I hang him by the arms in the cave.I hope this fucker is alone, but I severely doubt it. I left the first meathead far too long after he witnessed Alaceandra's abilities. If he sent off a message to whomever sent him, these new scouts mean that she is indeed their person of interest and that does not bode well for the length of our stay here.I will have to discuss with the group about leaving here soon. Although it would be easier knowing where to go if I could figure out just who sent them.I turn to my first captive and notice that he is conscious, although he is pretending otherwise. I hold back a laugh and grab one of my daggers. Using it to delicately slice a strip of skin from the man's forearm I watch as he jerks away from me, his charade forgotten.
"Ah looks like you are awake," I say sarcastically, spinning the bloody dagger in my palm.
"What the fuck!" the man yells.
I ignore him and watch as a thin streak of blood travels down his arm. "Want to explain what you are doing here?"
"Who are you?" I nick another cut along his other forearm, and he yelps in pain. "What the fuck, man!" the bonehead screams.
I slice him again. "I can do this all day, you cannot. I would suggest that you start talking." I keep my tone aloof, but the darkness inside of me purrs as the blood pools on the floor. I smile at the awakening of my old friend.
"You think a few cuts are going to get me to talk?" He spits at me. "You will have to do better than that."
I sigh. "If you insist." My eyes darken and a tendril of inky blackness leaves me. I let it wrap around the man. All at oncea hundred tiny cuts open up across his form. I watch as his deepest fears become reality behind his closed eyes. His screams echo throughout the cave, shrill and desperate. After a minute I release him. He slumps against his chains.Guess that was a tad too much then. They do say the minds terrors are a lot more powerful than that of the physical form.I let out an annoyed noise.Even still these men are far too weak.
Deep laughter rattles from the man behind me. "Seems you have matured in power since the last we spoke, Frater Mortis."
I still and allow my darkness to surround me like armor, shrouding my face in shadow. Turning, I face the other captive. My voice is ice. "I see you are still not above inhabiting the bodies of your cannon fodder."
"Old habits." The man speaks, but the way his mouth moves is unnatural. Like noise is being forced from his body rather than it being freely voiced. The man's eyes have gone white, his skin pallid and he twitches with each ragged breath.
"What are you doing sending your men here?"
"You think I do not have curiosities of my own? After you left your kingdom for her-"
"You will not speak of her." Tendrils of darkness swirl around me, poised to strike, but I know I would only be hurting the form he is inhabiting, not the man himself.
More laughter. "Touchy, touchy. It seems your plans of slow pursual have not proved fruitful, Frater. Everyone knows she has come into her powers. It is only a matter of time..."
"You will do nothing," I growl.
"We will see… Until then." The man jerks his head down in a bow. Then he is gone. I check the pulse on the captives only to find none. They are dead.Fuck.
Chapter forty-seven
A Dream Or A Nightmare
Alaceandra
Istand outside in a blue, silken slip dress. My hair cascading in ringlets down my back. The sky is dark and filled with angry storm clouds. The plants around me are blackened and brittle and there is a chill in the air. A castle towers in front of me made of black stone and joined together by a burgundy mortar. I am barefoot and alone. All is quiet and still.
A gust of wind causes the trees to sway and snap, and I jump at the noise. As quickly as the wind rushes through, it is gone rendering my surroundings once again immobile. Only with a key difference. I am no longer alone. Instead, there is a cloying presence at my back. Nausea turns in my gut as my spine straightens. Try as I might to look behind me, I remain in place, my body frozen by some unseen force.
"Ah, there is the princess."
"Who are you?" I try to fight back the terror clawing up my throat.
Haunting laughter fills the air. "You will find out soon enough. You are a hard one to find. Those guards of yours do well at disguising you, although I should not be surprised, they do mask their own identities and motivations well. Even from you."
Mask their identities?"What do you want?"
"Only to reveal the truth, little princess. Those who you surround yourself with only want to hide the truth from you. I think it is time that changed."
I struggle against whatever is holding me. "And why should I trust you to tell me the truth? I do not know you nor will you reveal yourself to me."
"I think you will find I am probably the only one you can trust. It is not yet time for me to reveal myself, but that does not make what I say any less true."
I scoff. "I find that hard to believe."
