Mel grabbed my arm with her bony hand and pulled me close enough to smell her foul breath. “The water, though! Bring me my water! Please,” she added the last word politely like a child remembering her manners.
I nodded and fetched the cups. I held one of them out to her.
She accepted it from me without hesitation. She held it close and sniffed it. “They put something in the water sometimes. It’ll make you weak, but it’ll also make you feel wondrous—for a short while. It takes you away from this place, into a dream where everything is perfect.
“You could choose not to drink it to keep your strength up longer, but without water you’ll die quicker anyways. Perhaps you shouldn’t drink it, actually. Perhaps I shouldn’t have. I would already be gone from this nightmare if I didn’t. But, alas, I had no one to tell me about this magical water, and once I had gotten a taste, I couldn’t stop.”
I narrowed my eyes. From what I understood, it seemed our water was poisoned. But I didn’t wish to give up and die yet. The only real choice was to drink it. Dying of thirst wasn’t an option I’d take.
She drank, and her face turned serene. She sank back down into a peaceful slumber.
I picked up the second bowl and ate what I could from the scraps. The texture made me gag. I forced it down anyway. Once both bowls only held the bones from the chicken, I picked up my own cup and slowly sipped it. Nothing happened at first, and I began to wonder if Mel’s warning was nothing but the ravings of a girl half gone mad.
Then, I felt as if my body erupted with power, as if Celestia herself cradled me in her arms! Reality faded away.
I found myself watching my dear Addy. She sat on her throne, Peyton at her side. I crossed my legs on her other side. Before us, twin girls about the age of seven ran around in circles, giggling with glee. It seemed they were playing a game of tag. Adelaide laughed, and I knew them to be hers and Peyton’s children. I felt so much joy for them. I knew in my heart Solis flourished with Queen Adelaide’s reign.
Adelaide placed her hand over mine and squeezed it. “Oh, Zephy, I am so grateful you have come back to us. My world was so empty without you.”
I smiled at her, feeling pure delight, and heard myself say, “Me too. And I’m glad my mother’s gone for good. It has given my father and me so much peace. We’re as happy as could be with her gone from Solis.”
“I’m delighted for you too. You finally seem truly happy, my cousin.”
Peyton chuckled as one of the girls jumped on his lap and squealed when he tickled her. She had flaxen curls like his.
I felt as though life couldn’t get any more perfect when Adelaide nudged me with her elbow. “So, tell your queen, how excited are you to soon be married?”
Chapter 14
My eyes shot open as my breath caught in my throat. I gasped in effort to get air into my chest. It was as if I were drowning except without water. As my vision turned black around the edges, air mercifully rushed into my lungs. As panic began to subside, the realization that it had all been a dream, cast a blanket of dread over me. I was still locked in Algor’s dungeon with Mel.
I gathered my bearings, my hands still shaking, and caught Mel watching me with a frown. “What did you dream?” she asked.
“I—uh—I dreamed I was back at home with my cousin and her lover… except he was now her husband. Is this the future to come, or merely an illusion?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” she shrugged. “Though, I have dreamed of murdering the man I was engaged to, so it’s probably an illusion. I don’t expect I’ll make it out of here to fulfill that destiny.”
“How often do they bring the water?” I asked, not wishing to hear any more about her dark dreams.
“They always bring it with our meal—which I suppose is once a day. Without the sun, who knows how much time has passed? Oh! The water is sometimes pure, though. It doesn’t always do that. I figured since it was your first meal, chances were high that it’d be poisoned this time.”
“I need to get out of here.”
“And just how do you plan to do that?” she whispered, leaning towards me.
“When we’re fed… do they always leave the gate open whilst they give us our meal?”
“They do, but they always carry a weapon with them. Try to escape, and they’ll cut you!” She made a slicing motion with her hand.
“Have you ever tried?”
At that she fell back, cackling. The sound made me cringe. “Me? Celestia, no! I don’t have the courage to try something so brave. I simply sit here in misery and rot away.”
