Distantly I wonder about her verbiage. She seems like she’s heard about these things before and brushed them off. But now she’s been forced to face the evidence, and she’s taking it in stride. I’ll have to ask her more about that later, but for now, we need to get Bel back.
But where do we even begin? From what Fritz said, his contact will know what to do, being the one who has built a whole team fighting against them.
Suddenly I feel a scorching pain running down my arm, and I scream in agony.
“Cas, what the fuck?” I look down and see a red line on my arm, like someone ran a claw down it, barely not breaking the skin. But it burns like someone ran a scalding sword across my flesh. Fritz examines it as I breathe through gritted teeth.
“They’re hurting her.” I seethe, “They’re fuckingtorturingher, Fritz.” The photograph of her has a few bruises and a teeny cut, but whatever they’re doing now must be causing her unimaginable anguish. As soon as it came, the pain is gone, the red line disappearing from my arm.
Instantly, my other arm begins to feel the same, only much worse. Like someone is running a needle dipped in acid along my skin in intricate patterns.
“Well,” Fritz clears his throat, “That’s one way to send a message.” I open my subconsciously squeezed-shut eyes and peer down at my forearm. Beneath the smoke starting to rise, there are rough letters scratched into my skin.
H D
E E
L M
L O
O N
Written in twin columns down my left arm, crude and misshapen, like the canvas was shaking, and I’m certain she was. I’m shaking from the pain, and I can only imagine it’s so much worse for her.
“They’re dead. All of them, fucking dead.” Fritz begins to pace, fighting to keep his mortal form. I feel the same, only remaining in this skin, making it easier to read the horrific message they’re leaving across Bel’s body.
I’m offered a slight reprieve and try to take deep breaths. Of all the agony I’ve endured, being ripped to shreds and sent through the Aether to Vankhala, then back, this might be the worst of it all. Knowing Bel is suffering because of me, having a glimpse of the torment she’s enduring, it’s a worse fate than anything I’ve felt in all my centuries.
Isla watches my arm, her sharp nails digging into it as silent, angry tears stream down her face. She looks up at me, determination in her eyes, “I’ll fucking end them. Whoever is doing this to Bel is going to wish they’d never been born.”
“That’s a lovely sentiment, Isla, but these are trained hunters. They’ve been doing this shit since they were born,” Fritz tries to explain, “They have weapons and magic, and we’ve just got us.”
“Just got us?” she asks incredulously. “You two are fucking demons with power and have the determination to torture a man for two whole days without killing him. And I’m… well, I’m motivated and fucking pissed.”
Truly, she is something to be feared. Mortals rarely have the courage to stand amongst demons, much less dare to standwithus as allies. Bel is fortunate to have a friend willing to look death in the eyes and spit venom rather than cower in fear.
I scream as more words appear, this time across my collarbone, so I tear my shirt open at the neckline to see the message,
C O M E A L O N E
Come where??
Without even a moment’s break, I start to feel the same tearing, burning sensation across my back. I rip the shirt over my head, frantically freeing myself from it so someone can tell me what the message contains.
“Nice,” Bel and Fritz say in unison, glancing at my abs before they look at each other, revulsion at their common ground evident.Not the fucking time.
I turn around so they can read the script across my shoulder blades.
“Jesus, that’s disturbing.” Isla comments, “They drew some strange symbols, before writing some shit in like Latin or something. I haven’t got a clue what it says.”
“Fritz?” I ask.
He heaves out a breath, “Dolor ducit te.”Pain leads you.
“What does that mean?” I ask.Pain leads you?
We all stand in silence, considering the message. Fritz continues his pacing, Isla sits on the couch with her face buried in her hands, and I stand there, frozen. The only thing I know this means for certain is that Bel will suffer much further before I get to her.
