Page 18 of Beyond the Darkness

Everett

Everett woke up in the same blank room that he’d been in when he lost consciousness. The only difference was that he now felt void of emotion. He remembered every second of the mental simulation that the Neuro had forced into his mind. He’d experienced a similar simulation as a child when his father tried to test his smarts in battle-like experiences. The moment he’d been transported to a room with his father, he knew that it couldn’t have been real. His father had looked at him with sincerity in his eyes, a look that Everett had never expected to see in his father’s features. When Azazel had shown up in the throne room, it had automatically confirmed his suspicions. He had taken the dagger from the man and smiled while he slid it across his father’s throat.

The others around him were still in a peaceful-looking slumber. Aerilyn’s head was hanging, her white hair falling in a curtain around her face. Her breaths were faster than usual, her hands twitching as she fought something in her mind. He could only imagine what horrific thing she was experiencing in the mental simulation.

Everett moved out of the chair, getting closer to Aerilyn. He slid his hands over her face to lift it, examining her features. Tears rolled down her cheeks even while unconscious. He hated the sight. “Aerilyn, fight for me. You’ve got this,” he spoke the words of encouragement even though he knew she couldn’t hear them. He noticed the Neuro sitting on the floor, his eyes closed as he was deep in concentration to keep all of his companions in their simulations. He debated killing the man with his bare hands. The thought seemed pleasing until he considered that the man had a hold on Aerilyn’s mind. If he killed the Neuro, he wasn’t sure what would happen to her.

Suddenly, he heard a scream escape from Brinley. The girl’s eyes flew open, her wide eyes taking in her surroundings. Her hands grasped at her face and hair, panic flashing in her vision. “It’s okay, Brinley. It wasn’t real,” he quickly moved to her, grabbing onto her hands to pull her back to reality. Her eyes finally reached him and she seemed to calm down from the reassuring touch. “I killed them. My family is dead, Everett. I killed them,” she let out a cry, throwing her arms around his neck. His heart ached from the girl before him as he slid his arms around her to grasp the girl in a tight hug. “It wasn’t real. The Neuro made you think it was. Your family is safe back in Orissia, I promise,” he tried to say what he could to reassure her. He knew the exact panic she was feeling at that moment. The only difference was, he didn’t have anyone to comfort him when he’d awoken from the first simulation his father had forced him into.

Brinley finally pulled into full consciousness, realizing where she was. Her features began to calm as she understood the situation that they were stuck in. She pulled away from him before running her hands over her face, letting out a heavy sigh. “Why would they do this to us?” Her voice was too soft for comfort. Everett wasn’t used to seeing the girl be so vulnerable. She was the hard ass that rarely showed emotion. It was obvious that she’d been raised to be a soldier instead of a daughter. “That was the second trial,” he frowned, his mind trying to determine why the king of Korth was doing this.

Everett was about to continue before he heard another piercing scream. Aerilyn’s eyes flew open, her entire body crumbling to the ground in front of her chair. She was curled into a ball, her arms wrapping tightly around herself as sobs left the broken girl. Brinley moved with him, the two dropping down next to Aerilyn as he pulled her close to his chest. “I’m right here, darling. You’re safe. It wasn’t real” he stroked his fingers through her hair soothingly. “It wasn’t real,” Brinley repeated, placing her hand on Aerilyn’s back alongside his own. He was grateful that she was willing to help him comfort Aerilyn.

Aerilyn finally lifted her head, looking between them before her eyes seemed to grow distant. Everett looked over his shoulder to where her gaze had landed and he noticed Azazel pushing himself off the wall. “You piece of shit…” Everett stood, moving towards the king with anger bubbling inside of him. The thoughts of putting a dagger into the man’s throat passed through his mind, his fingers curling into a fist. “Everett,” the woman’s soft voice pulled him back to her, her big blue eyes raising to his. He dropped the negative thoughts and pulled his attention completely to Aerilyn. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her scent filling his senses. The feeling of his warmth was enough to calm him down as he cupped the back of her head.

The fear that was written across her expression was enough to break his heart. He wished he could take the fear away from her. The girl who had snuck into the palace and held a dagger to his throat was only desperate for a meal. The broken look in her eyes reminded him of when he had held her bleeding figure after the hound had attacked her. The way she grasped onto the back of his shirt made him feel a different type of pain.

“I’m here, darling. I’ve got you,” he whispered, pressing his lips against the top of her hair. Azazel’s death glare met Everett’s, his eyes narrowing. The man was responsible for the pain that Aerilyn was feeling and that only pissed him off even more. He pushed aside the feeling of anger to focus on comforting the girl before him. He ran his fingers through her hair, soothingly rocking her. He heard her soft sniffles as she tried to contain her feelings. He gave her a moment to process everything that had happened, glancing towards Blaise and Brinley. The man had awoken in a panic, the girl at his side holding the sides of his face. The only one who was still asleep was Bastian.

