Page 2 of Fate of the Fallen

And now, to myself.

It felt like I’d done more wrong than right these days. No matter how hard I tried. Today—losing control, being unable to gain it back—was yet another shining example of that. I was officially a lost cause. For all I knew, I may havealwaysbeen a lost cause.

My thoughts were interrupted, by a sound, one that chilled me to the bone despite it being a laugh. At first, I believed it to be that of a male, but then slightly higher pitched undertones made me think otherwise. Whatever the case … it was the most uncomfortable, menacing sound I’d ever heard.

With both hands braced on the mattress, I stood, deciding to step closer with hopes that I’d get a look at whoever or whatever could emit such a noise. Gripping iron bars in my fists, I tried peering past them despite knowing it was impossible. The entire cell had been spelled, I’d sensed it the moment I came to. It was likely the work of many clan witches, because the power of one wouldn’t have been enough to hold me.

The sound filtered in again and this time I was sure it was female, although still only vaguely distinguishable.

“Tell me … are they having fun out there yet?” she asked, a hiss beneath every word spoken. “Because I’ve got a feeling the wait is finally over. The smell of war truly does excite my senses.”

Another of those sinister laughs followed and I had no idea if she was even talking to me.

“Ah, yes,” she crooned, her tone hinting at nostalgia with its deep rasp. “It’s been far too long since we’ve had ourselves a good teeth-gnashing, soul-crushing war.”

I stepped away from the bars when I accepted that I wouldn’t get a glimpse of her, deciding instead to rest on the cot again.

“If you ask me, the earth seems …unsettled. It’s been far too long since it’s had a taste of innocent blood seeping into its soil. After all,” she went on, “we are but an extension of our exquisite planet. Therefore, at her core, she must be just as we are …unmistakably wicked,” she added with another laugh.

To say that I was uncomfortable would have been like saying the sun iskindabright. Whoever this chick was, she weirded me out beyond belief. Especially with what she said next.

“It’s okay to admit what you really are … Nicholas,” she uttered.

It honestly wasn’t until my name was spoken that I was certain this conversation had even been meant for my ears. My senses were suddenly heightened as I blinked in the general direction of the bars that held me here. I wondered if she’d heard one of the guards mention who I was when I was brought down or … if it was something else.

A short distance away, I listened as heavy fabric dragged across the aged stone, accompanying slow footsteps. The roughness of her palms could be heard even from here as they grazed and gripped a set of bars likely identical to mine. And this time, when she spoke to me, it was in a whisper that could not only be heard … but felt.

All over.

Creeping across my skin.

“I know who you are,” she taunted. “Or should I say … I knowwhatyou are?”

The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end. A heavy drumming in my chest told of the way my heartrate spiked.

“I created you,” she added. “Your very existence is all thanks to me. And even if others see you as nothing more than a curse, a scourge on your kind, I couldn’t be prouder of what you’ve become. Without question, you are my most excellent creation.”

Warm breath puffed from my nostrils and I nearly choked out a question, but knew better than to engage as the pieces began to fit. The way she tried to get inside my head with her words, that smell.

I’d encountered enough witches to know I was in the presence of one now. And judging by the odor, her soul had to be among the darkest that ever lived. Witches carried their essence with them in the form of an unshakable stench only detectable to other supernatural beings. The only I ever encountered without the trait had been Hilda.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the wicked one went on, and there was no missing that she did, in fact, take pleasure in this opportunity. However, I took advantage of the fact that these walls and bars were spelled quite heavily and decided not to answer. She couldn’t harm me, control me. She could only speak.

AndthatI could ignore.

It seemed to be a witch’s nature to use trickery to ensnare others, like I’d allowed three to do in the not-so-distant past. That experience—and what it cost me and those I care about—taught me how quickly and easily these creatures could manipulate. So, I stayed silent, giving her nothing to use against me.

An amused sigh puffed from her lips before speaking again. “It’s fine if you choose not to reply. We’ll have our chance to meet soon enough,” she promised.

I heard those rough, sandpaper-like hands of hers graze the bars again as her steps seemed to retreat. I pictured her—some vile, unimaginable creature—sinking into the darkest corner of her cell. For a moment, the space was completely silent. Eerily so, considering there were at least two of us locked away down here in the nothing.

Her cryptic statement spurred several thoughts. It was hard to tell if she actually knew something I didn’t, or if this was a desperate attempt to bait me by planting doubt. Either way, I chose to trust my gut and didn’t say a word.

I eventually stretched out on the cot, dangling one foot over the edge where it’s length stopped accommodating mine, planting the other on the ground. Minutes turned into hours. So many I assumed it had to have been night by now. Although, with no windows to confirm, it was only a guess.

My lids got heavy from pure exhaustion, but I was far from comfortable. Every time I closed my eyes, images of impaled bodies decorating my grandfather’s estate like macabre ornaments was all I saw. The sound of two sets of leather soles on the stone floor brought life back to my limbs. I got to my feet quickly and moved toward the bars, doing all I could to wait patiently for a glimpse of who ventured this deep into the Elders’ chamber. However, as badly as I wanted out, I knew that wasn’t likely to happen. Not so soon.

Maybe not ever.

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