The gold band gives way to red puckered skin, so swollen it’s turning to blisters. I’m clenching and unclenching my fist, watching the skin pull taunt, half expecting it to split open with the force, when the most deafening explosion vibrates above us.
The sickening sense of the Zantronians closeness is far beyond anything I’ve ever before experienced, intensified to an extreme, jolting pure fear through my blood stream, so much stronger than I have ever felt before and that’s when I see it, the most repulsive act yet.
At the same time as the ruby begins to emit a soft light, my fingernails begin to change, taking on a form unlike anything human that I’ve ever seen. Each nail thickens, growing denser, encrusting in its hardness as they lengthen to form a razor sharp point.
Breath freezes in my throat as I stare at the rose gold coloured talons my nails have become. The ruby shines brighter, and with it, my nails grow in length, measuring at least three centimetres long, curving slightly at the tips in a disturbingly predatory image. Inconspicuously lifting my right hand up, my stomach drops when I see that these fingers are distorted too, mimicking the image of my left.
My head begins to spin and only then do I realise that I’m still holding my breath. I exhale quickly, followed by short panicked little breaths that do nothing to calm me down.
Glancing around the room I’m thankful to see that no one else has noticed my panic attack or the reason for it. Clenching my fists to conceal the talons, a cry dies in my throat as their wickedly sharp ends dig into my palm, slicing the skin effortlessly.
The slow seeping ice that travels through my skin, working its way up my wrists and into my arms before invading the muscles of my chest, doesn’t frighten me nearly as much as the memory it produces.
I’ve only experienced it once before, right before I was abducted when the creatures had dug their talons into my neck, injecting me with a poison which took away all of my functioning abilities. Only now, as the thick fog of darkness penetrates my mind, dragging me down into a deep slumber, does the horrifying realisation hit me.
I’m becoming one of them.
Chapter Seven
“She’s coming around.” A voice that is painfully familiar breaks through the icy hold on my mind.
My eyelids flutter open, watering at the bright light that is pouring down upon me. My brain is sluggish, slow to respond even though it’s desperately trying to decipher what the hell is going on.
Strong hands slip around my shoulders, gently lifting me so I’m half sitting, half lying back, before releasing me quickly and backing away.
“What happened?” my thickened tongue distorts my words and I shake my head trying to chase away the lingering sedation.
“You passed out,” Ellestra is the first to answer me, her hand wrapped in mine, bringing forth a new round of fear until she releases her hold to pass me a drink of healing water, leaving my now normal looking hand to rest beside me.
I gulp down the drink, barely registering the intoxicating taste, too focused on my fingers to care about anything else.
They are perfectly normal now, no petrifying talons to be seen. Was it all a dream? Had I imagined the whole thing? Is my mental state really that impaired?
My eyes shift to Blay, his own light earthen eyes narrowed as he scrutinises my every reaction.
“The stress of the situation was too much for you to take,” Karadese’s voice has me turning to search for her, and I’m taken aback to see a small smile tugging at her full red lips, no sign of the anxiety which had consumed her before to be seen.
“I hope this proves to you that you are not, in fact, ready to return to your home planet.”
Ah, now it makes sense, my supposed fainting only justifies how much I need to stay in Prytora, to stay with Karadese. The reason why she wants me here so badly still eludes me, but truthfully I am glad for the excuse to stay, not that I will admit it.
“I’m gathering by the fact that you are all standing here that the Zantronians didn’t overpower the portal?”
“Our defences are still intact.” Blay’s deep voice vibrates along my spine, the silent warning still echoing in his presence.
“Why did they attack here? Is that common?” I won’t met his eyes when I ask this; instead I let them wander around the room, my shoulders relaxing slightly when I realise that I’m no longer in the hiding chamber and once again back in my room.
The thought of Blay being here, in the room I am the most unguarded in, has my heart quickening. Before any of this happened the idea of having an incredibly good looking guy in my room would have induced a flourish of excitement, now I struggle to remain in control, to not let any of them see how his closeness sets me on edge.
“Attacks on Prytora do happen, although the ferocity of this attack is surprising.” Blay tilts his head, dark eyebrows knitting together in a scowl. “We can only believe it is in retaliation to our own attack against them, at least that is what I assume. Whatever the reason, you can be assured that we will not rest until the source of the attack has been eradicated.”
“Eradicated how?” my voice is hollow, the full sedation completely worn off with the warning in Blay’s words.
“Any threat against Prytora or its people must be dealt with swiftly and unmercifully.”
I feel his gaze boring into me and I get the undeniable feeling that he blames me somehow. Ignoring him, I swing my feet off of the bed to stand on shaky legs and head to the bathroom, not wanting them to read the fear that I’m struggling to suppress.
“Can I have a few minutes alone?”
Karadese begins to shake her head, so I rush on.
“I just need a minute to get my breath back, and then I will meet you downstairs.”
My lips twist into a shaky smile, hoping they will believe in its sincerity.
Karadese sighs, making her way towards the door.