“Next time we’re fed, I’m going to try. If you could be brave enough to create some sort of distraction to get attention off me, I’ll send help and get you out of here too.”
“Help would be too late. I’ll surely be dead soon,” she said with regret.
I began to feel that she wouldn’t aid me in my efforts, and I didn’t think I would be able to escape all on my own.
She must have seen the disappointment on my face because she added, “I’ll help you though—so you don’t suffer the same fate as I and the other poor lasses in here.” She picked up a skull and stroked its hard, white cheek.
She wasn’t totally insane—yet. Between her madness, sanity still lay within the cracks. I just hoped she’d be able to hold onto that sanity long enough to aid me.
All we had to do was await our next meal, which seemed to take forever in that stale, dark dungeon. I told Mel stories, letting her rest her head in my lap. I thought mayhap I could at least make her end easier by giving her some comfort. I told her of the wonders of the palace of Solis and all about Noctis De Celestia, and how I preferred to spend it at the Temple.
When I felt her body relax and heard her wheezy breath slow, I stopped talking. Soon, I myself drifted into a dreamless slumber.
A loud BANG woke us both up.
“Wake up, ya wenches! Dinner’s here!” The same brute who had fed us last time was back.
I gently shook Mel. She sat up as the guard opened the gate and stepped inside the cell with us.
I worried for a moment that Mel would forget our plan after her slumber, but to my shock she started shrieking and throwing her head against the wall.
“Stop that! You must stay alive until Algor ends ya himself! Your life’s not your own to take, wench!”
It took me a moment to remember myself because of the scene Mel caused, but as soon as the guard moved toward her, I bolted for the open gate.
“Hey! Halt!” the guard shouted from behind me, but I was already out of his reach.
The sharp, stone floor tore at my bare feet, but I didn’t dare slow my pace. My heart raced, and my breath came hard. I didn’t know if it was from the poisoned water or the fact that I’d barely eaten anything since I’d arrived, but I felt weak.
I rounded a corner and saw the stairs leading up and out of the dungeon. Hope filled me for the first time since my capture.
That hope was instantly crushed when another guard came down those stairs and wrapped his muscled arms around me, squeezing me so tightly I could barely draw breath.
“Please,” I begged, hardly able to choke the word out.
“Shut up!” He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me back to the cell… back to my death.
I saw Mel being squished like a bug under the first guard’s boot. “This one thought to hurt herself to distract me. I’ll give ’er pain, if that’s what she wants!”
“Enough, Gustiv. Algor will want to deal with them himself. You wouldn’t accidentally want to kill one of his play-things,” my captor said to the other guard.
“Fine,” Gustiv spat. “No food for you today, ya wenches! Water’s all ya get! And now that Algor will be coming to see ya sooner than expected, you’ll need to smell better.” He lifted the jug of water and dumped it on Mel before striding out of the cell.
The other guard shoved me to the ground, and then he left the cell, locking it behind him.
I heard
myself scream. I screamed so hard and so loud, I didn’t know for how, but I stopped when my throat grew raw.
Turning, I found Mel on the ground, sopping wet, covering her ears. I fell on my knees beside her and hugged her. She was shaking violently. “I’m so sorry, Mel. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“I told you it wouldn’t work!” She glared at me, and I backed off. “Now Algor is going to come and—and—and that’s the worst! I thought perhaps I would die before he came back down here, but now he is coming and he’ll have his way with us.”
“He comes down here? I figured we were only his prisoners. I didn’t think masters ventured into their dungeons. Celestia knows, royals never step foot in places as awful as this.” I’d assumed after his attempt to have his way with me had failed, he’d leave me alone down there to die… a preferable option.
She looked at me, dumbfounded. “Didn’t you hear the guard? We are his play-things and now, he is coming to play.” A sob shook her, and she shrank back down, burying her face in her hands.
“I’m sorry, Mel. It almost worked. I almost escaped.”
