Khimaira lays Charlotte on the bed, her face tight. Her eyes scan Charlotte's body, her hands moving swiftly. “We need to examine her.” She says.As they work, I pace the room. What could have caused this? And how the hell did Charlotte get here? The thought that she may have seen my note and had set out to look for me crosses my mind and my heart sinks further. “Oh Charlotte,” I say beneath my breath.Alden enters the room, his powerful presence commanding everyone's attention. “What's the situation?” He asks as his gaze settles on Charlotte. Khimaira's voice is firm and it is strange to see her in such a mood. Her face, which usually wears a wicked smile, is blank and expressionless. “I'm not so sure yet, Alden. But there's no visible physical cause and judging from her slow pulse, I suspect poison.” Alden's face darkens and he looks over at me. His eyes speak volumes and I cannot help but think that he is withholding something from me.“Wait, what's this?” Herb's voice cuts thr
As we walk through the forest, my heart is racing with every step. Knox walks beside me, his face etched with worry. Teon and Knox are in the shadows, following us from a distance. If all goes according to plan, they will not reveal themselves until it is absolutely necessary.“Cathy, I'm starting to doubt if this is a good idea.” Knox says, his voice low and urgent. “Master Alden would never forgive us if this goes wrong.”I reach out and gently place my hand on his arm. “Don't worry, the plan is simple. You're here to take the antidote back to the castle, remember. Herb and Teon will follow us until the time is right to distract Lena for me to escape.”I lean further until I am at eye level with him. “If all goes well, I will take the blame with Alden. He would never have agreed to this and Lena would definitely be expecting him to come after her.”Knox nods, his eyes still wary and worried.As we approach the clearing, I can see Lena waiting for us. She is with a strange woman. As
I stay crouched in the darkness, as Herb and Teon work to pick the hinges on the window slit to enable me crawl through. My heart racing and fingers drumming against my thigh, impatient and anxious.“Come on, come on,” I hear Herb whisper under his breath. I glance at the direction of the cell entrance, willing them to go faster. Finally, the window frame gives way and the rusty iron bars open. We exchange a triumphant glance before Herb stretches his arms to pull me out. My breath comes in ragged gasps as I crawl out of the window space. “Quickly, Cathy,” Teon hissed, his voice like crinkling leaves. “We don't have much.”Once I land safely on my feet, we begin sprinting through the decrepit courtyard, our footsteps pounding the cobblestone. We run as fast as we can, the cool breeze whipping my face, a welcome respite from the dank dungeon air.As we get closer, the portcullis looming ahead, its iron bars looking like skeletal fingers in the moonlight. We reach the gate and Herb ya
Alden, Karken, Knox and Teon spend the next few hours poring over maps and strategies, finding the best way to advance on Lena and her allies. However, they knew they were outnumbered and this would be a Herculean task.“Perhaps we wait for Khimaira to return. We do not know their number and barging in there arms blazing will be a foolish tactic.” Karken suggests.“I agree, but the longer we wait, the longer Cathy is at risk. Lena is not a monster, she's still family. I plan to reason with her before all goes to hell.” Alden says, standing up with a determined look on face. “I think we should leave now.”Karken nods. Teon and Knox rally around gathering supplies and anything else they might need. “I'm coming with you.” Charlotte says, seemingly appearing out of thin air in the midst of the chaos. This stops everyone in their tracks. Alden moves towards her tentatively, “Charlotte…you can't. My sister is unpredictable and it will be too dangerous for you. If anything happens to you,
My heart hammered against my ribs, harder with each passing second. It was impossible to tell how long I'd been in this dank cell. There are some moments worse than others, when panic begins to set in. My only comfort is the faint, ragged breath of Herb sleeping on the ground across me, a reminder that was not completely alone. My thoughts strayed to Alden. Why hadn't he come for me? These were overshadowed by thoughts of Charlotte, my dear Charlotte. Had the antidote worked?These thoughts desperately gnawed at me. Every sound, even the tiniest jolt, sent a nervous anticipation through me. My eyes would immediately dart to the cell entrance, willing with all my might that it might be Alden who had come to rescue me. But each time, I was met with silence and a glimpse of the bleak cell hallway. Suddenly, the clanging of metal cut off my train of thoughts. A fragile hope fluttered once again in me. The sound faded quickly, followed by silence. Then came the unmistakable click of the
Even as he said these words, I could see the flicker of doubt flashing in his eyes. He could tell that Lena had become unpredictable and would stop at nothing to get what she wants. The air cackled with unspoken threats. Time seemed to stretch slowly. I couldn't breathe, the thought of Alden getting hurt…my child getting hurt.Just then, a tremor runs through me from the top of my head down to my feet. My vision is blurred and a wave of nausea washes over me. It is apparent that the stress of the situation is starting to take its toll on me.A grimace flickered across Alden's face. “Cathy, are you alright?” He asks, his voice laced with concern. Lena moves closer to me. “Is something wrong?” I look up at her face as I am thrown off by her question. It was hard to tell what expression she had in the dim light. Maybe a hint of concern?“Don't worry about me,” I spat, forcing myself to stand up straight.She studied me for a moment, tilting her head. Then, with a slow deliberate movemen
That single response sent a jolt through me. A sweet form of relief washed over me. We hadn't seen Karken since their supposed attack on Lena.Alden's head snapped up immediately, his eyes burning with a mix of surprise and joy, it would seem. “Karken?” He rasped. I nodded, the hope flickering within me refusing to be extinguished. I tapped again before asking, “Karken…are you alone?”For some reason, it took a while before we got a response. The silence stretched on, agonizingly long. Just when I thought we'd been ignored, the faint scratching sound resumed from the other side, followed by Karken's muffled voice.“Listen closely,” he whispered. “We need to stall them. We need to make sure Khimaira gets here before they finalize their plans.”A jolt of relief shoots through me. “Khimaira?” I whisper back. “Yes, she's on her way with reinforcements but she may not be here for a while.” Karken says. My mind was racing, there was hope after all. Khimaira was fierce and had an unwaveri
Charlotte's POVWe are seated in the meeting hall, the flickering candlelight casting shadows across the stone wall. It was another day of hoping and waiting. The sun had set and the night had draped its cloak, and with it our hope dwindled.There had been no news. Not even a whisper. Just this silence, a silence that gnawed at us, thick and suffocating. Teon and Knox paced the room like caged animals, worry lines etched deep into their faces. I observed these creatures, trying to distract my mind from the obvious. They were diminutive, horned and for some unknown reason, unclad. Their state of undress would have been of great interest to me, but for the situation we were in. My mind, once again, wanders to Cathy. My best friend who had chosen to sacrifice herself for me. This thought melts my heart and even though I do not believe in a God, I pray to Him that He brings her back safe. Her and her child. I have to admit that the whole situation still does not make much sense to me,