“Zaneth will escort you when you are ready.” She beckons to Ellestra who merely shrugs before they both walk out, arm in arm, leaving Blay standing there, arms crossed over his lean chest, his eyes searching my face, taking in every little imperfection until I feel consumed with vulnerability.
I keep my eyes downcast, unable to look at him, instead trying to hide my emotions while in plain view.
A deep rumbling echoes inside his chest and I know that I’m not going to like what comes next.
“That bracelet on your wrist - where did you get it from?” His voice is menacing, provoking anger of my own.
My head jerks up, chin jutting out in defiance as I finally meet his eye.
“Why do you care?”
“The design looks familiar.”
“It’s a family heirloom,” the lie rolls off of my tongue effortlessly, self-preservation kicking in again.
His left eye twitches as he tries to read my face to see if I’m being truthful. I’m certain he knows I’m lying yet I don’t back down, my life depends on it.
If he finds out where the bracelet really came from and what I now believe it is slowly doing to me then he will kill me on the spot, I know it. Blay may be a wickedly handsome guy but there is no hiding the ruthlessness lurking beneath that chiselled exterior.
Without warning he turns, the door slamming closed behind him, making me jump with the unexpected bang. I don’t hesitate, I run to the door, bolting the latch into place before turning to the window.
I don’t have time to think my half concocted plan through. All I know is something is happening to me, something I don’t know how to explain or how to undo.
If these people find out the truth, then they will kill me, I’m certain of it. Blay would see me as a threat, they all would, and truthfully I wouldn’t blame them, not after what I’ve seen my own body turn into.
All threats must be eradicated, unmercifully so. That’s me. That’s what I am and that would be my ending. I didn’t survive Garvien just to die at Blay’s hand. So I have to act now, before my secret is discovered.
My stomach
lurches when I open the bedroom window and see the drop below. I must be at least four stories up but I have one glimmering advantage.
This side of the castle is surrounded by water, not fog this time. Ellestra mentioned how the entire land is connected by water and I can only hope it leads me to where I need to go, not that I’m at all sure exactly where that is yet.
Climbing onto the windowsill my heart thumps against my chest and I almost let the rising fear push me back into the room to cower in the corner like the coward I am.
The gold band of the bracelet catches the light, shining delicately into my eyes. I don’t know what it has done to me, how it embedded itself into my skin and distorted my fingers into a weapon of another, more heinous species, but it has. I know it has.
What I don’t know is what else it is going to do to me, what are its capabilities of torture. That scares me more than the idea of jumping out of the fourth story of a building into the depths of the unknown.
Pulling myself tall, my eyes flutter closed as I breathe in the fresh, clean air. Nothing about the land of Prytora is immoral. Now that the Zantronians have stopped the attack I no longer feel the burning pain of their maliciousness rushing through me. With their retreat, gone too is the impending doom which their mere presence provokes.
In the time that I was their captive I could always sense them, feel when they were close, a kind of hyper-awareness, yet now I suffer from an extreme version of that. A torturous warning system that is magnified to an extent I can’t handle, and it’s all because of this damned bracelet, I’m sure of it. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.
A horrifying possibility keeps swarming inside my brain, refusing to be ignored. If I can sense them because of the bracelet, then surely they can sense me too?
My stomach revolts, air spilling from my lungs as I realise what I have to do. I need to get this bracelet off and fast. If I can’t, they will hunt me down forever and if I ask the Prytorians for help who says they won’t destroy me or worse yet – hand me over to Garvien just to alleviate the attacks on their Realm?
The safety of their people would come before me and that is a chance I can’t take.
My fingers slowly release the cold, smooth stone of the windowsill, leaving me to balance against the slight wind which pushes at my body, eager to help me down.
I let my mind wander, for the tiniest of moments, releasing the hold on my emotions, letting it free to imagine, to remember a time when I wasn’t constantly in fear of my life.
The seductive pull of happiness lulls me forward, guiding me off the edge until my feet no longer feel anything solid beneath them.
The once gentle wind now whips at my body, attacking me as I soar through the air. Keeping my legs straight and toes pointed I throw my arms out wide, a final act of defiance, as my hair billows out above me.
The cold slap of pain as I fall into the depths of the icy water comes far quicker than I anticipate. Maybe keeping my eyes closed wasn’t the best idea.
My body reacts on instinct, eyes snapping open, immediately searching for a way to escape the darkness of this latest danger.
Kicking my legs with all the strength I have, I propel myself to the surface, breaking through the water just as my lungs give out, drawing in everything and anything they can.
Water invades my lungs and I have to fight to remain floating as unending coughs cripple my body. I can’t keep this up for long, I’m using up too much energy and I curse myself for not eating anything today.
Trying to conserve what little strength I have left, I push myself onto my back, breathing deeply to calm myself enough to regain control.
Looking up, I can see the window I leapt out of. No one is there yet, I doubt any of them are even aware of my escape. I need to use this time to put as much distance between me and them before they come searching for me. I know they will, it’s only a matter of time. Time I hope to use to find a way out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into.
Rolling over I push my arms through the water, swimming in any direction as long as it’s far away from Lonix Castle.
It seems to take forever before I reach land. Crawling out of the water I drag myself up the bank onto the smooth white stones which line the water’s edge.
