I smiled down at her and whispered, “You’re free now, little bird.” I placed her hand on her chest before rising to fetch the cup that had been left for me.
She hadn’t died alone. If I were to perish in this place, at least I’d been able to offer comfort to Mel at her end.
Holding my cup, I sat against a wall. Feeling the hard stone press against my back, I tilted my head and opened my throat, sucking the cool liquid down as fast as I could manage. I’d finished the whole cup and let it drop to the floor.
My body felt as if it filled with lightening, pure and white. The feeling dissipated, leaving me floating through a star-lit sky. It was like I’d become a spirit, and the whole world fell away. My goddess, Celestia, peered down at me in all her glory, ethereal and larger than the moon… brighter than the shining stars. I knew only love as she scooped me up and held me in her giant white palm.
“My child, you cannot give up hope.” Her voice was like the trickling of a silver stream, serene and peaceful.
“What hope do I have against these men? Can I not stay here with you? I’ve never felt such peace. I never want to leave.”
“No, Zephyra, you still have much to do. You will return to me one day, but now is not the time.”
Sadness joined feelings of love. She was denying me my wish. The way I felt right then, in her presence… no words can describe it.
Colours and light sparkled upon the darkness surrounding us. For the first time I could recall, I had no troubles… no worries.
“What do I have left to do on Earth? I am but one small woman who’s got herself caught by a horrible man.”
“Zephyra.” I could listen to her speak my name for the rest of eternity, the way it sounded coming from her. “You must set your emotions free. The power is within you, if you would only set yourself free.”
I frowned at her words. “What do you mean? What power?”
But she was already gone. I woke with a gasp, back in the dungeon. Reality hit me hard. I curled up on my side and cried myself into another sleep, a dreamless one.
Chapter 16
I contemplated my dream about Celestia over and over. What did she mean? What’s this power she’s trying to tell me about? Did I truly visit her, or was it simply a dream that meant nothing?
The quiet guard came and went, but I didn’t pay him much attention. The water remained untouched by poison since my dream about the goddess, spiraling me down into depression further and further. I needed to revisit Celestia so I could ask her more about this power.
I don’t know how much time passed in my prison, but one day I awoke to an awful smell. I followed the putrid scent, and it dawned on me that Mel’s body was starting to rot. Horror filled me as I realized that I was stuck in there with her corpse while it decayed. I bent over and retched, spilling the little left of my previous meal out onto the ground.
I straightened, wiping my mouth with my hand. Noticing my shaking hands, my heart sank. I could see bone clearly beneath my pale skin. I would soon look as awful as Mel did when I’d first laid eyes upon her.
“Set your emotions free,” Celestia’s words echoed in my mind.
I supposed I should try to obey her. She believed in me, and I loved her more than I could express. I couldn’t let my faith waiver now.
I strode to the gate of my cell, grabbed the iron bars, and screamed at the top of my lungs, “LET ME OUT!”
Hot tears coated my cheeks, and I felt the anger welling up within me, anger that I’d managed to push down for so long. To my shock, the iron bars warmed beneath my touch. I pulled away with a sharp inhale.
I stared at my hands, recalling the night my mother sent Gisela away. I remembered how hot I’d felt then—like I was burning from the inside out—and how I’d jumped in the stream to cool myself.
Could this be the power my goddess told me about? How could this be? Why did I seem to have this power of… heat? No one in the realm had been gifted with any of Celestia’s elementals’ powers for centuries, as far as I knew.
Or perhaps I was simply going mad like Mel had.
The guard entered with my meal, if you could even call it that, and I dropped my hands back to my sides. Though, whoever prepared my food lately had been more generous. Perhaps with Mel dead there were more scraps left for me.
I decided to test my power out on him to see if it was real or just in my head. I placed a hand on his arm once he drew close enough and focused on one thought; I did not deserve to die there.
“Get your filthy hands off me!” He pulled his arm away and dropped my bowl.