“Why is he still unconscious?” Everett questioned, fixing his attention on the silent king. Azazel looked between him and the Healer with no emotion in his eyes. “It seems like he can’t make his decision. He’s too weak to go through with it,” Azazel shrugged like it was a casual day for him. His hatred towards the king of Korth only seemed to grow with each encounter. Everett had experienced the wrath of his father his entire life, but the hardened edges of Azazel made him more of a monster than his father. Azazel seemed like he was much more capable of taking lives without remorse.

“Then wake him up!” This time it was Aerilyn’s voice that cut through the air like daggers. Azazel’s lips parted as if he were about to say something before he exchanged a look with her and simply shook his head. “I can’t do that. If he can’t make hischoice, he gives up his life,” the king moved his attention to his hand, examining his perfectly manicured nails. Anger bubbled inside of Everett as he tried to find a solution to the situation. He’d never been put into a simulation that he couldn’t escape without death. The idea of it seemed cruel which is exactly what Azazel was. He was the definition of evil. “You piece of shit!” Aerilyn screamed, pushing to her feet as she approached the man with fire in her eyes. Everett knew she had a rage in her and he almost smiled at the woman’s bravery. She threw her hands into Azazel’s chest, but he barely budged.

“I suggest you step away before I have to end you, doll,” he gave her a crooked smile. The nickname he’d given Aerilyn only further infuriated Everett. He hated that the man had given her a nickname that felt too intimate for his liking. Aerilyn didn’t move, throwing her fists into the king’s chest. Everett quickly approached her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Aeri, it’s no use. He has the power to save Bastian. We can’t piss him off even more,” he whispered against the shell of her ear. He could feel her body melt into his, her head slowly bobbing in a nod.

“Listen to your little prince, I’m sure he knows what’s best for you.”

That singular statement was enough to light a fire in Aerilyn. She swung at the king once more, breaking from Everett’s hold. The king grabbed her wrist, twisting it behind her back. “Get your fucking hands off of her,” Everett threw a punch, landing the blow to the king’s jaw. Azazel dropped Aerilyn to the floor, rubbing his hand over his jaw. The expression on his face darkened in a way that he hadn’t seen before. Everett prepared to get into a brawl with the king when a piercing scream erupted through the room. All of their attention turned to where the sound had come from, seeing Bastian’s body now lying on thestone floor. His body was shaking as blood oozed from his nose and ears, soaking him in dark red.

Aerilyn ran to the man and Everett followed behind her, attempting to find out what was happening to their companion. Blaise’s eyes were wide as he stood back, watching everything unfold. They all circled their friend, trying to bring him back to consciousness. “Bastian!” Everett shouted, grasping onto the man’s shoulders in an attempt to stop his violent thrashing. Another deep scream came from the man as blood began to bubble in his mouth. The liquid was coming from various places and it was hard to determine the source of it all.

“They melted his brain,” Blaise’s voice cut through the chaos, his face going pale. They all stopped, beginning to understand what was unfolding before them. “Make it stop. Fix him!” Aerilyn yelled at Azazel who only shrugged with a smirk plastered on his face. “He’s already dead,” the Neuro spoke up, hovering behind them with a small sigh. “He was unable to choose loyalty to this kingdom, therefore he failed the second test. His life had to be forfeited. The brain cannot be healed, what’s done is irreversible,” he spoke calmly, his voice holding no regret over what he had done.

Bastian stopped shaking before them, his body going completely still. He was dead. One of them hadn’t survived the second trial. Everett felt sick as the reality of the situation hit him harder than he’d like to admit. Their lives were truly at risk. They weren’t all making it out of here alive. He slid his arms around Aerilyn, pulling her tight into his chest as he rocked her shaking frame. She tucked her face into his shoulder and let out soft cries. Even if they’d all known each other for such a short period, they’d learned to enjoy each other’s company. Bastian had saved Aerilyn’s life. Everett was fully in debt to the man for saving the one thing he cared about.

The group stayed huddled around their dead friend, trying to comfort each other as they realized what had just happened. Everett could hardly process it all. He decided at that moment to make any attempts to get Aerilyn out of that kingdom before the next trial. He refused to let her die, even if it meant risking his own life to protect her.

Chapter Twenty Six

Aerilyn

The image of Bastian’s lifeless form was ingrained in her mind. She had tried to erase the image, but each time she closed her eyes she could see the blood pouring from his nostrils. He was dead. The sweet quiet boy that had held her hand as they both stepped beyond the wall of Orissia. She could still feel the warmth of his power as he had healed her after the hound attack. Bastian had shown her compassion before he truly even knew her. He was gentle in a way nobody else was. Her heart ached at the loss of her companion.