My arms and legs are trembling uncontrollably, no longer able to go any further, so I give in to the temptation to stop, allowing my exhausted body to sink onto the stones, revealing in the warmth that they emit.
Once my breathing slows and my heart no longer feels like it’s going to smash a rib, I sit up, dangling my arms over my knees for support to gaze out across the sparkling icy water.
The castle is far away, looming above the water in such a beautiful scene it could belong to an ethereal painting. The sheer size of it is far larger than anything I imagined – it's ginormous.
White stone encases the main turrets, twisting around the outside like a vine using a choke hold on a tree. Clear blue water laps at the edge of half the castle, slowly wearing away at the stone to leave its permanent mark.
To the side, a gondola bobs in the gentle rhythmic waves, anchored to a sturdy dock that leads to a large stairway, continuing its graceful slope it connects with an arched bridge which leads on to the castle.
Beyond the castle many smaller buildings take over the land, each one rising up as if built from the land itself. Everything here is made of stone or wood, no metal can be seen and it creates an almost homely feel that is wholly enticing.
The soft pastel tones complete the serene ambience and when I spot the occasional tree blossoming with tiny pink flowers on dusky purple branches I can barely believe my eyes - the whole place looks magical.
The beauty of this land is endless and my heart aches at having to leave it already. As I sit here, my body shivering from the lingering icy water which still drips from my hair down my back, something catches my eye.
A soft mist seeps out over the water, blanketing the lake and gaining in density until it has become a thick fog reaching all the way to the castles edge, obscuring the view of the gondola and steps completely.
Instead of seeing the beauty which Ellestra described, the advancement of such suffocating fog leaves me uneasy. If it had been there merely half an hour ago I wouldn’t have known that I could jump and land safely into the water below.
When the fog spreads its misty tendrils towards the bank on which I sit, I move quickly, pulling myself up under the heavy weight of the soaked clothes I wear and turn my back on the dense vapour.
I have only one choice in which direction to follow and I don’t waste any more time admiring my surroundings. Fear gives me the strength I need to run up the bank, before it levels off, allowing my legs a slight reprieve, yet I do not slow down.
I run through a field of wildflowers, purples, blues and reds swaying in the breeze, a pathway trampled by my careless feet, towards the thick cover of mystical trees ahead.
By now I’m sure Karadese has found out about my deception. It won’t take her long to order her people to search for me and that search will be relentless. My only hope is that I can put enough distance between us that I have time to find a place to hide.
Raspy breath is forced in and out of my burning lungs and my entire body is crying out to stop by the time I reach the first scattered covering of trees.
I stumble forward, reaching out to lean on the coarse bark, not taking time to inspect the miraculous mauve trees as I cough up clogging mucus and spit it out onto the moss covered ground.
Prickling warmth tickles across the back of my neck making the tiny hairs stand on end and sending my stomach into a free-fall. Spinning around I search for the invisible eyes that I can somehow feel watching me, only to find myself still utterly alone.
The castle looms far off in the distance, the absence of light in the windows giving the appearance of shadowy eyes staring at me.
A creepy sensation works its way into my gut and I turn back to the forest, carefully working my way through
, grateful for the thick canopy of trees growing denser the further I go in.
With night fast approaching, the dwindling light casts eerie shadows flickering around me, making my eyes catch images of things that aren’t there. Every snap of a twig or thump of my foot rings out, echoing even louder in this seemingly empty space.
Damp mouldy earth fills my nose. It’s not unpleasant; instead it works to calm my erratic nerves in a way only being in nature can.
I feel at ease in the woods, no matter how much they differ to home. Camping and hiking were things I did a lot with my dad. We would retreat into the wilderness, hiding away from the pressures of the outside world, only to emerge days later, refreshed and ready to take on the next set of obstacles.
I haven’t ventured out again since his death and the leaves rustling gently above me invoke memories of him, taunting me with happier times that I will never experience again.
I work my way through the forest methodically. My footfalls come naturally, making sure I don’t trip over the fallen branches or scattered rocks which hide under dense moss-covered logs.
The further I go the less light that penetrates the unending canopy of trees and soon my soaked clothes are freezing to my skin with the lack of the sun’s warmth.
Little clouds of steam puff out of my open mouth and I know I’m running out of time to find shelter and get warm before hypothermia sets in.
Wrapping my arms around my chest I double my speed to a careful jog, trying to conserve what little heat I’m producing.
The thoughts of freezing to death out here all alone, send horrendous images racing through my mind, the steady rise of panic eating away at my resolve, telling me to turn back and return to the warm castle, my ridiculously comfortable bed and all that food. Right on cue my stomach growls, the empty feeling only increasing the nausea I’m trying to ignore, only my strong desire to stay alive keeps me going.
Without warning the land drops away and I find myself standing above a clearing. Below, in the distance I can make out a stone bridge crossing a deep, jagged crevice which lines the land like a scar across pale skin. It’s small and overgrown and somewhat ruined but it is the first sign of civilisation I’ve seen since coming onto land.
Paladin Rising (The Paladin's Curse Book 1) Page 8