Page 10 of Beyond the Darkness

“I’m here to give you all a choice. In order to stay here in Korth, you must prove yourself worthy of being a citizen here. We don’t have room for the weak. It’s a waste of our supplies and housing,” he glanced around as if to decide if the group was still paying attention to him. “We will be holding three trials, you could call them, to determine if you are worthy enough to live. I cannot promise that you will all survive these games, but I can promise that if you decide not to participate in them you will die,” a wicked smirk formed on his face. Aerilyn’s mind screamed in confusion and fear.

“You have a choice here, the games or death. I’m being merciful by not killing you all for entering our territory. It’s up to you to decide if your future is worth it or not,” he raked his fingers through his hair, pushing the long locks out of his face.

He spoke of death so casually, it was evidence that he was no stranger to it. Her wide eyes stayed glued to the man before her. She could hear the other’s shifting in their cells, most likely also surprised by this threat. She didn’t want to die yet. She had left Orissa thinking she wouldn’t make it more than a few days. Now she had hope that she could survive.

“And what exactly are these trials?” Brinley was the one to speak this time. “Each one will be a different task you must perform to test your skills. I cannot give out the specific details, but I can assure you none of them will be simple,” he spoke carefully, his gaze still on Aerilyn as he spoke. The heat of his eyes made her want to curl away and hide deeper in the cell. He was terrifying in every sense. She could tell that he was danger.“This is ridiculous,” Blaise laughed breathily, his voice coming from further down the hallway where Aerilyn was unable to see him. “Think what you’d like, I don’t care whether you live or die,” the man simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll play your stupid game, but we need food. It’s an unfair advantage if we’re starved and don’t have any strength,” Aerilyn was the first to agree. “Aerilyn no, we don’t know what these trials even are. We can’t agree to this without knowing the details. This could be a death sentence,” Everett pleaded, his eyes widened watching her. “This entire situation is a death sentence. He said we do the games or die. I think I’ll take my chances,” she frowned deeply, not wanting to go against Everett’s advice but it was obvious that he wasn’t understanding the severity of the situation they were placed in.

“You should listen to the girl, Prince. She understands,” he used the title towards Everett like it was an insult. “You want food? I can make that happen. You will stay in this cell until the first trial is complete. Those who survive will be given a room to stay in and more hospitality will be provided. Until then, I can offer you a meal to regain your strength,” Azazel spoke so calmly, it was as if he wasn’t speaking about the fate of their lives.

“How kind of you,” she laughed, her head shaking in the process.

“I’m quite the gentleman when I choose to be. You should be thankful I’m giving you a fighting chance. The ones before you weren’t so lucky,” he fired back at her, adjusting the collar of his shirt as he made his way to stand before her cell. “You have a mouth on you, doll. That attitude won’t get you very far here, I suggest you keep yourself in check,” the man’s voice dropped to a whisper, sounding closely to a hissing snake. His words were a warning, testing her for a reaction.

“I do have quite the mouth don’t I? I’m glad you noticed,doll,” she forced a cruel smile on her lips as she returned the nickname to him.

“We’ll see about that.”

“What about these?” Aerilyn questioned, holding up her wrists to motion to the cuffs around them. “They will come off once you’ve completed the final trial. Until then, none of you are allowed any access to your power,” Azazel said with a calm tone.

The man stepped away from her cell, glancing at the others. She hadn’t cared about these people the day they had left Orissia, but she couldn't help but want to protect them. They had all formed an odd connection after experiencing the horrors beyond the wall. “Well? Do any of you object to participating?” He clasped his hands together, spinning in a slow circle to take all of them in. Nobody spoke up, the silence of the dungeon becoming eerie.

“Lovely. Good luck with your first trial. Those of you who survive, I will see you again. For the unlucky ones… enjoy the afterlife.”

Chapter Seventeen

Aerilyn

The king of Korth had left her with even more unanswered questions than she’d had before. The others seemed to be in the same state of confusion as she was. Part of her began to question whether life here could be better than it was back in Orissia. Some of her friends had family they wanted to return to while she had no one. Her first impression of this kingdom was the pain of mental torture and a prison cell, so she wasn’t sure exactly how welcoming Korth would be to outsiders.

A cart rolled through the hallway, the wheels squeaking loudly to give away their presence. Aerilyn looked through the bars to see a guard with a cart that contained trays of food. Her stomach growled at the sight, knowing she’d eat anything at that point. The guard stopped before each cell, sliding a tray throughthe small gap below the door. He made his way through the hallway, giving each of her companions a tray before he stopped in front of her cell. There were only four trays on the cart, none of them left for her.

