I sobbed and tried to crawl away from rogue palms and prying eyes, however I used to be tied to the bottom with strands of fiery lightning. I screamed in agony, and the ropes solely minimize deeper. Then Reyna appeared, handing her whip to Ladon. She didn’t have to talk for me to know her command. Ladon understood simply as nicely, grabbing the whip and holding it excessive above his head.

I prevented his gaze as he introduced it down. I didn’t suppose I may deal with the wrath I noticed in his silver eyes. Wrath that wasn’t his personal, however a mere figment of my twisted creativeness. I screamed once more as lightning ripped by way of my physique, burning me alive from the within out.

I thrashed, physique arching off the ground whereas I begged for it to cease. One other blinding flash of lightning jolted me awake, however it wasn’t instantly clear if it had been a dream. It would’ve been a hallucination.

My panic slowly subsided whereas the room got here into focus. It took a number of extra minutes for my coronary heart to cease pounding and my palms to cease trembling. Shadows of the horrifying ache lingered, however they had been slowly fading.

After I had lastly calmed down, an pressing want pressed on my bladder. I wanted to alleviate myself, however there was no rest room to make use of. Not even a transportable chamber pot. I rose on shaky legs and slid my leggings down, hovering over the bowl that had held my broth.

Since I used to be so dehydrated, it was in a position to maintain the contents of my bladder with out overflowing. I hovered a couple of additional moments earlier than pulling my leggings again on. Then I sniffled, wishing I’d been given bathroom paper.

And socks. My ft had been so fucking chilly, it was insufferable. My shoulders ached, and I assumed it was from the incessant shivering. To not point out the ever-present sting on my again. Like a sunburn however ten occasions worse.

I moved towards the door and ran my palms alongside the crease. I’m undecided what I hoped to search out. Some magical opening that might permit me to free myself. However all I discovered was a good seal.

Resting my brow in opposition to the door, I closed my eyes and wished I nonetheless had my magic. I’m undecided how I might’ve used it on this particular state of affairs, however a minimum of I wouldn’t have felt so hopeless. And trapped.

Determined for one thing to carry on to, some ounce of resilience, I started to stroll the outside of the room. I ran my hand alongside the tough and uneven stone, nonetheless not fairly sure what I used to be trying to find. I’d made it midway across the room once I heard the door shift.

I made a rapid lunge for it, forgetting that I used to be nonetheless therapeutic. My jaw clenched, and I doubled over in ache. After I heard the sound of laughter, I appeared up.

Luther was standing above me, his determine darkish and contrasting with the sunshine coming from behind him. He sat a brand new tray on the bottom earlier than choosing up the outdated one. Noticing the bowl of urine, he shot me an unamused glare.

I shot it proper again.

“In case you bothered to provide me a chamber pot, I wouldn’t have to make use of the dishes.”

He narrowed his eyes, however I assumed I detected a delicate nod, and hoped the following time he returned can be with a correct basin and perhaps one thing to wipe with, if I used to be fortunate.

Nonetheless aching throughout, I shuffled towards the meal I’d been introduced. Broth and a tiny cup of water once more. I stared at it, hoping if I glared lengthy sufficient, then it’d flip right into a full feast of roasted rooster, greens, and pie.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t.

It took all of ten minutes to complete devouring the soup and glass of water. With nothing else to do, I laid down and curled right into a ball. Regardless of the chilly and the ache I nonetheless felt throughout my physique, I managed to go to sleep in minutes.

I used to be sure I’d been on this cell for days. Possibly much more than per week. I tried to depend the times utilizing meals as a marker, however they had been introduced intermittently. Generally it felt like 4 or 5 hours, and different occasions it felt as if a complete day had passed by earlier than I received one other feeding of broth.

It was all the time evening contained in the cell. All the time darkish with the smallest flicker of sunshine emitting from a single lamp. And it was all the time quiet. So disturbingly quiet that I may hear my very own ideas. I even puzzled typically if I used to be speaking aloud. If I used to be going mad inside these 4 partitions.

On the intense facet, I used to be given a chamber pot after the unlucky incident with the soup bowl. Nevertheless, I used to be not given something to wash myself with and the basin wasn’t taken steadily, so I pushed it to 1 nook of the room whereas I did my finest to remain on the opposite facet.

As I lay on my facet on the ground, drawing circles within the mud, I puzzled how lengthy Reyna supposed to maintain me in right here. Endlessly? Till she was now not offended at my actions? She didn’t look like the sort to forgive and overlook. If I needed to guess; I used to be going to die on this cell.

I recalled the explanation I used to be thrown in right here to start with. It was silly to bait her like that. I knew completely nicely that she would react poorly to the apparent chemistry between Ladon and me. I knew it might flip her right into a jealous, raging bitch. However I couldn’t assist myself.

I smiled whereas writing his title with my finger. Did I remorse it? Possibly just a little. Not as a result of I didn’t need to really feel his physique in opposition to mine. However as a result of I used to be afraid I by no means would once more. Not whereas I used to be locked distant from him.

Did he suppose I used to be useless? Was he useless? I squeezed my eyes shut, making an attempt to blink away the thought. What had she performed to him after I’d handed out? I satisfied myself that she wouldn’t kill him. She loved toying with him an excessive amount of to do away with him.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I erased his title.

I don’t understand how lengthy I’d been staring on the wall. Every part appeared to mix collectively. Each glistening pane of rock. Each shadow and crevice. All of it danced and swirled in my tear-filled eyes.

My eyes traveled alongside the traces and ridges of the jagged rocks. It was like a metropolis map. Stuffed with crossing paths and open areas. One crack within the rock appeared vaguely acquainted. I continued following the traces, however one thing tugged on my thoughts, bringing me again to that crack.

I sat upright. I wasn’t as sore as once I’d arrived days in the past, however I used to be severely dehydrated and on the verge of ravenous. Each motion took extra effort than it ought to’ve.

I crawled over to the familiar-looking mark within the rock. Not a crack in any respect. It was etched into the floor. I acknowledged it, together with the collection of runes subsequent to it.

Supply: www.seynovel.com