"No!"
Vesper slices her dagger from Nyx's left shoulder and down at an angle. He tosses his head back and grits his teeth, as if holding back unearthly howls.
Tears fall down myfaceand I tug and pull at my shackles in desperate attempts to save my friend. But Ifail.
The Soul Eater lifts her dagger onceshe'smade it across Nyx'sbackbutshe'snot finished. She digs the tip of her blade at Nyx's shoulder again but slightly lower and drags it slowlydown his back. This time Nyxcan'tbearthe torturein forced silence. His screams fill thebrigand cleave my soul in two. Vesper tears into his back a third and fourth time and makes her way to slice into him a fifth time.She'sgoing to shred his back untilthere'snothing left and there'snothingI can do to stop it.
This is all my fault.
His screams rip into me.
A fifth gash is added to his back. Nyx begins to tremble, his body going into shock.
"Stop!" I plead. "You're going to kill him!Stop!"
"I know." Vesper smiles. "I will do the same thing to yourTrinkitiwhen I get my hands on him." She stabs her blade into Nyx's back a sixth time.
I barely register boots stomping down the stairs between my sobs and screams as I helplessly witness Nyx's suffer.I'mabout to watch him die. I will bear his death upon my shoulders for the rest of my days.A guiltsoheavy, Ifeel like dying,too.
"What the fuck is going on?" A male growls.
That voice. It haunts me in my sleep. I don't dare glance his way.
My nightmares flash in my mind.
Blood.
Screams.
Suffering.
It'splaying out before my eyes and just like in my nightmares,there'snothing I can do to stop it.
My magic is gone. My weapons are gone. My dragon and even my friendsdon'tknow where I am.
And now Bastian is here.
"Answer me!" Hebellows,his deep voice rumbles through the room.
Vesper rolls her red-rimmed eyes and pulls her knife from Nyx's back. More blood trickles into the puddle at his knees, soaking his torn pants.
"Don't fret, High General," Vesper coos, not bothering to wipe her blade clean before slipping it into the sheath alongside her hip. "I did not touch your precious princess." Her eyes zip to meet mine. "Notyet,at least."
"Go abovedeck. I will deal with you momentarily."
Vesperdoesn'targue. As she makes her way to the stairs, she glances back at me and Nyx and grins before disappearing.
Bastian thunders toward me and I flinch when his hands cup my face. "Shaye? Shaye, are youallright?"
Despite the fear coursing through my body, horrified that if I look at his face,I'llsee a beast instead of a man, I force myself to meet his line of sight. Butit'snot what I expect to see. His normally clean-shaven face has scruff growing. His bright ocean blue eyes that once brought me immeasurable joy are cloudy and bloodshot, as ifhe'snot slept in weeks. I suppose that would maketwoof us.
"Are youallright?" He repeats his question, his brow knitting into onelong line. "Did she hurt you?"
"Don't touch me!" I hiss and wrench myself free from his hands.
"Shaye, I swear I had no idea what she was doing down here. Ididn'teven know she had captured anyone other than you. Shewasn'tsupposed to bring anyone else aboard – "
"Fuck you."
