Page 8 of Beyond the Darkness

“My parents have always believed that it is an honor to be Chosen. They think it’s some sort of gift from a higher power, a blessing of sorts. They wanted me to be prepared for this day and I truly never expected it to come,” she trailed off, biting her bottom lip as she tried to find the next words. “They congratulated me when I left. They celebrated me leaving for my death. How fucked up is that?” Brinley’s voice cracked on the words. Aerilyn felt pain for the girl. Even though she still had parents around, they had been too blind to see their truedaughter. She pushed to her feet and moved across the fire to where Brinley was sitting. Aerilyn wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her in for a hug.

The physical closeness brought a comfort to Aerilyn that she missed so deeply. Everyone seemed to process what was happening with their open honesty. The odds of them ever returning to Orissia would be slim. They were all talking about the feelings they’d buried deep within their minds, the things they never expected to admit to anyone. They were getting those deep feelings out before they faced their end, whenever that may be. The reality of it seemed to rush over all of them.

“I come from a large family, seven siblings to be exact. We knew one of us would be Chosen one day. They’ll barely even notice that I’m gone,” Blaise pipped in, a sigh leaving him. The usually cocky man seemed completely different in Aerilyn’s eyes as he admitted that. It made sense that he ran his mouth the way he did. He had to somehow gain the attention of the people around him since he was usually background noise at home.

“My family has always been perfect in my eyes. My mother and father married young. They were both healers and so of course they had me. We’ve lived a peaceful life without violence. I’ve never once picked up a sword while living in Orissia. When my name was called, I thought I would definitely be the first to die. My parents said goodbye knowing they’d never see me again,” Bastian’s accent filled the air. Something about the way words rolled off of his tongue was enchanting. He held himself like nobody else. Aerilyn envied him for it.

“What about you, Aeri?” Brinley squeezed her hand, urging her to admit her truths.

“Both of my parents passed away. I had to learn how to fend for myself. I lived in the portion of town that had been burned down by the fires. I stole food from the palace and sometimes people in the town square. I lived off of nothing.Nobody will miss me when I’m gone. I have nothing left back in Orissia besides my parents' graves,” the last words hit her harder than she’d ever admit. She truly had nothing to go back to. “When we return, I’m sure my family wouldn’t mind you coming to live with us,” Brinley offered, pecking her cheek with a quick reassuring kiss. It was the sweetest thing anyone had said to Aerilyn for as long as she could remember.

“How did you become such a badass with the sword then?” Blaise questioned. “My father was a Forcer before he died. He taught me how to protect myself. I thought it was silly before, but now I’m forever grateful for his lessons,” she explained and understanding seemed to wash over the man’s features. “I’m sorry that you had to grow up like that,” Bastian reached out, placing a gentle touch on her arm. Aerilyn was overwhelmed by the comfort provided by those around her. From her first impression of the group, she hadn’t expected any warmth from them. Nor had she expected them to survive more than a day. She was surprised by the events that had unfolded.

“As much as I love this cute little moment, I’m hungry as fuck,” Everett chuckled as he began to pull pieces of the meat from the fire. He used his dagger to cut them up and began dividing pieces between each of them. The silence that consumed the group was full of peace. They all were lost in the much-needed meat, letting out groans of relief as their stomachs began to fill. That was how the rest of their night went. Peaceful. They’d formed a bond that night that they hadn’t expected. That was the night that they all truly became themselves.

Aerilyn had been the first to volunteer for watch that night. There was a lot on her mind and the idea of sleepingwasn't very practical. The boys had all gone into the home they'd been sleeping in, but Brinley lingered by the fire beside her. "What do you think this means? How much of what we've been told was lies?" Brinley whispered, moving closer to her side. "I'm not sure. I feel like there's so much we don't know," she replied, glancing down at her hands.

"Do you think the prince knew?"

Aerilyn shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. He seemed as surprised as I was when we found the animal. I feel like he's as clueless as we are."

Brinley ran her hands over her face, letting out a soft sigh. "How the hell are we going to get out of this mess? I just want to go home," she mumbled, keeping her eyes on the ground. "We'll find a way. We're going to get that sword and go home. If not, I guess we'll die trying," Aerilyn tried to find the right words, but she wasn't able to sugar coat the truth.