“The king requires your presence,” the deep voice spoke, unlocking her cell door. She was frozen in place at the words, unsure of what this man wanted with her. She’d learned quickly that fighting against a captor would only make her life more miserable. She stood, brushing the dirt off of her slacks before crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for the man to lead her to Azazel. He grabbed the end of the chain and tugged her along behind him. Everett was at the bars, calling out to her as she followed the guard into the depths of the dungeons. She tried to ignore his pleas as he tried to offer himself up instead. It was no use, the king wanted her and the guard didn’t even acknowledge the prince.

They moved through the dirt tunnels, going in a similar direction as the torture rooms she’d been put in before. Her heart began to race as the iron door came into view, quickly pulling back on the chain. The guard stopped and glanced at her, his gaze following where hers lay. “We’re not going in there,” he tried to calm her down, his eyes softening. His slight show of kindness made her relax just a bit. It was the first of them to show her any emotion besides anger and force. She stared at him for a long moment before slowly nodding her head. She began to walk behind him again, her eyes darting around their surroundings. She couldn’t describe the fear this place had brought her. It was all too much for her to handle or understand.

They came to a split where the tunnel continued straight ahead and to the left laid a staircase that seemed to fill with more light. The guard motioned for her to follow him up the steps, making sure not to tug her too hard. She carefully took each step, ensuring she didn’t stumble. Her entire body ached, the amountof movement not helping the pain. Her hunger only seemed to make her even weaker than ever before. Even when she’d spent days starving, she always found a way to get some scraps. Her stomach at that moment was empty, leaving it growling in protest for food. When they reached the top of the staircase, he wound up the chain around his fist leaving her the most minimal amount of slack. “Stay close, don’t cause attention,” he grumbled under his breath, forcing her to slide her arm into his.

The two walked side by side through the corridors that looked so different from anything she’d seen in Orissia. The walls were made of a dark stone that towered so high that it made her feel small. There were many open gaps in the stone, leaving the sunlight shining through. Her eyes burned at the brightness, trying to adjust from being in the dark for so long. Beyond the openings, she saw the kingdom stretch out before her. There was a darkness here that wasn’t in Orissia, but it almost felt comforting. The buildings that made up the small town were mostly gray and black, nothing like the bright colors she was used to. The buildings stretched for as far as she could see, meeting the horizon in the distance. The guard gave her a look before he nudged her to keep moving. She didn’t protest as they continued their little walk.

The guard stopped before a double set of doors, knocking twice on them. “Enter,” she heard a voice call from within. She recognized the deep tone as Azazel’s. The guard pushed open the door and she was met with a small room that was dimly lit from a large window. There was a table in the center that had a few chairs around it. There was already food set out on it, making her stomach roll at the sight. Casually lounged in one of the chairs sat Azazel, his gaze running over her lazily. “Thank you for bringing her to me. You’re dismissed,” he waved the guard off before the man exited. She didn’t move from her spot in the doorway, her eyes never leaving the king.

“Come sit, doll. I had a meal set for us,” he pointed to the chair across from him where a plate full of food had already been set for her. As much as she wanted to make a run for it, she knew she needed food in her system to function properly.

Aerilyn made her way over to the spot and slid into the chair, adjusting the chain that now dangled in her lap.

“What do I owe the pleasure of receiving my private dining with the king?” She questioned with a tilt of her head. The others had been simply given a tray and were left unbothered. She wanted to try to understand why the king was treating her differently. “You intrigued me. I simply want to learn more about how you five ended up in my lands,” he sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared at her unblinking as if she was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but we had no idea there was another kingdom beyond Orissia. We were simply wandering in attempts to complete our mission,” she shrugged, not letting her gaze leave him.

“The Sword of Aleksi I presume?”

Aerilyn nodded her head slowly. “How do you know about that?” She tried to pry further for answers. “I’m not completely clueless as to how your kingdom works. I’ve met several of you on your little missions. Many of them now live here in peace,” he explained. There had been Chosen who’d survive, they all just decided not to return. “How?” Was all she could force out.

“Everything you’ve ever been told is a lie, love. The king of Orissia has simply tricked all of you into believing what he desired you to believe.”

“And you’re so different? How am I supposed to trust you?”

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