the inner parts of my muscles must be the last to come back to me because this is more difficult than it should be.

Awareness skims over my chest, and I immediately reach for the bond. Only one of them because I need to focus, and talking to all three could be detrimental right now.

Xamira!

She answers right away, and I cry out into the silence. I could really do this.

Anellah. What is happening? She can definitely sense my panic.

No questions. Come to Ceross. Now. If I can make it, I’ll meet you on the trail we took to Anloria. Do not enter the city. Do not tell a soul. Go.

She says nothing, trusting me to lead her correctly, even in my state. Cutting the connection, I manage to stand from the bed, though my legs sway heavily. It takes me a minute to walk over to the door before I feel steady enough to make it further. I press my ear to the wood, hearing nothing but my breathing. Tingles run up my spine, and I nearly start sobbing.

My magic.

It’s not a lot, but it’s there; it will continue to build the longer I can keep Andras from siphoning.

I crack the door and slowly peek my head out, looking down at both ends of the dimmed hallway. There’s no one. Not even Bren, who is almost always the one tasked with guarding me. What could be keeping all of them?

You know what? Who the fuck cares?

I make my way to the left, where I know I’ll be able to get up to the main level, at least. I’m walking as fast as I dare, hugging a shadowed wall, and doing my best to suppress the gritty noise my sticky feet make when they raise from the stone.

When I’m at the main floor, I pause. I don’t see Andras, or anyone, and I don’t hear anything. What if this is a trick? Or a test? Something doesn’t seem right. I hesitate to move forward for only a moment before deciding that I’m willing to die if I get caught. I can’t do this anymore, and this is my last chance to make it out alive.

The hallway is long and wide; there aren’t many places to hide but a couple of alcoves that could be used if needed. I don’t think I’d make it to the front of the castle without being caught, so I will need to find a side door. That’s my best bet.

A set of light footsteps closes in on me from around a corner and I jump into an alcove, pressing myself against the wall as hard as I can. Holding my breath, I dare to crack an eye open to watch the staff member pass by without glancing my way. I stay completely still for another minute after the steps retreat, making sure I’m truly alone.

---