Empire of Blood, page 30
part #2 of Armageddon Series
He’s going to use the eggs to open the portal. He must need Azrael to finish it. Somehow.
The damp air smelled most foul. The walls within the narrow corridor were smeared with blood. They were led past a few empty, decrepit rooms. Selena dragged her feet, but she was forced to walk faster with a tug of the cold chain. She was frightened but her face lacked emotion. She knew it was their solemn hour.
Selena, Azrael, Kiba, and Rahim were locked in separate suspended metal cages with shadow locks. Chains dangled beside them. Below were burnt corpses piled on top of each other. Blood was splattered all over the cold, stone walls. Their prison was a hollow, stone cube, no windows. Selena felt disorientated by its design.
A large rectangular table sat opposite of them, in the left corner. It was coated in blood. Clippers and pliers lay on a pile of filthy rags.
Selena reached up and touched the lock but electrical pulses surged through her hand. She quickly recoiled back and cradled her hand.
“That's one way to make sure we don't try to escape.” Azrael grunted.
Selena didn’t respond. She shifted in her spot and leaned against the bars.
“I’m sorry, everyone,” she said. Her voice was a whisper.
Rahim twiddled his thumbs. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yeah, how would you have known this would happen?” Kiba asked. “Some things are out of your control.”
Selena couldn’t bring herself to reply. Instead, she sighed and hung her head.
“You’re starting to freak me out. Stop being depressed already. At least we’re warm, dry, and alive.” Azrael shrugged and stretched. Selena wasn’t sure if he was trying to make her feel better. If so, then it wasn’t working. “So, is this it then? You’re going to give up?”
Rahim’s eyes widened. “You can’t quit. You never do!” he cried.
“Rahim’s right,” Kiba added in, “I followed you. You share the heart of the Aynu. We’re fighters! We’re rebels! I sensed that in you before you joined our pack! Remember what you showed me and that boulder out there? You never quit! You’re headstrong! You’re stubborn! You were born to fight!”
“Yeah! You have that fire burning inside you to do what you know is right.”
Everyone grew quiet when Selena started to cry.
All she could think about was her failure. She had come this far only for the Lich to take all their hope away. No other thoughts came to her, except for bringing herself down.
I’m a failure...
Their fate was sealed. Each time she wanted to move forward, she fell back.
I’m a failure...
Seeing her friends in cages made her heart sink. The Lich finally won.
I’m a failure.
Chapter 27
Selena and her friends had no idea how much time had passed or if it was even day or night. It felt like an eternity since they were thrown in prison.
They flinched when they heard footsteps coming towards their cell. Two of Medusa’s soldiers holding bloody spears came inside their room. Without saying a word, one of them held up their hand and the lock to Selena’s cage disappeared. Selena did not fight nor budge, but instead, she let the soldiers drag her out. She didn’t meet Rahim’s gaze when she exited the cell.
Selena slowly sauntered down the ghastly corridor with a guard standing in front and another following behind. The soldier in back of her pulled out a whip and snapped it at her back. The stings were quick; sharp pain jolted up her backside. She tried her best not to scream but could not contain herself at the second set of lashes. She fell to her feet but the guards forced her to stand up and continue.
They led her to a very large room where Medusa stood in the middle. Rusty chains dangled from the ceiling over a stone table covered with blood and tools. A black dragon hide cup filled with a green acid sat near a pair of pliers. Cages lined up against the farthest wall.
Selena staggered behind and her captor whipped her again. She fell to her knees but did her best to hold her screams.
“That's enough for now.” Medusa raised her hand and nodded at the two soldiers in satisfaction. They vanished in smoke where they stood. “Selena Liongod. Allow me to make you feel a little more comfortable.” When she raised her hands, Selena felt a strange, involuntary force that moved her to the ceiling shackles. The chains that bound her arms disappeared and her arms were forced upwards and slammed into the stone. The shackles closed shut around her wrists, while the ones on the floor snapped over her ankles. She was able to stand on her toes. “There we go! That's much better.” Selena hung her head. “Are you ignoring me? Aren't you going to say thank you?” Medusa mocked her again. Selena remained silent. “I want you to answer me when I am speaking to you!”
She lifted her hand up in the air. Selena suddenly felt what was like a jolt surging down her spine. Sharp pain lanced through her body and she began to see blurred spots that flashed in front of her eyes. Her body felt like it had been beaten; her muscles and bones ached.
Medusa didn’t stop. The pain only grew worse. Deep cuts appeared all over her arms and legs. It felt like a hot knife carving into her flesh.
“Please…” Selena pleaded.
Finally, it ended.
Medusa slowly walked over to her and bent over to meet her at eye level.
“I always get what I want. You will obey me.”
“Yes.” Selena breathed out through her tears.
“That’s a good girl. My Master doesn’t want me to kill you. He wants to do that himself. However, I can make you beg for death.” Medusa then waved her right hand and a whip appeared in her grasp. Selena could not force herself to look up at her. “You are going to be my little experiment until my Dark Master returns, and that is to see how much pain you are able to stand before you beg to die. We will start off slow.”