I gazed at my palm. “Why? Is my hand too hot?”
“Don’t be stupid. I don’t want your dirty hands on me, is all.”
“Oh.” Disappointment put out my flame of hope. If I truly did have some sort of power, it seemed it would be of no use to me.
“Look, just eat your meal, and don’t try to touch me again, or I’ll have to take action against you. Don’t make me do that.”
“Yes, sir.” I stared at the floor as he turned and left me, defeated.
I picked up the tray and lowered myself down against the wall. Today’s meal consisted of a stale bun and some cold stew, which was mostly broth. I stared at the food for a moment before setting my tray aside. How could I eat with the smell of decay in the air? I reached for the water instead. I wasn’t expecting the effects of the mysterious potion to hit me as I drank.
My eyelids fluttered shut, and I slumped back against the wall. This time, I did not dream of Celestia. I dreamed again of Addy.
We were in the great hall, just her and I. A beam of sunlight shone through the large window and into the hall, casting a golden shimmer over the marble floor.
Her laughter rang like bells as she took my hand and spun me around in a graceful dance. “How I’ve missed you, Zephy. Please promise to never leave me again.”
“I promise,” I heard myself say. “I’ll stay here forever with you. There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“That brightens my heart. This kingdom is ours. We have everything we need right here, especially now that you’ve finally found love. I’m so overjoyed for you.”
“As am I. I never thought I’d find someone whom I could trust with my heart, but here he is.” My heart burst with so much love that it pulled me from my deep slumber. I stirred awake, a smile upon my lips.
My smile faded as I opened my eyes and saw Algor staring down at me.
I quickly sat up, taking in a breath of stale air. Fear rose up from the pit of my stomach. I swallowed it. I must be strong, I told myself.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said as a grin cracked his pudgy face.
I stayed silent.
“Where are your manners? I thought you were a royal, my lady,” he mocked, taking a few steps closer. He gripped his metal cane in his left hand; it made that awful clanking sound with each step he took.
“I have nothing to say to you. Please leave me to die in peace.”
“Ah, now what fun would that be, my pet?” he taunted.
I glared into the cold, green eyes of a man without a conscience and wondered if he’d ever been loved.
Eyes locked, he pounced right when I was about to kick his cane from him in an attempt to stun him. He was surprisingly fast for his size. His hands pressed down on my shoulders. I tried to squirm free from his grasp, to wriggle away, but I couldn’t gather the strength to escape his hefty weight.
I’d just woken from the dream the poisoned water had induced, and I could feel that it, indeed, weakened me to the very core, as Mel had warned. I felt as though I were an old crone, awaiting the kiss of death.
He tore at my dress. Already worn, it ripped easily.
What he did next brought the taste of bile to my throat. He started fumbling with his belt, his big fingers having a bit of trouble before he got it undone successfully.
He got to his knees, placing each of his hands beside my head.
I twisted my neck and bit down hard on
his arm. I spat out the metallic taste of blood.
He howled, grabbing the teeth-shaped wound. “Fine. If you want to play rough, I’ll introduce you to my friend instead,” he growled.
I opened my eyes to ask what friend, but before I had the chance to utter a word, the flat side of his cold, metal cane slammed right between my legs. My vision went blurry with hot, white pain, and I heard a shrieking so loud it pierced my ears. I didn’t realize the awful sound came from me until my throat burned. Searing tears burned my eyes. And then everything went black
I thought I’d fainted, but then I heard him groan and felt his weight no longer on me.
“Celestia’s ass! Damn these torches! Damn them all the way to the dark world of Mnyama!”
I flinched as the cell gate slammed shut.
It dawned on me that all of the torches had gone out, leaving the dungeon in such darkness that I couldn’t tell whether my eyes were open or closed.