"How reassuring," she snorted, a small laugh escaping her. The laughter was nervous, but it was such a beautiful sound. "I'm so glad I met you. Your positivity has kept me sane around all of these men," she admitted out loud, looking at the redhead. A smile formed on her lips and she didn't have any time to react when the girl hugged her.

"I'm so glad I met you, Aeri."

Brinley had hugged her before, but the tight grasp this time was different. She realized at that point in time, she finally had a true friend.

Chapter Fourteen

Aerilyn

The peaceful sleep that Aerilyn had been in was quickly ruined by the sound of loud crashes and shouts filling the room. Her eyes flew open in the darkness, her hand already clasped around her dagger. The room was filled with tall figures dressed in all black. They had masks over their faces, exposing only their eyes. She watched as the others sat up on their cots beside her, already on their feet with their weapons drawn.

They were people.

People were alive beyond the walls.

The panic quickly outweighed the curiosity as they all drew their open weapons.

A wave of nausea rolled over her as one quickly moved to come after her. She swung her dagger towards the figure, theirbody quickly darting to miss her attack. She heard the fighting break out around her. She couldn’t process what was happening. Maybe this was all a dream and she’d wake up shortly next to Brinley as the peaceful light shined onto her face. But this wasn’t a dream. This was real. She continued to move away from the figure, keeping her dagger positioned between them. Her hands were sweaty as she grasped the handle, her heart pounding faster than it ever had before. Facing the hounds felt like nothing in comparison to the sight of the humans before her.

Get down on your knees and surrender.

Aerilyn’s eyes went wide as a voice slipped into her mind. It was one she’d never heard before. Her body betrayed her as her knees hit the hard ground in front of her. The dagger fell from her fingertips and the figure didn’t waste any time to grab it. He tucked away her only weapon, her only defense against them. They were a Neuro. Aerilyn had never personally experienced mind control of that level. Neuros were forbidden from entering anyone’s mind without permission. The odd feeling of someone’s voice within her mind was jarring. She had lost control over her own body the moment the voice slipped inside.

She turned to her friends who were also in the same position as she was. Her panic set in as she began to realize that they weren’t going to be able to escape the power of this figure. She felt hands grab her, unable to fight against the control holding her mind. A pair of heavy cuffs were forced around her wrists, automatically making her entire body feel drained of any power she had. It felt like her soul was sucked dry out of her. The room began to spin around her, making her body shake.

A hand gripped her hair, yanking her head back. She met the piercing eyes of the person above her. They studied her, their head tilting ever so slightly. “They’re definitely not from here. I think they’re from Orissia,” he finally spoke, his voice deep. Hewas speaking to the others with him, each of them holding onto one of her companions. She felt helpless as she tried to think of what she could do to get them out of this. Her mind was blank.

“Let's load them up,” another from the group called out and the man forced Aerilyn onto her feet. He kept a tight grip on her hair, shoving her forward to move toward the exit of the house they’d been staying in. She wanted to fight against the man, but a tight grip was still held on her mind. It felt like a hand crushing her skull in its grasp.

Aerilyn felt like she was outside of her own body as each of them were led out of the house. Her eyes landed on several more figures, all dressed the same way, and a wagon that was attached to two horses. She’d also seen this type of transportation in books before. It wasn’t needed in Orissia since the kingdom wasn’t very large. Getting around had never been a problem. The sight of the beasts that were called horses was startling. They were a lot larger than she’d imagined. They huffed and stomped their feet with impatience. It felt like the one was making eye contact with her, judgment radiating from the animal.

Each of them were forced to sit in the wagon, the hard surface covered by a thin layer of hay. The sides of the wagon were open, making it easy to jump out. If only the man didn’t have such a strong hold on her mind. She wanted to defy the orders being spoken into her brain, but every rebellious thought made her skull ache. She hit the hard wood of the wagon, forced to sit amongst her companions. They were all exchanging looks of pure shock.

Don’t move or speak.

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