“You didn’t think there wouldn’t be other guards close by? No, don’t blame yourself. It’s my fault for going along with your plan. I should’ve known better. I know my fate. I’m to die here—and you are too.”
I could think of nothing to say to comfort her—or myself. I left Mel alone and crawled to a corner and curled into a ball. My stomach growled, and my throat hurt from screaming. What I wouldn’t give for even a sip of water. I was exhausted from my failed escape attempt. Sleep mercifully overtook me once again, wrapping me in its sweet embrace.
How long I slept for, I did not know. I woke up to Mel singing a light-hearted tune. When she caught me watching her, she stopped.
“My mother used to sing this to me when I was a child. How I miss her. Her voice always gave me comfort,” she explained. It seemed she had forgiven me for my foolish plan.
“’Tis pretty. My mother never comforted me. She always thought I wasn’t good enough to be her daughter, never mind a royal of Solis. My handmaiden, Gisela, raised me instead. She was kind, but then my mother sent her away. I wonder where she is now.”
Her brows rose high, wrinkling her pale forehead. “If you’re a royal as you say, shouldn’t people be searching for you?”
“Indeed, but I doubt they’ll find me here.”
She nodded in agreement, dismissing the thought at once, “You’re probably right. I want more magic water so I can dream away the rest of my days.”
I understood why she drank the water even though it made us weak—because this time I agreed.
Chapter 15
Mel and I huddled near the back of our cell as boot steps scraped closer. We both relaxed a little to find it was not Algor who had come but the guard who’d caught me when I’d tried to escape. He didn’t say a word as he placed our bowls in front of us and poured our water into the metal cups.
“Thank you,” I called as he turned to leave in silence.
He paused for a moment, the only evidence he’d heard me. He continued on, leaving us alone again without a word.
I looked back at Mel. My lips parted when I saw her stuffing her face with the day’s scraps. I decided not to say anything and let her eat in peace. I gave her credit for lasting as long as she did without a bite. She hadn’t eaten since before my imprisonment.
I pressed the cup to my lips, letting the cool water fill my mouth and wet my dry tongue. I swallowed and waited … nothing happened. The water was ordinary. No poison had been added to allow us that temporary escape from this misery. I glanced at Mel. She rocked back and forth with her head in her hands.
Sleep and meals filled my days. When I wasn’t eating I was sleeping. Nothing changed until heavy footsteps accompanied by a faint clinking noise echoed off the dungeon walls.
“Ah, my pets. I hear you haven’t been behaving yourselves.” I knew that voice belonged to Algor. The sound of it would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Mel squeaked like a mouse caught in a trap.
I did not answer.
“You think you can escape from me? Ho, ho, you are quite amusing,” he mocked, fiddling with a key in the lock on the cell door. “And my dear red-headed prize, Winslan tells me you claim to be a royal. Do you know how happy it makes me to know that I’ve captured myself a royal?”
I looked up at him, glaring through my lashes as he locked the door behind himself. The clinking I’d heard had come from the metal cane he held in his left hand. “If you’ve heard of my royalty, perhaps you’ve also thought on how much Queen Adelaide would pay for my return.”
“Oh, my silly girl, I have no need for a reward. I have enough gold to last me ten lifetimes, thanks to my inheritance. No, it’s only girls like you that I want… toys for me to play with when I get bored. I would’ve taken you as my mistress if you would have cooperated, but you did not.” He spread out his large palms with a smug expression. “So here we are, and I must say, it quite thrills me to know I own you.”
He rubbed his hands together with anticipation as he moved toward me. When he loomed over me, I shrank back. “You do not own me. You hold me against my will. I shall never be yours.”
“Ha! How wrong you are! Should I prove it to you?”
I didn’t even have a chance to answer. He backhanded me straight across the face, throwing me to the damp floor.