When Everett had finally fallen asleep, Aerilyn slipped out of his arms. Every time she tried to sleep, she was now plagued with death that she’d never experienced before leaving Orissia. She felt like the food within her stomach was going to return upher throat any moment. She didn’t know where she was heading when she pulled a cloak over her plum nightgown and slid her feet into a pair of flats. She was careful with each movement, not wanting to wake Everett’s sleeping form. Aerilyn wandered through the dark hallways that she still had barely come to understand. The twists and turns of the palace were unknown to her, but she did know how to locate the one other person that she wanted to see at that moment.

Aerilyn slammed her palm down onto the large wooden door before her more harshly than she had intended to. The only sound in the darkness was footsteps that got louder as they approached. As the door swung open, she was met with the familiar scent and green eyes. Azazel’s face was void of emotion, as usual, his lips pressed into a tight line. Before he could speak, she pushed past him into the room slamming her fists into his chest.

“How could you, Azazel? What the hell happened today? You have so much to explain to me-” she began, the anger coming out in her tone. She could remember his voice within her mind, begging her to listen to him. She never had expected to see the king plead with anyone, but he had pleaded with her. Her thoughts were cut off at the sight of a small girl in a long white nightgown moving to hide behind Azazel. Aerilyn couldn’t hide her surprise at the sight of the girl standing before her. She had the same piercing green eyes as Azazel, but her hair was jet black. Their features were all too similar, they had to be siblings.

“Aerilyn… This is my sister, Rosette,” he spoke cautiously, giving her a look that told her to keep herself in check. She had come to his room in hopes of answers but realized the information of a younger sister might be a bit more valuable. “Rose, this is my friend Aerilyn,” he introduced the girl to her. She couldn’t be more than ten years old. The innocence in herexpression made Aerilyn feel a pang of jealousy. She wished she could return to her innocence.

“You have friends? A friend that is a girl?” The small voice squeaked, pulling laughter out of Aerilyn. The comment alone made her feel a bit of comfort. She had been worried she’d scared the girl with her sudden outburst at such a late hour. “I have friends, Rose. This one is just a bit difficult to handle. Do you mind going back to your room? I can come to find you once Aerilyn and I have our conversation,” he smiled at the girl, roughing up the hair on her head. “But I want to talk to her too. I want to make new friends,” Rose whined, a pout plastered on her face. Aerilyn wanted to speak up, but she found herself silent in the awkwardness of the situation.

“Rose, this isn’t a conversation that you want to be involved in. It’s all boring talk about adult things,” he made a face that made Aerilyn press her lips together to hide the growing smile. “I don’t care. I don’t want to leave,” she whined, crossing her arms over her chest. The face that the girl gave him mixed with the change in Azazel’s expression made Aerilyn see a weakness in the man who hadn’t been there before. The sister was his soft spot. The man she’d seen previously was nothing like the one she looked at now. His anger was absent, his carelessness was replaced with a compassion she didn’t know he was capable of.

“Fine, you can stay but only for a little while. You need to get to bed,” he sighed, finally giving in to the girl’s pleas. A wide smile grew on Rose’s face, quickly rushing to grab Aerilyn’s hand. She couldn’t hide her surprise as the small child’s hand latched into hers and began to tug her deeper into the room. “We were just having tea. I hope you like tea because it’s my favorite and I’ll be willing to share with you,” she began to ramble before plopping down on a large black velvet couch. Aerilyn wearily sat down beside Rose as the girl began to pat the spot beside her.“I do enjoy tea. It’s so kind of you to share with me, Rose,” she forced a smile at the girl as she felt the presence of Azazel joining them. He sat down in the armchair across from them as Rose began to pour a cup of tea for Aerilyn. He shot a glare at Aerilyn when the child wasn’t looking, giving her a small shake of his head. She realized that it was the first moment that she was holding power over the king. The realization gave her a bit of hope that she hadn’t had before walking into that room.

“Why are you friends with my brother? He’s so grumpy and you seem nice,” the little girl spoke as she handed Aerilyn the small porcelain cup. She accepted the drink with a small snort as his sister exposed him for his attitude. “I’m not grumpy, Rose. I just have to be stern with people or they’ll never listen. I’m the king after all,” he tried to defend himself. “Blah blah, king stuff. You’re still grumpy,” she crossed her arms over her chest with a small eye roll. “He is pretty grumpy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile” Aerilyn finally spoke into the conversation, keeping her attention completely on Rose. She was afraid that if she made eye contact with Azazel at that moment he would be giving her a terrifying glare.

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