Did I do this? I wondered. I didn’t know, but I whispered a prayer of thanks to Celestia because I felt her presence in this matter either way. Fire was one of her elements, and the fact that it ceased to burn meant fire had saved me for the moment. Though, it hadn’t been in time to save me from Algor’s friend.
I lay sprawled on the floor, shivering in the darkness, wishing for my death.
Eventually, a guard came down and relit the torches.
Chapter 17
The guard came and went with my scraps, which were less than they had been before my last encounter with Algor. He brought me water that, more often than not, contained the poison. Suspecting Algor was trying to weaken me further, I tried to stop myself from drinking it. In the end, I always failed, my thirst conquering my will.
I drifted between my lucid dreams and reality. When I dreamed, I left my dreadful existence behind. It was as good as it was going to get for me. So I drank and waited for the day I wouldn’t wake up.
Algor came back to torture me eventually.
I lay there, a shriveled thing on the floor, helpless and uncaring about what he planned to do to me. It wasn’t like I could do anything to stop him. I was even weaker than the last time he’d visited me, and my will to survive had crumbled.
“Ah, my pet, you don’t look so well. It’ll be easy for me to have fun with you tonight. Did you enjoy my friend during our last visit?” he asked with a malicious smile, patting that awful cane of his.
I glared at him with so much hate but kept my mouth shut. Talking took too much strength. I thought perhaps today I would meet my end, as Mel had, and then I would be free.
He shook his head at me and clucked his tongue, as if he could read my thoughts. “Don’t worry, my pet, you have awhile before you’ll face death. And I’ll be sure you are fed well for pleasing me.”
I planted my gaze on the wall, disgusted. I did not want to be fed well. I did not want to live… for my misery to go on.
I wanted to argue with him, but I didn’t see the use.
He seemed satisfied by my silence because he kept going on. He told me how pleased he was that I’d finally come to my senses and how he was going to take pleasure from me, growing closer and closer with each word. I kept my gaze nailed to the wall as he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “It’s time. The moment I’ve been waiting for. You are mine.”
“Get on with it then,” I uttered, breaking my silence. I turned my face, and our gazes locked on one another.
He clapped his hands together with a glee, smiling like a child in a cake shop. “Ah, she speaks.” Then he ripped my dress, exposing my flesh. I noticed his gaze fall below my chin. “Oh, and look… a keepsake to remember you by.”
I looked down with confusion and saw a glint of gold before he ripped my necklace from me, breaking the chain.
My necklace… my necklace! How could I have forgotten the one thing I possessed that held so much meaning to me? It was the only piece of Addy I had left. The loss of the keepsake fueled a fire within me that I hadn’t felt since my mother had sent Gisela away. I shrieked at him, balling my hands into fists.
I awaited Algor’s wrath, but instead, he released me with a yelp.
I peered up at him in amazement, watching the hand that held my necklace erupt in flames. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of burning flesh. The fire crept higher and higher up his forearm.
“Winslan! Gustev! Guards! Help me!” he bellowed, running from the dungeon in a panic while patting his arm frantically to snuff the flames.
I sat in utter shock, my stomach fluttering with hope as my gaze slid to the wide open gate. No one was in sight.
As shock from the incident wore off, I wondered, could this be it? Did I finally use my power to free myself from this nightmare? Dare I hope? Oh, but hope I did as I gathered what was left of my gown around myself, covering my sacred bits by holding the material in a bunch at my midsection.
I stepped out of my cell with my breath held and noticed a tall figure down the corridor. I froze. He beckoned me to come toward him. The stairway was the only other choice. I knew the guards would be on the main floor. My chances of escaping one were greater than many.
Drawing nearer, I noticed he looked more like a vagrant than a guard with his dirt-streaked, tattered clothing and long, scraggly beard. His long, matted hair probably hadn’t seen a comb in many seasons. I wondered what a vagrant would be doing here. Perhaps he’d also been a prisoner of Algor’s.