Before I could get up, he was upon me, tearing at my dress. He was going to try to push himself on me. I couldn’t let this happen. Instinct kicked in. I squirmed and writhed and swatted at him. I elbowed him and kneed him, struggling, until I freed one arm and dragged my nails down his face.
“Foolish girl!” he hissed, covering the place on his cheek where I’d done the damage. “While I know that I could take you, I don’t wish to be all battered up in the process. No, I think I’ll wait ’til you are weaker and haven’t the strength to put up such a struggle. I’ll have to take my pleasure from the living corpse girl for today, I suppose.”
“Leave her alone!” Mel couldn’t handle our malicious captor’s advances. Not in her state.
I scrambled to my cellmate, who was nothing but a pile of rattling skin and bones, ready to defend her.
Algor drew a dagger from his belt. “Don’t make me use this, lassie. I will if I have to.”
I swallowed hard, backing away from Mel, knowing I couldn’t win a fight against him while he held a sharp weapon. I needed to think quickly. “Why do you not use the dagger to take me, then?” I held my chin up in defiance. What am I doing?
He scoffed at me, “What fun would that be? I can take anyone with a dagger. It means more to me to defeat you with my bare hands. It shows you how powerless you are. Now, shut up so I can have my fun with this sickly thing one last time before she dies!” Finished with me, he smacked my arse with his metal cane so hard I fell onto my knees. I winced, feeling the hard ground scrape my skin.
So that was it, he wanted to feel powerful. I needed a way to make him feel powerless, but how was I to do so when I myself grew weaker each day? Soon, I would be a walking corpse just like poor Mel.
He was upon her now, beating her with that wretched cane. She lay still as a rock, her breaths rasping between each hit.
“Look at you. You’re ugliness displeases me. No one wants a corpse as their mistress,” he spat, as though her appearance was her fault. “You disgust me.”
I felt hot tears running down my cheeks and squeezed my eyes shut, unable to watch any longer. I hated myself for being the reason that he turned his attention on her. If only I was strong enough to… to what? Kill him? I didn’t know if I had it in me to do so. Coward! I reprimanded myself.
And then it was done. I opened my eyes to the sound of him shuffling back to the gate. “She’ll be dead soon, and next time I come down here, it will be for you—even if I have to knock you out first, I will take you.”
I ignored hi
m and crawled to Mel, who laid in the same spot with her grungy, beaten and bruised, her dark matted hair even more of a mess than it was before.
The door clanked shut. The lock clicked, and then the sound of his footsteps, and his clinking cane, faded away.
“Mel… Mel!” I cried, covering her up with my cloak.
“I—I’m done, Zephyra.” She sobbed into my shoulder, using my name for the first time.
“It’ll be all right. Celestia shall take you, and you shall be free of this awful place. I only wish you wouldn’t leave me. I’ll truly be alone once you’re gone.”
“Alone, like I have been for s—so long,” her voice faltered. “D—don’t worry. The others’ll keep you company.” Her sanity was once again slipping away.
I heard the click and clank of the cell door being opened again. I snapped my head around at the intruder. “She’s dying! Can’t you leave her to do so in peace?”
“My master has sent some water for the two of you,” the guard who’d brought us our last meal grunted.
“How kind,” I replied with disgust.
The guard ignored me and set down our cups and left.
As soon as he was gone, I picked up one of the cups and brought it to Mel. “Here, drink this.” I placed the metal cup to her dry, cracked lips and let it trickle down her throat.
She swallowed and closed her eyes. “It’s magic water. Oh, merciful Celestia, I shan’t die in this place after all. Thank you for your kindness. I hope you find peace in your death too.”
“Shh, save your strength.”
She managed a smile before slipping away into her dream world. Her breath still came out raspy, but slowed as her body relaxed in my arms.
I stayed with her for a long time, not drinking any of the water myself. I drifted in and out of sleep too until I heard her breathing cease. Her body went limp and heavy as her spirit returned to Celestia. A single tear made a trail down my cheek, hot and wet.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 11