Without another moment's hesitation, Medusa lashed at Selena. Sharp rocks were tied at the ends of the leather straps. They dug a little into her skin with every flog.
Her wounds seared; they were intensifying, and brutal. Medusa stopped and waited for a few seconds before she delivered another blow. Selena screamed and tightened her fists to try to brace herself, but it made the pain worse. Each lash amplified. Her muscles quivered.
Medusa scourged her again. And again. Selena lost count after ten. Her mind swirled into a black haze that drew her into Oblivion.
By the end of her beatings, Selena was covered in blood and her clothes were ripped to shreds.
“I don’t want to see you again for a bit.” Medusa sounded like she was bored, and her whip disappeared from her hands. “I will leave you here for now. I am too lazy to take you back to the cell.” She walked out of the room, leaving Selena chained to the ceiling.
What was left of Selena’s clothes were stained with blood that poured from her wounds. She looked up at her wrists and found that they were bruised from the chains that held them. New wounds opened over the scars on her legs from her first flight with Thor.
Thor… Saying his name hurt more than the lashes. Only the Divines knew what was being done to him and Doragon. I’m so sorry…
Although it was a few minutes, it felt like an eternity since Medusa left. The room was dark and damp. Selena’s heart was in her throat. Her beats sounded almost like the ticking of a clock; the weight of her body pulled down on her arms. Breathing became increasingly difficult.
Another moment passed and the doors swung open. Selena clinched her fists. Medusa walked back into the room with her whip ready in her hand.
“Let’s try this again,” she hissed. Medusa walked behind Selena with her whip swung over her shoulder. “I'll see how you do.”
Selena didn’t answer. Medusa wasted no time and repeated her beatings.
When she finished, Medusa held out her hand and the chains around Selena’s wrists disappeared. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the stone floor. Shackles appeared on her ankles and wrists.
“If it weren’t for the Dark Master, I would let you hang there until you suffocated.” Medusa waved her hand again and Selena was forced to sit down against the wall. She couldn’t prop herself up; instead, her body gave way and she leaned to the side while gasping for air. “If you're good, I might let you back into your cell, but I don’t want to see you again for the rest of today. I want you to stay here in the darkness.” Medusa then reluctantly healed her wounds before taking her leave.
Hours after Medusa left, her guards came to the room with water and bread. They threw down a dirty, metal tray by Selena’s feet; the water splattered all over the place and the loaf was hard as stone.
As the guards left, Selena attempted to move her arm. Even though her wounds were healed, it gave out before she could even lift it. She cried and tried to welcome the sweet call of slumber.
The same happened day after day, week after week. Medusa would walk in, no words exchanged. Selena would be flogged while tied to the ceiling, then she would be healed again. The number of lashes increased by one with each new day. However, after enough time had passed, Medusa found a limit of Selena’s tolerance and never went above thirty-nine.
Her body grew limp and frail. Her hair had grown long and messy, covering her face. Selena hadn’t seen her friends since Medusa’s guards took her from the cell. She didn’t know if they were still alive.
Didn’t anybody knew that she went missing? Her mother, father, Silver… anyone? Selena didn’t know long it would take for anyone to realize that something was wrong. Her days jumbled together, and time was just a blur.
It didn’t matter. She knew she was going to die there.
*****
Since Selena was taken out of the room, Azrael, Rahim, and Kiba were freed from their cages. However, they wore chains around their ankles and all the tools were removed from their cell.
It had been weeks since anyone went to check on them. Instead, the guards only delivered their food by shoving the food trays through an opening on the bottom of the door. When the three were finished with them, they would put the trays near where the guards could take them, and the cycle would repeat.
Kiba hadn’t said a word since Selena was taken. Determined to escape, she used earth magic to break out. However, Medusa placed the same enchantment from before when Holland kept them when they first arrived. She kept burning herself whenever she tried, but Kiba was stubborn. Rahim was weak and tired, but he worked with Kiba to dig a tunnel. Tally marks that kept track of how many days they were imprisoned were drawn by Azrael on the walls behind them. They counted to thirty.
Azrael, on the other hand, wasn’t affected as much as the others. Instead, he remained on high alert and kept watch over their door. He had the routine down; right before the guards came, he always made sure that their food trays were returned in their usual spot and that the food was distributed between the two. Azrael refused to eat since he didn’t need to.
In between his watches, he worked on figuring out how to dispel the black magic, but Rahim grew depressed at each of his failed attempts.
“I feel like we’re going to die here. I miss the sun. I miss the cold…”
“You’ll make it, Rahim,” Azrael said.
“You keep saying that. Why hasn’t the Empress sent out a search party for us yet? There are no windows in this cell. We can’t tell if it’s day or night, but… you… you can, Azrael. How long has it been?”
Azrael hesitated before answering: “One month.”
“One month… we’ve been trapped here for a month! Her ladyship knows that we should have been back by now.” Rahim started to cry.
“Probably because the Council is keeping our imprisonment covered up. It’s possible that they’re lying to her that we’re fine and that we’re waiting for reinforcements. I’ll rip that bastard apart myself if I ever get my hands on him!”
