Page 53 of A World of Ruins

RUINATION

DARIUS

THREEMONTHSAGO

Darkness engulfs the small, dank dungeon chamber. The air is heavy with the acrid scent of dampness and Venators captured under Aurum’s command.

I get up from the ground and stretch my arms outward, only for steel chains to clink against each other as I find myself shackled to the cold, unforgiving wall.

‘Great,’ I mutter with a sigh, flexing my hands to ease the soreness.

‘It is . . . far cosier here than Olcar’s prison, wouldn’t you say?’ Aurum’s voice echoes through the grim space as I look up at the flickering flame of a solitary torch casting an eerie shadow across his face.

I scoff, my roughened demeanour preventing a smile, yet I can’t help but laugh at the scar across his eye, a reminder of Nara’s defiance. Pride courses through me as I recall that moment.

‘Ever thought of decorating in here?’ I mock.

Aurum’s smile is sickening, reminding me of the unfortunate reality that I am related to him. ‘Say, Darius, how long has it been since we left Terranos?’ He strides from one side of the dungeon to the other with his arms behind his back. ‘Days, weeks, months?’

Seventeen days.

Seventeen days of hearing Aurum relentlessly telling me I will never see Nara again.

‘I mean, by now, you would think the people you so terribly care for would come for you.’ He stops and slowly spins on the heel of his boot to look at me. ‘It makes one question whether they care aboutyou.’

My resilience starts to crack as I grit my teeth. ‘They’ll come.’

He frowns. ‘Are you sure?’ Drawing himself forward, he whispers in sinister satisfaction, ‘Because I would have thought if Nara was so in love with you, she would be here. Unless she’s—’

I feel a surge of anger forging a storm within me as I lunge at him. The urge to break free only gets stronger when he rears back and merely chuckles at my struggle.

‘Oh, Darius.’ He shakes his head, watching me. ‘The strength you hold is just as much a weakness. Your mind and your love for her will be your own demise.’

‘Say what you want about me, but don’t youdarespeak of her again.’ My tone carries a dangerous edge, but Aurum only revels in the rage he is causing.

‘Ah, love,’ his voice drips with malice. ‘How easily it can shatter someone.’

I look elsewhere as my fists clench at the sides. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘On the contrary. I knowtoomuch, but unlike you, I was smart enough not to let my feelings cloud my judgment.’ He steps into my sight and smirks. ‘Pity, though. If Nara had not met you, perhaps she wouldn’t be caught up in all this.’

The damp air in this cell seems to carry the weight of my helplessness as his lips twist into a sneer. He wants me to feel guilty – to blame myself for having brought Nara into my world.

I don’t want to give him that satisfaction. But as night and day go by, I slowly know that I’m losing it.

‘Then again,’ he continues, ‘it was predestined after all, wasn’t it?’

The corners of my mouth curl into a smirk as I tilt my head, wanting to prove him wrong. ‘As will be your death.’

Aurum goes silent, the veins on his neck straining and bulging as all the control he has over himself cracks. He raises a hand and my body instantly responds to the unseen force of power.

Pain plunges into my chest, images of moments with Nara flashing in my mind. When we first met, the ball, our intimate moments, each one fading as Aurum digs through my head, tormenting me both physically and mentally.

As he stops, I crumple onto my knees.

Breathless, I laugh. ‘Is that all?’ I say, lifting my head. ‘Felt like a tickle.’

He emits an irritated hum, his smile tinged with annoyance before he goes again. This time, it feels as if my brain is on fire, burning at every memory. I grit my teeth, clutching the sides of my head as I try to power through it. Sweat trickles down my face and the chains rattle as I pull against them.

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