Page 108 of A Kingdom so Crimson

"Anything.Anything at all, and you wake me," I demanded, pointing my finger at him.

He nodded as we both sat down by the wall, exposed and knowing—feeling—that this wasn't right. But I dozed off beforethinking more, letting the weight and exhaustion pull me into a light sleep.

The cold air cut into my raw wrists and ankles, and the screeches of deadly things curdled my insides. I shivered naked on the freezing, rocky ground as flashes of red lightning lit the inky, oppressive sky.

"Give me what I want, and I'll let you go." Pain erupted in my head, blinding my vision with shrouds of white. I turned toward the horrible, oily voice of the shadowy figure. "Give it—"

"No." Realization sank in as I scrambled to cover myself. "No.No, no, no."

"I will always have you locked up here, Eliah. So either give it up, or you can join me."

The figure laughed, echoing deep into my mind as his spidery tendrils caressed over my hips and up to my neck.

I screamed, diving deep to find that anger and letting it consume me until I ignited the entire area with electricity.

The figure shrieked, slashing me down the forearm with its dark tendrils and sending a radiating pulse of fiery pain surging through my body.

"I'llkill you just like I killed them all!"

I jolted awake to the black sky and the dark canyon pass looming before us. My heart pounded in my ears as the blinding headache remained, along with the phantom pain of the slash on my arm.

Astor jolted in response to my sudden awakening, fear flashing in his gleaming eyes.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, falling back against the stone mountainside, trying to calm my raging soul. "I'm sorry, it was just a dream."

He slumped down next to me, pulling his legs in close as he shivered through shuddering breaths. It was well into the night as the stars continued to shine. The wind had died out completely, leaving an eerie silence nestling into the icy alcove.

"Sleep," I demanded, trying to calm my chattering teeth as I shifted closer to his side. He said nothing, curling his head around his knees and leaning on me. We sat there, shivering in the deadly quiet as I watched the stars twinkle, wondering what Levon might be doing.

Was he worrying about me? Was Kaizen beating him senseless, knowing that the Match was in the Spellcaster's territory? Was I a fool for falling for his kindness despite all his secrets? Or for his radiant eyes that still somehow melted my heart?

I let out a long breath, hoping his face would follow it.

I looked to the dark canyon to my right, feeling a need to run. As if the Spellcasters knew precisely where I was and waited, prowling to capture me.

The shadowy figure's phantom nails still stung my arm as I focused on controlling my thoughts, not letting the fear creep back in for them to take hold.

I'll kill you just like I killed them all.

The voice rang through my skull, over and over, as if I were tumbling down a steep hill right into their grasp.

Killed them all.Who else did he kill?

I shook away the thought, zoning in on my breathing to calm my racing heart.

A skitter of rocks tumbled down upon us from above, echoing off the mountain walls and shattering the quiet night. I brushed the dry dirt off, looking up only to see the towering mountainwall and the twinkling stars above, right as a shriek echoed from the towering mountain above, followed by more pebbles raining down on us.

My body seized in a panic, constricting my heart and compelling my whole being to run.

Control it.

I breathed in, forcing my anxiety to calm as a gurgle of choking sounds came from the left of us. More pebbles tumbled down, hitting our heads. Astor groggily awoke, groaning as a larger rock hit his shoulder. I clapped a hand over his mouth as his dark eyes shot to mine.

Fear spiked deeper, a metallic taste shooting through my nose and radiating down my veins, turning my blood into fire as an unexpected force gently tugged at my mind.

"Run."

I leaped up, pulling Astor with me, as my heart pounded in my ears, feeling the oily darkness before I saw it.

---