“Make haste, my lady. The guards will come back at any moment,” he said in a hushed voice. He didn’t speak like a vagrant, I noted, figuring my guess had to be correct.
I quickened my pace but still moved slow. I barely had the strength to stand, let alone run. I suppose hope gave me the strength to go on; that, or my goddess.
“Here, here. There you are.” He put his arm around my waist to help steady me. “I know a way out of here, if you’ll come with me.”
I tried to shrink away from his touch but almost fell over with the effort. He caught and steadied me before repositioning his arm around my shoulders. This time, I accepted his help.
“A way out?” My weak voice shook with effort.
“Shh, shh. Yes, you’ll just have to trust me.”
So I let this vagrant lead me down the dungeon hall, because I had no other choice. I didn’t know where to go, and the other way led to my recapture. In my poor state, I couldn’t have fought this man off anyways. If he tried to harm me perhaps my power would protect me again.
The sweat of anxiety and exertion wet my brow. I thought for sure we would be caught.
The vagrant stopped and bent down to push a large boulder aside, revealing a hole large enough to fit a person through.
“All right, I’m going to jump down first. When I say so, you climb in the hole, and I’ll catch you.”
I eyed him, unsure.
He added, “It’s not a far way down, and you’re very light. I promise I’ll not drop you.”
Again, what choice did I have? Anything would be better than this place. And if I did die from a fall… well, that wouldn’t be so bad either.
He disappeared into the hole. A moment later, I heard his voice echo from below. “All right, my lady, whenever you’re ready.”
I lowered myself until my legs dangled over the edge, feeling nervous at not having ground beneath my feet. I heard the sound of men yelling in the distance and forgot my nerves. I slid down the small hole, holding my breath.
The bottom wasn’t as far down as I assumed it would be, and I fell easily into the vagrant’s arms. I turned my face away from his stench. Like most vagrants, he needed a bath. It wasn’t the worst scent I’d smelled since being imprisoned, and I supposed I must have smelled just as bad, so I didn’t complain.
He gently set me down and climbed part way back up the hole, reaching to pull the boulder back over it when I noticed another awful odour—human waste. I gagged and covered my nose with my hand.
“Apologies for the smell, my lady. This is the hole in which
all of the waste from the household pots is emptied. There are tunnels down here that lead out to the village’s market.”
I nodded, still trying not to breathe the scent in.
He put my arm around his broad shoulder and guided us down the tunnel and into darkness. I awkwardly clutched my dress to keep from exposing myself to this vagrant.
We stumbled through the dark tunnels, twisting and turning. Once my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I could make out a bit of the dirt and rocks making up the tunnel walls. Nonetheless, I had no idea where we were going and had to trust this strange man to get us out of there, lest I become lost and die of exhaustion—or thirst.
He eased his pace to help me along. I knew not why he was showing me such kindness, but I didn’t have the strength to ask him. On and on we walked in silence until I started to shake with exhaustion.
He must have noticed because he stopped and stated, “We can rest for a moment. But not for long. We’re nearly out anyways.”
I nodded, sinking against one of the dirt walls while sucking in huge gulps of air.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any water to give you, or I would.”
“”Tis all right—” I managed to choke out before he cut me off.
“Shh, hush. Save your breath. You will need it to finish the journey out of these tunnels.”
I shut my mouth and nodded in reply before leaning my head back. I closed my eyes.
I must have fallen asleep. When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I almost screamed out, thinking he was Algor coming to take me again.
“Shh. It’s all right. We’re in the tunnels, remember? We must get moving. I’m sorry, I know you’re tired.”
The memory of my escape rushed back to me, and a single tear ran down my cheek as he helped me to my feet. I didn’t know if he noticed. He kept his silence if he did.
We continued on through the tunnels for a while in silence. I began to suspect we were lost when I noticed a faint light. I paused, swaying on my feet.
“Look, that’s moonlight right up ahead. Not much longer now,” he urged.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 12