Page 140 of The Dark Rising
“I need to see the rest of it,” I tell him, needing to get it over and done with.
“No,” Darius says sharply.
”Ineedto see the rest of it. That was the whole point, to see if we could figure out anything.“ It was clear Charles was doing some type of ritual, that what he did brought the rogures to the lands. He fucking did that yet blamed me in front of everyone. He went along with it and I was the one to take the fall for what he did.
“You said the memory had changed, what did you mean?” I ask him.
His fingers stroke along my cheek, his gaze roaming over my face. “There was no one else in the memory I saw. Just… who I thought was you, spilling blood on that platform and then rogures rising out of the ground.” His eyes bounce between mine, and I see that flicker of regret there. “I think your magic cleared whatever hid the true memory.”
“I didn’t feel wrongness when I was in the memory.” I swallow. “Just the truth. I need to see the rest.”
Darius shakes his head. “Rhea, it can wait.”
“I can’t, Darius. If I don’t do it now, I…I don’t think I ever will.” As much as I want to see my mom, even in a memory, I never want to see her like that.
He sighs. “I don’t want.” He pauses, searching my face. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”
Warmth spreads through me at his words. “Even if it hurts, I need to see the rest.”
“Are you sure?” At my nod, he gets up and places a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll go and grab it, wait here.” And then he leaves.
As soon as the door shuts, my eyes go to the ceiling, letting the tears silently fall from my eyes. The vision of my mom’s face before he killed her flashes through my mind, and my hands grip the furs tightly beneath me. I take in the scent of me and Darius to calm me, noticing how it’s mingled with mine.
My mom was in so much pain, but I could see, no, I couldfeelher hatred for Charles, could feel her determination to not give him what he wants, which I’m still not sure of. Either way, I don’t think it worked out what Charles had intended. My mom was truthful, though, beasts did plague the lands, and we are all paying for it.
I wasn’t the one to cause rogures, my mom was if her last words to Charles was anything to go by.
Sitting on the bed, I eye the door for what seems to be the hundredth time. Where is Darius?
Fed up with waiting, I leave the room and follow the familiar hallways until I reach the stairs. Descending them, I hear murmurs, and then a door slamming. Rounding the bottom of the stairs, I follow the voices until I near the door that Damian wouldn’t let me in. I hear a sound coming from there, but then it cuts off sharply.
“Where is everyone?”I ask Josh.
“Hey, you okay?”
“I’m okay,”I tell him,“so where are they?”
“We are in the dining room with Jarred, Zaide, and Damian. I’m not sure where Leo is, and I’ve not seen Darius since he left with you.”
So where is he?
“I’ll go find him, I’ll catch up with you later.”
Walking toward the door, I see that it’s open slightly. I look behind me, checking if anyone is there and then I open the door. Stairs lead down in a circular fashion, only a few sconces lighting the way. A rattle sounds below, and my hand tightens on the handle. With one last look over my shoulder, I descend the steps.
The stone is cold beneath my feet as I go down, it’s just as cold as the air the deeper I go. Where does this lead too? I wasn’t allowed in here last time. I see light at the bottom after some time, and then I’m in a room with cells on either side that are empty. Is this a dungeon? If so, where are the traitors who Darius got information from? The faint smell of blood and stagnant water penetrates my nose, and I rub at it, not liking the smell.
A faint sound, like a grunt, has my head tilting at a door at the end of the room. Cautiously, I head down that way, the stone getting cooler against my feet with each step I take. Just how deep am I? Opening the door, a barely lit hallway is on the other side, and I head down it. Rounding a corner, it opens into another large space, and I flinch as the sound of something connecting with skin reaches me. My heart beats wildly within my chest at it. Is a prisoner being punished? Walking further into the room, noting more empty cells to my left, the room looks like it branches off to the right. Taking a step in that direction, I spot a figure in the dim light. Their back is to me, so I don’t know who it is, but by their form I know it’s male, but it’s not Darius.
Brows furrowed, I continue on silently, but come to a stop suddenly when they bring their arm back. Something dangles from their hand, and I recognize what it is straight away. I felt each strand against my back after all. Droplets of something drip for the leather strands, and I know its blood. Each splash on the stone sends shivers down my spine.
The male pulls his arms back before bringing it forward in a quick slash and I feel like I can’t breathe. A quiet growl sounds as it connects with flesh, and my vision wavers as memoires rush to my mind. The feel of it connecting to my skin, splitting it, tearing it apart. My mouth fills with saliva and I put a hand against my stomach as nausea threatens to rise.
He lifts the whip again, and I move on shaky legs, needing to stop what he’s doing. It may be a prisoner, a traitor, but there are other ways than this. I just need it to stop.
The male doesn’t hear me coming, unsure if he is just concentrating on his task or doesn’t care, but as I get closer, I recognize the back of his blond head.
“That’s enough now,” Leo says quietly, his arm coming to hang by his side as he holds the whip loosely. “You need to stop this, you have punished yourself enough.”