Rahim rolled his head back. “Why are you always on guard?”
“I think I almost have it.” Azrael mumbled a few more words under his breath and placed his hands on the ground. It took him longer than he liked to admit, but he finally succeeded. They were free of Medusa’s sorcery. “There. Finally! Part of my plan is complete.”
“I want in. I don’t want to die in here.”
“The guards are gone until morning. You and Kiba can work on the tunnel while I get out and find Selena.”
“I hope this works.”
“We just need to lay low until I can find her. I know she’s still alive. When I do, then we’re busting out of here.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s the matter?”
Rahim’s eyes glazed. “Am I a bad person for wanting to leave Niamh behind?”
Azrael was shocked by Rahim’s question. “We kind of have to if we want to escape. She’s one of them now.”
“I know. I’m selfish for even asking but I know that it’s not her doing this. She’s being controlled by them.”
“Exactly. We can’t do anything for her right now. We’ll worry about that later.”
Rahim sighed, but nodded. “You’re right. We need to find Selena as soon as possible. But what about Thor and Doragon?”
“We’ll get Selena first because as soon as we get to the dragons, that will be our queue to leave.” Azrael waved his hand over his chains, closed it into a tight fist. His restraints cracked open. He then did the same for Rahim and Kiba. He then held up his hands and wriggled his fingers in front of their cell door. A shadow ball formed out of thin air in front of the lock and began to change its shape into that of a key. He pointed his finger forward and the key went into the keyhole and clicked. The cell door flew open.
“I won’t lie, I’m getting a bad feeling about doing this. I figured Medusa would have known that you could have dispelled her curse.” Rahim quivered.
“Ugh, don’t do this to me now. It wasn’t easy to get rid of. I’m sorry that it took me so long. I underestimated how powerful she’s become. Besides, I’ll be back soon before Medusa even figures out that we’re gone.” Azrael scurried down the corridor. He made his way to a room illuminated by torches. It contained shelves full of helmets, shoulder pads, armor, and boots. He quickly dressed in full uniform to look like one Medusa’s soldiers.
He found that Selena’s room as just a little further beyond the supply closet. “Let's see if we can change fate.”
*****
After Medusa left yet again, she did not bind Selena’s hands before she meandered off. Her feet were still shackled to the ground. From the daily beatings, Selena began building up her tolerance to them. Her arm trembled when she reached up, but she could at least move.
She went into a daze when she heard footsteps echo down the hallway. Selena went limp, as the guards must be making their way to bring her food once more.
The door swung open.
Instead of the two usual guards she was used to seeing, there was only one this time, and he only came with a torch.
Selena snorted and shifted in her spot to look away.
“Is that the respect that I’m going to get?” the guard demanded. Selena did her best to ignore his remarks, but it became more difficult when the soldier marched over.
“No.” Selena managed to squeak out. The guard knelt before her and pulled off his mask. “Please… just leave me alone.” She reluctantly looked over, and her expression quickly changed. “Azrael?” Tears formed behind her eyes; she was so happy to see him again.
“Shhh!” he pressed his hand over her mouth. “Not so loud!”
“How did you escape? Where are Kiba and Rahim? Are they all right?”
“They’re still in the cell, and they’re working on a tunnel to get out. Since Medusa brought you here, we were taken out of our cages, but we’ve been stuck in that room since. The guards won’t be back to check until morning, so we’ll have to work fast.” Selena nodded and attempted to get up, but she collapsed once again. “You need to get up.” Azrael said through gritted teeth, but Selena shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can! You can’t quit! You were always the one to tell me that, now you need to hear it! If anyone can change the destiny and the fate of the world, it’s you! Just because Xyaxon said it’s going to happen, does that mean that we have to just sit back and let it? No! You told me before that we have the right to change our future, and it starts with us! Now, get up and walk! We’re not finished yet!”
*****
Chapter 28
Black clouds hovered above the glass towers of Rune Citadel. Lightning bolted through darkness. The wind screamed, and rain began to fall.
Vidar and the rest of the Council members, heavily armed with weapons, stormed through the delicate double-doors after forcing them open with a heavy blast of fire magic.
Large banners hung from the ceiling against the columns. Painted along the walls was Xyaxon in his glory. High windows were decorated with regal tapestries. Furs dyed purple covered the floor, leading to an empty oak finish throne. There was a crackling fire to warm the room for the cold, stormy night.
“Find the Empress,” Vidar ordered. “I want her dead or alive!”
The other members of the Council nodded and broke off into two groups to search for her.
Vidar looked up at the banners and snapped his fingers. They were immediately set ablaze.
While hiding in her bed chamber, the Empress, in her white wolf form, and Loki looked out the window. The door behind her was locked shut and all the furniture was piled in front. Their ears caught the sound of footsteps and the smashing of glass and stone.
“Thank you for coming to warn me, Loki. Now, I have one last order for you.”
“What is that, my Lady?” Loki asked. He flinched when the sounds grew suddenly louder.
“After we jump out the window, we need to run as fast as we can. You need to find the Oracles and Neith, and get yourselves to Nuvak. I’ll hide elsewhere.”
